The Anglo-Spanish Rivalry Reaches a Boiling Point
The spring of 1587 found Europe teetering on the brink of war. For decades, tensions had simmered between Protestant England and Catholic Spain, two maritime powers vying for global dominance. King Philip II of Spain, self-styled defender of the Catholic faith, viewed Elizabeth I’s England as both a heretical threat and an obstacle to Spanish ambitions. The previous year had seen Spanish troops massing in the Netherlands, while English privateers like Francis Drake relentlessly harassed Spanish shipping.
Drake, already a legendary figure for his circumnavigation of the globe (1577-1580), had become England’s most feared naval commander. His 1585-1586 campaign in the Caribbean had devastated Spanish settlements, proving England’s ability to strike at the heart of Spain’s empire. Now, as intelligence reached London about Spain’s massive naval buildup – the fledgling Armada – Elizabeth authorized a preemptive strike. Drake would lead a fleet to “singe the King of Spain’s beard” by disrupting naval preparations along the Iberian coast.
The Cadiz Raid and the Hunt for Recalde
Drake’s fleet of 23 ships departed Plymouth on April 12, 1587. His first major success came at Cadiz, where between April 29 and May 1, his forces destroyed approximately 37 Spanish ships and seized valuable supplies. This bold attack delayed Spanish invasion plans by over a year.
As Drake sailed west from Cadiz on May 2, he learned that Juan Martínez de Recalde – second only to the Marquis of Santa Cruz in Spanish naval command – was operating nearby with a squadron half the size of Drake’s force. The English commander intercepted a Spanish dispatch boat carrying urgent orders from Philip II, instructing Recalde to avoid engagement and retreat to Lisbon.
Drake immediately fanned his ships out in search formation, scouring the waters near Cape St. Vincent. But Recalde, anticipating both Drake’s movements and Philip’s orders, had already slipped away. By the time Drake arrived, Recalde’s seven sturdy Biscayan warships and five light frigates had ridden the tide into the Tagus estuary, anchoring under the protective guns of Lisbon’s fortresses.
The Controversial Decision to Attack Sagres
Frustrated in his pursuit of Recalde, Drake convened his captains aboard the flagship Elizabeth Bonaventure on May 9. According to Robert Long, a gentleman adventurer accompanying the expedition, Drake appeared “moved with passion…that himself and his worthy company were serving their queen’s turn, whereby his reputation grew much more.”
Drake announced his intention to land at Cape St. Vincent and capture the fortress at Sagres. This decision sparked immediate controversy. His second-in-command, William Borough, wrote a scathing letter that evening, questioning both the strategic value and safety of the operation. Borough argued that Sagres offered poor anchorage and little fresh water, and that such landings violated their orders to disrupt Spanish preparations through naval patrols.
Modern historians debate Drake’s true motivations. While securing a base for summer operations made practical sense – allowing ship maintenance and crew rest – personal factors likely played a role. The former pirate undoubtedly relished striking at Philip’s territory, and the symbolic value of attacking a site associated with Portugal’s maritime glory may have appealed to his sense of theater.
The Failed Assault on Lagos
Weather delayed Drake’s landing until May 14, when he shifted targets to the port of Lagos, about 15 miles east of Cadiz. Once prosperous, Lagos had declined in recent years, and Drake likely hoped for weak defenses.
The landing initially succeeded. Under deputy land commander Anthony Platt, 1,100 English soldiers formed an impressive battle array on the beach – musketeers flanking pikemen, advancing to martial music. But Portuguese scouts had observed their movements. As the column approached Lagos, they found defenses stronger than expected, with overlapping fields of fire from heavy guns, wall pieces, and arquebuses.
Governor Dom Hernán Tello of the Algarve, though concerned about his makeshift garrison of farmers and fishermen, managed to repel the attack. After exchanging fire, the English withdrew under constant harassment from Portuguese cavalry. The two-hour retreat to the ships proved costly, with mounting casualties from gunfire behind olive trees and city walls.
Borough’s Mutiny and Drake’s Ruthless Response
The Lagos failure gave Borough an opportunity to say “I told you so” – though he never got the chance. Relations between Drake and his deputy had deteriorated since Cadiz. Borough’s critical letters, while harsh by modern standards, reflected the blunt communication common in Tudor military culture.
