Product Description

The story of the Spanish Armada is one of the great epics, with a cast of characters as rich and varied as any in history and results that shaped Europe for centuries to come. Neil Hanson — acclaimed author of The Great Fire of London — traces the origins of the conflict from the Old World to the New, delineating the Armada campaign in rousing prose. He illuminates the lives of kings and popes, spymasters and assassins, military commanders and common sailors, and the ordinary men and women caught up in this great event when the fate of nations hung in the balance. The Confident Hope of a Miracle is authentic and original history written with the pace and drama of a novel.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #697685 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-14
• Released on: 2006-02-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

Review
"Hanson writes with sweep, confidence and great verve. He re-creates the feel and sounds of 16th century battle . . . The Confident Hope of a Miracle is a driving narrative, filled with keen observation and the occasional debunking."--Evan Thomas, Washington Post Book World

"Hanson tells the story well, and with a good eye for the telling quotation . . . Naval history . . . is where the book carves out its special place. Hanson prides himself justly, on following the seamen through all the twists and turns. He even follows them ashore afterward, spending much time and research on what happened to them when they washing up in the British Isles. . . The Confident Hope of a Miracle has its place on the shelf of well-written books on the Spanish Armada, one of those subjects that bookstores are nevel lacking in." --Edward Beasley, The San Diego Union

"Intelligent, persuasive . . . a triumph of diligent research that will undoubtedly be of immense appeal to dedicated students of military history" --Richard Zimler, San Francisco Chronicle

"Hanson does a good job of conveying the excitement and danger of the individual sea battles, though readers may be forgiven if they find them blending dizzyingly into each other. