Islands Voyage
Part of theAnglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) and theEighty Years' War
Date June – August 1597 Location Plymouth,Atlantic Ocean,Bay of Biscay,Cantabrian Sea,Ferrol andAzores Islands Result Spanish victory[1][2]
Belligerents
England Dutch Republic	Spain Portugal
Commanders and leaders
Robert Devereux Thomas Howard Walter Raleigh Jacob Duivenvoorde	Martín de Padilla Alonso de Bazán Juan de Garibay
Strength
120–150 ships[1][3][4] 17,000 to 20,000 men (6,000 soldiers)[3]	Unknown
Casualties and losses
High[2][5]	Low[2][6]

TheIslands Voyage, also known as theEssex-Raleigh Expedition, was an ambitious, but unsuccessful naval campaign sent by QueenElizabeth I of England, and supported by theDutch Republic, against theSpanish Empire andPortuguese Empire ofPhilip II from theHouse of Habsburg during theAnglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) and theEighty Years' War.^[1][7]

The campaign took place between June and late August 1597,^[1] and the objectives were to destroy the Spanish fleet of theAdelantado of Castile,Martín de Padilla y Manrique, Count of Santa Gadea, at the port ofFerrol, occupy and destroy theSpanish possessions in theAzores Islands, and intercept theSpanish treasure fleet coming fromAmerica as it passed through the Azores.^[2][8] The result of the campaign was a great failure forEngland.^[8][9][5] It was led by SirRobert Devereux, Earl of Essex, as Admiral and General-in-chief, SirThomas Howard, Earl of Suffolk, as Vice-Admiral, and SirWalter Raleigh as Rear-Admiral.^[7] The Dutch squadron was commanded by Lieutenant-AdmiralJacob van Wassenaer Duivenvoorde.^[7] Other notable participants were SirHenry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton (who commanded thegalleonGarland), theBaron Jacob Astley of Reading, SirEdward Michelborne aboard theMoon,^[10] SirRobert Mansell, Roger Manners 5th Earl of Rutland, and theEnglish poetJohn Donne.^[5]

The Anglo-Dutch fleet returned to England with great losses and a war of recriminations between Essex and Raleigh.^[5] The Spanish fleets were led by Martín de Padilla,Alonso de Bazán, Diego Brochero andPedro de Zubiaur.^[2] The treasure fleet was commanded by AdmiralJuan Gutiérrez de Garibay.^[2]

The expedition was the last major naval campaign ofElizabeth I of England.^[2][5]Essex's failure to capture the silver of the Spanish treasure fleet, and his failure to occupy the Portuguese Azores Islands (Iberian Union), contributed to his decline in the queen's favour.^[5][11]

• Adelantado
• Master-General of the Ordnance
• Franco-Spanish War (1595–1598)

• Edwards, Edward.The Life of Sir Walter Ralegh: Life. Vol. I. MacMillan & Co. London. 1868.
• Cadwallader, Laura Hanes.The Career of the Earl of Essex from the Islands Voyage in 1597 to His Execution in 1601. University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia. 1923.
• Heywood, Thomas.The Fair Maid of the West: Parts I and II. University of Nebraska Press. 1967.
• Jowitt, Claire.The Culture of Piracy, 1580–1630: Literature and Seaborne Crime. Ashgate.ISBN 978-1-4094-0044-8
• Rowse, A.L..The Expansion of Elizabethan England. First published in 1955.ISBN 0-299-18824-8
• Thomas M McCoog, S.J.The Society of Jesus in Ireland, Scotland, and England, 1589–1597. Printed in Great Britain by the MPG Books Group.ISBN 978-1-4094-3772-7
• Wagner, John A.Encyclopedia of Tudor England. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data.ISBN 978-1-59884-298-2
• Whittemore, Hank.The Monument: By Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. London. 1609.ISBN 0-9665564-5-3

• Conflicts in 1597
• Naval battles of the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604)
• Naval battles of the Eighty Years' War
• Naval battles involving Spain
• Naval battles involving the Kingdom of England
• Naval battles involving the Dutch Republic
• Eighty Years' War (1566–1609)
• 16th-century military history of Spain

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from July 2017