Blessing of Armada Banner
Pope Sixtus V allowed Philip II of Spain to collect crusade taxes and granted his men indulgences. The blessing of the Armada's banner takes place on 28th May
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1588 in Spain
Explore 91 historical events and records for Spain in 1588.
Historical records for Spain in 1588
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 91 unique records.
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May
Invasion of England
Pope Sixtus V allowed Philip II of Spain to collect crusade taxes and granted his men indulgences. The blessing of the Armada's banner takes place on 28th May
Invasion of England
It included twenty eight purpose-built warships, of which twenty were galleons, four galleys and four (Neapolitan) galleasses.
Invasion of England
The Armada set sail from Lisbon and headed for the English Channel.
Invasion of England
The fleet was composed of 130 ships, 8,000 sailors and 18,000 soldiers, and bore 1,500 brass guns and 1,000 iron guns.
Invasion of England
The full body of the fleet took two days to leave port.
Invasion of England
The remainder of the heavy vessels were mostly armed carracks and hulks together with thirty-four light ships.
Spanish Armada Sails
Medina Sidonia leads the Spanish Armada from Lisbon with orders to enter the Channel, protect Parma's crossing and support an invasion of England.
Spanish Armada, 1st
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
Spanish Armada, 1st
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
Spanish Armada, 1st
It takes until May 30 for all of the Armada to leave port and, on the same day, Elizabeth's ambassador in The Netherlands, Dr Valentine Dale, meets Parmas representatives to begin peace negotiations
Spanish Armada, 1st
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
Spanish Armada, 1st
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
July
Spanish Armada, 1st
Peace negotiations are abandoned
Invasion of England
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.
Invasion of England
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
Invasion of England
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.
Invasion of England
on to the east and towards the Isle of Wight
Invasion of England
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.
Invasion of England
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
Invasion of England
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.
Invasion of England
on to the east and towards the Isle of Wight
Spanish Armada, 1st
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.
Spanish Armada, 1st
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
Spanish Armada, 1st
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.
Spanish Armada, 1st
on to the east and towards the Isle of Wight
Spanish Armada, 1st
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.
Spanish Armada, 1st
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
Spanish Armada, 1st
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.
Spanish Armada, 1st
on to the east and towards the Isle of Wight
Departure
The Armada Fleets sets sail from Corunna
Spanish Armada, 1st
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
Spanish Armada, 1st
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.
Spanish Armada, 1st
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.
Spanish Armada, 1st
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
Armada Fails to Reach Parma Transport Force
Medina Sidonia cannot establish the protected anchorage needed to embark Parma's army from Flanders.
Spanish Armada, 1st
First sights the English Fleet off Dodman Point
August
Battle of Gravelines
Perez de Guzman is chased by 2 English ships to the Firth of Forth
Battle of Gravelines
A change in wind direction enables Sidona to flee north west
Battle of Gravelines
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. Escapes the English by rounding the Orkneys then returning to Spain
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.