“This monograph dedicated to the Counter-Armada is the first to give a full account of the expedition, and represents an eye-opening contribution to the study of the Anglo-Spanish War (1585-1604) historiography.” –
Reviews in History
“At last the real history of the Anglo-Spanish War of 1585-1604. It turns out that the famous Armada of 1588 was more propaganda achievement than decisive English victory. Gorrochategui's marvellous account of their counter-armada the following year to destroy the Spanish threat and liberate Portugal reveals an equal if not bigger disaster. It provides an important rebalancing of what proved a long war of attrition.” –
Hiram Morgan, Senior Lecturer, University College Cork, Ireland
“A profound and detailed study of enormous merit and scope about an historic event that has given rise to much controversy. As the author states in his illuminating epilogue, the success of the English expedition would have made it possible for the English and the Dutch to gain access to the Spanish crown's territories in the Americas, but its failure enabled Spain to retain them. That is why it was an event of such importance. This engaging and easy-to-read work describes very compellingly a decisive episode of the period.” –
José Cervera Pery, Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of History, Spain
“Essential reading for those who love history or who are professionally engaged in it. Using primary sources Gorrochategui Santos constructs and describes the operations, the rifts and the battles with accuracy in a format which is engaging and coherent. It will certainly make some people feel embarrassed as it returns to historical memory events that should not be concealed.” –
Antonio Luis Gómez Beltrán, author of La Invencible y su leyenda negra (2013).
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England's Elizabethan naval embarrassment is finally aired like the dirty laundry that it is.
. This suppressed, nearly forgotten historical event has been brilliantly brought to light by Santos. He ties this event to the Spanish Armada, beginning with an illuminating summary of the latter so as to paint the picture of the situation precipitating the English counter strike. I cannot attest to the accuracy of the translation by professor Gold, however, given that it has Santos’ endorsement, I have no reason to question it. Gold used what I would classify as AP high school or undergraduate college level English and it reads fairly easily and straightforward. Excerpts in footnotes in scholarly texts on historical subjects are normally quoted in their source language, however, Gold also translated said excerpts into English as well, making this work even that much more accessible to readers who only know English. Professor Gold added some footnotes of his own to help clarify certain facts which the author may have assumed the reader already knew.
. Because the first part is a summary, the author gets right to the point about how the outcome of the “English Enterprise” was, in truth, a Spanish failure rather than an English victory. The myth of the defeat of the Spanish Armada lay in the notion that the latter was defeated in a major naval battle and that the vast majority of its ships were lost during the return journey, thereby putting an end to Spanish supremacy on the seas and contributing to English hegemony ever since. He also touches on the English propaganda machine operating at full-throttle right from the beginning with its echoes still being felt today. The “defeat” myth was discredited by, amongst others, José Luis Casado Soto in 1988 in his book Los Barcos españoles del siglo XVI y la Gran Armada de 1588 [Spanish Ships of the 16th century and the Armada of 1588] and more recently by Antonio Luis Gómez Beltrán in his book La Invencible y su leyenda negra [The Invincible Armada and its Black Legend]. This part of the book reassesses the operations in the English Channel, using new information that reinforces the notion that the Spanish Armada was not defeated in naval combat nor was it heavily damaged on its return.
. The second part of the book chronicles England’s preparation of a counter-strike fleet and Spain’s preparations for its arrival. What follows is a detailed description of the day to day military operations complete with maps which really help put everything into perspective. Though Elizabeth’s instructions were for the fleet of more than 180 ships carrying over 27,000 men to go to Santander to destroy what remained of Phillip II’s fleet, their first stop was the small town of A Coruña where they were repulsed by a very tenacious population inspired by Maria Pita.
. After that embarrassing defeat, Drake and Norris sailed for Lisbon. It went worse for the English there. Failing to make any progress on land, they retreated back to their ships and attempted to escape. Unlike the Spanish Armada in the Channel — no Spanish ships were sunk as a result of naval combat —, the English Armada in the estuary leading to Lisbon had several ships sank and captured by the Spanish galleys. Though they eventually escaped the Spaniards, they couldn’t escape their impending disaster. Santos grimly details how sickness and death claimed so many English sailors that they were forced to scuttle a number of their ships as they made their slow torturous journey home. He also brilliantly exposes the remarkably successful propaganda complain to spin this utterly devastating failure into a victory. Even Elizabeth referred to this enterprise as a “happy success.” Santos then gives us what most casual readers gravitate towards, the numbers, which are jaw-dropping; just under 13.5% survived to claim their pay which was so meager as to be an insult.
