No seafarer in the world of the late sixteenth century had seen or heard of an invasion fleet so vast as the great armada which Philip of Spain sent against Elizabeth of England. Yet, the Spanish Armada's failure resulted in the collapse of Spain's sea power and the emergence of England as the world's strongest maritime nation, a position England held for the next three and a half centuries.

Walter Buehr gives a clear and exciting account of why King Philip assembled the huge but ill-fated armada of 130 ships crammed with over 30,000 men, including cavalrymen and their horses. Here is the fascinating description of naval gunnery of 1588; the intrigue of men who shaped the history of the old world and the colonization of the new world - men such as Francis Drake, John Hawkins, Lord Howard of Effingham, and the privateers who changed the Spanish Main to a galleons' graveyard.

Illustrated profusely by the author, The Spanish Armada includes authentic representations of the galleons and the carracks, the galleys rowed by 3,000 slaves, and the fleet of store ships. Walter Buehr brings to this exciting narrative the same authenticity and detailed accuracy that characterized The French Explorers in America, The Crusaders, The World of Marco Polo, and his other informative books.

From the dust jacket