Armada - A Celebration of the Four Hundredth Anniversary of the Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 1588-1988 (ISBN by Padfield, Peter

Annapolis, 1988, Naval Institute, US first edition, hard bound in dust jacket, 9 x 12, glossy page stock, 208 pages, prof illustrated in B&W and c0lor, VG/VG condition, notes, bibliog, index.*************************************************To mark the 400th anniversary of the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, thedistinguished naval historian Peter Padfield has written a comprehensive account of the greatest sea battle of the Tudor age. This sumptuously illustrated book has been meticulously researched and gives new insights afforded by hitherto unexploited documents and unpublished archive material. A particular feature of the book are the specially commissioned colour paintings by Lionel Willis of the National Maritime Museum showing the construction and equipment of typical ships from the opposing fleets.The bulk of the book concerns the 1587-8 campaign, its preparation, course and conclusion. But the scene is set with the events of the two turbulent preceding decades examined, showing why Philip II took the desperate decision to defend his New World treasure and his Netherlands' industries by taking the strategic key to both—England. While the struggle was really about Empire and trade monopoly, it was represented as an ideological war and became for both sides a crusade; Padfield explores the religious issues alongside the politics and strategy of the campaign.The stage once set, the personalities emerge: Philip II and his naval commanders; Elizabeth I, her ministers and the celebrated English sea rovers. Padfield highlights their differing outlooks and ways of life, and in addition brings the common man into focus with details of the lives of the ordinary soldiers and sailors. The ships and seamanship of both powers, the tactics and armaments employed, complete the picture, together with the logistics and the enormous costs of mounting such a campaign. Yet this detail is woven into the narrative to enhance the portrait of 16th-century life without detracting from the excitement of one of the most compelling stories to emerge from European history.