The Real Invincible Armada

The POD falls during the days before the battle between the Spanish Invincible Armada and the English fleet in The Channel.

The conquest of England
Mary Stuart’s death ripened anti-English designs of Spain, which complained of Elizabeth I’s interferences in Holland and France, and its patience was often put to a severe test by privateer incursions on American and European costs. Then the Invincible Armada, an enormous fleet, which had 220 ships, on which 50.000 soldiers were embarked, was sent by Philip II against England. Each boat transported many soldiers and 20 cannons, and all the ships took by surprise the English fleet, coming to England over Cornwall, helped by a big storm, which, before the battle, seriously damaged English ships. After they sank and defeated the English fleet, the army landed near Bristol, and the English army confronted uselessly the Spanish men, because, helped by their ships in the sea, bombarded and occupied Clevedon, using its port as an operative centre. After some days arrived the second part of the Armada, built quickly using the last loans of European bankers, with 30.000 men. Quickly the army, after it stocked up in the occupied city, marched in direction of Bristol, and, after they occupied the city, they marched towards Oxford. After they occupied and destroyed much of Oxford countryside, the army went along the Thames and reached London two weeks after its landing. Elisabeth I left the city to escape in a secret place in the north, while English army defended the capital. Then Philip II decided that the conquest of England would have been a greatest success than the pacification of Holland, so he resolved in moving the Spanish army from Holland to England. So he gave the Holland provinces full independence from Spain and completely freedom of religion. He signed the Rotterdam treaty three weeks after Armada landing; the treaty gave Holland people what they have always wished, but it compelled them to carry the entire Spanish army, which fought in the Holland provinces, on the British Isle; Dutch people accepted this condition, because they were happy to carry away the bulky and violent Spanish army from their land, and Philip II could move an entire army on England without new costs. A few days later, the newborn Holland fleet left on Dover coast a 34.000 men army, with Philip II himself as comandant. The Spanish army, helped by new fresh troups, conquered London, and Philip II entered trionfally the city, welcomed by his troups and occupied Buckingham Palace, while other troups sacked and destroyed the city port. A week later, 70.000 men left London towards the North, quickly occupied the big northern cities, as Cambridge and Nottingham, but suffering the English people resistance. 15.000 men went across Cornwall and they mostly devastated it, most of all destroying the Plymouth port. Elisabeth I tried to organize a defence in Liverpool, which was besieged by 50.000 soldiers. The fights lasted more than a week and the queen took part in them, but she was captured while she was trying to escape in Liverpool countryside, and was killed. The kingdom was first ruled by the direct authority of Philippe for 3 years, then a relative of Philip I, was crowned as Albert I of England. The remaining troups, about 95.000 soldiers, were carried by the Dutches into the Spanish territories between France and the Empire, according to a new treaty with Spain, which protected their sea trades.

England under new pro-Spanish governement
England after the Spanish invasion was a country which had suffered too much. The cities, which had not surrendered, were sacked and mostly devastated, the fields were destroyed and the entire fleet were sunk. Most population escaped from England before the Spanish troups reached the North and went to France, Scandinavian countries and mostly in American colonies, which became the new centre of the English state. In England, people began to rebuild their coutry and their lives, but, during the three years of direct control by Philip II, they suffered a very high fiscal pressure. When Albert I was crowned, following his relative's orders, cut all links of England with Europe and did not built a new militar fleet. But Albert began the reconstruction of the country, based on agriculture and wool production. He promoted the development of a self-sufficient economy, and rebuilt London, calling the English population to live in the new capital. He reduced the fiscal pressure, even if the costs of the reconstruction were still high. Albert was politically strictly close to Philip II, and isolated England from Europe, accepted the existence of the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of Ireland. But he did not economically support the Empire or France and isolated English resources for the reconstruction.

