Medina Sidonia Biography

The San Salvador suddenly explodes while proceeding up the Channel. Sunk with 15,000 ducats & 418 sailors & soldiers. Falls to Drake's galleons while being chased up the Channel

San Salvador was crippled by an accidental magazine explosion during the Armada's Channel passage and subsequently fell into English hands.

Medina Sidonia initially commanded 128 warships and two converted merchant ships.

The fleet was to be commanded by the highly experienced Elvaro de, but he died in May 1588, a few months before the sailing date, and Medina Sidonia is appointed in his place.

The fleet was to sail through the English Channel, anchor off Flanders, join the Duke of Parma's army, and invade southeastern England.

On the day after Gravelines, the wind had backed, southerly, enabling Medina Sidonia to move the Armada northward (away from the French coast), the English pursue the Spanish fleet, to prevent it returning to escort Parma.

This record states: The Armada is blown north up the east coast of England and attempts a return to Spain by sailing around Scotland and out into the Atlantic, past Ireland but.

This record states: very severe weather destroys a portion of the fleet, and more than 24 vessels are wrecked.

The fleet was to be commanded by the highly experienced Elvaro de , but he died in May 1588, a few months before the sailing date, and Medina Sidonia is appointed in his place

The Armada, with around 130 ships, 8,000 sailors and 18,000 soldiers, 1,500 brass guns and 1,000 iron guns, sets sail from Lisbon in Portugal, heading for the English Channel. An army of 30,000 men atands in the Spanish Netherlands waiting for the fleet to arrive, the plan is to land the original force in Plymouth and transfer the land army to somewhere near London, mustering 55,000 men

The Armada was delayed by bad weather, forcing the four galleys and one of the galleons to leave the fleet, and was not sighted in England until 19 July, when it appeared off The Lizard in Cornwall.

The Spanish convened a council of war, where it was proposed to ride into the harbour on the tide and incapacitate the defending ships at anchor and from there to attack England; but Medina Sidonia declined to act because this had been explicitly forbidden by Philip, and decided to sail

The news was conveyed to London by a system of beacons that had been constructed all the way along the south coast. On that evening, the English fleet was trapped in Plymouth Harbour by the incoming tide.

on to the east and towards the Isle of Wight

The Armada was delayed by bad weather, forcing the four galleys and one of the galleons to leave the fleet, and was not sighted in England until 19 July, when it appeared off The Lizard in Cornwall.

The Spanish convened a council of war, where it was proposed to ride into the harbour on the tide and incapacitate the defending ships at anchor and from there to attack England; but Medina Sidonia declined to act because this had been explicitly forbidden by Philip, and decided to sail

The news was conveyed to London by a system of beacons that had been constructed all the way along the south coast. On that evening, the English fleet was trapped in Plymouth Harbour by the incoming tide.

on to the east and towards the Isle of Wight

The Armada Fleets sets sail from Corunna

The Spanish fleet sails past the Firth of Forth, and the English cease their pursuit, much of the Spanish fleet is destroyed as it sails around Scotland and Ireland

The English set alight eight fireships, sacrificing regular warships by filling them with pitch, brimstone, some gunpowder and tar, and cast them downwind among the closely anchored vessels of the Armada.

The Spanish feared that these uncommonly large fireships were "hellburners", specialised fireships filled with large gunpowder charges, which had been used to deadly effect at the Siege of Antwerp.

Two were intercepted and towed away, but the remainder bore down on the fleet. Medina Sidonia's flagship and the principal warships held their positions, but the rest of the fleet cut their anchor cables and scattered in confusion

First sights the English Fleet off Dodman Point

The Spanish Armada is defeated by an English naval force under command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake off the coast of Gravelines, now in France

The Armada is attacked by 200 English ships, assisted by the Dutch navy, in the North Sea at Gravelines, a fire-ship attack drives the Armada ships from their anchorage, and in the ensuing Battle the Spanish abandon their rendezvous with Parma. Anchors off Calais Roads ready to rendezvous with Parma, as instructed

The Spanish are unable to reach the coast of Flanders to meet up with the army of the Duke of Parma, Medina Sidonia decides to return to Spain. The English and Spanish fleets again engage off the coast of Flanders, the English again are more successful

The English and Spanish fleets again engage off the coast of Flanders, the English again are more successful

Parma is trapped in Dunkirk by a shallow harbour. Informed by from Parma that the "Great Enterprise" is hopeless

Howard calls a halt to the chase in the latitude of the Firth of Forth off Scotland but ut by that point, the Spanish are suffering from thirst and exhaustion, the only option left to Sidonia is to chart a course home to Spain, along the Atlantic

Although their shot lockers were almost empty, the English pursued in an attempt to prevent the enemy from returning to escort Parma.

By that point, the Spanish were suffering from thirst and exhaustion, and the only option left to Medina Sidonia was to chart a course home to Spain, by a very hazardous route

On 2 August Old Style (12 August New Style) Howard called a halt to the pursuit in the latitude of the Firth of Forth off Scotland.

On the day after the Battle of Gravelines, the wind had backed southerly, enabling Medina Sidonia to move his fleet northward away from the French coast.