. Part Three deals with the later development of the war until peace was signed in 1604. It makes clear how far the Spanish navy had recovered and the extent to which its ocean-going routes had been consolidated. The epilogue reflects upon the surprising fact that this episode, which is essential for an understanding of Spain’s place in the world, has remained hidden in history. There is a discussion about the reasons for this concealment. It is revealing that it was the Chair of the British Historical Association Secondary Education Committee, Ben Walsh, who denounced such a historiographical conspiracy:
xxx
England's Elizabethan naval embarrassment is finally aired like the dirty laundry that it is.
. This suppressed, nearly forgotten historical event has been brilliantly brought to light by Santos. He ties this event to the Spanish Armada, beginning with an illuminating summary of the latter so as to paint the picture of the situation precipitating the English counter strike. I cannot attest to the accuracy of the translation by professor Gold, however, given that it has Santos’ endorsement, I have no reason to question it. Gold used what I would classify as AP high school or undergraduate college level English and it reads fairly easily and straightforward. Excerpts in footnotes in scholarly texts on historical subjects are normally quoted in their source language, however, Gold also translated said excerpts into English as well, making this work even that much more accessible to readers who only know English. Professor Gold added some footnotes of his own to help clarify certain facts which the author may have assumed the reader already knew.
. Because the first part is a summary, the author gets right to the point about how the outcome of the “English Enterprise” was, in truth, a Spanish failure rather than an English victory. The myth of the defeat of the Spanish Armada lay in the notion that the latter was defeated in a major naval battle and that the vast majority of its ships were lost during the return journey, thereby putting an end to Spanish supremacy on the seas and contributing to English hegemony ever since. He also touches on the English propaganda machine operating at full-throttle right from the beginning with its echoes still being felt today. The “defeat” myth was discredited by, amongst others, José Luis Casado Soto in 1988 in his book Los Barcos españoles del siglo XVI y la Gran Armada de 1588 [Spanish Ships of the 16th century and the Armada of 1588] and more recently by Antonio Luis Gómez Beltrán in his book La Invencible y su leyenda negra [The Invincible Armada and its Black Legend]. This part of the book reassesses the operations in the English Channel, using new information that reinforces the notion that the Spanish Armada was not defeated in naval combat nor was it heavily damaged on its return.
. The second part of the book chronicles England’s preparation of a counter-strike fleet and Spain’s preparations for its arrival. What follows is a detailed description of the day to day military operations complete with maps which really help put everything into perspective. Though Elizabeth’s instructions were for the fleet of more than 180 ships carrying over 27,000 men to go to Santander to destroy what remained of Phillip II’s fleet, their first stop was the small town of A Coruña where they were repulsed by a very tenacious population inspired by Maria Pita.
. After that embarrassing defeat, Drake and Norris sailed for Lisbon. It went worse for the English there. Failing to make any progress on land, they retreated back to their ships and attempted to escape. Unlike the Spanish Armada in the Channel — no Spanish ships were sunk as a result of naval combat —, the English Armada in the estuary leading to Lisbon had several ships sank and captured by the Spanish galleys. Though they eventually escaped the Spaniards, they couldn’t escape their impending disaster. Santos grimly details how sickness and death claimed so many English sailors that they were forced to scuttle a number of their ships as they made their slow torturous journey home. He also brilliantly exposes the remarkably successful propaganda complain to spin this utterly devastating failure into a victory. Even Elizabeth referred to this enterprise as a “happy success.” Santos then gives us what most casual readers gravitate towards, the numbers, which are jaw-dropping; just under 13.5% survived to claim their pay which was so meager as to be an insult.
. Part Three deals with the later development of the war until peace was signed in 1604. It makes clear how far the Spanish navy had recovered and the extent to which its ocean-going routes had been consolidated. The epilogue reflects upon the surprising fact that this episode, which is essential for an understanding of Spain’s place in the world, has remained hidden in history. There is a discussion about the reasons for this concealment. It is revealing that it was the Chair of the British Historical Association Secondary Education Committee, Ben Walsh, who denounced such a historiographical conspiracy:
. “The English Armada has never been taught in British schools, and the majority of history teachers may not be aware that it ever happened. Cultures tend to prize their victories. The Spanish Armada is seen as a victory and the English Armada is obviously not. The modern curriculum stems from these cultural values... It may seem unfair that a disastrous attack by England against Spain has been completely forgotten while a disastrous attack by Spain against England is universally remembered.” By Mark V.
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Great book, a very recommendable read. The author examines to detail the episode that happened one year after the Armada. What they never told you at school. After all, the Spanish Armada was not the crucial defeat that traditionally the British historiography claims, only a part of the Anglo-Spanish war, which, eventually, did not end well for the English. Gorrichategui brings to light, thanks to the new sources he found, the disaster of the English fleet defeated both in Corunna and Lisbon. Queen Elizabeth I intentionally hided the shameful result of this campaign, trying to vanish it from History.
