Spanish Armada Defeat

Saturday Open Thread: Armada Edition

Most people back then, didn't realize that England was destined to become "A Great Company of Nations" acdg to Jacob's Blessings in the O.T. That means that the Bryts (Covenant) Ish (man) was considered to be one of the Sons of Jacob, that being Ephraim.

And Ephraim's brother, Manaseh was destined to become a Great Nation…

The Big "X" on the Union Jack Flag, represent the Crossed Arms of Jacob, FYI.

There is a story in my family, that on my mother's side, one of her ancestors' jumped ship from the Armada, and was rescued by a a dutch privateer that was carrying William of Orange. His last name was Diaz, which eventually became Dyas (The name of my Grandfather). Not sure if the story is true, but it does lend itself to some colorful historical research.

Of course, everyone knows that the Spanish armada was a result of "jihad" by the Catholics against the heretic Queen Elizabeth. The Pope had a hand in drumming this up this adventure reminiscent of the call for "holy war" / jihad by Urban II in 1095 which led to the first crusade, the capture of Jerusalem and 200 years of battle in the holy land.

What you're discussing is the so-called "British-Israelite" theory, popularized (if not conceived) by Herbert W. Armstrong, and re-named "Celtic-Israelite" theory later by EuGene Scott. The theory postulates that the UK is actually part of the "lost ten tribes" of Israel, which disappeared from history after the Assyrian Exile removed Samaria (the northern House of Israel) from Canaan.

The theory had Jacob's sons Ephraim and Manasseh symbolize the British Commonwealth and America. There's a legend connected with this theory, which has it that the Prophet Jeremiah and Baruch took the daughters of Zedekiah King of Judah with them and married them off to the sons of the King of Ireland and Scotland, respectively. Some according to this theory believe the Royal House of Great Britain's lineage goes back to King David.

I'm not vouching for the theory personally, but thought to bring up the backstory for your post.

Off topic, I went to Wonkette a few days ago and defended Sarah Palin on a thread, what a bunch of idiots, I got four e-mails all four had just one word "poopy head", is that a childrens site? The hate that's on that site is unbelievable, they are very vile people to write the stuff they wrote about Sarah Palin and her entire family. as much as I dislike Obama I would never even think of writing what they wrote about Obama or anybody else for that matter and to think forty years ago I used to vote DemocRAT, I'm ashamed to even think I voted with those morally bankrupt idiots.

The Spanish Armada « The Armchair Anglophile

On May 28, 1588, the ill-fated Spanish Armada started sailing out of Lisbon, heading for the English Channel. The fleet, which consisted of 151 ships, 8,000 sailors, and 18,000 soldiers, was so huge it took two days for the whole thing to make its way out of Lisbon. The English attempted some last-minute diplomacy, but when that failed they battened down the hatches and sent their own, less well equipped fleet, to wait for the Spanish to arrive in Plymouth. Although the English had more ships, they had only half the firepower of the Spanish.

The Armada hit bad weather that forced five of its larger ships to leave the fleet, and they didn’t come within sight of England until July 19, when the Armada was sighted off Cornwall. The news was quickly relayed to London through a series of beacons, but the English fleet was trapped in Plymouth by the tide and couldn’t leave to engage the Spanish. Some of the Spanish commanders hoped to ride into Plymouth on the tide and incapacitate the English ships while they rode at anchor, but King Philip of Spain had forbidden such an action, so the fleet continued toward the Isle of Wight. As the tide turned, 55 English ships left Plymouth under the command of Lord Howard of Effingham and Sir Francis Drake.

The English engaged the Armada on July 21 near the Eddystone Rocks. The Spanish, with their superior firepower, would have the advantage in close-quarter fighting, but the English ships were faster and more agile, a fact they used to their advantage as they bombarded the Spanish from a distance. The day resulted in a draw, although the Spanish were forced to abandon two ships after they collided. Drake looted them for gunpowder and gold, but while doing so, he failed to guide the rest of the English fleet, which ended up scattered and in complete disarray by daybreak. It took them an entire day to regroup, but their speed allowed them to catch up with the Spanish relatively quickly. The two fleets engaged again on July 23, but once again nothing was decided.

The Spanish made their way to Calais in an attempt to pick up an army of 16,000 men led by the Duke of Parma. The army was not prepared to depart, so the Armada was forced to wait for them, leaving the fleet vulnerable. The English took advantage of this by sending eight fireships in amongst the tightly packed Armada vessels. Most of the ships scattered in a panic, and the English closed in, ready for battle.

The two fleets meet again near Gravelines, part of Flanders in the Spanish Netherlands. The English managed to provoke the Spanish into firing, even though the English ships were still out of range. The English fleet then closed in, firing away and damaging many of the Spanish ships. The Spanish lost many of their gunners, and the other soldiers didn’t know how to operate the complex cannons, effectively taking most of them out of the conflict. After eight hours of fierce fighting, the English ships began to run out of ammunition. By 4 p.m., they were forced to pull back. The Spanish lost five ships, and several others were severely damaged.

The Armada

The defeat of the Spanish Armada

The Spanish Armada, the experience of war in 1588

The Spanish Armada

State papers relating to the defeat of the Spanish Armada, anno 1588