1589 – The English Armada and the Fortunes of Don Antonio

Everything was set to deliver a body blow to Spain after the defeat of ‘The Invincible Armada’ in 1588. With aid anticipated from Turkey, Morocco and Holland, and the French looking on with interest, the English Armada, with Sir Francis Drake as its admiral and Sir John Norris as commander-in-chief of the land forces, on Queen Elizabeth’s instructions, was to assist the people of Portugal to rebel against their Spanish overlords, and to place on the throne Don Antonio, Prior of Crato, as King Antony the First of Portugal.That was the plan, and on the 28th of April 1589 the fleet set sail.A note about the cover illustrations:The background shows 16th century Lisbon with the River Tagus in the foreground, the portraits are of the main participants, Queen Elizabeth I of England, King Philip II of Spain, Sir John Norris, Sir Francis Drake, and in the centre, Don Antonio, Prior of Crato.

Alastair Robertson has been keenly interested in local history for many years, and has written many articles and several books in that vein.

Parallel to this has been an interest in world history, in particular Spain and the island of Tenerife, about the history of which he has written over 100 articles that have been translated into Spanish for publication on the island. This is his first book concerning national and international history.