THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA – PART THREE Not only was Medina Sidonia unqualified to command such a major naval expedition, but he knew it. He wrote to the king making it very plain that he knew nothing about the sea, was seasick on the rare occasions when he had to travel by ship, and in any case was totally unable to supply any funding towards the expedition, as Spanish commanders were expected to do. Furthermore, he said that the whole concept was a recipe for disaster and could not possibly succeed. His letter never got to the king, being intercepted by his councillors who were horrified at its contents and did not show it to the king, writing themselves to Medina Sidonia threatening him with all sorts of repercussions if he did not accept the command. Bowing to the inevitable, the duke took himself off to Lisbon to try to meet the king’s increasingly hysterical orders to get going, with departure dates that came and went. He did manage to recruit competent squadron commanders to serve under him, and he ordered that foreign ships in Spanish and Portuguese harbours should be impounded and their names changed to something in Spanish, these to augment the 120 ships of the existing fleet. Meanwhile the Duke of Parma was complaining to Philip that the coming expedition was common knowledge in Flanders and must also be in England. The only light at the end of this tunnel of gloom for Philip was that in July 1588 Pope Sixtus, who was actually a fervent admirer of Elizabeth, at last accepted that he could not persuade her to return to the Catholic faith and renewed her excommunication, announcing that Philip was now king of England with all the rights that went with that office.
THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA - PART THREE
THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA - PART THREE
THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA - PART THREE
THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA – PART THREE Not only was Medina Sidonia unqualified to command such a major naval expedition, but he knew it. He wrote to the king making it very plain that he knew nothing about the sea, was seasick on the rare occasions when he had to travel by ship, and in any case was totally unable to supply any funding towards the expedition, as Spanish commanders were expected to do. Furthermore, he said that the whole concept was a recipe for disaster and could not possibly succeed. His letter never got to the king, being intercepted by his councillors who were horrified at its contents and did not show it to the king, writing themselves to Medina Sidonia threatening him with all sorts of repercussions if he did not accept the command. Bowing to the inevitable, the duke took himself off to Lisbon to try to meet the king’s increasingly hysterical orders to get going, with departure dates that came and went. He did manage to recruit competent squadron commanders to serve under him, and he ordered that foreign ships in Spanish and Portuguese harbours should be impounded and their names changed to something in Spanish, these to augment the 120 ships of the existing fleet. Meanwhile the Duke of Parma was complaining to Philip that the coming expedition was common knowledge in Flanders and must also be in England. The only light at the end of this tunnel of gloom for Philip was that in July 1588 Pope Sixtus, who was actually a fervent admirer of Elizabeth, at last accepted that he could not persuade her to return to the Catholic faith and renewed her excommunication, announcing that Philip was now king of England with all the rights that went with that office.