Armada: The Spanish Enterprise and England's Deliverance in 1588

In 1588, the Spanish Armada set sail to conquer England, but an English fireship attack and naval battle foiled the invasion. This book provides a fresh understanding of the events, revealing why the Spanish mission failed, based on archives and new evidence from Armada shipwrecks.

Format: Hardback
Length: 768 pages
Publication date: 06 December 2022
Publisher: Yale University Press

The Spanish Armada, a lavishly illustrated and thoroughly revised historical account, has been chosen as one of the Best Books of 2023 by Foreign Affairs. The planned invasion of England by the Spanish Armada from Corunna in July 1588 was thwarted by an English fireship attack in the Channel and a fierce naval battle three weeks later. The events of that fateful encounter are still surrounded by many myths, with Sir Francis Drake being exalted and Spain's efforts being belittled. However, what actually transpired during that encounter? Colin Martin and Geoffrey Parker, drawing on archives from around the world, have deployed vital new evidence from Armada shipwrecks off the coasts of Ireland and Scotland. Their gripping, beautifully illustrated account provides a fresh understanding of how the rival fleets came into being, how they looked, sounded, and smelled, and what happened when they finally clashed.

Looking beyond the events of 1588 to the complex politics that made war between England and Spain inevitable, and at the political and dynastic aftermath, Armada deconstructs the many legends to reveal why, ultimately, the bold Spanish mission failed.

Weight: 1884g
Dimension: 173 x 249 x 55 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780300259865