WI the Invincible Armada is never sent to England?

Just a thought that I was trying to guess. Let's say the Spanish were busy in somewhere else, or Phillip II had some problem, and could not send a fleet against Elizabeth. Without an Invincible Armada, what would happen in England?
 
I do not doubt that would have changed something;
in particular, Spain would have acted more, and England not as self-confidently as in OTL.

From the military point of view, the battle did not change much.
The psychological point is more important and may have an impact on borders in the colonies.
 

Thande

Donor
Less of the Gloriana image, less of an early glory for the RN...without that, they're basically just pirates.

Which may have an effect later on when Cromwell etc. wanted to rebuild the neglected RN by harking back to Elizabethan days of glory.
 
Depending on POD MQS might keep her head which, if she survives Elizabeth, would make succession interesting.
 
The spanish fleet would not have adopted much of the modifications of the English fleet, they would not have improved the system of Convoys to protect the Indias Fleets...
 
Bad news for the Dutch. The Duke of Parma hated the very concept of the Spanish Armada for three reasons:

1) Somehow in all the planning and discussion the fact that he lacked the craft to transport his army to England and the Armada would be sailing without such craft as well never actually came up as a concern.

2) The fact that the Armada's major ships couldn't get close enough to shore to escort his army, if sufficient troop transports somehow materialized, while Dutch warships which drew less water COULD get to his army for a distance of 1-1.5 miles, was also discounted.

3) In early 1587 the Duke of Parma's army in the Netherlands was at its peak, having taken key towns and at the greatest strength it had ever been in terms of manpower, supplies and coin. Then he was told to sit and wait for the Armada(which was delayed another year courtesy of Francis Drake), during which time he exhausted his supplies while Spain diverted promised support and his army crumbled from 30,000 men to 17,000 men due to lack of pay. Meanwhile the Dutch had more than a year to build new fortifications, strengthen old ones, lay in supplies...

If Spain isn't wasting time and vast resources on the Armada then Parma is advancing on Holland's core territories.
 
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