Published 1892-9, this four-volume collection contains Spanish documents relating to England during the reign of Elizabeth I. The papers were translated and edited by Martin Andrew Sharp Hume (1843-1910), a respected historian of Spain. Volume 2 (1894) covers the period 1568-79.

Published 1892-9, this four-volume collection contains Spanish documents relating to England during the reign of Elizabeth I. The papers were translated and edited by Martin Andrew Sharp Hume (1843-1910), a respected historian of Spain. Volume 3 (1896) covers the period 1580-86, the build-up to the Anglo-Spanish war.

The definitive history of the Spanish Armada, lavishly illustrated and fully revised “Will surely become the definitive account.”—Stephen Brumwell, Wall Street Journal In July 1588 the Spanish Armada sailed from Corunna to conquer England. Three weeks later an English fireship attack in the Channel—and then a fierce naval battle—foiled the planned invasion. Many myths still surround these events. The genius of Sir Francis Drake is exalted, while Spain’s efforts are belittled. But what really happened during that fateful encounter? Drawing on archives from around the world, Colin Martin and Geoffrey Parker also deploy vital new evidence from Armada shipwrecks off the coasts of Ireland and Scotland. Their gripping, beautifully illustrated account provides a fresh understanding of how the rival fleets came into being; how they looked, sounded, and smelled; and what happened when they finally clashed. Looking beyond the events of 1588 to the complex politics which made war between England and Spain inevitable, and at the political and dynastic aftermath, Armada deconstructs the many legends to reveal why, ultimately, the bold Spanish mission failed.

As a woman wielding public authority, Elizabeth I embodied a paradox at the very center of 16th century patriarchal English society. This text illuminates the ways in which the Queen and her subjects variously exploited or obfuscated this contradiction.