Philip begins in 1587 to assemble an…
May 1587 CE
Philip begins in 1587 to assemble an Armada for a naval invasion of England to crush English rebellion against Papal Authority.
Francis Drake shows his queen in this year that her trust in him had not been misplaced.
With a fleet of some thirty ships, he storms into the Spanish harbor of Cádiz, one of Spain's main ports, and in thirty-six hours captures six ships and destroys numerous vessels and thousands of tons of supplies, all of which had been destined for the Armada.
This action, which he laughingly refers to as “singeing the king of Spain's beard,” helps to delay the invasion fleet for a further year.