New conflict with France
After the army came back from England to the Empire, Philip II, whose life was coming to end, had to front France, which felt minaced on all borders and was arming again its army. So it began a cold war between the two European powers. Spanish troups continuosly moved from a territory to another, and French arming worried the Spanish. Until 1600 there was no real operation by both fronts. In 1600 autumn French and Spanish army came to fought near Verdun. The battle had neither winners nor losers. A few months later French army attacked the Spanish Nederland, hoping in the support of the population, but people, feared by the great Spanish army, did not fight. So French army was pushed away to the border, and even Spain occupied the port of Calais. The loss of the strategic point on the Channel hit French and they resolved to attack directly Spain. Some weeks later, the most army attacked the Spanish border on Catalan coast. The army quickly marched, reaching the midway between the border and Barcelona, while the Spanish troups tried to face it. In the meanwhile Philip II died in Barcelona, and his son Philip III was crowned. He arruolated more and more people and sent them against the French. The foreign army was pushed back to the Pyrenees. Since the most French army had moved to south to attack Spain, Philip III ordered to his army to advance in northern France, but soldiers did not manage in reaching Paris. The two kings signed an 8 year long truce, to reorganize both countries, while Spanish troups left northern French territories, except for Calais.

The birth of a new nation - America
After Spanish invasion of England, most English population left the Isle and went abroad in Europe and mostly in the New Continent. English pioneers had already founded a colony in Virginia. So most people come to this colony and surrounding territories, landing in many points of North American coast. The most populated community landed at Chesapeake Bay, where it was founded a new city, New London. Other communities landed at New Jersey Peninsula, at Long Island Strait Bay, and at Massachusetts Bay, where they founded cities as New Liverpool, New Cambridge, and New York. All communities early got organized and dediced to meet together in New London, to create a new English nation. James David, captain of the flagship which first landed in New London Bay, stood out between the Costituent Assembly, so that he was crowned as King James I, ruler of the newborn Kingdom of America. James, even if he was a royalist, adopted a democratic government way. He completely revised the English Magna Charta, and adopted a new Charta Iuris, which was approved by the Constituent Assembly. The assembly soon became the new Parliament of the kingdom. James I took care of the economic development of the cities, mostly of New London, the new elected capital city of the kingdom, in which the new Royal Palace and House of Parliament were built. They signed treaties with Indian tribes, which got integrated in the new state, and the tribes who did not accept treaties were pushed away by the new American army. James I realized that only with the world trade the new state would expand, economically and fisically, and resolved in declaring all the biggest American ports almost free, with almost no tax, and, even if he was protestant, he granted the total freedom of religion for all citizens of the entire country. Some protests rose, but the invasion had made most people forget the antagonism between religions. The birth of the Kingdom of America had seriously worried Philip III, but, he had to front the cold war with France and did not take care of the American question. In 1596 population had increased with an 80% rate, ports were palmy thanks to the trade with France, Portugal, the new English Kingdom and northern European states. Americans refused to trade with Spanish and Dutch, which were thought as traitors of freedom and patners of Spain in English defeat. Contention between Americans and Dutchs never became an open conflict, except an unique incident in 1594, when in the sea near Bermudas Islands an American galleon attacked and destroyed a Dutch ship. In 1596 summer King James I decided to give his people new exploitable lands and went with his troups towards the territories south of Virginia and conquered them until Cape Fear. This area was soon colonized and cultivated with cotton, and named Carolina. Native indian populations were overkilled or compelled to move somewhere else. In the North the economy was based on the exploit of forests. During the contention between France and Spain, Americans fully supported France, and help the French country with raw materials and first matters. When Philip III signed the truce with France, immediately watched Kingdom of America as a potential dangerous enemy, and ordered his troups in the American Spanish colonies to march toward Spanish Florida. In 1602 spring a 30.000 soldier army marched towards the southern border of Kingdom of America. American army was not unprepared and some troups attacked the Spanish army on Savannah river. The Spanish army defeated Americans, but they lost many killed soldiers, because the American soldiers already knew the battle zone. So the remaining 20.000 Spanish soldiers marched towards the north, but King James I, personally leading the American army, attracted the Spanish army in the wetlands in southern Carolina, where Spanish soldiers lost their way and were killed by 10.000 American soldiers. Philip III resolved in sending a ship expedition against American ports. In 1603 summer, 50 navi went towards New Liverpool, in Long Island Bay. They suddendly attacked the port, which suffered serious damages, but the nimble American ships, attacked the Spanish fleet, beginning the naval battle of New Liverpool. Most of 50 Spanish ships were sunk and the survived ships came back to Southern America. American lost 45 ships, New Liverpool Port was almost destroyed, but they kept their freedom. Philip III signed a truce, because he had to rebuild the Spanish army in the colonies, decimated in the battles. The Kingdom of America had just presented itself to the world as an independent and strong nation.