The Voyage of the Armada: The Spanish Story (Windrush Press Book) (Paperback)

~ David J. Howarth (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

'Mr Howarth is a brilliant writer, full of grace and wit and solid common sense' - The New Yorker A reprint of a marvellous retelling of the Armada story. Until this book was published, the Battle of the Armada had been told primarily from the English viewpoint, the English victory puffed up into a national heroic tale which was far from the truth. There is another side to this story, however, and, basing his narrative on previously unexplored Spanish sources, David Howarth, brilliantly redressed the balance.

From the Back Cover

In May of 1588, on the order of Spain's King Philip, 30,000 soldiers and sailors armed with arquebus and musket set out to sea. A larger fleet had never before been assembled. In the Voyage of the Armada, David Howarth brilliantly conveys the drama of the Spanish Armada's progress and brings to life the personalities of the men who influenced its course, from the dogmatic and irrational Philip II to Don Juan Martinez de Recalde to Don Pedro and Don Diego de Valdes, who were cousins but also bitter enemies, to the Spanish soldiers and sailors who unquestioningly ventured into unknown seas to confront their fates. Basing his narrative on previously unexplored Spanish sources, David Howarth shows that there is always another side to every conflict. The Voyage of the Armada recounts the adventures of these brave men as they go from battles to storms to wrecks and then finally - for the lucky ones - return home. (5 1/2 x 8 1/4, 256 pages, map)
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Cassell military (October 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030436164X
• ISBN-13: 978-0304361649
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,484,737 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An exciting story and a good study in management styles., February 26, 2001

By	Norman Martin "nhmartin" (Charlestown, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Voyage of the Armada: The Spanish Story (Hardcover)

The story of the Spanish Armada, as told by David Howarth, is built from his research of original Spanish archives. Apparently, he may have been the first to do so. Other historians had relied on English sources. That principal fact makes the story more compelling than other histories of the event.

Secondarily, Howarth reports on innovations and errors. For example, the Spanish invented the "convoy" and convoy tactics. This prompted the English to invent the "wolfpack." Maritime historains will be interested in the accidental development of these strategies.

Business management students will get to study the consequences of central planning and micromanagement by the Spanish King. Howarth does a good job contrasting the Spanish model with the decentralized style of the English.

A good read on several levels.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exciting Story of the "Enterprise against England", December 1, 2001

By	Aussie Reader ""Rick"" (Canberra, Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Voyage of the Armada: The Spanish Story (Paperback)

This wonderfully descriptive book by the English author, David Howarth, is well worth reading if you have a desire to learn about the Spanish Armada and the "Enterprise against England". Although this book, `The Voyage of the Armada' (1981) is not as detailed as `The Armada' (1959) by Garrett Mattingly, its still a great story and well worth the time to read.

By all accounts this story of the enterprise is told as it was seen through the eyes and experiences of the Spanish soldiers and sailors and is very well done in that regard. Using first hand accounts found in numerous Spanish letters and reports, many previously not utilised before, the story comes alive and gives you a real feeling and understanding of the participants, many who did not survive to tell their tale.

One aspect of the book that I found pleasing was that the author took the story past the battle with the English fleet. David Howarth provides the reader with an account of what happened to the ships and men who actually survived the "dash" up the Channel. Those who were shipwrecked along the Irish coast were subjected to even more terror than they had experienced so far and very few survived.

The real hero of this story is Medina Sidonia, the commander of the Spanish ships, and I found myself wondering could anyone have done any better under similar circumstances? This is a great story with an exciting narrative and although it only runs to 250 pages (hardback edition) I found I came away with a better understanding of what happened and why. This book would be a great companion volume to `The Armada' by Garrett Mattingly but can stand alone as a decent and well presented account of the "Armada".

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Too Much Attempted -- Too Much Lost, July 6, 2000

By	George R Dekle "Bob Dekle" (Lake City, FL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Voyage of the Armada: The Spanish Story (Hardcover)

Don Juan, the hero of the Battle of Lepanto, conceived an idea for the invasion of England and got King Phillip's approval. He drew up plans for the invasion and then died. Phillip appointed the Duke of Medina Sidonia to lead the invasion, and thus set the stage for one of the greatest naval disasters of all time.

Some might argue that the venture would have turned out differently had the more capable Don Juan been in charge of the expedition, but Don Juan won his victory with galleys on an inland sea, whereas Medina Sidonia met defeat in galleons on the high seas. Howarth gives a catalog of problems, minor disasters, and inadequacies which Chester Nimitz might not have been able to overcome.

The Spaniards had inferior Naval Doctrine, inferior ships, inferior cannon, inferior ammunition, and they were taking the battle to the English. Add to this some abominable luck, and they faced an almost insurmountable challenge. The English were inferior only in numbers, and they were fighting for their very existence.

Howarth gives a compelling account of the disaster from the germ of Don Juan's idea to the final landing of the defeated survivors. He critiques the Spanish effort fairly and insightfully. Anyone interested in the history of the Invincible Armada would find this book helpful.