This was an attack on the Spanish naval forces assembling in the Bay of Cádiz in preparation for the planned expedition against England.

In the second half of the 16th century a series of economic, political, and religious circumstances created tensions in the relations between England and Spain.

Protestant England came into direct confrontation with Catholic Spain; Elizabeth I of England had been excommunicated by Pope Pius V in 1570, whilst in 1584 Philip II of Spain had signed the Treaty of Joinville with the French Catholic League, with the aim of eradicating Protestantism.

Queen Elizabeth gave the English privateer Sir Francis Drake, an outstanding leader of previous naval expeditions, the command of a fleet whose mission was to inspect the Spanish military preparations, intercept their supplies, attack the fleet and if possible the Spanish ports.

Seven days after their departure, the Queen sent a counter-command to Drake with instructions not to commence hostilities against the Spanish Fleet or ports.

Gun positions on the shore opened fire, shelling the English fleet from the coast with little effect, but they managed to repulse an attempted landing by launches at El Puntal.

[17] After leaving Cádiz, Drake's fleet set course along the south-west coast of Spain and Portugal, destroying all the shipping they encountered, including fishing vessels.

On 14 May, 1,000 men disembarked at Lagos in the Algarve and stormed the fortresses of Sagres, Baleeira, Beliche, and Cape St.

There was an exchange of artillery fire between the English fleet and the Spanish-Portuguese shore batteries, producing minor damage and no casualties.

[12] Drake gave the order to weigh anchor and return to Sagres, where the English troops were supplied with water, whilst confronting the Spanish caravels that had pursued them from Cádiz.

[22] Drake had already embarrassed King Philip with his actions in the West Indies, taking towns and ships at will from the pre-eminent naval power of the time.

[23] Drake compounded the insult by publicly boasting that he had "singed the King of Spain's beard";[3] yet privately he realized that his actions had only delayed a Spanish invasion, not prevented it altogether, and he wrote to Elizabeth urging her to "Prepare in England strongly, and mostly by sea.