Many thought that the Queen could be bullied into submission of the throne. Elizabeth knew that many people perceived her in this manner, and she knew that Philip would try to use his Armada to try to take over England and bring back Catholic rule. She, in anticipation, put her naval fleet on standby (Weir 387-388). Elizabeth had the English navy fully prepared by June. Unfortunately, supporting the navy and all of its men put a great strain on the economy, and the common people had to pay inflated taxes (Erickson 368). In preparation for the coming attempt of invasion by the Spaniards, Elizabeth had priests and anyone who tried to assist a priest detained (Erickson 367). On July 19, 1588, the English first sited the “Invincible Armada” in the distance. Even though the Spanish Armada set sail with 130 ships and 30,000 men, her majesty responded in a calm fashion. Her knowledge that she had prepared the navy to the greatest of her ability gave her this peace of mind. Her fleet consisted of smaller, quicker, and more maneuverable ships that would later prove to be superior to the bulky oversized ships of the Spanish Armada (Weir 389-390). One scholar claimed that Elizabeth’s plan on how to attack and defend against the Armada “was a campaign of genius, without flaw” (Neale 304). The Spaniards’ strategy consisted of a rendezvous with Parma in the Netherlands. They planned to combine forces, and together, they would defeat the English resistance. The English discovered this planned attempt, and their mission became the prevention of this union. The English fleet successfully accomplished their mission by chasing the Invincible Armada far northward until exhausted their supplies and gunpowder. The English captains did become frustrated because they didn’t have the ability to completely obliterate the Spanish Armada. The question of the Armada’s return lingered because of the f...
