Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada February 18, 1999 Andrew Stein Term Paper February 15, 1999 The cold, stormy night was all too familiar to the English. A devious plan by Spain's king, Philip II, was being formed to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I of England and rid the world of the English "heretics."1 It was a story of deception, false judgments, and poor planning. What was one king's dream turned into his country's nightmare. While the Spanish had bad leaders, the English had good ones. The Spanish had bigger, but slower ships, while the English had smaller and faster ships. The English knew the weather conditions and how to prepare for them, while the Spanish thought it would not be a problem. The English entered the battle in a calm manner, while the Spanish were overconfident. All of these factors led to Spain's undoing. In 1588, Queen Elizabeth I, of England, defeated the Armada and the Spanish hubris with good luck, favorable weather and excellent leadership. Elizabeth I was born on September 7th, 1533 to King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. When Elizabeth was just three years of age, her mother had lost favor with the king for not producing a male heir. Anne Bolyen was soon executed and Elizabeth was deprived of any rights to succession. Elizabeth also had two half-siblings from two of her father's many other marriages. Edward VI, son of Jane Seymour, became King of England and Ireland in 1547. Mary I, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, became Queen of England in 1553 and soon grew suspicious of her Protestant step-sister. Due to this fact, Elizabeth was placed in the Tower of London for some time, only to be pardoned when it was discovered that Queen Mary had fallen ill. Mary died unhappy with the fact that her throne was to be succeeded by a Protestant, and not by a Roman Catholic, as she had been. When her half-sister died in 1558, Elizabeth was left with an England torn and bankrupt by war, and a people divided by religion. At t...
