The Spanish Armada - From its Origins to the Lizard (Part 1)

Today we take our first look at the voyage of the Spanish Armada of 1588, next week concludes the voyage itself, with two more supplementary videos to come.
Sources:
www.amazon.co.uk/Armada-Spani...
www.amazon.co.uk/Spanish-Arma...
www.amazon.co.uk/Voyage-Armad...
www.amazon.co.uk/Downfall-Spa...
www.amazon.co.uk/Captain-Fran...
www.amazon.co.uk/Spanish-Arma...
Naval History books, use code 'DRACH' for 25% off - www.usni.org/press/books?f%5B...
Free naval photos and channel posters - www.drachinifel.co.uk
Want to support the channel? - / drachinifel
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Music - • Video

[@Drachinifel]

Pinned post for Q&A :)

[@marvintpandroid2213]

Did anyone expect the Spanish Armada ?

[@NewtypeCommander]

I have a question: if the British Admiralty could have built a run of the Malta-class carriers, what could the Admiralty (if they even would) reasonably give up in order to build the Maltas?

[@Alex-cw3rz]

​@@marvintpandroid2213 nobody expects the Spanish Armada!

[@marvintpandroid2213]

@@Alex-cw3rz What was their number one weapon?

[@Alex-cw3rz]

​@@marvintpandroid2213 Our chief weapon is surprise!... Surprise and fear, fear and surprise... Our two weapons are fear and surprise and ruthless efficiency! Our three weapons are fear, and surprise, and ruthless efficiency... and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope. Our four... no... Amongst our weapons, Amongst our weaponry are such elements as fear, surpr... I'll come in again.

[@Big_E_Soul_Fragment]

"Almost everyone in the entirety of Europe know what the Spanish plan were" They won't expect the Spanish Inquisition, but they totally expect the Spanish Armada

[@davidhenry101]

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.

[@TomFynn]

"Nuestra principal arma es la sorpresa..." "No, it bloody well ain't, mate."

[@sillypuppy5940]

They had a cunning plan

[@thehandoftheking3314]

*Unexpected item in the bagging area*

[@heptanesykes]

Contrary to anything you may have heard; where and when the Spanish Inquisition operated, pretty well /everybody/ expected them all of the time.

[@TomFynn]

The Spanish worked on the time-honored principle that the enemy cannot possibly guess what we are planning, if we have no idea what our plan is.

[@tonyromano6220]

Reminds me of US foreign policy.

[@alexboccaccio5431]

​@@tonyromano6220damn that hurts. True though

[@mikearmstrong8483]

​@@tonyromano6220 The US knows EXACTLY how our foreign policy is supposed to work. And then we fantasize that it will actually do so.

[@86pp73]

​@@mikearmstrong8483So much American foreign policy ends with "...and what could *possibly* go wrong?" Promptly followed by a comedic jump cut to 10-20 years later when absolutely everything has gone wrong

[@mikearmstrong8483]

@@86pp73 That's ridiculous! What makes you think it takes us that long to screw things up? We're Americans! We believe in rapid progress!

[@Rikevis10]

“Color printer ink” The information you and your guests provide is wonderful. And the bits of humor you toss in is really the icing on the cake. Thanks from the land of BB-55.

[@TomFynn]

A modern tanker can take about 3 million barrels. Setting a barrel at 160 liter and using a price I found of 30€/l for color printer ink in refills, that would come up to 14 billion euros.

[@20chocsaday]

Time to get a laser printer.

[@clairekholin6935]

Some printers that use cartridges cost over $50 for around only 20 to 30 mL!

[@glitterboy2098]

@@TomFynn close enough.. a "barrel" of oil represents 42 US gallons.. or 158.9 Liters.. and in the USA at least, printer ink runs $12,000 per gallon on average.. meaning that said oil tanker load would be worth about 36 billion in the USA. or roughly 32.8 billion Euros.

[@apexdesigns3136]

Litres colour

[@jordanwidmer3561]

The steady reveal of the names of ships that would be first in their storied lines was rather stirring. Dreadnought! Ark Royal! Revenge! Victory! Legends not yet made. It's downright mythic.

[@tizi087]

the irony is really there that a ground breaking ship back then was dreadnought

[@HereticalKitsune]

Followed by several Minions, Spark, Spy and more such glorious names.

[@Kaanfight]

@@HereticalKitsune”here’s my glorious ship, the wankstain!”

[@Sigil_Firebrand]

Truly magical how many dynastic Royal Navy ship names started here.

[@BjornTheDim]

I have no idea how, but I could have sworn that I heard "Rule, Britannia" pick up in the background at that point.

[@bertbaker7067]

Algorithm support comment

[@Arwcwb]

I'll remember to do this - great example.

[@paulbobenhausen8031]

Ibid

[@joearnold6881]

Algorithm, _support comment!_

[@Jubedy]

I never leave home without my emotional support algorithm

[@pm2119]

I concur

[@The_Viscount]

Sounds like Medina Sedonia was brilliant. The man understood his own strengths, weaknesses, logistics and communications. Like, wow.

