The story of the Spanish Armada is a story of court intrigue, political turbulence, power-hungry monarchies and religious crusading. Designed to invade England and seize the throne from Elizabeth 1, the Armada was one of the greatest naval undertakings in history: 130 ships; 29,453 soldiers and sailors; 2241 guns. But the attack did not go according to plan.

In August 1558, scattered by a successful English onslaught, many of the fleeing Spanish ships were dashed against the Irish coast by violent storms, and left foundering in the darkness of the crashing Atlantic Ocean. It was meant to be a glorious moment of victory such as the world had never seen; it became a fight for survival against all the odds.

 

This book is part of a book series called Exploring .

There are 96 pages in this book. This book was published 2000 by O'Brien Press Ltd .

Winifred Glover is curator of Ethnography at the Ulster Museum in Belfast. She has a particular interest in the events of the Armada, and has created a marvellous permanent exhibition of finds from the Armada wrecks. The Armada collection at the Ulster Museum is the biggest collection outside Spain.