0:00:07 > 0:00:10Summer, 1588...
0:00:12 > 0:00:14England was under attack
0:00:14 > 0:00:17from the most powerful naval force on earth.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Our mission
0:00:19 > 0:00:21is a sacred one.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Philip II, the Catholic King of Spain,
0:00:25 > 0:00:27had sent a mighty Armada
0:00:27 > 0:00:30to conquer Protestant England...
0:00:31 > 0:00:33..and take the crown of Queen Elizabeth.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38This was a war fought in the name of religion -
0:00:38 > 0:00:42Catholics versus Protestants - but it was also a war of power
0:00:42 > 0:00:44and politics and, for the two great monarchs
0:00:44 > 0:00:47who started the whole thing off, it was deeply personal -
0:00:47 > 0:00:51the result of 30 years of increasing bitterness.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58'Now, to understand this defining moment in history,
0:00:58 > 0:01:00'I'm sailing the waters I love...'
0:01:00 > 0:01:02There you go. Look at that!
0:01:02 > 0:01:05'..following the course of the English Navy,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08'as they fought the Spanish Armada in the Channel.'
0:01:09 > 0:01:12There's now a howling gale - similar conditions
0:01:12 > 0:01:14to the ones that Drake and the fleet faced.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19'While access to unique, eye-witness accounts...'
0:01:19 > 0:01:22This is one of the most remarkable letters I have ever seen.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26'..will take us, for the very first time, inside the minds
0:01:26 > 0:01:28'of the commanders themselves...'
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Clearly, they're setting a trap here.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35'..and offer unprecedented insight into the corridors of power...
0:01:35 > 0:01:37'..in England
0:01:37 > 0:01:39'and Spain...'
0:01:39 > 0:01:41This is war, sir. Orders.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46'..allowing us to bring to life
0:01:46 > 0:01:49'12 days in the summer of 1588...'
0:01:49 > 0:01:50Fire!
0:01:52 > 0:01:55'..when England's very survival
0:01:55 > 0:01:58'hung in the balance.'
0:01:58 > 0:02:00Army and Navy together -
0:02:00 > 0:02:02their might would be unstoppable.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23On Monday, 1st August, 1588,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26the Spanish Armada was here,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28heading east, along the coast of Dorset.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Of its original 125 ships,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34only two had fallen into English hands.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36But the rest remained intact,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39sailing towards England's great southern ports
0:02:39 > 0:02:41and London itself.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49The Armada had left Spain ten days earlier.
0:02:50 > 0:02:51125 ships...
0:02:54 > 0:02:56..carrying 23,000 men.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04More than just an invasion, this was a religious crusade...
0:03:06 > 0:03:08..sent to crush a heretic nation.
0:03:11 > 0:03:12When it arrived in the Channel,
0:03:12 > 0:03:17the English navy was unprepared and tide-bound in Plymouth harbour.
0:03:18 > 0:03:19But the Armada missed
0:03:19 > 0:03:22the opportunity for a decisive early strike.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28The two forces had finally clashed the next day.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36And despite losing two ships,
0:03:36 > 0:03:40the mighty Spanish force sailed on,
0:03:40 > 0:03:42its progress unchecked.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03ECHOING: I acknowledge that, without thee, oh, my King,
0:04:03 > 0:04:08my throne is unstable, my seat unsafe, my kingdom tottering,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11my life uncertain.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20Queen Elizabeth's life was in immediate danger.
0:04:20 > 0:04:2454 years old, unmarried and without an heir,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27she was plagued by nightmares.
0:04:27 > 0:04:33I was in a dark cell, imprisoned in my own Tower.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35Don't fret.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39'Elizabeth seems to be in a quite a tremulous state.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41'She's having trouble sleeping,'
0:04:41 > 0:04:48she's afflicted with night terrors. She has her most trusted lady,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Blanche Parry, sleep in the same bed as her.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53I dread the darkness.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56Just a dream.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59It felt so real,
0:04:59 > 0:05:03as if I have a demoness in my soul.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05The longer the Armada was in the Channel,
0:05:05 > 0:05:09the greater the threat to Elizabeth. And her future was pretty bleak.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12If the Spanish could land and overrun England,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14then she would either be captured
0:05:14 > 0:05:16or she would be killed on the spot.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19What shall we do, Blanche?
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Elizabeth's fate rested with her naval commanders
0:05:29 > 0:05:32the aristocratic Lord High Admiral, Charles Howard...
0:05:32 > 0:05:35- Are we ready?- We're patching up.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37..and his second-in-command,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40the flamboyant explorer
0:05:40 > 0:05:42and pirate, Sir Francis Drake.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45My ships will be ready. Won't they, men?
0:05:45 > 0:05:47ALL: Aye!
0:05:47 > 0:05:51But on Monday, 1st August, Howard knew that his forces
0:05:51 > 0:05:53faced an almost impossible task.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56Come on, men! Hurry!
0:05:58 > 0:06:00The Navy was scattered
0:06:00 > 0:06:02and trailing far behind the Spanish fleet.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07And it was all because of Howard's maverick deputy,
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Drake himself.
0:06:11 > 0:06:12Are we happy?
0:06:12 > 0:06:13ALL: Aye!
0:06:15 > 0:06:17It was all Sir Francis Drake's fault.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20The night before, Howard had given him instructions
0:06:20 > 0:06:24to lead the English fleet, place a light on his stern,
0:06:24 > 0:06:26on the back of his ship, and everyone else could follow,
0:06:26 > 0:06:30but Drake had snuffed out the light when he saw the opportunity to go
0:06:30 > 0:06:34and snap up a damaged, abandoned Spanish ship, called the Rosario.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36This was classic Drake behaviour -
0:06:36 > 0:06:39piratical, looking to enrich himself,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42and he was happy to let the English fleet just sail on blind
0:06:42 > 0:06:45through the night but, of course, above all, Drake was lucky.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49And what Drake found on that ship was invaluable.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Operating alone, the previous night, Drake had boarded the Spanish
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Rosario and began to plunder its treasure.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07He'd found 50,000 golden ducats -
0:07:07 > 0:07:10about £2.5 million in today's money.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Leave something for England
0:07:12 > 0:07:15or Her Majesty's blind eye will regain its sight very quickly.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20You, you carry enough to sink like an anchor, fool.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22LAUGHTER
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Remember, greed will buy you a short life.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29You must play the long game, to become rich.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Drake also knew that, on board the Rosario,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35there was something even more valuable...
0:07:36 > 0:07:39Come on! Take the dark cargo, too!
