Spain's "Invincible" Armada Trivia Quiz

Answer: True

True. Spanish King Philip II was married to Elizabeth I's half-sister Mary I. The marriage was a political one and only lasted 4 years. Mary I was Catholic like Philip II, and Philip wanted to bring England back to Catholicism. Philip and Mary had no children. After Mary's death, Philip proposed to Elizabeth, but was turned down.

Answer: Sixtus V

Sixtus V gave King Philip II a papal blessing, and agreed to grant Philip a sizable sum, but only if the Spanish were able to land troops on English soil. He also agreed to renew the excommunication of Queen Elizabeth I of England. In return, the Pope expected King Philip's successful conquest would return England to Catholicism.

Answer: Sir Francis Drake

A privateer is a privately owned vessel that is sanctioned by the government to attack enemy ships during wartime. Sir Francis Drake was a privateer and was authorized by Queen Elizabeth I to attack Spanish shipping as well as Spanish colonies in the New World.

Queen Elizabeth was anxious to challenge Spain's and Portugal's dominion over the oceans. She commissioned Francis Drake to circumnavigate the globe in 1577; he navigated the Straits of Magellan, sailed as far north as present-day California (which he claimed for England), and then turned west and sailed around the Cape of Good Hope, reaching England in 1780.

During his voyage, Drake captured and raided many a Spanish galleon. He became the first Englishman to complete the feat in the same ship, HMS Golden Hind. This voyage was a prelude to the Anglo-Spanish War that followed in 1780. Spain considered Drake to be a pirate, especially after Queen Elizabeth knighted him soon after his return to England, and he became a life-long enemy of Spain. As a British Vice Admiral, Drake played a major role in Britain's defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Answer: Cadiz

In April of 1587 Sir Francis Drake raided the Spanish port of Cadiz. He destroyed several dozen ships that were to be part of the Armada, as well as tons of supplies. This raid delayed the Armada's sailing by several months and gave England additional time to prepare for the invasion. This attack became known in England as "singeing of the king of Spain's beard."

Answer: Spain's plan to remove Elizabeth I from the throne

The "Enterprise of England" was King Philip II's plan to remove Elizabeth I from the throne. Philip II's plan involved amassing 130 ships to form an "invincible armada". Once formed the Armada was to sail into the English Channel to Flanders where it would rendezvous with 30,000 crack troops led by the Duke of Parma.

The Armada would then ferry the troops across the Channel and begin the attack on London.

Answer: Duke of Medina-Sidonia

The Dukedom of Medina-Sidonia was the oldest one in Spain. In 1588 the duke was Alonso Perez de Guzman, who was appointed by King Philip II after the original commander died. Perez de Guzman had no prior naval experience, and, feigning sickness, he protested his appointment. But he had the King's confidence.

Philip placed loyalty and nobility over experience. Also, strict adherence to orders was a mantra. Perez de Guzman was from one of the most powerful houses in Spain, but when English ships began to harass the Armada and unfavorable winds blew across his bow, the Duke's inexperience in naval tactics and his stubbornness in refusing to deviate from King Philip II's plan contributed to the plan's failure.

Answer: False

False. The joint command was held by Sir Francis Drake and Lord Charles Howard. Lord Howard was the Commander-in-Chief of the English fleet. The English used long range naval guns to harass the Spanish, but they were unable to prevent the rendezvous with the Duke of Parma and his army. Lord Charles Howard was a trusted member of the Queen's inner circle. Though he was not known for his seamanship, he was suited as a strategical planner and communicator. He attained the highest rank in the Royal Navy.

The Duke of Parma was Alessandro Farnese, known for his military and political acumen. He was the Governor-General of the Spanish Netherlands (also known as Flanders). Under his command were 30,000 of Spain's best troops. Per King Philip's plan, he was to rendezvous with the Armada and be ferried across the English Channel. Once there his army would march on London and remove Elizabeth from the throne. The rendezvous never occurred due to the lack of communication between the two commanders and the harassment from the English Fleet.

Answer: fireships

The fireship idea originated with Francis Drake. The English set eight empty ships ablaze and allowed the wind and tide to carry them to the anchored Spanish Armada. The fireships caused more panic than physical damage. The panic caused the Armada to break formation, cut their anchors free, and flee, hence the term "cut and run".

Answer: Tilbury

Thanks to the Royal Navy, Spanish troops never set foot on English soil in 1588. Tilbury, however, was chosen for the speech because it was there that England believed Spain would land its troops.

The text of the Queen's speech stated: "I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field."

Answer: The Battle of Gravelines

The Battle of Gravelines (1588) was important because it established the Royal Navy's hegemony over the English Channel and was the deciding battle of the Anglo-Spanish War. Spain's dominance as a sea power began to wane after the battle, and the Royal Navy's dominance began to take form.

The Royal Navy was able to destroy several ships, and unfavorable winds caused the remainder of the Spanish fleet to withdraw northward around Scotland and Ireland. When the Fleet returned to Spain fully half of its ships had been lost, most due to weather. The battle was named for the port town of Gravelines in Flanders.