Memorable World History/Authors

Anglo-Spanish War (Part II)

The battle of Cadiz Bay in 1596

During the summer of 1596, an Anglo-Dutch expedition under Elizabeth's young favorite, the Earl of Essex, sacked Cádiz, causing significant loss to the Spanish fleet, leaving the city in ruins and delaying a projected descent on England. The allies were unable to capture the treasure, as the Spanish commander had time to torch the treasure ships in port, sending the treasure to the bottom of the harbor, from where it was later recovered. Despite its failure to capture the treasure fleet, the sack of Cádiz was celebrated as a national triumph comparable to the victory over the Spanish Armada, and for a time Essex's prestige rivaled Elizabeth's own.

The Crown instead of controlling and taxing its subjects, competed with them for private profit, a race it failed to win, as the great naval expeditions were on the whole unprofitable. The last of the great English naval expeditions took place in 1597, led by the Earl of Essex known as the Islands Voyage. The objective was to destroy the Spanish fleet and intercept a treasure fleet in the Azores. Neither was achieved and the expedition ended in failure, and Essex on his return was scolded by the Queen for not protecting the English coast.

In the final years of the war, English privateering continued despite the strengthening of Spanish navy convoys – Cumberland's last expedition in 1598 to the Caribbean led to the capture of San Juan and had succeeded where Drake had failed. Newport struck at Tobasco in 1599 while William Parker successfully raided Portobello in 1601. Finally, in 1603, Christopher Cleeve struck at Santiago de Cuba, and in the last raid of the war, Newport plundered Puerto Caballos.

By the end of the war, English privateering had devastated the Spanish private merchant marine. The most famous pirates lauded by English literature and propaganda tended to attack fishing vessels or boats with a small value for the Spanish crown. Spanish prizes though were taken at an attritional rate; nearly 1,000 were captured by the war's end, and there was on the average declared value of approximately £100,000-£200,000 for every year of the war. In addition to every Spanish prize brought back, another was either burned or scuttled, and the presence of so many English corsairs even deterred Spanish merchantmen from putting to sea. This all later resulted in Spanish and Portuguese commerce being carried on Dutch and English ships which in itself created competition. Nevertheless, throughout the war, Spain's important treasure fleets had been kept safe by their convoy system.

Dutch Revolt (1597–1604)

By 1597, Spanish bankruptcy and the war in France gave the Anglo-Dutch an advantage. At the Battle of Turnout, a Spanish force was surprised and routed - Vere and Sir Robert Sydney distinguished themselves particularly. With the Spanish distracted by the siege of Amiens in France Maurice launched an offensive in the summer. This time both Rhienberg and Greonlo were finally taken. This was followed by the capture of Bredevoort, Enschede, Ootsmarsum, Oldenzaal, and finally Lingen by the end of the year. The offensive success meant that most of the Republic had been recaptured and a significant barrier had been created along the Rhine River.

Battle of Nieuwpoort in 1600 by Sebastiaen Vrancx

In 1598, the Spanish under Francisco Mendoza retook Rheinberg and Meurs in a campaign known as the Spanish winter of 1598-99. Mendoza then attempted to take Bommelerwaard Island but the Dutch and English under Maurice thwarted the attempt and defeated him at Zaltbommel. Mendoza retreated from the area and the defeat resulted in chaos in the Spanish army - mutinies took place and many deserted. The following year the Dutch senate led by Johan van Oldenbarneveldt saw the chaos in the Spanish army and decided the time was ripe for a focal point of the war to be concentrated in Catholic Flanders. Despite a bitter dispute between Maurice and van Oldenbarneveldt, the Dutch and a sizeable contingent of the English Army under Francis Vere reluctantly agreed. They used Ostend (still in Dutch hands) as a base to invade Flanders. Their aim was to conquer the privateer stronghold city of Dunkirk. In 1600 they advanced toward Dunkirk and in a pitched battle, the Anglo-Dutch inflicted a rare defeat on the Tercio led Spanish army at the Battle of Nieuwpoort in which the English played a major part. Dunkirk was never attempted however as disputes in the Dutch command meant that taking Spanish occupied cities in the rest of the Republic took priority. Maurice's force thus withdrew leaving Vere to command Ostend in the face of an imminent Spanish siege.