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The 3rd Spanish Armada also known as the Spanish Armada of 1597 was a major naval event that took place between October and November 1597 as part of the Anglo–Spanish War.〔Simpson p 37〕〔Graham pp 212-13〕 The armada which was the third attempt by Spain to invade or raid the British Isles during the war was ordered by King Philip II of Spain in revenge for the attack on Cadiz by English forces the year previously, and also the failure of the 2nd Spanish Armada months later due to storms.〔Nelson p 205〕 The Armada was executed by the Adelantado; Martín de Padilla who was hoping to intercept and destroy the returning English fleet under Robert Devereux the 2nd Earl of Essex from the failed Azores expedition.〔McCoog pg 400-01〕〔Kamen pp 308-09〕 When this was achieved the armada would go on to capture either the important port of Falmouth or Milford Haven and use those places as a base for invasion. Whilst the Spanish arrived in the English channel however they were dispersed by a storm which scattered their fleet.〔Elton p 383〕 Unlike the Spanish armada in 1588 the storm did not inflict significant damage although many of the smaller ships were lost.〔 As a result, some ships did push on, and troops were even landed on the English and Welsh coasts.〔Taunton p 191〕 In addition the English fleet, which had also been scattered by the same storm unaware that the Spanish had come to intercept them arrived safely in England with loss of only one ship.〔〔 With the rest of the Armada scattered and having failed to intercept any major English ship Padilla finally ordered a retreat to Spain.〔Innes p 387〕〔 A number of Spanish ships were captured in action by returning English ships from which valuable information was given about the Armada.〔 Panic in England then ensued partly because the English fleet had been out to sea with the English coast virtually undefended.〔 This further depleted the relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and the Earl of Essex even though initially he was put in charge of the fleet to face the Spanish threat.〔 Instead Charles Howard, the 1st Earl of Nottingham took charge of and immediately sent the English fleet out to hunt the Spanish who by this stage had largely made it back to port. In the end the invasion attempt ended in defeat.〔〔Thackeray/Findling p 235〕 Any remaining Spanish ships that still hugged the English and Welsh coastline were rounded up and captured along with their soldiers and crew.〔 Philip took much of the blame for the failure by the Armada commanders particularly Padilla.〔〔Hammer (2003) pp 309-10〕 The Armada was the last of its kind that the Spanish would execute under Philip II before his death.〔 ==Background== The war with Spain and England had been going on for nearly twelve years and both sides had achieved little in their goals.〔Tenace pp 856-57〕 The result of the intervention of Philip II in the religious war in France in support of the Catholic League, meant that the Spanish had established coastal garrisons along the French and Flemish coast by the 1580s.〔Innes p 380〕 These bases had a huge strategic value because they allowed England to be threatened by the Spanish fleet and troops.〔 Meanwhile, England also intervened in France, but in support of King Henry IV of France, by the Treaty of Greenwich. The Spaniards had captured Calais in 1596 which meant that an invasion of England could be more achievable.〔Duerloo pp 44–45〕 As a result, after desperate French demands to keep her from signing peace with Spain, the English signed the Triple Alliance with the Dutch republic and France.〔McCoog p 276〕 England had sent an armada the next year under the Earl of Essex and Charles Howard to Cadiz which was captured and sacked. An angered Philip soon after took into consideration the defence of the peninsula.〔 In a wave of revenge after the defeat at Cadiz, Philip II sent out orders for a large armada to do the same to England by way of taking the French port of Brest.〔McCoog p 381〕 Just after they set off however the fleet was obliterated in autumn storms off Cape Finisterre causing severe losses in ships (including a few galleons known as the Apostles), men, supplies and money.〔Palmer pp 133-34〕 The cost was ruinous; the two ships carrying the pay-chests disappeared below the waves.〔 The Spanish King not to be disheartened ordered another invasion despite the Cortes Generales claiming funds would not be available in time.〔Tenace pp 863-65〕 As a result, the Cortes was asked to be dissolved by Philip and a financial crisis loomed. The Cadiz defeat, the failure of the Armada as well as the war in France and the Netherlands that year meant that Philip's nation went into bankruptcy; the third of his reign.〔 Adding to the kings and Spain's woes, a poor harvest began to take effect in Spain; thousands were affected.〔 This caused many to protest as they were unable to pay their taxes.〔Goodman pp 152-53〕 The formation of the triple alliance meant that grain from abroad was harder to obtain.〔 Despite this, the fleet albeit with great difficulty was mustered and men were pressed into service across the empire.〔 There was a heavy reliance on the Italian holdings to make up the losses from the previous year's failed armada as well as funds and supplies.〔〔Watson (Watson (1839) p 527 )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「3rd Spanish Armada」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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