WI: the invincible armada lands

SATOR

Banned
I tried it allready with an DBWI, but the thread devolved, so i'll try again.
What do you think would happen? Would Britannia still rule the waves? Would a success in that campaign avert the italian city states crisis (the lent a lot of money to spain, it certainly wasn't pleasant to them when spain "defaulted")? Would this become a Catholicismwank/ Protestantscrew? What about the emergence of the scientific method? Most illuminist intellectuals where educated by Jesuits after all: would a Church still confident on it's position be more open to them and embrace the philosophical change? Beacouse i can see many 18th century intellectuals coming to be regarded as neo-patristics...
 
The Spanish had about 55,000 troops mustered in the Spanish Netherlands for an invasion of England, and the English had about 4,000 troops mustered in Tilbury to oppose them. If Spain could clear the channel and land their intended invasion force, I don't see any way England could prevent them from seizing London and the surrounding area.

From their, there's several different ways things could go. If Spain decided to offer generous terms, perhaps an indemnity and a promise of English neutrality in the Dutch Revolt, England would almost certainly accept. If Spain instead pressed to depose Elizabeth, install Infanta Isabella on the English throne, and reimpose Catholicism, the rest of England is likely to continue to resist (possibly with support from Scotland (also Protestant, and with a dynastic claim on the English throne if Elizabeth were killed or forced to abdicate) and/or France (Catholic, but a long-time strategic rival of the Hapsburgs)), and unless the Spanish were able to very quickly secure a complete military and diplomatic victory, funds and armies would be needed to fight in the Netherlands, or against France, or against the Ottomans.
 

SATOR

Banned
Knowing Phillip II, i don't know how probable "generous terms" are.
Could england mount a credible resistance to Spain actually landing? What about Drake?
 
I don't see the English amateur armed rabble of trained bands etc. standing up to the efficient and experienced Spanish Tercio.

In a vague shadow of the USM I suppose that, if the English naval forces could keep the invading Spanish isolated from resupply, they might be in some trouble but even then the needs of a period army could be met by taking what was needed from the English.
 
Numbers were not on the Spanish side, ultimately. If they made a bridgehead in Kent, the English would have sent more and more militia in. The Spanish may have been able to live off the land for a while, but they would have run out of powder and shot pretty quickly.

They probably would have made made a mad dash to London and fight a hard series of battles to get there, and any one loss would have ended things for them.

Philip wrote to the Duke of Parma and told him the minimum terms if things stalemated:
1. English Catholics must be granted freedom of worship
2. English garrisons must turn over their holdings in the Netherlands to the Spanish.
3. An 'exceedingly great sum' must be paid to Philip for all the trouble the English caused him.
 
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