[@glenchapman3899]

He really was. Read a bio of him years ago. Very impressive individual.

[@JamesThomas-gg6il]

I was gonna say the same thing, he seemed very good at logistics. To his credit, knowing his faults, finding the best sailor to be second in command was the exact thing to do I think. But he should have stuck with his original plan and not knuckled under peer pressure.

[@cesarsalas8506]

The problem was that the plan was not very well thought out regarding some minor details, like the method of embarking the army once Flanders was reached without an adecquate sea port.

[@The_Viscount]

@@JamesThomas-gg6il It's easy to say he shouldn't have buckled under peer pressure. Thing is, we're talking about monarchy. When you're weeks away from your king, you can get away with being obstinate. But when your King is a week away, ignoring him is much harder. To disobay direct command of the crown is treason in this time period. Seems to me he was already pushing it. Any more and he risked the executioner.

[@robincowley5823]

A superb staff officer. Imagine him supporting an admiral who knew their stuff (i.e. Santa Cruz)...

[@ab299019]

As far as I know, the attack in Cadiz had strong repercussions on the long-term supply quality: beyond destroying existing supplies, it also destroyed good-quality water/supply barrels, forcing the Spanish to build new barrels, with younger wood, therefore of lesser quality and more prone to lead to supplies perishing (even while still in port in 1588 as said by Drachnifel). So as with the ships, and contrary to the supplies themselves, the barrels couldn't be entirely replaced.

[@unbearifiedbear1885]

Great point - all war is logistics

[@grathian]

His actions as Commander of the Armada hid the identity of Medina-Sidona, here unmasked as the bane of naval junior officers for centuries to come, the inventor of the pre-printed form. "The Navy floats on a sea of paper"

[@mattsalgado1834]

Hey Drach, I met you on Battleship North Carolina (I gave you the photo album of my Grand Dads time on a sub tender in WW2). I just wanted to let you know I have watched your videos for a number of years and your ability to tell these stories has absolutely reached its new highest level with this video. I was never really that interested in the age of sail history I’m more about steam and steel. But this recounting had me glued to my screen. Thank you and Excellent work!

[@Dave_Sisson]

Much the same applies to me, but I saw him on HMAS Castlemaine.

[@maxhill7065]

Drach's video on the American sailing navy convinced me to pick up a few history books myself to read more into the age of sail vessels!

[@johanmolendijk9811]

I have the worst case of cliffhanger. This was a great listen. Thank you, good sir!

[@rogersmith7396]

Spoiler alert: The Limeys won.

[@davidluck1678]

yes it was. I learned all sorts of things I did not know about the political and logistical situations.

[@christopherconard2831]

​@@rogersmith7396Spoiler alert, we're listening to this in English.

[@Perktube1]

Runner: Sir, the beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid! Queen: What? Who? Messenger: I mean,the Spanish are coming!

[@jordanmichael801]

CONJECTURE!!!

[@nonamesplease6288]

It's interesting to see the difficulty with which the Armada sailed from Spain into the Channel. I think we forget in the modern age how dependent on nature sailing ships were. It was time consuming and difficult to get a ship out of port and off on a voyage if the winds and weather were contrary.

[@user-dg9pu4pe9d]

We also tend to underestimate the difficultlies and delays of communication.

[@moodogco]

That was the main thing & difference in what made someone a good sailor/ captain in them days & was the skill that defined a great sailor from the rest being able to read the weather & staying 1 step ahead of the enemy hence the outcome of the Spanish armada etc

[@r32guy85]

@@moodogco and then there's the outcome of the english armada which similar

[@johnniewoodard648]

Loved the subtle jab at the cost of printer ink.

[@clazy8]

I missed it entirely, my brain went instantly to money printing. Of course these days, we skip even the ink.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

My school is over 500 years old and the school houses are, Hawkins, Drake, Howard, Frobisher, Grenville and Raleigh and in the great hall where we ate lunch, they have huge stained glass windows along the side of the hall with each of them doing famous things they did, so Drake is bowling etc. And then at end is a central stained glass window of Elizabeth 1st and her court, it's very impressive and looks quite like the dinning hall in Harry potter. We also had different ties for each house, with different coloured stripes gold and red for Hawkins, Drakes was green and red etc. You wore those when you were in Junior school and high school and didn't wear them when you were in 6th form though.

[@rogersmith7396]

My school is over 60 years old and the dimly lit great hall is where the less studious people go to make out with each other. It is most nearly represented by the food fight scene in "Animal House".

[@zamnodorszk7898]

Did you go to school in Plymouth, by any chance? I went to Devonport and our houses were "Drake, Grenville, Gilbert and Raleigh", but we didn't dine in a massive hall.

[@john_in_phoenix]

You are making us Americans envious!

