In 1588, Spain’s mighty armada sailed to invade England and change the balance of power in Europe. Dan explains why Philip II launched the Armada, details the high-stakes clash in the Channel, and outlines the decisive tactics, leadership and luck that helped the English prevail. 0:00 Introduction 0:24 The First Truly Global Empire: Philip II & Elizabeth I 1:47 The Founding Myth of British Exceptionalism 4:44 Rivalry: The New World, Gold & the Protestant Reformation 7:29 Philip II's Hardline Catholic Empire 8:54 Elizabeth I, Heresy and the Low Countries 10:09 Francis Drake, Pirates & Raiding the Spanish Empire 13:16 Assembling the Armada: Spain's Invasion Plan 25:35 Drake's Famous Game of Bowls & Missing a Huge Opportunity 31:16 Old War vs. New War: Cannon and Naval Doctrine 46:34 The Problem with Logistics: Where Was Parma's Army? 50:08 The Fire Ships of Calais & The Battle of Gravelines 1:01:00 The Long, Terrible Journey Home Produced by Mariana Des Forges, James Hickmann and McKenna Fernandez, edited by Matthew Wilson & the channel manager is Vilde Øksnes. You can find more Dan Snow's History Hit on the audio podcast here: https://podfollow.com/dan-snows-history-hit/view Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. All music from Epidemic Sounds. #DanSnowsHistoryHit #HistoryPodcast #spanisharmada