Third Spanish Armada

The Third Spanish Armada, also known as the Spanish Armada of 1597, was involved in a major naval event that took place between 18 October and 15 November 1597 as part of the Anglo–Spanish War. The attack of the armada, which was the third attempt by Spain to invade or raid the British Isles during the war, was ordered by King Philip II of Spain in revenge for the English attack on Cádiz following the failure of the 2nd Spanish Armada the previous year due to a storm. The Armada was executed by the Adelantado Martín de Padilla, which had the same objective as the second armada – the support of the Irish rebels in rebellion against the English crown. It was also an opportunity to intercept and destroy the English fleet under Robert Devereux the 2nd Earl of Essex as it returned from the failed Azores expedition. The objective of landing in Ireland changed due to conflicting ideals - instead the armada was to capture either the important port of Falmouth or Milford Haven and use those places as a base for invasion.

With 140 ships and 14,000 soldiers and sailors the Spanish set out in October 1597 and arrived in the English Channel. As they approached near the Lizard they were dispersed by a storm which scattered their fleet. Even so, some ships did push on and even landed troops on the English and Welsh coasts. The returning English fleet, which had been scattered by the same storm, were unaware that the Spanish had come to intercept them, and had arrived safely in England with the loss of only one ship. Padilla realising his fleet was unable to make full landfall, finally ordered a retreat back to Spain. The returning English ships captured a number of Spanish ships, from which valuable information was obtained about the Armada.

Panic in England then ensued, partly because the English fleet had been out to sea with the English coast virtually undefended. This caused the relationship between Queen Elizabeth I of England and the Earl of Essex to deteriorate further and Charles Howard, the 1st Earl of Nottingham, took over from Essex as commander of the English fleet. Howard immediately sent the fleet out to hunt the Spanish Any remaining Spanish ships were rounded up and captured along with their soldiers and crew, most of whom had arrived back at port. Philip took much of the blame for the failure by the Armada commanders, particularly Padilla. The Armada was the last of its kind that the Spanish would execute under Philip II before his death.

The war with Spain and England had been going on for nearly twelve years and both sides had achieved little in their goals. The result of the intervention of Philip II in the religious war in France in support of the Catholic League, meant that the Spanish had established coastal garrisons along the French and Flemish coast by the 1580s. These bases had a huge strategic value because they allowed England to be threatened by the Spanish fleet and troops. Meanwhile, England also intervened in France, but in support of King Henry IV of France, by the Treaty of Greenwich in 1591. The Spaniards had captured Calais in 1596 which meant that an invasion of England could be more achievable. As a result, after desperate French demands to keep her from signing peace with Spain, the English signed the Triple Alliance with the Dutch Republic and France. England had sent an armada the next year under the Earl of Essex and Charles Howard to Cádiz which was captured and sacked. An angered Philip soon after took into consideration the defence of the peninsula.

In a wave of revenge after the defeat at Cádiz, Philip II sent out orders for a large armada to do the same to England by way of taking the French port of Brest. Just after they set off however the fleet was obliterated in autumn storms off Cape Finisterre causing severe losses in ships (including a few galleons known as the Apostles), men, supplies, and money. The cost was ruinous; the two ships carrying the pay-chests disappeared below the waves. The Spanish King not to be disheartened ordered another invasion despite the Cortes Generales claiming funds would not be available in time. As a result, the Cortes was asked to be dissolved by Philip and a financial crisis loomed. The Cádiz defeat, the failure of the Armada, as well as the war in France and the Netherlands that year meant that Philip's nation went into bankruptcy; the third of his reign. Adding to the King's and Spain's woes, a poor harvest began to take effect in the country and thousands were affected. This caused many to protest as they were unable to pay their taxes. The formation of the Triple Alliance meant that grain from abroad was harder to obtain. Despite this, the fleet albeit with great difficulty was mustered and men were pressed into service across the empire. There was a heavy reliance on the Italian holdings to make up the losses from the previous year's failed armada as well as funds and supplies.

Pedro Lopez de Soto, of Castile, the Secretary of the Adelantado, was to command the fleet. The whole force, according to Lopez de Soto's estimate was huge in terms of men, ships, and supplies. The primary original objective was Ireland to support the rise of the rebels under Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, but the senior Spanish commanders wanted to attack England instead. The Spanish King however intervened and ordered an attack on Brest to divert troops from the garrisons in the Low Countries. When news came however that the English had sailed in force again under Essex, and were first on the coasts of the Peninsula, and then cruising round the Azores to capture the treasure fleets, there was shock at the Spanish court. This news would put difficulties which Philip's system had created for himself. The King was swept away by a passion for revenge so much so he resolved to carry out his objective as swiftly as possible even at the expense of preparation.

At A Coruña the fleet was assembled under the command of Juan del Aguila as field master general, and Martín de Padilla the Adelantado, commander of the invading troops. The plan had now switched from Ireland with the objective of the Port of Falmouth in Cornwall. The Spanish were to hold the town and port and force Elizabeth into a peace or hoping to attract the Catholic followers and rise up in support. It was estimated that this would be far larger than that of the 1588 invasion attempt. The troopships were to take Falmouth, while the warships would also intercept and destroy Essex's returning fleet from the Azores. The other target as a failsafe as well as a strategic diversion was Milford Haven in Wales, a good landing ground from which Henry VII had landed his men to defeat King Richard III in 1485. A Spanish observer had noted that Milford contained many Welsh Catholics who were hostile to the English. The true intentions of the Armada, however, were confusing to the captains and officers, as they didn't really know whether this was an invasion, a raid, or a naval interception. For fear of spies and deserters in the fleet, only the high command knew, and they were taking no chances. All would be revealed only as they approached the English Channel.

The taking and holding of Falmouth or Milford was a strategy the Spanish would use to hold a piece of England in retaliation for the seizure of Cádiz. In turn this would be used as a bargaining chip to force English troops to withdraw from the continent, both in France and the United Provinces. If they did not, then the captured places would also be used as a forward base for the harassment of English and Dutch trade.