In 1589 the Spanish Empire, under the rule of Philip II of Spain, holds an unprecedented global hegemony. But great power brings dangerous enemies. Elizabeth I of England, a fierce rival of the Spanish monarch, had destroyed the Spanish Invincible Armada the previous year in the English Channel. Taking advantage of Spain’s humiliation, she orders a massive fleet toward the Spanish coast, led by the feared corsair Francis Drake. This expedition would become known as the English Armada, or the Counter Armada.
