But the poor design of the Spanish cannon meant they were much slower in reloading in a close-range battle, allowing the English to take control. The English also took advantage of Spain's overly complex strategy that required coordination between the invasion fleet and the Spanish army on shore. Superior English ships and seamanship had foiled the invasion. Whereas before warships had tried to grapple with each other so that soldiers could board the enemy ship, now they more often stood off and fired broadsides that could sink the enemy vessel. Parker argues that the sleeker full-rigged ship, amply cannoned, was one of the greatest technological advances of the century and permanently transformed naval warfare.Įnglish shipwrights introduced designs in 1573, first demonstrated in Dreadnought, that allowed the ships to sail faster and manoeuvre better and permitted heavier guns. The English navy yards were leaders in technical innovation, and the captains devised new battle formations and tactics. In the words of Geoffrey Parker, by 1588 "the capital ships of the Elizabethan navy constituted the most powerful battlefleet afloat anywhere in the world". English, in part because of the gap in naval technology and cannon armament it confirmed between the two nations, which continued into the next century. The English lands were unified in the 10th century in a reconquest completed by King Æthelstan in 927. The Viking invasions of the 9th century upset the balance of power between the English kingdoms, and native Anglo-Saxon life in general.
Most military historians hold that the battle of Gravelines reflected a lasting shift in the balance of naval power in favour of the English The Kingdom of England was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from about 927, when it emerged from various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until, when it united with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. English ships and the Spanish Armada, August 1588 × English ships and the Spanish Armada, August 1588 ( Click image to enlarge)
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