As the Armada was being prepared, the English admiral Sir Francis Drake launched a daring raid on the Spanish port of Cadiz. Blockading traffic up and down the ... one of its most skilled leaders. Some even said that he died because of the Armada, his heart breaking from the certainty that it would fail. read more
: : AFAIK, there were several factors behind the failed invasion: 1. Weather, hard to gauge with the technology of the era. read more
The Spanish Armada failed in 1588 because the general of the Spanish army was not there when the Armada arrived in Calais. They anchored, and as the harbour was so small they were exposed. The English sent fireships in the night and the Spanish fleet cut their anchors. read more
In reality, the Armada was doomed for a whole host of reasons, only some of them the work of the English. Unrealistic Expectations The defeat of a Spanish invasion force in 1588 was a moment of great patriotic pride for Elizabethan England. read more