0:07:39 > 0:07:43..a Spanish hoard of ammunition and gunpowder.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47The English fleet was already running low
0:07:47 > 0:07:50on powder and shot. There was a simple reason for that -
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Elizabeth's government was simply too broke
0:07:53 > 0:07:56to afford to properly fit out the navy.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59So, the big supply of gunpowder was an absolute godsend,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02but the Rosario had yet another gift.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04This time, it was one of intelligence.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Drake had a cursory scan around the gun deck of the Rosario
0:08:07 > 0:08:11and he immediately twigged there was something very different
0:08:11 > 0:08:13about the Spanish cannon.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19This is the kind of gun
0:08:19 > 0:08:22that Drake found on the Rosario.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26When cannon first went to sea, they were really land cannon and so,
0:08:26 > 0:08:30if you are moving guns on land, you have spoked wheels,
0:08:30 > 0:08:36but the carriage is not really convenient on a cramped gun deck.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38You're going to run into the wheels.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42It's got a great long trail coming back here.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44It's really a monster on the gun deck.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49The English had come up with something completely different.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53It couldn't look more different and it couldn't behave in a more
0:08:53 > 0:08:56different way. You had a much lower carriage.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00It's on a massive bed that supports it, that's going right underneath.
0:09:00 > 0:09:05It was easy to change the aim, it's easy to reload.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10The English gun carriage being more compact helped the English crews
0:09:10 > 0:09:12achieve a greater rate of fire
0:09:12 > 0:09:15than the Spanish, with their cumbersome carriages.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24Drake's discovery on the Rosario offered a glimmer of hope.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Go, fire!
0:09:28 > 0:09:31In fact, the rate of fire of the English cannons
0:09:31 > 0:09:35was up to five times that of the Spaniards'.
0:09:35 > 0:09:36Remember, speed!
0:09:36 > 0:09:41But no-one knew if even that would be enough in the battles ahead
0:09:41 > 0:09:44against the mightiest fleet on Earth.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Fire!
0:09:51 > 0:09:55CHORAL SINGING
0:09:59 > 0:10:02The Armada was the plan of King Philip II of Spain...
0:10:04 > 0:10:07..the most powerful man on the planet -
0:10:07 > 0:10:09an obsessive workaholic
0:10:09 > 0:10:11and religious fanatic.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16He's fairly simply dressed. Always the same,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19always in black, The only ornament he has on
0:10:19 > 0:10:21is the Order of the Golden Fleece...
0:10:22 > 0:10:26..the golden dead sheep hanging round his neck.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Dignity, through understatement.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32He lives a life which you and I would think was pretty boring.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34He spends many hours at prayer,
0:10:34 > 0:10:37he spends the rest of his time, primarily, working.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41A pretty odd life, but then, Philip is a pretty odd man.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Philip was a man of the shadows.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50He hardly spoke to anyone and, everything he did,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54he noted down. When pieces of paper
0:10:54 > 0:10:59came in from the people who worked outside his room, he would scribble
0:10:59 > 0:11:01notations in the margins
0:11:01 > 0:11:04or he'd write them orders.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08He had an empire to run and an empire runs,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11as far as he was concerned, on detail.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15It was a lonely existence, but he still felt he had the world
0:11:15 > 0:11:17at his fingertips.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Canarias... Madeira...
0:11:20 > 0:11:25For Philip, the conquest of England was the will of God,
0:11:25 > 0:11:30to preserve a safe, ordered and, most importantly,
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Catholic world.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40The success of Philip's Armada
0:11:40 > 0:11:44depended on its inexperienced commander,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47the 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia...
0:11:47 > 0:11:52..and on Spain's most gifted admiral,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54Juan Martinez de Recalde.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05But there was already simmering tension between the two.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Just three days earlier,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12it had been Recalde's plan to attack the English in Plymouth.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15There is no time to be wasted.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18It is better to destroy the serpent in its egg.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20I propose we attack Plymouth.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23But Medina Sidonia had overruled him.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27We must not be distracted from our true and pious course,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30as laid down by the King.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35The King is not here and situations change in battle all the time.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37Recalde, mind your tongue!
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Recalde was beginning to doubt whether Medina Sidonia
0:12:42 > 0:12:44was the right man for the job...
0:12:47 > 0:12:50..and a new discovery suggests he may have been right.
0:12:56 > 0:12:57Professor Geoffrey Parker
0:12:57 > 0:13:01has been studying the world of Philip II of Spain
0:13:01 > 0:13:03for over 50 years.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08At the Hispanic Society of America, in New York, he recently unearthed
0:13:08 > 0:13:12a huge archive of papers from the Spanish court.
0:13:15 > 0:13:16I spent eight weeks
0:13:16 > 0:13:20going through every single document, 100 a day, figuring out
0:13:20 > 0:13:22who it was from, who it was to,
0:13:22 > 0:13:27what it was about. And some of them were absolutely sensational.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Within them were extraordinary new revelations
0:13:32 > 0:13:35about the aristocratic leader of the Spanish fleet,
0:13:35 > 0:13:39the Duke of Medina Sidonia, who, it turns out,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42never wanted the job in the first place.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46This is one of the most remarkable letters I have ever seen.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50It's a letter in which Medina Sidonia says to the king,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52"Please don't do this to me."
0:13:52 > 0:13:57Here, he is giving reasons why he does not want to go on the Armada.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59He says, "The sea is not good to me.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04"I have no experience of naval warfare."
0:14:04 > 0:14:07"I have never been to sea. Don't send me."
0:14:07 > 0:14:09Take it away. Take it away!
0:14:09 > 0:14:12The 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia is one of the richest men in Spain,
0:14:12 > 0:14:14if not in the western world.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18And then, he says, "If you send me, remember I'm poor."
0:14:18 > 0:14:20Right at the end he says, "Estoy muy pobre."
0:14:20 > 0:14:22"I'm very poor," The richest man in Spain.
0:14:22 > 0:14:28"And I've got four children who live in great hunger" - "tienen hambre".
0:14:28 > 0:14:32"So, if I go, I have some things I want from you, Your Majesty.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35"Humildemente. Humildemente supplico."
0:14:35 > 0:14:37"I humbly ask that you give them some reward,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40"before I sail, please."
0:14:42 > 0:14:46So, what we take away here is he really doesn't want to go to sea
0:14:46 > 0:14:49and he's prepared to resort to blackmailing the king,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51to try and get out of it.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57The truth is that the man who'd been given command over the most powerful
0:14:57 > 0:15:00naval force on Earth had hardly ever been to sea before.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04He had certainly never been in a sea battle and he did not want
0:15:04 > 0:15:08to be there. Medina Sidonia had been given explicit instructions
0:15:08 > 0:15:11by King Philip of Spain and he was sticking to them, so far,
0:15:11 > 0:15:15but he was beginning to realise that there was a fatal flaw in them.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26The Spanish Admiral might not have been a military man,
0:15:26 > 0:15:30but even he was beginning to realise that Philip's orders,
0:15:30 > 0:15:34which seemed so brilliant on paper, did not look quite as clever
0:15:34 > 0:15:36on the hostile seas of the Channel.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44The Armada is just one half of Philip's master plan.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47It's an enormous fleet, in a tight crescent formation
0:15:47 > 0:15:48that's still over two miles wide.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51Up here, in the Spanish-controlled Netherlands,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54we have the Duke of Parma, with an army 27,000-strong.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58The idea is to get these two to "join hands"
0:15:58 > 0:16:02and to land at Margate, in Kent, and, then, to march on London.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06Joining hands is easier said than done, of course, isn't it?
