The morale and dedication of the British sailors was high, improved by the famous speech by Queen Elizabeth and loyalty to England. The Spanish galleons could have their oars broken off completely by a heavy vessel sailing past nearby. The English ships were also more manoeuvrable. Part of the English strategy was to sink or damage the enemy ships before they got close enough to fire back at them. The Spanish only had short-range cannons, while the English had long-range cannons. The British had only 55 ships, but these ships were not bigger but carried more guns. The defeat of the Armada is often attributed to a severe storm which scattered the Spanish vessels before they met the British fleet, meaning they could not use the many more ships they had to their advantage as planned. Spanish Netherlands: England, as a Protestant nation, continued to interfere in the Netherlands in support of Dutch Protestantism undermining Spanish influence there.The killing of Mary, ordered by Elizabeth, was the final straw for Philip II in the tensions between the two countries. Politics: The turning point came following the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots – Spain’s Catholic ally.This included Sir Francis Drake’s burning of over 20 Spanish ships in the port of Cadiz (Spain) in April 1587. English sailors deliberately targeted Spanish shipping around Europe and the Atlantic. This led to many skirmishes (irregular fights) between the English pirates and privateers and the Spanish vessels. Trade: The Spanish saw England as a competitor in trade and in expansion to the ‘New World’ (America).He also had the support of the Pope in his efforts to restore and spread Catholicism.
Philip II was particularly perturbed by the spread of Protestantism in England and he wanted to conquer England to bring it back into the Catholic fold.
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