Introduction
When Mary I of England died in 1558, her devoutly Catholic widower Philip II of Spain felt he should have inherited her crown. Instead it went to Mary’s Protestant half-sister Elizabeth, who gave asylum to Dutch Protestants suffering under Philip’s Spanish Inquisition, harassed his Atlantic trade, and in 1587 executed her most plausible Catholic rival, Mary Queen of Scots. A year later, Philip took drastic action.
AT her death, the Scottish queen,* disgusted with her mean-spirited son James,* left her claim to the English throne to Philip II of Spain, who was then the most powerful sovereign in Europe, ruling over a territory equal to that of the Roman Empire in its greatest extent. Philip resolved to invade England, conquer it, annex it to his own possessions, and restore the religion of Rome.* To accomplish this, he began fitting out the ‘Invincible Armada,’ an immense fleet, intended to carry 20,000 soldiers, and to receive on its way re-enforcements of 30,000 more from the Spanish army in the Netherlands.
Sir Francis Drake determined to put a check to Philip’s preparations. He heard that the enemy’s fleet was gathered at Cadiz. He sailed there, and in spite of all opposition effectually ‘singed the Spanish king’s beard,’ as he said, by burning and otherwise destroying more than a hundred ships.* This so crippled the expedition that it had to be given up for that year, but the next summer a vast armament set sail.*
* ‘The Scottish queen’ is Elizabeth’s cousin Mary (1542-1587), Queen of Scots from 1542 to 1567 when she was deposed in favour of her infant son James VI. Mary fled to cousin Elizabeth in England, and was immediately placed under house arrest. For twenty years, rumour and plot swirled about her; she was executed in 1587. See Mary Queen of Scots.
* Queen Mary’s son James VI, who as an infant had become King of Scotland in Mary’s place, had in her eyes done far too little to help her now that he was of age. He was, indeed, in receipt of a regular pension from the English government. In 1603, James succeeded Elizabeth as King James I of England.
* In fact, Philip had resolved to invade England as long before as 1585. See also Asylum Christi and for an earlier attempt to bring down Elizabeth, see The Ridolfi Plot.
* Drake’s action took place in April-May 1587.
* The Invincible Armada set out on May 18th, 1588.
Précis
In May 1588, a daunting armada of ships left Spain for England, with orders to dethrone Queen Elizabeth I and restore England to the bosom of the Roman Church under Philip II of Spain. The venture had been delayed by a year, following a daring raid on Cadiz led by Sir Francis Drake, but now all was in readiness again. (60 / 60 words)
In May 1588, a daunting armada of ships left Spain for England, with orders to dethrone Queen Elizabeth I and restore England to the bosom of the Roman Church under Philip II of Spain. The venture had been delayed by a year, following a daring raid on Cadiz led by Sir Francis Drake, but now all was in readiness again.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: although, besides, despite, if, just, not, until, who.
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