0:16:06 > 0:16:07Two factors can get in the way.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10One - the English. They're not going to stay inactive.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12They'll continue to harry the Spanish fleet,
0:16:12 > 0:16:14hopefully, push them past the Duke Parma,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17but the other problem that the Spanish have got is that no-one -
0:16:17 > 0:16:20not the Duke of Parma in Flanders, nor the Duke of Medina Sidonia
0:16:20 > 0:16:24in the Armada itself - know exactly how they're going to join hands.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33We know from the archives that Medina Sidonia was repeatedly
0:16:33 > 0:16:37writing to the Spanish General, the Duke of Parma,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41in an attempt to keep him updated about the Armada's progress,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44but he heard nothing in return.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48The letters just weren't getting through.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51In this era of radio and satellite communications,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54it's very, very hard for us to understand just how difficult it was
0:16:54 > 0:16:58to communicate with, even, ships in the same fleet as you,
0:16:58 > 0:17:02let alone with an allied army miles away, on land.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07And yet, Philip's plan demanded that the Spanish do exactly that.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10The only way that Medina Sidonia could get a message through
0:17:10 > 0:17:13to the army of Parma was by sending a small, fast ship
0:17:13 > 0:17:16right up the Channel here, but this Channel was controlled
0:17:16 > 0:17:18by Dutch and English ships.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20It would be very hard for that message to get through.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24And if it did get through and Parma wanted to send a message back,
0:17:24 > 0:17:25then, where does he send it to?
0:17:25 > 0:17:29The 123 ships of the Spanish Armada was a moving address,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32out here somewhere in the vastness of the Channel.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38Together, the two halves of Philip's mighty invasion plan
0:17:38 > 0:17:42would be unstoppable. But right now, both army and navy
0:17:42 > 0:17:47were in the dark, as to where, when, or even how,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49they were to join forces.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57The English, though, were obsessed by a different threat.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01They thought that the Armada wanted to make land and capture
0:18:01 > 0:18:04one of England's great southern ports.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06The Armada was well ahead of the English fleet,
0:18:06 > 0:18:10which was a big problem, because in front of the Spanish Armada lay
0:18:10 > 0:18:13a couple of really good, deep-water harbours.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16There was Weymouth, behind Portland Bill,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19and then there was the Solent, tucked in behind the Isle of Wight.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22The English knew they had to stop the Spanish from capturing
0:18:22 > 0:18:24these harbours, because that would give them the option
0:18:24 > 0:18:28of launching an invasion from there. So, the English raced to catch up.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35Drake's raid on the Rosario might have cost the English time...
0:18:36 > 0:18:39..but during the morning of the 1st of August,
0:18:39 > 0:18:40they were able to gain ground...
0:18:42 > 0:18:44..because in the late 16th century,
0:18:44 > 0:18:48the cutting edge of naval design lay not with Spain...
0:18:50 > 0:18:52..but with England.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54The main differences between
0:18:54 > 0:18:57the Spanish galleon and the English galleon,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00as you can see here, is that the Spanish galleon is much higher in
0:19:00 > 0:19:04the bow and stern, with the castles. It's wider in the beam...
0:19:05 > 0:19:09..whereas the English, race-built galleons are much lower
0:19:09 > 0:19:11in the water. It's longer, it's narrower.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15And the castles at the bow and the stern are much lower, as well.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19This made the English galleon much faster to sail
0:19:19 > 0:19:21and more manoeuvrable.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Spanish warships were of a design that really dates back
0:19:25 > 0:19:27hundreds of years.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30And they were loaded with soldiers. The whole aim was to close
0:19:30 > 0:19:32with the enemy,
0:19:32 > 0:19:36throw grapples, pull them alongside and then swarm aboard
0:19:36 > 0:19:38and wipe them out and win the battle that way.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40The English way was entirely different.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43Their whole aim was to stand off from the Spanish fleet
0:19:43 > 0:19:45and blast it to pieces with their cannons.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52In terms of how the Armada was going to be battling up the Channel,
0:19:52 > 0:19:53we're talking here about
0:19:53 > 0:19:57an elderly heavyweight boxer
0:19:57 > 0:20:02being confronted by a nimble, agile opponent darting around him.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08With their faster ships, the English navy chased down the Spanish.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15As evening fell, the Armada had sailed a full 100 miles
0:20:15 > 0:20:18from Plymouth and seemed to the English to be bearing down
0:20:18 > 0:20:19on Weymouth.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24If the Spanish made land there, it could spell the end
0:20:24 > 0:20:26of Tudor England and the realisation
0:20:26 > 0:20:29of Philip's Catholic dream.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49BIRDSONG
0:20:49 > 0:20:52BELLS CHIME
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Every day, Elizabeth's routine remained the same.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02Now that battle had been engaged, she was a helpless observer
0:21:02 > 0:21:05of the events unfolding in the Channel.
0:21:07 > 0:21:08The waging of war
0:21:08 > 0:21:13is essentially a male preserve and we can see this from a letter,
0:21:13 > 0:21:17where Elizabeth is giving charge
0:21:17 > 0:21:20to her Admiral, Howard. And she's saying that the best thing to do
0:21:20 > 0:21:22would, essentially,
0:21:22 > 0:21:26be to leave decisions to the discretion of Howard, himself.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31But appearances had to be maintained.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35Every morning, she was painstakingly transformed,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38from an ailing and ageing woman,
0:21:38 > 0:21:42to a vibrant and powerful queen.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47Now that the Armada was in the Channel,
0:21:47 > 0:21:50it was more important than ever for Elizabeth
0:21:50 > 0:21:55to present a youthful, vital, regal face to the country,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59so that meant these endless, laborious make-up sessions
0:21:59 > 0:22:01and it meant the power dressing.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05Naval strategy might have been left to the men,
0:22:05 > 0:22:10but Elizabeth was the living embodiment of England
0:22:10 > 0:22:13and God's representative on Earth.