[@Alex-cw3rz]

@@zamnodorszk7898 no it's in the North of England

[@zamnodorszk7898]

@@Alex-cw3rz Ahh okay. We just had similarly naval-themed schools!

[@wheelmanv]

This is an amazing story from history, especially where monarchs are involved because they actually appointed leaders that were experts in their role, and those leaders were intelligent enough to take council

[@riverraven7359]

"spinal nova cannon" is about the best description of a ship mounted colossal bombard i can think of. id have reworked the fore castle to make it a bowchaser personally

[@AnimeSunglasses]

It's also a specific weapon in Warhammer 40,000 Battlefleet Gothic, but yes, it's DECIDEDLY evocative and descriptive!

[@riverraven7359]

@@AnimeSunglasses I'm a 40k fan too. Iron warrior player

[@mrhammett7508]

They missed another trick too. “FIRE THE URSUS CLAWS!”

[@riverraven7359]

@@mrhammett7508 ah a man of culture I see.

[@grahamstrouse1165]

Didn’t they have one of those in Space Battleship Yamato?

[@vikkimcdonough6153]

40:25 Royal Navy: HALP PLS SEND SHIPS Private interests: OK how many Royal Navy: ALL OF THEM Private interests: wait, srsly Royal Navy: YES

[@glenchapman3899]

And a few hundred years later the British Navy sent the same message, and Dunkirk also passed into legend.

[@merafirewing6591]

Royal Navy: ANYTHING THAT CAN FLOAT HAS TO GO TO BATTLE

[@enoughothis]

Not quite the Voyage of the Second Pacific Squadron but it did have it's moments.

[@masterskrain2630]

"Do you see Torpedo Galleys??"

[@TomFynn]

No binoculars were hurt in the making of this video.

[@haldorasgirson9463]

Destruction of the Spanish Armada resulted in 20,000 dead, Second Pacific Squadron resulted in 5000 dead. If only the Armada had had a Kamchatka for comedic relief.

[@jeffreyskoritowski4114]

​@@masterskrain2630Fireboats.

[@christopherconard2831]

It would take great advances in maritime technology and incompetence before the Pacific Squadron could go to work.

[@jeremycraft8452]

I didn’t expect the Spanish Armada!

[@lamwen03]

Everybody expected the Spanish Armada.

[@colindunnigan8621]

Ah, the Duke of Medina-Sidonia, fantastic organizer and possessed of the most bruised countenance in naval history, on account of smacking his head against the wall in frustration over having to satisfy Phillip II.

[@patsyroberts3967]

Years ago I was with some friends in London and we were at the Golden Hinde pub, next to the Golden Hind replica. I was amazed at how tiny the ship was! And this was a warship? Incredible!

[@kalindren]

Great stuff Drach! I remember attending the beacon lighting in Laindon, Essex in 1988 for the 400th Anniversary of the Armada.

[@Lacteagalaxia]

In Spain is celebrate the victory of Soain from England in Counter-Armada in 1.589

[@augustusmaximus-qz6ln]

@@Lacteagalaxia ay Imperio Español como se te extraña, el UNICO imperio generador!

[@GCCRACER]

For me one of the best videos on the channel yet - I love this part of history. Also, I've never realized how much proud heritage of the Royal Navy came from this event.

[@stephenkneller6435]

I swear a Drachinifel video is like crack. You get a little hit of his style, the history, and his dry humor, and you spend the rest of the night watching his videos, again, finally ending on your favorite. For me, it’s the “Voyage of the Damned”. Now I anxiously await Part II of this series. Thank you for enlightening us!

[@upthebracket26]

'THE BEACONS OF LIZARD HAVE BEEN LIT! DRAKE CALLS FOR AID!' '& Rohan will answer'

[@s1nb4d59]

Really love this era drak,the ships are just so beautiful in my opinion,this first part 01 was wonderful to watch,looking forward to part 02.

[@jeffholloway3882]

As someone who enjoys your content so much, i find this video "special" i don't really know how to say it, but, the way you sounded off on the names of the RN ships, it gave me goosebumps? Idk, but it was special, you could hear the change in your voice. Bravo Zulu, and well done.

[@Simon_Nonymous]

How very timely. Last week we were on our honeymoon, and in Pompey looking at the new Armada map display in the RN historic dockyards. Now I have three videos on this subject to enjoy.

[@VRichardsn]

"Baby, come back to bed" "I can't, Drach just uploaded a new video"

[@nathanzylla4961]

The amount of money and wealth Spain had is crazy...thanks Drach...im still jaw dropped by the numbers

[@rogersmith7396]

Sort of like the US used to have.

[@AnimeSunglasses]

@@rogersmith7396 Relative to the economies of the day? Much more wealth, in most measures, and much less carefully spent!

[@rogersmith7396]

@@AnimeSunglasses More port, sherry and rum.

