Campaign of the Grande y Felicísima Armada, 1588

When a fleet of 128 Habsburgs left Coruña in late May 1588, under Alonzo Guzmán, Duke of Medina, with the aim of escorting and transporting an army from Flanders (present-day Belgium) to invade England. The strategic objective was to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I and the establishment of Protestantism in England, with the expectation that this would also end English interference in Spanish Holland and the damage done to Spanish convoys by English and Dutch corsairs. The Spanish Armada was banned by Philip II from attacking the English fleet in Plymouth. Then he was unable to establish a temporary anchorage on the Solent (off Portsmouth), he finally headed for Calais. While awaiting communication with an army of the Duke of Parma, the Spanish fleet was spread by an English attack with "fire ships". To make our simulation possible, we will consider the following hypotheses: 1) That King Philip should give carte blanche to his naval commanders. 2) That they were well aware of the need for a decisive naval battle, before the amphibious operation between Flanders and England. 3) That the Iberians had taken advantage of their greatest artillery on board.