0:22:13 > 0:22:14Tighter.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16Elizabeth, of course,
0:22:16 > 0:22:21was famous for her gowns, famous for the spectacle and splendour
0:22:21 > 0:22:23of the Elizabethan court. That was important, to demonstrate
0:22:23 > 0:22:29- England's strength and stability. - And the whole point was that
0:22:29 > 0:22:31the monarch had to look the most magnificent,
0:22:31 > 0:22:37so Elizabeth had the finest silks and the widest ruffs
0:22:37 > 0:22:39and she had the most embroidery.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43And she had the most bling.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46She had rubies and sapphires and diamonds and pearls -
0:22:46 > 0:22:49a lot of pearls - because they symbolise virginity.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52She is the Virgin Queen,
0:22:52 > 0:22:57almost the Virgin Mary, here for her people to worship on Earth.
0:22:58 > 0:23:03Elizabeth had spent a lifetime using her femininity for the strength
0:23:03 > 0:23:07of England, playing off foreign royal suitors,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10while remaining firmly independent,
0:23:10 > 0:23:14but she knew those days were over, as a woman
0:23:14 > 0:23:16and as a queen.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Who gave that to you?
0:23:22 > 0:23:24A friend, Your Majesty.
0:23:25 > 0:23:26A suitor?
0:23:28 > 0:23:32Don't ever keep me in the dark.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34You know I don't like secrets.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Go and fetch the brooch with the half moon.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45Elizabeth is undoubtedly jealous of her ladies.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49They are younger, they're more beautiful and desirable.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53She knows that she is no longer the queen bee at court,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56the soul focus of her male courtiers' attentions.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00They are being drawn elsewhere and Elizabeth hates it.
0:24:00 > 0:24:07Is it too much to ask that my ladies-in-waiting remain virgins?
0:24:07 > 0:24:09Green-eyed monster.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12This would have fed Elizabeth's anxiety, because women like
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Bess Throckmorton,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17who were younger, were attractive, were vivacious,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21were charismatic. This would have unsettled Elizabeth, somewhat.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24In this time of crisis,
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Elizabeth had to remain strong...
0:24:27 > 0:24:30We shall prevail.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35I expect only good news.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37..or, at the very least,
0:24:37 > 0:24:39appear so.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Well?
0:24:45 > 0:24:50You're a force to be reckoned with, Your Majesty.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Meanwhile, 150 miles to the south,
0:24:56 > 0:25:00the Spanish fleet was approaching the strategic port of Weymouth.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04With their faster ships, the English had caught up with them,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07believing that Weymouth was a target for invasion.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Now, they prepared for the second battle of the Armada.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18On Tuesday, August 2nd, both fleets found themselves here,
0:25:18 > 0:25:20off the tip of Portland Bill,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23a very prominent landmark on the south coast of England.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26It's a headland that stretches down from the coast of Dorset
0:25:26 > 0:25:29and behind it is the excellent harbour of Weymouth.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32The English were particularly keen to stop the Spanish Armada
0:25:32 > 0:25:34going into Weymouth and going ashore.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37One of the English commanders made a decision that has puzzled
0:25:37 > 0:25:41historians ever since. His name was Martin Frobisher
0:25:41 > 0:25:44and he led his six ships, a small flotilla,
0:25:44 > 0:25:48in here, right up next to Portland Bill itself.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51It was almost as if he was inviting the Spanish to come and attack him.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01- Clearly, they're setting a trap here.- Well, you say it's a trap,
0:26:01 > 0:26:03but to us, it looks like you're stuck in the lee
0:26:03 > 0:26:08of Portland Bill. Whatever happens, the Spanish unleash their galleasses
0:26:08 > 0:26:10which is a squadron of hybrid fighting craft,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12perfect for this type of inshore work
0:26:12 > 0:26:15and they head towards Frobisher's squadron.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22But it seems that Frobisher, one of Howard's most experienced
0:26:22 > 0:26:26commanders, did indeed have a plan.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Martin Frobisher knew these waters like nobody else
0:26:29 > 0:26:34and he knew that this is one of the most treacherous sections
0:26:34 > 0:26:36of coastline anywhere in the British Isles.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38And today, you can see why.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42We're just off something called the Portland Race,
0:26:42 > 0:26:46which he'd have known all about. We're in fairly calm water here,
0:26:46 > 0:26:50but just 50 metres off on our starboard side are these white caps,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53huge, standing waves. caused by the tidal flows.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57They race up and down the Channel. An absolute graveyard for ships.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01What it looks like Frobisher was doing was, he was in here,
0:27:01 > 0:27:05enticing the Spanish to attack. He knew they'd have to cross this Race,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08which could be devastating for them.
0:27:12 > 0:27:13The ruse worked.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17Four Spanish ships became trapped in the Race.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21What we see at this battle off Portland Bill
0:27:21 > 0:27:24is the English becoming increasingly confident. They knew these waters
0:27:24 > 0:27:26and the Spanish didn't.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28So, while, on the one hand, you have Frobisher,
0:27:28 > 0:27:32who is, in my opinion, luring the Spanish into the Portland Race,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35on the other wing, you've got Drake's squadron,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39attacking the seaborne wing of the Spanish.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41They're attacking on both sides.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49- Be sure that coin is fast! - Give fire!
0:27:54 > 0:27:57In the centre, Howard is charging straight for the middle
0:27:57 > 0:28:01of the Armada, going directly for the Spanish flagship.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04The English have re-armed themselves with all of the ammunition
0:28:04 > 0:28:06they've stolen from the Spanish Rosario.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10Talk about a self-inflicted wound. And the sheer amount of metal
0:28:10 > 0:28:13fired at the Spanish flagship, something like 12 tonnes
0:28:13 > 0:28:15of cast iron.
0:28:28 > 0:28:33Over the course of the afternoon, the English fired salvo upon salvo
0:28:33 > 0:28:35of cannonballs into the Armada.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40The Spanish, with their cumbersome land cannons,
0:28:40 > 0:28:44just couldn't compete with the intensity of the English onslaught.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51For the English, it had the desired effect, because after fire hours
0:28:51 > 0:28:52of ferocious and continuous combat,
0:28:52 > 0:28:54they had finally achieved their aim,
0:28:54 > 0:28:59to drive the Spanish past Weymouth and that allowed them to disengage.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06The Spanish watched the English speedily sailing back out to sea.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10One Spanish observer said it was as if "the Spanish were anchored,
0:29:10 > 0:29:12"while the English appeared to have wings to fly,
0:29:12 > 0:29:14"as and where they wished".
0:29:14 > 0:29:17Certainly, it looked like the English were combining
0:29:17 > 0:29:21their new technology and new tactics very effectively.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23By this stage, many of the Spanish commanders were rueing
0:29:23 > 0:29:26Medina Sidonia's decision not to bottle up and destroy
0:29:26 > 0:29:29the English fleet at Plymouth, just a few days before.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33But as evening fell,
0:29:33 > 0:29:39the Armada was still in its tight formation, virtually intact...
0:29:41 > 0:29:43..and heading ever closer to fulfilling
0:29:43 > 0:29:45King Philip's master plan...