[@camenbert5837]

What is even more amazing is that they blew the lot in a few generations. One of the key reasons why there was no peace in the netherlands (as was) was the "Spanish fury", where unpaid Spanish troops sacked Antwerp, which gave the rebels the metaphorical ammuntion to keep the revolt going (and in terms of actual ammunition... who got paid to ship spanish arms to the netherlands?... the dutch, who spent the money on arms to fight the Spanish...)

[@Claymore5]

Fabulous stuff Drach - I never knew that Ark Royal was originally Ark Raliegh... The list of participants was stunning - it may well have been Nelson or Jellicoe leading those vessels at Trafalgar or Jutland. Sadly, no Warspite though...

[@Drachinifel]

Not yet, but the Royal galleon Warspight (intentional spelling) was only 8 years away. :)

[@sillypuppy5940]

Funny because the first USS Raleigh (1776) was named after Sir Walter Raleigh and had him as a (presumably wooden} figurehead.

[@rogersmith7396]

@@sillypuppy5940 Not Andy Grifith?

[@thehandoftheking3314]

​@@sillypuppy5940I hope it was wooden. If not it's a little bit macabre #GrandTheftCorpse

[@grahamstrouse1165]

@@DrachinifelGiven the vagaries of predictive text I’m pretty sure it’s only a matter of time before we have another Warspight. Or maybe a Warspict or a Werepict. I still can’t deal with the number of people online who can’t understand the difference between “lose” & “loose.” Still not as bad as people who don’t grok the difference between “rouge” & “rogue.” Have you ever seen a Star Wars movie called “Rouge One?” I haven’t.

[@nozdormu89]

The beacons are lit. What is that, Gondor calling for aide? No, just the Armada arriving off England's coast.

[@hajoos.8360]

The death of Álvaro de Bazán y Guzmán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz in 02/1588 was really a game-changer. The english wikipedia says that the health of Santa Cruz suffered under the accusations by the king for the chaos & desaster in 1587. To give the followers of Drach an impression for warfare at sea in this era, Santa Cruz defeated a French-Portuguese fleet at the Battle of Ponta Delgada (Azores) in 1582. This sea-battle was the first one in history which was led only by artillery far away from home-waters in the Atlantic. For the English another fact was important. They standardised the gun calibre, which allowed more rapid firing of broadsides. And they abondoned the breech-loaders which were used on the Mary Rose.

[@mattheweagles5123]

I remember being told at school that Drake's beard singing destroyed barrels that couldn't be replaced in time due to the length of time that the oak needs to dry. This left the Armada with "green" wood barrels that spoilt their supplies quicker. No idea if that is actually true or not.

[@John.0z]

I have read it too.

[@normanbraslow7902]

No.

[@mattheweagles5123]

@@normanbraslow7902 thanks for your input.

[@observationsfromthebunker9639]

It is actually true. Barrels made for long term food and water storage required specially shaped and seasoned wood. Drake's men torched most of the furnished barrels, forcing replacements of wood that wasn't up to specs. It doesn't sound like much, but sailors and soldiers who don't get to eat good food and drink good water aren't going to give their best. Part 2 will probably detail the effects of privation.

[@observationsfromthebunker9639]

I forgot to add it, but if you meet a man named "Cooper" in the USA or British Isles you'll know that his ancestors made barrels. A "cooper" is the name of that occupation. These days though barrels are plastic and made in a factory.

[@coldwarrior78]

Good cliffhanger. You put this complicated confrontation into perspective. Thanks.

[@phbrinsden]

Drach, you have outdone yourself. A lot of videos exist on the Armada but you have added layers of information and interest beyond all others. Can’t wait for next part II. Thank you. Been a long time enthusiastic subscriber and Patreon supporter.

[@janlindtner305]

Wonderfully detailed description of the preparations for the Spanish armada, looking forward to the next episode!👍👍👍

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

Drach, your stab at "color printer ink" made me laugh. The printers themselves are loss leaders for most makers; their profits are realised via ink cartridge sales. The ink--by volume--costs more than human blood. Makers are now inserting RFIDs into the cartridges, making it impossible to simply refill them with aftermarket ink as we did in years past. It's a scam of epic proportion.

[@cp1cupcake]

Something I found out a few years ago is that printer companies like HP also region lock their printers, so if you move, then you have to get a new printer to use any of the local cartridges.

[@OttoTheBlottoDog]

NoooooOoo that cliffhanger. Brilliant video as ever (I didn't realise how ad hoc the Royal Navy was then). I did, however, understand that nova cannon reference :D

[@lonerangerv1224]

Drachinifel went barqueing mad there with one of the name lists

[@TomFynn]

I didn't quite Ketch that.

[@catmanhunting]

It was a sloop of the tongue

[@gordonhorn8867]

Muy bueno! This deserves a second viewing. Some of my confusion of the events are getting untangled.

