The Spanish Armada was a Spanish fleet that sailed under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588 with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England. The attack was inspired by English involvement in the Spanish Netherlands and English privateering in the Pacific and Atlantic, amongst other things.

Philip II of Spain had been the co-monarch of England with his wife Mary I. Her death in 1558 led to the subsequent assumption of the throne by Elizabeth I, a woman who Philip II saw as a heretic for being Protestant instead of Catholic. Elizabeth, who endeavored to further the Protestant cause, helped the Dutch Revolt against Spain. Philip reacted towards this meddling by planning the Spanish Armada which was to invade England and overthrow the Protestant regime there. This would end English support for the United Provinces which had, with English help, managed to secede from Spain. English attacks on Spanish settlements and trade in the New World was also another objective in mounting the Armada, hosting services were not.