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Article: On to Calais.(Spanish Armada)
- Article from:
- Calliope
- Article date:
- May 1, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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On May 28, 1588, 130 vessels, carrying nearly 30,000 men, set sail from Lisbon, Portugal, the best-defended port in the Spanish empire. For two years, the fleet had been gathering there, and now the Armada, under commander Medina Sidonia, was finally embarking on King Philip's long-dreamed-of mission: the conquest of England.
After Drake's raid on the Spanish seaport of Cadiz, Philip had become increasingly convinced that an attack on England was the only way to stop the piracies, end English aid to the Dutch, and return the island of Britain to Catholicism. Therefore, he began devoting most of his time to his invasion plan, the so-called "Grand Design for the ...