[@Panzerless_SG]

Hey Drach I adore your videos so much, always fun to watch! I really wanted to ask ypu if you could someday do a video on the Terrible Twins, two Dutch Gunboats of WW2, they are my favorite warships despite them being fairly unkown, besides that they were some of the only Dutch warships that survived all of ww2. Thanks for the great video again! Can't wait for the next one Edit: right I forgot to actually give the ships names, Flores-Klasse. Hr. Ms. (HNLMS) Flores & Hr. Ms (HNLMS) Soemba

[@slartybartfarst55]

I seriously cannot wait for part two. Laid out like a two part Movie. Excellent work Drac.

[@gordonfrickers5592]

A splendid retelling of this famous story, thank you. A few minor points one might discus over a beer; 'The' Golden Hind was as far as I know after her famous circumnavigation laid up for posterity in a dock beside the river Thames, London, by order of Queen Elizabeth I, so not available to fight The Armada; as is the superb replica Golden Hinde, now 50 years old and open to the public. I've been researching the original ship recently for 3 new paintings and it seems she was a bit small for fighting the Armada, about 80 feet between uprights, custom built for Drake most likely at Coxside, Plymouth. You say The Lizard Point isn't the most southerly point (land) of England? Waiting for the Armada, did Drake cooly say when the news of a sighting arrived "we have time to finish the game (of bowls on Plymouth Hoe) and still beat the Spaniards"? Having checked a few things out including the tide that day with the help of staff of Plymouth University's Planetarium and the weather as reported in various original documents and kept an engineless yacht on the Cattewater where Elizabeth's fleet were moored, I think he very likely did say that and I can cite a strong case to support this claim. Cadiz, I visited Cadiz in 1996 and was generously hosted by the University and given access to the naval base archives. At that time I was based at Plymouth so inevitably the subject of Drake came up. I was there to research the Spanish perspective of Trafalgar as a part of my role as 'Official Artist' to HMS Victory. I was given the impression Drake was not a popular name in Cadiz. I was told that to quieten misbehaving children Cadiz mothers would still say 'hush or Drake will return' - now that is a reputation !

[@camenbert5837]

Interestingly on a later Cadiz raid (much less succesful) was Thomas Bodley, who half-inched the bishop of Cadiz's library. Which is now one of the cornerstones of the Bodleian library in Oxford...

[@richardcall7447]

Great stuff! I can hardly wait for next Wednesday! Keep up the good work.

[@ottomeineke9230]

Great job drach, can't wait for the follow ups. This is going to be great 👍

[@danahuff1610]

Excellent video Drach! You should do this for a living. Oh, you do🙂

[@fydofire]

Fascinated about the topic since I read the comics of Bob de Moor (Cori, de Scheepsjongen) about a dutch sailor in this times. 2 of the 5 comics were about the Armada. The details in this drawings are absolutly amazing. I highly recommend everyone to have a look at those. Learned more about history and characters using their brain in franco-belgian comics in their few decades of existance, than centuries of glorfied US superpower comics on paper and screen will ever be able to.

[@MrApvel]

Great Video, i have to say i like the ones with just you better than with a guest. Not because i dislike guests, but i am often listenting to it in the background and when the guest has a 3$ microphone it really takes my out. Not to discount their experiences but thats why i like videos with just you more

[@Vassatta]

Grew up in Plymouth so the Armada was a big topic for us in primary school. Really enjoyed this video.

[@01ZombieMoses10]

This video is absolutely riveting. I can't wait for the next chapter! Yes, I am aware that I could just look up the history, but as always I am largely here, because of the quality of your presentation.

[@kieran2221]

Damn, Drac. That was really good - big fan of the research and the story-telling at the same time. Well done!

[@TheJamesthe13]

Looking forwards to part 2! 🙂

[@critter30002001]

Amazing video. It successfully mixes history with entertaining tones to make it easy to follow.

[@AnimeSunglasses]

Drach is quite talented at doing exactly that.

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

Thanks. This was excellent. Like much that is Historical, when you get down into the wee details of things it is amazingly complex, convoluted and confused. And with the major acts of History, as with the average human being, we tend to blunder through our existence doing what seems to be a good idea at the time. Then - with 20/20 Hindsight - sit in judgment of those that came before us. .

[@thehandoftheking3314]

The captains of the ships called minion were known as Bob Kevin and Stuart

[@jeremyfeldmann7969]

Minions hard to kill not that smart but they somehow get the job done

[@TomFynn]

They only joined the fray because of that banana.

[@HumanityisEmbarrassing]

👊👍🤣

[@jimtussing]

You comparative analogies are hilarious. Particularly loved the one about an oil tanker and color printer ink. :)

[@charleslarrivee2908]

Your use of a screenshot from Elizabeth: The Golden Age for the beginning reminds me: although Tolkien was a devout Catholic, he was also an English patriot. So I've recently started to wonder whether his description of the great fleet that Ar-Pharazon leads to assault Valinor is a backhanded jibe not only at the Royal Navy as a tool of British imperialism, but also of the classic English perception of the Spanish Armada.

