re. Philip II had enough of Elizabeth and from that point on he put together one of the world's most devious and ambitious plans. What was soon to be decided would be a immense achievement for a big empire, or a David and Goliath type-story for a recovering nation. The English were lucky because, in Philip's twisted mind, the plan was simple enough. His entire strategy was one Spanish blunder after another. The Armada would assemble in Lisbon, Portugal-then a part of the Spanish Empire-and set sail for the strait of Dover, where the fleet would secure the passage for the Duke of Parma's forces stationed in Flanders. The English fleet was thought to be only a minor problem during the voyage.7 Philip and his leaders also believed that upon arrival in England, James VI, a Catholic leader would lead an anti-Protestant rebellion that would aid Parma's army.8 The Spanish Armada, or the Invincible Armada as it has become to be called, was originally designed by the Marquis of Santa Cruz, but he died during the planning stages of the fleet and King Philip II appointed the Duke of Medina Sidonia to head up the invasion.9 Medina Sidonia was a man with no prior experience at sea and was, in fact, a general in the army who, during the invasion, went through constant bouts of sea-sickness. The Armada was planned to have consisted of 360 Spanish ships, 80 gallias from the leaders of Venice and Genoa, and 1 gallias from the Duke of Florence. When it was time to set sail for England, the fleet fell short of prior expectations. Due to various mishaps, there were only 130 out of 421 because of various mishaps. The king also appointed Don Juan Martinez de Recalde, Don Pedro, Don Diego de Valdes, and Don Miguel de Leyve to be squadron leaders. Contained in the hull of the Armada's ships was the invading army that was supposed to be later supplemented with Parma's army waiting in France. The Armada's army was expected to include 30,600 soldiers when it left...