0:29:47 > 0:29:50..to join forces with the Duke of Parma's huge army...
0:29:51 > 0:29:53..before conquering England.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02CHURCH BELLS TOLL
0:30:07 > 0:30:12It was now nearly a week since the Armada had entered English waters.
0:30:13 > 0:30:19And 700 miles away in Spain, deep in the bowels of his palace,
0:30:19 > 0:30:23Philip spent another day occupied with the administration of his empire...
0:30:25 > 0:30:28..and awaiting news of his great enterprise.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33He follows his usual regimen - praying and working.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36He does have the sense to know that even
0:30:36 > 0:30:38he cannot micromanage the Armada now.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42He sometimes hears rumours of success,
0:30:42 > 0:30:45he sometimes hears rumours of failure,
0:30:45 > 0:30:48and he's sensible enough to know, "We know nothing, so pray some more
0:30:48 > 0:30:52"and hope for good convincing certified news of the outcome."
0:30:56 > 0:30:58MATEO COUGHS
0:30:58 > 0:30:59Thank you, Mateo.
0:30:59 > 0:31:00Keep it coming.
0:31:02 > 0:31:03Take your leave.
0:31:08 > 0:31:13While Philip could only hope and pray, Elizabeth was receiving
0:31:13 > 0:31:17regular reports from Admiral Howard on the English fleet.
0:31:18 > 0:31:23The latest dispatches took only 12 hours to reach Richmond,
0:31:23 > 0:31:26delivered first to Elizabeth's two most trusted ministers -
0:31:26 > 0:31:32spy master Sir Francis Walsingham and her treasurer, Lord Burghley.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37Burghley was one of Elizabeth's long-serving advisers.
0:31:37 > 0:31:42He was sensible, he was pragmatic, he had an eye on finances,
0:31:42 > 0:31:45he would try and be cautious.
0:31:48 > 0:31:53That is in sharp contrast to Francis Walsingham...
0:31:53 > 0:31:55From Howard.
0:31:55 > 0:31:59..who is a charismatic, reckless, rather gung-ho figure.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03I mean, he's very much a hawk. He wants confrontation with Spain.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06He has been champing at the bit for years, really.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08Just past Weymouth.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11"Sir, I will not trouble you with any long letter - we are,
0:32:11 > 0:32:14"at present, otherwise occupied than writing."
0:32:14 > 0:32:17Well, that's good. He's kept his sense of humour.
0:32:17 > 0:32:18Do, please, get to the meat...
0:32:18 > 0:32:23"At nine of the clock we gave them fight, which continued until one.
0:32:23 > 0:32:27"In this fight we made some of them bear room to stop their leaks."
0:32:27 > 0:32:31Promising... Thank God they haven't landed.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35"Notwithstanding, we dare not adventure to put in among them...
0:32:36 > 0:32:38"..their fleet being so strong."
0:32:41 > 0:32:44The outlook does not improve, I fear.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48"Sir, for the love of God and our country, let us have,
0:32:48 > 0:32:55"with some speed, some great shot sent us of all bigness,
0:32:55 > 0:32:57"for this service will continue long...
0:33:00 > 0:33:03"And some powder with it."
0:33:08 > 0:33:12Despite the stocks taken from the Rosario, Howard's reports
0:33:12 > 0:33:15continued to plea for more gunpowder and cannonballs.
0:33:17 > 0:33:22But Elizabeth was famously mean... and broke.
0:33:22 > 0:33:26She and Burghley knew there simply wasn't the money available to
0:33:26 > 0:33:29properly defend the nation.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32And everyone was aware that the Armada was about to reach
0:33:32 > 0:33:34the most vulnerable spot of all...
0:33:35 > 0:33:36Gentlemen...
0:33:37 > 0:33:39The Isle of Wight.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49Today, the Isle of Wight is famous for its sailing.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53It shelters the Solent, a straight of water between the island
0:33:53 > 0:33:55and mainland England.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00Back in 1588, the English feared that the Spanish would
0:34:00 > 0:34:04capture the Isle of Wight and anchor the Armada in the Solent.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09They worried the island was a defensive weak spot.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18First of all, the Isle of Wight wouldn't be able to put up much resistance.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21Secondly, it was adjacent to one of the best harbours on
0:34:21 > 0:34:23the south coast of England, the Solent,
0:34:23 > 0:34:25just tucked in behind the Isle of Wight.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28And lastly, it was the perfect place from which to threaten
0:34:28 > 0:34:30the rest of the south of England.
0:34:30 > 0:34:34There was a very real sense that if the Isle of Wight fell,
0:34:34 > 0:34:35so too might the whole kingdom.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42Elizabeth had sent 3,000 men to defend the Isle of Wight,
0:34:42 > 0:34:45and basic earthworks had been dug to prevent invasion.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50But beyond that, its defences were poor.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56There were just four cannon on the Isle of Wight
0:34:56 > 0:34:58and enough ammunition to last one day.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01The defenders were given bows and arrows
0:35:01 > 0:35:04to deflect the might of the Spanish Armada.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08And much of the money that was sent here to boost the defence was
0:35:08 > 0:35:11actually spent on improving and enlarging the governor's castle.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17And it wasn't just the Isle of Wight -
0:35:17 > 0:35:19the whole of England was pitifully defended.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26Elizabeth had no standing army. It cost too much money.
0:35:26 > 0:35:32She has to rely on the rather dubious talents of her militia.
0:35:32 > 0:35:38Most of them are untrained. Most of them don't have any weapons.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43They make Dad's Army look like a finely honed fighting force.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48The commander of the Dorset militia believed that his men would
0:35:48 > 0:35:51sooner kill each other than kill the Spaniards.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57Facing them was the most formidable army in Europe - ferocious,
0:35:57 > 0:36:00battle-hardened troops, who had fought for years
0:36:00 > 0:36:02and years in Philip's campaign.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06There is no doubt whatsoever that had the Spanish army been
0:36:06 > 0:36:08able to land on the English coast, they would simply have
0:36:08 > 0:36:11overwhelmed Dad's Army and reached London in record time.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17Drake and Howard knew that the naval battle for
0:36:17 > 0:36:21the Isle of Wight would be a pivotal moment for the future of England.
0:36:23 > 0:36:28What little money Elizabeth had to spare, she'd sunk into her navy.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34If they failed, there was no second line of defence...
0:36:34 > 0:36:35no land army
0:36:35 > 0:36:38that could stand in the way of seasoned Spanish troops.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45On the third of August 1588, the Spanish Armada was approaching from there,
0:36:45 > 0:36:49from the west, and the defence of the Isle of Wight here, and of the whole
0:36:49 > 0:36:53of England was pretty much totally in the hands of the Royal Navy.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56Now, pressure was on Drake and Howard because, so far,
0:36:56 > 0:37:00though there'd been a huge amount of firing, their guns hadn't done
0:37:00 > 0:37:02that much damage to the Spanish fleet.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04That would have to change.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08So, when Drake saw a Spanish ship in difficulty just here off
0:37:08 > 0:37:11the Isle of Wight, he decided to close with it
0:37:11 > 0:37:13and get some target practice in.
