Spanish Armada – Ingliando

On this day, close to midnight, the English set alight eight large fireships and sent them downwind among the closely anchored ships of the ‘invincible’ Spanish Armada just off Calais in the north of France. The Spanish were afraid that these uncommonly large fireships were ‘hellburners‘, specialised fireships filled with large gunpowder charges that had been used to deadly effect at the Siege of Antwerp, and most of the Spanish fleet cut their anchor cables and scattered in confusion. The following day, in the Battle of Gravelines, the Spanish fleet, still disorganised, suffered considerable losses but eventually managed to escape, with the help of a southerly wind, up the east coast of Scotland. However, when they tried to return to Spain down the west coast of Scotland and Ireland, many were driven onto the rocks by strong winds and destroyed. It was an overwhelming victory for the English, while in Spain the news of the disaster brought shock and despair and the nation went into mourning.