Spain, under King Philip II, was the main Roman Catholic power in Europe. King Philip saw England as a threat to Spain because:

• England was a Protestant country, which did not believe in the Catholic religion.
• England helped Protestant rebels in the Netherlands fight against Spain.
• England allowed pirates like Francis Drake to attack Spanish ships and lands in the 'New World' (Central and South America).
• England threatened Spanish domination of world trade.

King Philip had been married to Elizabeth's older sister and predecessor, the Catholic Queen Mary, so this was all the more irritating.

So in 1588 he sent a large fleet - his 'Invincible Armada' - to land an invading army in England. It was not invincible, however. The English fleet prevented any Spanish ships from reaching England. Driven into the North Sea, the Armada was forced to retreat round Scotland and Ireland. Here storms wrecked more than half of its ships before the battered survivors returned to Spain.

This painting shows an English artist's idea of the battle between the English fleet and the Spanish Armada. It has lots of interesting and funny detail, much of which was meant to make fun of the Spanish. But it does not provide a realistic picture of the battle.