The Spanish Armada and Drake in English and Spanish Literatures

Demetriou, Eroulla
Ruiz Mas, José

The Anglophone world has spread the belief that the “defeat” of the Spanish Armada was the beginning of Spanish decadence and England’s/Britain’s first serious step towards the world power status. However, how much truth is there in this view of English historiography and literature? What was Elizabeth I and Sir Francis Drake’s real role in this process of glorification of the English/British race and deification of its alleged protagonists? These are the chiaroscuros of history that this book tries to rethink.