Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Arizona
This area lying to the west of the present-
day state of N EW M EXICO in the United
States, shares much of its history. Arizona
was not severed from the territory of New
Mexico until 1912 when it was admitted to
the Union as a separate state with a size
(113,000 square miles) almost as large as its
eastern neighbor. Arizona was first visited
by Spaniards in 1539 and first settled as an
extension of N EW S PAIN in 1598. Missionary
activity during the 1600s was followed by
the creation of military outposts to deal
with Apache raids. The city of Tucson was
founded in 1775 by Colonel Rodrigo
O'Connor as part of this defensive network.
Arizona ceased to be a Spanish dependency
in 1821, when New Spain became indepen-
dent M EXICO and, in turn, was surrendered
to the United States in 1848. During the
late 19th century there were protracted
lawsuits laying claim to Spanish land grants,
particularly that made to the Peralta family,
which originally covered most of Arizona.
defeat of Philip II's enemies and restore
Catholic dominance in Europe.
English raids on the Spanish coast had
damaged vital supplies, but the king insisted
on pursuing his timetable and assembled
hundreds of ships (Portuguese and Italian
as well as Spanish) and thousands of troops
at L ISBON , from which they sailed north-
ward in July 1588. While the Spanish were
preparing at Calais for the cross-channel
onslaught, English fireships were launched
into the harbor destroying a number of
Spanish vessels. The remnants of the
Armada ventured forth and were attacked
by English warships, whose greater mobil-
ity and longer range guns counterbalanced
the heavier galleons and massive artillery of
the Armada. While the issue was still in
doubt, the Spanish commander in chief, the
duke of M EDINA S IDONIA , ordered a with-
drawal. Although the experienced subordi-
nates who had been sent with him to
supplement his own ignorance of naval
matters urged a continuation of the attack,
the duke, fearing to be caught in the chan-
nel by an impending storm, led his fleet
north, ultimately rounding northern Scot-
land and sailing south along the Atlantic
coast of Ireland. His ships were scattered by
gales, many being wrecked on the rocky
coasts, others being driven far out to sea;
crews who fell into the hands of the local
population were killed or handed over to
English authorities. Due to unanticipated
setbacks in Holland and France the intended
coordination of the entire grand design
failed.
The “Enterprise of England”—in which
Philip had contemplated making his daugh-
ter queen of England, Scotland, and Ire-
land—was the centerpiece of the great
Counter-Reformation triumph that would
Armada (the Invincible)
With a mixture of arrogance and optimism
Spain gave the designation “Invincible” to
the great force of ships and troops assem-
bled for a decisive victory over her enemies
in 1588. The plan, approved by P HILIP II and
his advisers, was to gain control of the
English Channel with an overwhelming
naval force, land thousands of troops in
England, and depose Queen Elizabeth I, the
leader of an anti-Spanish coalition that
included the Dutch Republic and major
political factions in France. Coordinated
attacks against the Dutch, who had rebelled
against their Spanish overlords, and the
French were to complete the simultaneous
 
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