The very first difficulties after the Battle of Gravelines broke the Spanish admiral. The Spaniards had to abandon the idea of joining up with the forces of the Duke of Parma. He could not get through to Holland to repair ships and replenish ammunition, so he decided to return back to Spain through ...

Justinus van Nassau (1559–1631) was the only extramarital child of William the Silent. His mother was Eva Elincx, William's mistress between his first and second marriages. William of Orange recognized Justinus and raised him with his other children. Justinus studied in Leiden and became Lieutenant-...

Тhe small port of Gravelines was part of Flanders in the Spanish Netherlands close to the border with France, and was the closest Spanish territory to England. Before dawn on August 8, Medina Sidonia struggled to regather his fleet after the fireships scattered it, and was reluctant to sail further ...

The appointed commander of the naval forces of the Armada was the highly experienced Marquis of Santa Cruz while Alexander Farnese would be in command of the invasion forces. Unfortunately, Santa Cruz died in February 1588 and the Duke of Medina Sidonia, a high-born courtier, took his place. While a...

Lope de Vega is one of the founders of Spanish drama. He worked during the Renaissance. His literary heritage, in addition to novels, poems and sonnets, includes more than 2,000 plays, of which 426 have survived to this day. Spanish literature of the 16th century is represented by two people of enor...

Sir John Hawkins (also spelled Hawkyns) (1532 – 12 November 1595) was an English naval commander, naval administrator, privateer and slave trader. Hawkins pioneered, and was an early promoter of, English involvement in the Atlantic slave trade. He is considered to be the first English merchant to pr...

The Cadix Raid The Spanish king planned to invade England, for which a large fleet was assembled in Cadiz and Lisbon, later known as the Invincible Armada. Sir Francis Drake, having learned about this, suggested that Elizabeth I launch a preemptive strike and attack Spanish ships right in the ports....

In the second half of the 16th century a series of economic, political, and religious circumstances created tensions in the relations between England and Spain. Protestant England came into direct confrontation with Catholic Spain; Elizabeth I of England had been excommunicated by Pope Pius V in 157...

The Titania, was a composite hulled "tea clipper" built by by Robert Steele & Co. in Greenock, Scotland in 1866 that had a long and storied career. The Titania, was one of these splendid British clippers and was launched on November 26, 1866. At her launchings, she measured in length, ...

“Konung Carl”, a ship of the line armed with 108 cannons and was one of the few three deckers made for the Swedish navy. Also known as "Carolus Rex". “Konung Karl” built in 1694 built by Charles Sheldon at the Karlskrona shipyard. named after King Carl, she was 54m (177ft) in length at the...

HMS Montague was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 28 August 1779 at Chatham Dockyard. The second ship of the Royal Navy, named after the Dukes of Montagu. Participated in the American War of Independence. Was at Cape Finisterre and in the Battle of Moonlight, at Ma...

Poltava (Russian: Полтава) was a 54-gun ship of the line of the Russian Navy that was launched on 15 June 1712 from Saint Petersburg. The ship was named after an important for Russia victory over the Swedish Empire in the Battle of Poltava and became the first battleship laid down and built at the S...

USS Chesapeake, a 36-gun heavy frigate of 1244 tons, was built at the Gosport Navy Yard, at Portsmouth, Virginia. Launched at the Gosport Navy Yard on 2 December 1799. Commissioned during the first part of 1800, she operated off the southern United States and in the West Indies during the Quasi-War ...

HMS Bellerophon, known to sailors as the "Billy Ruffian", was a ship of the line of the Royal Navy. A third-rate of 74 guns, she was launched in 1786. Bellerophon served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, mostly on blockades or convoy escort duties. She fought in three fl...

HMS Agamemnon was a 64-gun third-rate ship of the line of the British Royal Navy. She saw service in the American Revolutionary War, French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and fought in many of the major naval battles of those conflicts. She is remembered as being Nelson's favourite ship, and was...