0:37:16 > 0:37:17SHOUTS OF INSTRUCTION
0:37:17 > 0:37:20Drake knew that to cause real damage in battle,
0:37:20 > 0:37:22the English had to get closer...
0:37:22 > 0:37:24Ram it home!
0:37:24 > 0:37:27..but if they came too close, there was the danger of being
0:37:27 > 0:37:28grappled and boarded.
0:37:30 > 0:37:35Drake needed to discover a sweet spot - to be effective, but safe.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38Prepare to fire.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42Whoa!
0:37:42 > 0:37:44Good bang on the cliff, wasn't it?
0:37:44 > 0:37:46- That took a piece out of the cliff. - Yeah.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50Drake wanted to find out just how effective his cannon would be
0:37:50 > 0:37:51at different ranges.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55So this is from the period, is it?
0:37:55 > 0:38:00It's a replica of an Elizabethan English iron gun.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04And it fires about a four- pound ball,
0:38:04 > 0:38:08so it's not too difficult a gun to handle but it delivers
0:38:08 > 0:38:13a reasonably powerful hit at the target, if you hit the target.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16But of course, we've got a stable platform and a stable target.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19- Exactly. - Their ships were moving around.
0:38:19 > 0:38:20You've hit the nail on the head.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23Right, so the gun is loaded.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25Right, here we go!
0:38:26 > 0:38:29Firing from 200 metres, we're aiming at wood
0:38:29 > 0:38:32the same thickness as the hull of a Spanish ship.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36Four, three, two, one.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51Nowhere near. Well, I'm disappointed about that.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54I thought that one was a sure-fire hit.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56And I suppose that's what the English felt like in those
0:38:56 > 0:38:58first few scuffles with the Armada.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01They just weren't doing the damage that they wanted to.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05No, no, and with the ships moving it's a very difficult business.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08The answer is, of course - get close.
0:39:08 > 0:39:09Yes. Let's do it.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17Firing at the isolated Spanish ship,
0:39:17 > 0:39:20Drake moved in to within 100 metres -
0:39:20 > 0:39:24as close as he dared to go without risking being grappled and boarded.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28That's it, that's it. That's good.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35Now we've halved the distance to that Spanish ship over there.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38Now, if that doesn't hit, I'll be very surprised.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42Four, three, two, one.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58You'd think Tudor weapons are a bit primitive
0:39:58 > 0:40:00but there's nothing primitive about that.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03- It fired straight and true, didn't it?- Yes. Perfect aim.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07It makes a mess of the hull, doesn't it?
0:40:07 > 0:40:11Yes, below the water line that would be very, very difficult to repair.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15And this is just with a four-pounder.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18Drake was firing balls that were up to 15 times as big.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23It does show, if you want to hit, you've got to get close.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26- You've got to be able to see the whites of their eyes, haven't you? - Yeah.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28- Let's do it again.- Yeah.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36Drake had learnt a vital lesson...
0:40:39 > 0:40:43Just how close he needed to get to be really effective.
0:40:48 > 0:40:53The English had faster ships, with cannon that could fire more quickly.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57But if they wanted to have any chance of breaking the impregnable force
0:40:57 > 0:41:00of the Armada, they'd have to start taking some risks.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06With a third battle looming, both Howard and Drake knew that
0:41:06 > 0:41:11unless they started firing from closer range, they risked defeat.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19BIRDS CAW
0:41:19 > 0:41:21Evening...
0:41:21 > 0:41:25and the closer the Spanish were, the more afraid Elizabeth was becoming.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30Not only did she fear the Armada landing,
0:41:30 > 0:41:34but its very presence, visible from the cliffs of southern England,
0:41:34 > 0:41:38could be enough to incite a Catholic uprising from within.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44The Armada is not the only threat at this point.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47There's Catholics within England that are understood to be traitors,
0:41:47 > 0:41:50a potential fifth column, and there's been over the
0:41:50 > 0:41:54course of the reign, and particularly during the 1580s,
0:41:54 > 0:41:55various plots,
0:41:55 > 0:41:59various assassination attempts that have sought to kill Elizabeth.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02Please, eat...
0:42:02 > 0:42:04When it pleases me...
0:42:04 > 0:42:08Elizabeth would have felt incredibly precarious at this time.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10And she feels almost defenceless.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13She knows that at least half the country has remained
0:42:13 > 0:42:16faithful to the old Catholic religion.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19The threat was all too real.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24And it even spread to Elizabeth's inner circle...
0:42:24 > 0:42:27with a fear that bordered on paranoia.
0:42:28 > 0:42:33There's the constant threat of assassination, of being poisoned.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36All her ladies-in-waiting are having to taste her food before it
0:42:36 > 0:42:39gets to the royal plate.
0:42:39 > 0:42:43Let Bess try, she looks in need of a meal.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47Your Majesty, please, forgive me, but...
0:42:49 > 0:42:53Bess would have unsettled Elizabeth somewhat, because her cousin
0:42:53 > 0:42:58had been involved in a plot, five years before, to assassinate her.
0:42:59 > 0:43:04You would do England great service to protect me from assassins.
0:43:08 > 0:43:14Do. England. Great. Service.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26Chew it.
0:43:28 > 0:43:29More.
0:43:35 > 0:43:36Now swallow it.
0:43:38 > 0:43:39BESS SWALLOWS
0:43:45 > 0:43:46The food is unsullied.
0:43:48 > 0:43:55If you serve me, you serve God. And he will protect us both.
0:44:06 > 0:44:10Almost a whole week since entering the Channel, the Spanish ships still
0:44:10 > 0:44:13hadn't established communication with Parma and his army.
0:44:18 > 0:44:22And Medina Sidonia was becoming increasingly frustrated.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27So far, much to Recalde's irritation,
0:44:27 > 0:44:31he'd followed Philip's master plan to the letter.
0:44:31 > 0:44:33BOY CHANTS
0:44:33 > 0:44:37But now, as his fleet approached the Isle of Wight, Medina Sidonia
0:44:37 > 0:44:40was faced with a momentous decision.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44To continue to follow his king's orders and trust that word
0:44:44 > 0:44:46would come from Parma...
0:44:46 > 0:44:50or to follow the advice of Recalde and attack.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56Sam, the English have been harrying the Spanish for a week now,
0:44:56 > 0:44:58all the while assuming that they are going to try
0:44:58 > 0:45:02and take one of these deepwater ports along the south coast of England.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05Well, the reality is the Spanish are continuing
0:45:05 > 0:45:06with their plan, which is
0:45:06 > 0:45:10to link up, of course, link up hands with the Duke of Parma in the Spanish Netherlands.
