8 Facts about Armada
Facts about Armada talk about the famous Spanish armada. It is called Grande y Felicísima Armada. It means “Great and Most Happy Navy”. In August 1588, there were 130 ships of Spanish fleet. The commander of the fleet was Duke of Medina Sidonia. They sailed from A Coruña to invade England. The Spanish wanted to conquer Queen Elizabeth I. By having the kingdom overthrown; the Spanish expected that they could stop the interference of England to the Spanish Netherlands. Find out more facts about armada below:
Facts about Armada 1: the Pope
The pope supported Spanish for the invasion plan. The Duke Medina Sidonia was the commander of the fleet. Do you know that he had no sailing experience before?
Facts about Armada 2: the fleet
The fleet consisted of 130 ships. It also included 22 fighting galleons. Some of the ships were the merchant ships transformed into a battle ship.
Facts about Armada 3: the soldiers and guns
Can you guess the number of guns and soldiers taken by the Spanish armada? They had 2,500 guns and 30,000 soldiers. The ships sailed to reach the English Channel from Portugal.
Facts about Armada 4: what was on board?
Besides the guns and soldiers, there were several important things brought by the Spanish on boards. Those included 11,000 pairs of sandals, 14,000 barrels of wine, 180 priests and 4,990,000 kilogram of biscuits.
Facts about Armada 5: Lord Howard and Sir Francis Drake
Lord Howard and Sir Francis Drake were the leaders of the English fleet. There is one legend about these leaders. It is believed that before they sailed, Drake wanted to finish his game of bowls. Drake believed to have known about the tide. Therefore, he waited to set sailed.
Facts about Armada 6: who won the battle?
The English won the battle. They could defeat the Spanish armada. It was very easier for the English fleet to maneuver because they had the lighter and smaller ships. The formation of the Spanish fleet was damaged after the English used the sailing boats on fire. Get facts about army here.
Facts about Armada 7: the number of causalities
The Spanish armada lost 20,000 soldiers during the battle. The English only lost 7,000 soldiers. The half of the Spanish armada was lost.
Facts about Armada 8: the fame
After the great victory, Sir Francis Drake was famous. He also made the protestant religion spread all over Europe. Other important persons who contributed to defeat Spanish armada were Richard Hawkins, Sir John Hawkins, and Sir Walter Raleigh.
The story of the battle between the Spanish and English armada inspired people to create novel or even TV series. Are you interested reading facts about armada?