Maritime history only when his ship was too disabled to offer any resistance. The Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidona in 1588. The Spanish Armada was sent by King Philip II of Spain, who had been king consort of England until the death of his wife Mary I of England thirty years earlier. The purpose of the expedition was to escort the Duke of Parma's army of tercios from the Spanish Netherlands across the North Sea for a landing in south-east England. Once the army had suppressed English support
3rd Spanish Armada King Richard III in 1485. A Spanish observer had noted that Milford contained many Catholics who were hostile to the English. The true intentions of the Armada however were confusing to the captains and officers, as they didn't really know whether this was an invasion, a raid or a naval interception. For fear of spies and deserters in the fleet, only the high command knew, and they were taking no chances. All would be revealed only as they approached the English Channel. The taking and holding of Falmouth or Milford was a strategy the Spanish would use to hold a