0:45:10 > 0:45:14At this stage, Medina Sidonia decides to try something different.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17He actually goes away from his orders and he decides to
0:45:17 > 0:45:22anchor his fleet in the Solent, this anchorage behind the Isle of Wight.
0:45:23 > 0:45:27It was a major about-face for the Spanish commander.
0:45:28 > 0:45:33But Medina Sidonia felt forced to take matters into his own hands -
0:45:33 > 0:45:36to capture a safe anchorage from where he could wait for Parma.
0:45:37 > 0:45:41It was, though, a massive risk.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47I've been sailing in the waters around the Isle of Wight ever
0:45:47 > 0:45:52since I was a kid, and I still find them really challenging.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55The idea of being here on Medina Sidonia's big,
0:45:55 > 0:45:58cumbersome ships without engines, without GPS,
0:45:58 > 0:46:01without really proper charts, it's terrifying.
0:46:01 > 0:46:06The English, though, they knew this place like the back of their hand.
0:46:06 > 0:46:11And they were now going to use their local advantage to maximum effect.
0:46:13 > 0:46:14For the very first time,
0:46:14 > 0:46:19the English were right about the Spanish Armada's intentions.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23Both sides knew what the prize was,
0:46:23 > 0:46:26and its importance for the future of England, when, on the morning
0:46:26 > 0:46:31of the fourth of August, the battle for the Isle of Wight began.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37Armed with Drake's advice to sail closer,
0:46:37 > 0:46:41Howard began the attack, driving hard into the heart of the Armada.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48It was the first salvo in a desperate attempt to scupper
0:46:48 > 0:46:51Medina Sidonia's plan to seize an anchorage.
0:46:53 > 0:46:57The way the English combat this new Spanish threat, Sam,
0:46:57 > 0:47:00is that Frobisher repeats his Portland Bill trick by putting
0:47:00 > 0:47:04himself between the Spaniards and where they want to go,
0:47:04 > 0:47:08which, of course, is the Solent, in another difficult tidal seaway.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11Medina Sidonia knows this is the crucial moment of the campaign,
0:47:11 > 0:47:15so he sends in Recalde to try and fight Frobisher off.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18If he can drive Frobisher's squadron clear of the Solent,
0:47:18 > 0:47:20the Armada can still get in.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23Of course, the English don't just leave it at this one action.
0:47:23 > 0:47:27At the same time, they attack from another direction, as well.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30You've got Drake closing in, actually closing in a lot
0:47:30 > 0:47:32tighter than they have been at some of the previous battles,
0:47:32 > 0:47:35for the simple reason that things are now getting desperate.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38This could be the key moment of the actual Armada.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43The English attacked the Spanish Armada from all sides,
0:47:43 > 0:47:47putting enormous pressure on the defensive formation.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49They used what they'd learned from Drake about the
0:47:49 > 0:47:53optimum distance at which to fire their guns - close enough to do
0:47:53 > 0:47:56great damage to the Spanish hulls, but far enough away
0:47:56 > 0:48:00to ensure that they didn't get grappled and be forced to fight hand-to-hand.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04For the Spanish, it was like being at the centre of a storm.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09SHOUTING AND CHEERING
0:48:13 > 0:48:15CANNONS ROAR
0:48:19 > 0:48:22Let's give it to them, boy!
0:48:22 > 0:48:23Fire!
0:48:31 > 0:48:35Then, in the heat of battle, the Spanish faced another threat -
0:48:35 > 0:48:39the wind and tide started to push them into notoriously
0:48:39 > 0:48:40shallow waters...
0:48:40 > 0:48:43off the eastern end of the Isle of Wight.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49The waters around these shallows are so treacherous that I've had
0:48:49 > 0:48:52to transfer from the yacht, with its deeper keel, into this RIB,
0:48:52 > 0:48:55which can go into much shallower water.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00SHOUTING
0:49:05 > 0:49:06SCREAMING
0:49:14 > 0:49:18As you can see, in some tidal conditions it's easy for me
0:49:18 > 0:49:19to stand out here.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22And you can imagine Medina Sidonia's big,
0:49:22 > 0:49:26deep-hulled battleships getting up to sandbanks like this.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29They'd be wrecked. It would be a catastrophe.
0:49:29 > 0:49:30He had no choice but to pull out.
0:49:33 > 0:49:38CANNON FIRES THREE TIMES
0:49:40 > 0:49:43Medina Sidonia fired his cannon three times, which was
0:49:43 > 0:49:46the distinctive signal to disengage.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48And so the Spanish ships turned away,
0:49:48 > 0:49:52and they started heading off back into the Channel.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55The English knew, of course, that this was the crucial moment.
0:49:55 > 0:49:58There were cheers on the island, church bells were rung -
0:49:58 > 0:50:00the Isle of Wight had been saved.
0:50:05 > 0:50:08England's maverick pirate was delivering.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11Are we happy?
0:50:11 > 0:50:12CHEERING
0:50:12 > 0:50:15First, ammunition and intelligence from the Rosario...
0:50:15 > 0:50:17Take the dark cargo, too.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20..and then a bold tactic to fire at closer range.
0:50:22 > 0:50:23Are you loving this, boys?
0:50:24 > 0:50:28For his Spanish counterpart, the experienced Recalde,
0:50:28 > 0:50:29things were looking grim.
0:50:31 > 0:50:33The Spanish had lost their last chance to win a safe haven
0:50:33 > 0:50:37on the English coast... and Medina Sidonia's decision to
0:50:37 > 0:50:40pull out of the battle left him incensed.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44We were gaining the wind. Closing for the kill!
0:50:44 > 0:50:46It is for the best.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49We will sail forth and fulfil the King's plan.
0:50:49 > 0:50:51If only it were that simple.
0:50:53 > 0:50:57Of all Professor Geoffrey Parker's remarkable discoveries,
0:50:57 > 0:51:01one of the most precious is a cache of Recalde's letters
0:51:01 > 0:51:06and journals, found hidden away in an archive in Madrid.
0:51:08 > 0:51:12One journal entry about Medina Sidonia is brutally candid.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17He's very explicit. Let me read you what he has to say.
0:51:18 > 0:51:22"We should not have desisted, as our flagship did, until we'd
0:51:22 > 0:51:26"either made them run aground or else followed them into a port."
0:51:26 > 0:51:28This is war, sir.
0:51:28 > 0:51:29Orders...
0:51:29 > 0:51:31RECALDE SIGHS
0:51:31 > 0:51:33It was unwise not to weigh anchor...
0:51:33 > 0:51:38"Nor was it wise to sail with our fleet beyond the Solent,
0:51:38 > 0:51:40"until we'd heard from the Prince of Parma,
0:51:40 > 0:51:43"because that was the best anchorage in the whole Channel."
