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Loading... The Spanish Armada (2013)by Robert Hutchinson
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  zcoeman | Dec 5, 2019 |  no reviews | add a review
After the accession of Elizabeth I in 1558, Protestant England was beset by the hostile Catholic powers of Europe - not least Spain. In October 1585 King Philip II of Spain declared his intention to destroy Protestant England and began preparing invasion plans, leading to an intense intelligence war between the two countries, culminating in the dramatic sea battles of 1588. Robert Hutchinson's tautly written book is the first to examine this battle for intelligence, and uses everything from contemporary eye-witness accounts to papers held by the national archives in Spain and the UK to recount the dramatic battle that raged up the English Channel. Contrary to popular theory, the Armada was not defeated by superior English forces - in fact, Elizabeth I's parsimony meant that her ships had no munitions left by the time the Armada had fought its way up to the south coast of England. In reality it was a combination of inclement weather and bad luck that landed the killer blow on the Spanish forces, and of the 125 Spanish ships that set sail against England, only 60 limped home - the rest sunk or wrecked with barely a shot fired. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)942.055History and Geography Europe England and Wales England 1485-1603, Tudors 1558-1603, Elizabeth ILC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.88)
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The Spanish Armada by Robert Hutchinson is a fascinating look into the almost mythic story of Armada's attempt to restore Catholicism to England. Hutchinson focuses his story on the intelligence gathering by both the Spanish and the English from the preparation of the Armada through to its ultimate failure. While it is sometimes interesting to read what so-and-so knew at a certain point in time, it seemed a little tedious occasionally, slowing down the pace of the story. Nonetheless, the story flowed fairly well and it felt like a quick read. Overall, I thought it was a good book and solidly written. It was certainly interesting, but I still felt like there was just a tad missing to really draw me into the story. I would definitely recommend the book, especially to someone interested in the period, but it doesn't make it into my favorite books club. Lastly, the appendices giving England's and Spain's ship roll calls is a great addition as is the dramatic personae which I found highly useful as the numerous names involved in the story got a bit confusing at times. (