The Islands Voyage, also known as the Essex-Raleigh Expedition, was an ambitious, but unsuccessful naval campaign sent by Queen

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...

, and supported by the United Provinces, against

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

during the Anglo–Spanish War (1585–1604) and the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...

.Edwards p. 233

Campaign

The campaign took place between June and late August 1597, and the objectives were to destroy the Spanish fleet of the Adelantado of Castile, Martín de Padilla y Manrique, Count of Santa Gadea, at the port of Ferrol, occupy and destroy the Spanish possessions in the

Azores Islands ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

, and intercept the

Spanish treasure fleet The Spanish treasure fleet, or West Indies Fleet ( es, Flota de Indias, also called silver fleet or plate fleet; from the es, label=Spanish, plata meaning "silver"), was a convoy system of sea routes organized by the Spanish Empire from 1566 to ...

coming from

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

as it passed through the Azores. The result of the campaign was a great failure for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It was led by Sir

Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, KG, PC (; 10 November 1565 – 25 February 1601) was an English nobleman and a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, and a committed general, he was placed under house arrest following ...

, as Admiral and General-in-chief, Sir Thomas Howard, Earl of Suffolk, as Vice-Admiral, and Sir

Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellion ...

as Rear-Admiral. The Dutch squadron was commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Duivenvoorde. Other notable participants were Sir Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton (who commanded the

galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used as armed cargo carriers by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal vessels drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch War ...

Garland A garland is a decorative braid, knot or wreath of flowers, leaves, or other material. Garlands can be worn on the head or around the neck, hung on an inanimate object, or laid in a place of cultural or religious importance. Etymology From the ...

''), the Baron Jacob Astley of Reading, Sir

Edward Michelborne Sir Edward Michelborne (c. 1562 − 1609), sometimes written Michelbourn, was an English soldier, adventurer and explorer. After a military career in the 1590s he tried to be appointed 'principal commander' for the first voyage of the East India ...

aboard the ''Moon'', Sir

Robert Mansell Sir Robert Mansell (1573–1656) was an admiral of the English Royal Navy and a Member of Parliament (MP), mostly for Welsh constituencies. His name was sometimes given as Sir Robert Mansfield and Sir Robert Maunsell. Early life Mansel was a W ...

, Roger Manners 5th Earl of Rutland, and the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

poet

John Donne John Donne ( ; 22 January 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a clergy, cleric in the Church of England. Under royal patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's ...

. The Anglo-Dutch fleet returned to England with great losses and a war of recriminations between Essex and Raleigh. The Spanish fleets were led by Martín de Padilla,

Alonso de Bazán Alonso de Bazán, son of Admiral Álvaro de Bazán the Elder, Marquis del Viso, and brother of the better known Admiral Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz, was a Spanish naval commander during the Anglo–Spanish War (1585–1604) and t ...

, Diego Brochero and

Pedro de Zubiaur Pedro de Zubiaur, Zubiaurre or Çubiaurre (1540 – 3 August 1605) was a Spanish naval officer, general of the Spanish Navy, distinguished for his achievements in the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604). Biography Born into a seafaring family fro ...

. The treasure fleet was commanded by Admiral Juan Gutiérrez de Garibay. The expedition was the last major naval campaign of

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

's failure to capture the treasure fleet, and his failure to occupy the Azores Islands, contributed to his decline in the queen's favour.Rowse. ''The Expansion of Elizabethan England 1597''

Notes

References

* Edwards, Edward. ''The Life of Sir Walter Ralegh: Life''. Vol. I. MacMillan & Co. London. 1868. * Hanes, Laura. ''The Career of the Earl of Essex from the Islands Voyage in 1597 to His Execution in 1610''. University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia. 1923. * Heywood, Thomas. ''The Fair Maid of the West: Parts I and II''. University of Nebraska Press. 1967. * Jowitt, Claire. ''The Culture of Piracy, 1580-1630: Literature and Seaborne Crime''. Ashgate. * Rowse, A.L.. ''The Expansion of Elizabethan England''. First published in 1955. * Thomas M McCoog, S.J. ''The Society of Jesus in Ireland, S cotland, and England, 1589-1597.'' Printed in Great Britain by the MPG Books Group. * Wagner, John A. ''Encyclopedia of Tudor England.'' Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data. * Whittemore, Hank. ''The Monument: By Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford''. London. 1609. {{ISBN, 0-9665564-5-3

External links

Hanes, Laura. ''The Career of the Earl of Essex from the Islands Voyage in 1597 to His Execution in 1610''. University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia. 1923.
Conflicts in 1597 Naval battles of the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) Naval battles of the Eighty Years' War Naval battles involving Spain Naval battles involving England Naval battles involving the Dutch Republic 1597 in the British Empire Eighty Years' War (1566–1609) 16th-century military history of Spain

Campaign

See also

Notes

References

External links