The Spanish Armada

The Spanish Armada

Fully illustrated with photographs, maps and artwork, naval expert Angus Konstam’s The Spanish Armada is a colorful account of one of the best-known naval campaigns in world history.

With the launch of the Spanish Armada in 1588, England suffered its greatest threat since the Norman invasion some 500 years before. Had it succeeded, this great military and naval enterprise would have changed the political map of Europe.

Spain’s King Philip II had devised a complex plan whereby the Armada would sail up the English Channel, pick up the Spanish Army of Flanders on the French coast and ferry them across to England. In response, Elizabeth I launched her fleet of “Sea Dogs” to counter the threat. Led by colorful characters like Sir Francis Drake, the English surprised the Spanish Armada at its anchorage at Gravelines, preventing their rendezvous and forcing a full retreat.

With expert attention to detail and a dramatic narrative flair, Konstam details the background to the campaign, the opposing fleets and the trajectory of the entire campaign, including the Armada’s disastrous return voyage around Scotland and Ireland that became one of the most tragic episodes in maritime history.

Hardcover: 224 pages

Publisher: Osprey Publishing, Ltd. ( July 01, 2009 )

Item #: 52-6296

ISBN: 9781846034961

Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 9.5 x 0.56 inches

Product Weight: 36.0 ounces