The Copie of a Letter Sent out of England to Don Bernardin Mendoza...

In July 1588, a Spanish armada of almost 130 ships and 30,000 men set sail to overthrow Elizabeth I and restore Catholic rule in England. Spanish dissatisfaction had been rife. Elizabeth had prevaricated over a marriage proposal made by Mary’s widower, Philip II of Spain, to maintain Catholic control over England, while English ships had plundered Spanish ships and territories in the Americas, and Elizabeth had supported Protestants in the Netherlands who were revolting against Spanish occupation. The invasion failed, largely because of poor organisation (the Spanish ran short of ammunition and of fresh food and water) and a bad storm off the Scottish coast. Spain lost half of its ships and over three-quarters of its men. England saw the storms that ravaged the Armada as divine intervention, and the English victory as divine approval of the Protestant cause. The victory captured the English imagination and gave a long sense of national pride. This treatise is a piece of propaganda by William Cecil, Elizabeth’s chief councillor, who had raised money for the war, outlined its strategy, and supervised naval supplies. It is probably the first detailed account of the Spanish Armada, including the clear sense of divine support.