But Drake, remembering Borough’s earlier caution at Cadiz and other perceived slights, saw darker motives. Convinced of a pro-Spanish conspiracy in England, he associated Borough’s criticism with treasonous activities like those of Thomas Doughty, executed during Drake’s circumnavigation for challenging his authority.
On May 15, Drake convened a court-martial aboard the Elizabeth Bonaventure. He read portions of Borough’s letters to assembled officers, replaced him as captain of the Golden Lion, and confined him to his cabin under armed guard – where Borough would remain for a month, fearing for his life.
The Capture of Sagres: Striking at Portugal’s Maritime Heritage
After the Lagos setback, Drake executed a brilliant feint. While Portuguese forces reinforced Lagos, he doubled back to Sagres, landing troops on May 16 at the windswept promontory that had once been the center of Portugal’s Age of Discovery.
The fortress at Sagres occupied a dramatic cliff-top position, its 40-foot walls studded with five towers mounting rapid-fire breech-loading “porting guns” that could hurl half-pound shot over 300 yards. Though no longer a royal residence or center of learning, it remained a formidable Moorish-era stronghold protecting local fishermen.
Drake’s assault demonstrated tactical brilliance. Without siege guns, his forces used sustained musket fire to suppress defenders while piling tar-soaked faggots against the gates. After two hours, the gates collapsed into smoldering ruin. With the castle commander wounded twice and casualties mounting, the garrison surrendered.
Drake offered generous terms, allowing defenders to leave with personal belongings (except weapons). By afternoon, the English held Sagres. The victory so terrified nearby positions that a monastery and smaller fort surrendered without resistance.
In a calculated act of destruction, Drake ordered all 18 bronze guns – including five wall pieces, three heavy port guns, and various cannons – rolled off the cliffs onto the beach below for transport to his ships. Before departing, his men torched the complex, reducing Prince Henry the Navigator’s historic castle, residences, and library to blackened ruins.
The Lisbon Demonstration: Psychological Warfare
On May 20, Drake’s fleet appeared off Cascais, near Lisbon’s heavily defended Tagus estuary. The city was in turmoil. Cardinal-Archduke Albert of Austria, Philip’s nephew and viceroy of Portugal, scrambled defenses with the aged Marquis of Santa Cruz.
The Spanish expected an attack on wealthy, undefended Setúbal. They rushed arquebusiers from Lisbon’s castle and Recalde’s fleet to reinforce the port. Seven galleys under Santa Cruz’s brother, Don Alonso de Bazán, took up defensive positions near St. Julian’s Castle, guarding the Tagus’s northern channel.
But Drake had no intention of assaulting Lisbon. Without local pilots to navigate the treacherous channels, and lacking troops for a landing against prepared defenses, he settled for psychological warfare. His fleet’s mere presence caused panic, forcing the Spanish to divert resources from Armada preparations.
When attempts to negotiate a prisoner exchange failed, Drake taunted Santa Cruz, hoping to provoke the veteran commander into an unwise attack. As at Cadiz, the wind decided matters – a northerly breeze carried the English back to Cape St. Vincent. Though no ships were taken or towns sacked, Drake had achieved his goal: demonstrating English naval superiority and keeping the Spanish off-balance.
Legacy of the 1587 Campaign
Drake’s three-week campaign had profound consequences:
1. Strategic Impact: The destruction at Cadiz and disruption along the coast delayed the Spanish Armada by over a year, giving England crucial time to prepare defenses.
2. Psychological Warfare: The raids shattered the myth of Spanish invincibility and demonstrated England’s ability to strike at will along Philip’s coastline.
3. Naval Tactics: Drake’s use of speed, deception, and rapid strikes previewed tactics that would dominate naval warfare for centuries.
4. Historical Irony: The destruction of Prince Henry’s castle at Sagres – birthplace of Europe’s colonial empires – by an English captain symbolized the passing of maritime supremacy from Portugal and Spain to Northern Europe.
Though often overshadowed by the 1588 Armada campaign, Drake’s 1587 strikes marked a turning point in naval history. They proved that a smaller, agile fleet could outmaneuver and outthink a larger power, establishing principles that would guide British naval strategy for generations. The “singeing of the King of Spain’s beard” remains one of history’s most audacious preemptive strikes – a masterclass in naval warfare that blended strategy, psychology, and sheer daring.