0:51:43 > 0:51:46The King's orders are the King's orders.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49I have done my best for the King and for God.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54- I can sleep well in my bed. - You are here to lead.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57I am here to hand you a victory.
0:52:01 > 0:52:05'There's two criticisms, here, of the Duke of Medina Sidonia.
0:52:05 > 0:52:09'The first is - we should have fought on when we had a chance,
0:52:09 > 0:52:12'and we should never have left the Solent.'
0:52:13 > 0:52:16So, Medina Sidonia disregards this advice,
0:52:16 > 0:52:18what is going to happen next?
0:52:19 > 0:52:22The Armada's now got a bit of problem, it looks to me, Sam.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25Because if it continues with its original plan to go to
0:52:25 > 0:52:28Margate in Kent, over here, they'd, of course, be sitting ducks
0:52:28 > 0:52:31for the English navy, which is still intact.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34So the only other option is the Armada goes across to Dunkirk to
0:52:34 > 0:52:38join hands, but Dunkirk's harbour is not big enough.
0:52:38 > 0:52:42The sea around Dunkirk's not capable of taking this huge fleet,
0:52:42 > 0:52:44so what do you do next?
0:52:44 > 0:52:47Well, we've certainly got problems but we still have options.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50One of the key things to bear in mind after
0:52:50 > 0:52:53the Battle of the Solent is that the Armada is also still intact.
0:52:53 > 0:52:55They're also in really good formation
0:52:55 > 0:52:59and effectively the English haven't really done anything to them at all.
0:52:59 > 0:53:02And what we can do now is we can head across the narrow sea
0:53:02 > 0:53:03and go to Calais.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06Now, Calais is only 21 miles from Parma.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09It's still some distance, but it's close enough.
0:53:10 > 0:53:14The battle for the Isle of Wight had been a huge turning point.
0:53:15 > 0:53:20Medina Sidonia's attempt to secure a safe anchorage had failed.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23So he issued a new order...
0:53:23 > 0:53:27change direction and sail for Calais.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35HORSE NEIGHS
0:53:37 > 0:53:40The Spanish were in difficulty.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43But news that the Armada was heading towards Calais seemed,
0:53:43 > 0:53:46to Elizabeth, to be devastating.
0:53:47 > 0:53:51Elizabeth was very conscious of the fact that if the Armada reached the
0:53:51 > 0:53:53forces of the Duke of Parma in the Netherlands,
0:53:53 > 0:53:56then her reign was over.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59A Spanish invasion was inevitable.
0:54:00 > 0:54:06She had to do whatever she could to stop the Armada reaching Parma.
0:54:06 > 0:54:10Elizabeth must have felt like a gambler who is seeing that the
0:54:10 > 0:54:13game of dice is running against them.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16She can do very little to influence events.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21So far, Elizabeth had allowed her naval commanders to conduct
0:54:21 > 0:54:23the war as they saw fit.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27Show me what you're working on, Bess.
0:54:28 > 0:54:32It is...a dolphin, Your Majesty.
0:54:32 > 0:54:37It will bring our great cause the blessing of the seas.
0:54:39 > 0:54:44But on Friday the fifth of August, Elizabeth could stand by no longer.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49Instead of leaving military decisions entirely to Howard,
0:54:49 > 0:54:52she decided to intervene for the first time.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57There was an instruction, and here's a copy of it.
0:54:57 > 0:55:01An instruction to send musketeers into the English fleet,
0:55:01 > 0:55:03to reinforce it.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07And this demonstrates her lack of understanding of military affairs.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09Because what Howard and Drake
0:55:09 > 0:55:13and the other commanders wanted was gunpowder and ammunition.
0:55:13 > 0:55:15Not musketeers with their popguns.
0:55:15 > 0:55:19That's not the way to land a killer blow on the Armada.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25Elizabeth didn't understand naval warfare.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30Her order was a sign of simple desperation.
0:55:31 > 0:55:35The decree from Elizabeth must have hit Howard like a kick in the guts.
0:55:35 > 0:55:36He didn't need more musketeers.
0:55:36 > 0:55:40He needed powder and shot for his big guns, as he'd been writing
0:55:40 > 0:55:41to London nearly every day.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43Now, particularly after the battle at the Isle of Wight,
0:55:43 > 0:55:46he was running dangerously low.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48But Elizabeth was still too mean
0:55:48 > 0:55:51and too broke to give the Navy what it needed.
0:56:02 > 0:56:06After two days of sailing across the Channel from the Isle of Wight,
0:56:06 > 0:56:10the 123 ships of the Armada anchored off Calais in France.
0:56:15 > 0:56:19The English fleet had tracked behind, watching every move,
0:56:19 > 0:56:22and was now gathering in the seas to the west.
0:56:26 > 0:56:29Despite the English fleet hovering out there, Medina Sidonia
0:56:29 > 0:56:33must have been relieved to be here in friendlier waters.
0:56:33 > 0:56:36Calais was a solidly Catholic town.
0:56:36 > 0:56:39The governor even sent a message of welcome to the Spanish
0:56:39 > 0:56:43and offered to sell them much-needed supplies of food and water.
0:56:43 > 0:56:49Above all, the vast army of the Duke of Parma was just 21 miles
0:56:49 > 0:56:52that way, just up the coast, almost within touching distance.
0:56:55 > 0:56:58Just like their queen, Drake and Howard thought that the
0:56:58 > 0:57:03Spanish Armada was at last about to "join hands" with Parma's vast army.
0:57:04 > 0:57:08And if that happened, it would all be over for the defence of England.
0:57:11 > 0:57:15They've been revictualling - bloody French.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18It's time for the fox to enter the henhouse...
0:57:18 > 0:57:21No more plucking of feathers.
0:57:21 > 0:57:24Howard and their men had done everything they could to drive
0:57:24 > 0:57:26the Spanish fleet up the Channel,
0:57:26 > 0:57:28but now they knew they had to act fast.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31There could be no more sitting off from a safe distance
0:57:31 > 0:57:33and harrying the Spanish ships.
0:57:33 > 0:57:35Instead, they knew they had to press home those attacks
0:57:35 > 0:57:38and destroy the Spanish Armada.
0:57:38 > 0:57:42The fate of England and Elizabeth was about to be decided once
0:57:42 > 0:57:43and for all.
0:57:51 > 0:57:53Next time...
0:57:53 > 0:57:57England sends in the fire ships...
0:57:57 > 0:57:59HE CURSES IN SPANISH
0:57:59 > 0:58:01The final battle...
0:58:01 > 0:58:03Keep perfect line.
0:58:07 > 0:58:09And Elizabeth is transformed...
0:58:10 > 0:58:11..into Gloriana.