The Defeat of the Spanish Armada - Book Report/Review Example

"The Armada" by Garrett Mattingly is a book which describes the dramatic events that took place in 1587 and 1588 in Europe, notably in England, France and Spain with huge political and military consequences. Although written by a historian, "The Armada" is written in an interesting and easy style, and reads like a political novel. Beginning with the execution of Mary Stuart, Mattingly elaborates on the causes of the execution and its repercussions in Europe, notably France, Spain and Holland.

He examines the Spanish ambition to conquer Netherlands and England, "The Enterprise of England" which was envisaged by the Duke of Parma to conquer England, Pope Sixtus V and his machinations, Francis Drake and his reasons for fighting the Armada, the attack on Cadiz by Drake, and his famous saying about singeing of the King of Spain's beard. Giving a description of the capture of Sluys and the Battle of Coutras, the book deals with the astrological forecasts for the year 1588. It describes the preparations for the fleets, and the battles which took place in the Channel.

And it describes how the Spanish Armada did not press its advantage, and how the battered ships went home. The assassination of Guise is also described. The main actors in the drama are Queen Elizabeth, King Philip of Spain, Pope Sixtus, Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth's secretary of State, Francis Drake, Ambassador Mendoza, and the Duke of Parma. The book lays bare the incontrovertible fact that King Philip II tried to invade England with the aid of a huge fleet, but his plans failed because of various causes including the defense put up by the English fleet and other factors.

According to the author, in spite of his inexperience in naval warfare, Medina Sidonia, the commander of the Spanish fleet, did a good job under the circumstances. . "The Spanish Armada" by Collin Martin and Geoffrey Parker treats the same subject in a different way. Basing their book on primary sources and evidence found by examining the physical remains of the sunken ships and material found in Spanish archives, they come to the conclusion that the Spanish Armada did indeed pose a great threat to England.

The fears of the English commanders were well founded, and PhilipII's Grand Design against England could well have materialized .The role of the Spanish forces in the battle is also given due importance. The Spanish forces under the Duke of Parma, were waiting for the Armada to come. Their plan was to slip across to Kent in England, under the Armada's protection Giving the account of the happenings during those days in 1588 in a unbiased and dispassionate manner, "The Spanish Armada" explains the reasons for the PhilipII's wish to conquer England, and his plans to accomplish it.

The authors also examine the difficulties faced by the Spaniards in assembling a large fleet and the various types of vessels that were used and how they were provisioned. The many different types of cannons that were used are also detailed in this well researched book. "The Armada"(1959) is a widely read book by the historian Garrett Mattingly, which was a The Book of the Month Club as well as History Book Club selection. Mattingly also won the Pulitzer Prize (special citation) for the work1 .

The author says in the preface to the book that the idea of writing it came to him in1940,"when the eyes of the world were