[@colinhunt4057]

Agreed. Another parallel in Tolkien could be the lighing of the beacons starting at Minas Tirith and summoning the Rohirrim to Pelenor.

[@grahamstrouse1165]

Neither Henry nor Elizabeth had much patience with religious extremists of any kind. Liz had little love for Catholics but she also tended to en wary of the more zealous Protestants-Most of them ended up getting shipped off to America. Nationalizing Christianity was the Tudor’s way of quietly cutting its nuts off.

[@john_in_phoenix]

"Color printer ink" has got to be the best comment generator for the KZbin algorithm!

[@uradgula5258]

Love the names of the ships. reminds me a little of the naming of ships in Ian Banks Culture series

[@peteralexander5744]

GSV So Much For Subtelty...

[@tulliusexmisc2191]

@@peteralexander5744 ... GCU Ultimate Ship The Second ...

[@JO-ch3el]

Awesome, you really craft a beautiful, easy to follow narrative. Can't wait for the second video!

[@justinhammer3196]

The Spanish Armada set sail confidently in expectation of a miracle. Or to somewhat quote Captain Kirk "They had England exactly where it wanted them."

[@BuzzSargent]

Having lived through this invasion I am amazed how complete and accurate you are in telling this tale. You are amazing.

[@m777howitzer4]

This is exactly what ive been waiting for. Today is a great day!

[@chrisf4659]

More excellent content, Drach. Well done all round!

[@the_uglysteve6933]

I was drinking when you said "colour printer ink" I spat it everywhere, Drach you owe me a new laptop

[@davidmurphy8190]

Send an invoice to the Ottoman Empire.

[@samcruickshanks6856]

Excellent video, thank you for making and sharing it.

[@kamikazemelon787]

Honestly the best channel on YT, your constant work is staggering. Thank you Drach!

[@mocky]

This is the most fun I've had listening to a long-form presentation in quite a while. Thanks!

[@UnsolicitedContext]

I love these types of videos, absolutely my favorite part of a great channel

[@mdk31]

Fascinating. I love your deep dives into these historical naval campaigns.

[@wardkerr2456]

What a nice bit of work, looking as good as any documentary, generally more informative, and certainly more entertaining.

[@nieljordaan57]

Finally Drach. The armada provides one of the most interesting naval encounters for a video series. Can't wait for the rest of the series.

[@roccoliuzzi8394]

Your timing was terrific. I just finished Fernand Braudel's book "The Mediterranean in the Time of Phillip II". He did not cover naval architecture, he's an economic historian. Your piece was excellent not just for the ship types but also the narrative of events. I'll add one thing Braudel said. Britain had started serious encroachment on Mediterranean trade in the 1570's. Another thing to get on Phillip's nerves.

[@garyjordan3914]

Just starts to get good and I'm cut off at the knees until next Wednesday , it's gonna be along seven days . I can't weight !

[@simonchandler9601]

There are 3 Royal Navy battles that illustrate the fortunes of Empire - Spanish Armada, Trafalgar and Jutland. Revenge, as far I can determine, is the only one present in all three battles; fitting since Revenge was Drake’s command. Drake V Nelson - discuss.

[@DamianMaisano]

I believe there were ships named Swiftsure at all of them

[@simonchandler9601]

@@DamianMaisano No HMS Swiftsure (1903) served in the Mediterranean theatre and later the Atlantic during World War I

[@richardsharpe3622]

Quiberon Bay?

[@Ratdaddy752]

The most in-depth analysis on the subject that’s ever been recorded! Your channel is very special, sir.

[@13stalag13]

Awesome episode, I hope the follow up episodes are just as good!

[@snideaugustine2143]

Excellent work as always Drach!

[@kenmattson4291]

Thanks for the video. This is a great commentary about the lead up to the battle itself.

[@GraemePayne1967Marine]

"a supertanker nearly full of colour printer ink" - - truly a cargo more valuable than previous metals and gems!

[@stayoffthemarbles6790]

I haven't had this much of a cliff hanger since before it got worse for the russians at tsushima. Great video as always Drach!

[@hugod2000]

I thought this was one of handsome Drach's best Wednesday videos.

[@ikergonzalezmartin2201]

Gracias por dar luz a la historia de nuestra armada

[@lex0266]

the stories of sir francis drake keep surprising me. he must have been such a badass. i had no idea he went full raider on the spanish

[@danielbutler578]

I remember reading about the round the world voyage of the Golden Hind when I was in school. One of the things that stuck out to me was that when they hit a reef in the western Pacific, Francis Drake was manning the pumps with his crew. He obviously didn't have a superior attitude in that situation and his men obviously respected him.

