Early Modern England 1485-1714: A Narrative History - Plot & Excerpts
In response, Philip II began to plan the invasion of England. The English assumed that his goal was to place Mary Queen of Scots on the throne, restore Roman Catholicism as the State religion, and bring England back into the Spanish sphere of influence. In fact, he would have been content simply to force the English to tolerate Catholicism and withdraw from the Netherlands. His plan was to assemble a vast armada of 130 war and merchant ships which would ferry Parma’s army across the Channel. It would take three years to fund, build, and assemble this fleet, the largest oceangoing navy yet seen on the face of the earth. The fate of everything that the Tudors had worked for hinged on its defeat.As Philip assembled his armada in the mid-1580s, all that stood between it and victory was the Royal Navy. The Royal Navy had more or less been founded by Henry VIII, who had delighted in spending royal treasure on its ships and dockyards. He also established a Navy Board under a lord high admiral which supervised the building, outfitting, manning, and provisioning of ships.
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