In 1588, the Spanish
Armada came to invade England, and was for the most part
destroyed. In that battle, Drake and other experienced sea-
fighters led two hundred English ships, of which about 20 were
built to sink other ships rather than to board and capture them.
These new English ships were longer and narrower and did away with
the towering superstructures at bow and stern. This made them more
maneuverable and easier to sail. Also, the English guns were
lighter, more numerous, and outranged the Spanish guns. So the
smaller English ships were able to get close enough to fire
broadside after broadside against the big Spanish troop-transport
galleons, without being fired upon. The direction of the wind
forced the Spanish galleons northward, where most of them were
destroyed by storms. The English seamen had been arbitrarily
pressed into this service.
A royal proclamation of 1601 offered a reward of 100 pounds for
information on libels against the Queen. There had been mounting
demonstrations against her monopolies, which mostly affected
household items. There had been abuses of monopolies, such as the
steel monopoly had been sold for 12 pounds 10s., but steel was
then sold at 5d. per pound instead of the former 2 1/2 d. per
pound. Further the steel was mixed and of a lesser quality. This
so damaged the knife and sword industry that about 2000 workers
lost their jobs from it and became beggars.
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