Armada, Spanish, 1588, fleet launched by Philip II of Spain for the invasion of England, to overthrow the Protestant Elizabeth I and establish Philip on the English throne; also called the Invincible Armada. Preparations, under the command of the marqués de Santa Cruz, began in 1586 but were seriously delayed by a surprise attack on Cádiz by Sir Francis Drake in 1587. By the time the expedition was ready Santa Cruz had died, and command was given to the duque de Medina Sidonia. The Armada consisted of 130 ships, including transports and merchantmen, and carried about 30,000 men. It was to go to Flanders and from there convoy the army of Alessandro Farnese, duke of Parma, to invade England. It set out from Lisbon in May, 1588, but was forced into A Coruña by storms and did not set sail again until July. Medina Sidonia's orders were to proceed straight up the English Channel and refuse battle until he had made junction with Parma. This gave the initiative to the English, whose main fleet, commanded by Charles Howard (later earl of Nottingham), sailed out from Plymouth to achieve the windward side of the Spanish and attacked at long range. Three minor actions followed, in which the Armada was somewhat damaged but its formation unbroken. On Aug. 6, Medina Sidonia anchored off Calais, from which position he hoped to make contact with Parma. The following night the English sent fire ships into the anchorage, causing the Spanish fleet to scatter, and then attacked (Aug. 8) at close range off Gravelines. Unable to re-form, the Armada was severely battered, but a sudden change in the wind enabled most of the ships to escape northward. In attempting to sail home by Scotland and the west coast of Ireland, the Spanish ships were dispersed by storms; their provisions gave out; and many of those who landed in Ireland were killed by English troops. Only about half the fleet reached home.

Great fleet sent by Philip II of Spain in 1588 to invade England in conjunction with a Spanish army from Flanders. Philip was motivated by a desire to restore the Roman Catholic faith in England and by English piracies against Spanish trade and possessions. The Armada, commanded by the duke of Medina-Sidonia, consisted of about 130 ships. In the weeklong battle, the Spanish suffered defeat after the English launched fire ships into the Spanish fleet, breaking the ships' formation and making them susceptible to the English ships' heavy guns. Many Spanish ships were also lost during the long voyage home, and a total of perhaps 15,000 Spaniards died. The defeat of the Armada, in which Francis Drake played a principal role, saved England and the Netherlands from possible absorption into the Spanish empire.

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Armada is a village in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,573 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Armada Township.

Sportscaster Dick Enberg grew up in Armada. A country fair is held in the village each August.

History

The first record of land purchased in the area that became Armada Township was made by John Proctor in 1825. 23 more families had bought land in the area by 1832. Until 1832 the area was part of Ray Township. At that time a meeting was called to organize a separate township. The vote won by 2 and Armada Township was born. When the discussion of a name for the new township came up, legend says that "Hosea Northrup jumped up and shouted the name 'Armada'". The name was accepted. The meaning of the name is a mystery to this day. The Village of Armada was founded by Elijah Burke in 1833. The village was originally known as Burke's Corners. The village began to prosper when the old Indian trail, known today as Armada Ridge Road, was laid out as a roadway in the early 1830s. The road soon became part of the immigrant road network between Romeo and Port Huron. Burke's Corners was briefly renamed Honeoye after the hometown of several newly arrived residents from New York. When the village was incorporated in the late 1860s, it received its modern name of Armada. Armada had grown into a thriving village of 800 inhabitants. The town at one time included a stagecoach stop, an opera house, a theater, seven grocery stores, three hotels, three hardware stores, a lumberyard, a grain mill, two implement dealers, a bakery, five doctors, several blacksmiths shops and a drug store. The first school in Armada was a one-room schoolhouse at Selleck's Corners. Soon schools sprang up all around the township. These one room schools were consolidated during the 1940s and children were bused into town to attend the consolidated school district. Armada's interest in education, literature and the arts was most evident when they persuaded Andrew Carnegie that they would support a library, if he would donate $8,000 towards the building of a permanent township library. The Armada Free Public Library was built in 1915 and is still being used to provide library service today. A number of fraternal organizations, a literary club, a science club, and the Armada Coronet Band were among the social outlets for villagers and township residents. A railroad, the Michigan Air-Line Railroad, connected Armada with the rest of the world. Passengers and freight were processed through the two-door depot at the foot of Church Street. A cartage company delivered the freight to uptown businesses by horse and wagon.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,573 people, 540 households, and 408 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,221.8 per square mile (855.4/km²). There were 558 housing units at an average density of 788.2/sq mi (303.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.71% White, 0.19% African American, 0.57% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population.

There were 540 households out of which 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.3% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the village the population was spread out with 29.2% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $61,700, and the median income for a family was $69,917. Males had a median income of $50,795 versus $32,330 for females. The per capita income for the village was $22,446. About 2.9% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

• Armada Free Public Library
• Armada Fair website