The Spanish Armada

In this engaging volume, archeologist and historian Hutchinson (Young Henry) sets out to overturn one of the cherished legends taught in British primary schools: that the Spanish Armada was valiantly turned back by heroic Francis Drake and Queen Elizabeth’s navy. Drawing heavily on the letters and accounts of witnesses and participants, Hutchinson lays out ample evidence that the Spanish ships sank more from happenstance than heroism. “Despite the triumphant claims by Elizabeth’s government, this was not a crushing defeat inflicted by the queen’s ships through overwhelming naval tactics,” he says, noting that “all the Spanish casualties were lost in accidents or in the fierce storms that raged after the Armada had sailed north to Scotland.” Dozens of ships foundered off the coast of Ireland without the English lifting a finger, and one massive warship exploded just out of range of English cannons—the unconfirmed rumor was that “a gunner who had been cuckolded by a Spanish naval officer” took his revenge by setting alight a barrel of gunpowder. And as Hutchinson’s engrossing work reveals, Drake’s reputation as a pirate, if not as a commander, remains unsullied: repeatedly snubbing Elizabeth’s top advisers and ignoring direct orders, he proved more interested in chasing after ships carrying Spanish gold than in any tactical concerns. (June)