[@lex0266]

@@danielbutler578 wow yeah he must have had some crazy survival instinct

[@lanequick7451]

Drake was complicated. He was absolutely a terrible human being who considered himself God’s gift to England. He marooned a slave girl when he accidentally got her pregnant. He fabricated a case against a rival and by sheer force of will had him executed (which would haunt him the rest of his political career). He abandoned his childhood bestfriend to die at San Juan de Ulua (that person, John Hawkins, thankfully lived and designed the English Galleon which would be so successful in the Armada). He tried to falsify a case that he was the true successor of the House of Drake (which he absolutely was not), publicly berated the current head of that house, and tried to convince QE to take that persons crest and give it to him for his newfound knighthood. He abandoned the English fleet during the Spanish Armada campaign to pursue a lagging treasure ship, which seriously damaged his political reputation thereafter. And so much more. ALL THAT SAID, he, above any other single person, is the reason that England was emboldened to take the initiative against the Spanish and establish the beginnings of its empire. So, complicated.

[@brentwalworth7909]

That was great! I'm looking forward to part 2

[@danielvincent7962]

Masterful oratory, a thoroughly gripping account; your recital of famous ship names was especially appreciated, BZ

[@JonathanSchattke]

Can't wait for part 2...Steady, boys, steady!

[@lt8395]

OMG Im so looking forward to this!

[@SimonJM]

I had not known the derivation of the name Ark Royal. I also didn't know a fair bit else, but my childhood history lessons seem to be holding up for a lot of it!

[@xevilpetex]

An excellent 45 minutes of mostly dry historical lead up info and then 4 minutes of a fantastically dramatic cliffhanger. Well done

[@jasonjuneau3554]

I have been to Escorial and have seen Philip's bed room and office. It is amazing how in such small spaces he ran such a far flung empire.

[@MrWansty]

a 5minute guide to grenville and the battle of flores would be fun ; ~)

[@davidlee8551]

Thank you for a clear view of history !

[@simonkevnorris]

Thanks for the first part of this story. It was interesting and informative.

[@trifidos39]

Don’t forget that king Philip as husband of queen Mary was responsible for the increase in size and ships of the royal navy

[@petergaskin1811]

King Philip the First.

[@ezequielc11]

Don't forget to do the sequel of what happened to the English Counter Armada of 1589, the disaster and last attack of Drake and Hawkins in 1595/96, 1597, 1603 and England pleading for peace in 1604, and in the process selling the Dutch rebels down the river Thames.

[@jameswatt4114]

no problem...The Spaniards are desperately searching for any documentary in English about the Invincible Armada or the "Felicisima Armada" to remember the counterarmada.👌

[@Gloriaimperial1]

@@jameswatt4114 In 1588 the Spanish Empire was busy invading Germany, and in 1590 we invaded Paris. It seems that England could hide on a stormy island. The problem is that the British do not want to remember that after every British victory, celebrated with fireworks, there is a Spanish victory. -1588 is followed by 1589. 80 ships from Drake's invincible fleet sunk. Elisabeth condemns Drake to be a lighthouse keeper -1739 (Portobello, British victory). 1741, Cartagena de Indias. 50 Royal Navy ships sunk. -7 Years' War, 1756-1763. The British occupy Florida. Spain loses but receives French Louisiana as a gift. 1779-83, Spain invades Florida, Louisiana, Bahamas and Menorca. The Spanish fleet makes a naval blockade of England, capturing two British fleets of 24 and 55 ships, which sinks the London stock market. Spain gives the Spanish dollar to the USA, and independence -Trafalgar 1805. British victory. Argentina and Uruguay 1806-07, Spain defeats the redcoats and captures the British generals. Additionally, Nelson lost 3 battles against Spain in 1797, in Cádiz, Central America and Tenerife, where he lost his arm and was captured. -The British remember Cádiz 1587. But they do not remember Cádiz 1625, where the English and Dutch fleet lost 62 ships. Furthermore, Philip II of Spain arrived in England with a fleet, and became de Jure king, upon marrying Mary Tudor, half-Spanish queen of England.

[@DalinarKholin1128]

"England pleading for peace?" What are you on about? You can stow your fantasy version of history bacuse the The Peace Treaty was incredibly unpopular in England because they wanted to keep fighting the "Catholic Bogeyman" as it were. The reason why peace was agreed upon was because the new king, (who was king of Scotland beforehand) James I and VI made it happen against popular opinion. (He considered himself quite the diplomat) The immense dissatisfaction of making peace was even a motivating factor for the Gunpowder Plot a year later. In fact James' popularity never quite recovered from the instance. Furthermore, when an English Noble was imprisoned for voicing opposition he was imprisoned, prompting many parliamentarians to start banging on about "freedom of speech" violations, a foreshadowing of the English Civil Wars, where they accused the Stuart monarchs for being "out of touch" and "tyrannical". We can conclude then conclude that in no form or manner did England "plead for peace". Most were simply unhappy that the lucrative plundering of spanish ships and colonies were no longer available. Secondly, I'm confused about your statement regarding "selling the Dutch rebels down the Thames". First of regarding the Netherlands, the Treaty of 1604 restricted England from supporting Dutch rebels, this however came to nothing when a loophole was used suggesting there was nothing wrong with the Dutch just "taking men and supplies from England" anyway, an act that was done with the ample support of many protestant sympathisers and private soldiers like Sir Francis Vere. Your remark about the Thames, I think is a reference to the Raid on the Medway or the Anglo-Dutch Wars in general, however that has nothing to do with the Anglo-Spanish war or its Treaty. They would have came naturally as they are both competing naval powers. Lastly you make a specific point of bringing up the English Counter Armada as if someone might forget to include it when this is a video about the Armada of 1588. Furthermore on this point, we might as well remind Drachnifiel to not forget to talk about the other three Spanish Armada's which likewise never made it to England for the same reasons both the Spanish Armada of 1588 and English Armada also failed. (As if the English "armada" had anywhere near the same chance of success as the very fist Armada of the war. Somehow, it was still the most successful even then out of every Armada)

[@sirgoo9962]

Largest empire on earth, richest and most powerful nation in europe, defeats the cobbled together armada of a middling European kingdom. Truly a stunning victory for the ages, immortalised in dance and song and poetry no doubt.

[@Gloriaimperial1]

@@DalinarKholin1128 The Gunpowder Plot was Catholic. The lucrative plunder of Spanish ships and colonies was always ridiculous: 70% of American wealth stayed in America in the 16th-17th centuries. Of 1,200 Indian fleets, which brought the rest of the gold, silver, and trade to Europe, the English only captured 2 fleets in 300 years. That money helped Spain have a NATO in Italy until 1759, an empire in Portugal, and a war against 5 European powers for 200 years. The English captured breadcrumbs. Mexico and Peru produce more gold and silver every year of the 21st century than the Spanish Empire did in 100 years. The English "looting" of isolated ships were 9/11 attacks, which did not constitute even 0.0001% of the wealth of the Spanish empire. Did that make England rich? The English wanted to make war with Spain because Spain was making war with Germany, France, the Netherlands and the Turkish empire at the same time. They also lived on the island, which protected them from direct military invasions. The English play checkers (ships and alliances), and Spain plays chess: ships, cavalry, infantry and artillery, which cannot travel to London directly, as they traveled to Rome, Paris, Cologne, Genoa, Florence, Lisbon, Amsterdam or Brussels. Napoleon's best army, which invaded all of Europe and reached Russia, had to wait miserably to cross in small ships to England, and the Panzer divisions that invaded all of Europe also could not travel to London and take it in a week. So we understand England's desire for war. The three Spanish armadas of 1596, 1597 and 1718 were not detected by the Royal Navy. One day of sunshine among the 320 annual days of rain in England, and we would have invaded London without the Royal Navy knowing. The success of the English army is that it only captured 1 in 400 parts of the Spanish empire in 300 years. 80% in the period of the 17th century in which Spain fought against France, Protestant Germany, England, the Netherlands, the Turkish Empire, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Morocco, simultaneously. We were very busy beating France in Catalonia, Italy and Belgium, and they beat us in France. The rest are the 62 English and Dutch ships sunk in Cádiz in 1625. Defeat of the combined fleet of England and France at San Cristobal 1629. England loses that war. 50 English ships sunk in Cartagena de Indias 1741, in the greatest defeat of the Royal Navy. In that war Spain captured 408 English ships of all types in the Atlantic, and the British captured 100 Spanish ships. Spanish naval blockade of England, 1779-81, with the capture of 2 British fleets of 24 and 55 ships. 3 victories over Nelson in 1797: Cádiz, Central America and Tenerife, where he is captured and loses his arm. Plus the Spanish victories in Florida, Louisiana, Bahamas, Central America and Menorca. The British win in Saint Vincent, Cape Passaro 1718, although Spain reconquered Italy in 1734. They win in Trinidad and Tobago and Gibraltar. And Tragalgar, where Spain loses only 11 ships. Spain wins in Puerto Rico and in Argentina and Uruguay 1806-07, capturing the redcoats and the British generals. That is the last war declared between the two countries. Spain preserves her global legacy.

Excellent Video. Very well done an immersive. I particluarly liked the shot from the Hill.

[@silasrobertshaw8122]

Privateer is a mid-17th century word. Drake, Hawkins, and others considered themselves gentlemen adventurers, and their detractors called them pirates. It is my belief that Drake was after retribution for Santiago de Ullua, and also making the Spanish defend their New World possessions, or allow others to trade with them. The Spanish confiscated a significant number of English ships before the Armada as well as the nations you mentioned.

[@notshapedforsportivetricks2912]

Oneof your great ones, Drach. Absolutely fascinating. But please, please have mercy on your loyal subjects and bring on Part 2 quickly. Some of us are still going through withdrawal for the end of the Nelson biography.