The Armada 1588

Roughly two years after the trial and death of Mary Queen of Scots [Babington's Plot included], the religious conflicts of the day came to a head.  The Spanish nation [representing the Catholic faith], thought the world should be one faith.  Those English, under the Tudors, had been a thorn in the side of all those who held the true religion.  The wealth of the new world was cashed in to form one of the most impressive military forces of the day.  The Spanish Armada it came to be called.

The book by Garrett Mattingly reviews this period of history between February 1587 to December 1588.  An invasion of England is planned which will provide unity and peace to the world.  An account is presented among the pages.  [Published 1959 by The Riverside Press Cambridge, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston ]  Of course, the English would have something to say about all this.

An account is also given from contemporary documents selected and edited by Stephen Usherwood.  "The Great Enterprise, The History of the Spanish Armada" it is called.  Primary documents are presented beginning with a letter from Edwin Sandys, Bishop of London, to William Cecil, Lord Burghley, 1572, and ending with a letter from Captain Francisco de Cuellar, to a friend in Spain, dated 24 September/4 October 1589.

A medal struck to commemorate the English victory over the Armada is shown on the cover of this book. [Not sure if front or back]

It is difficult to see, but it depicts the battle of Gravelines with a large number of ships involved.  If you enjoy primary documents [like me], this book is for you.  First published 1978, by The Folio Society, London.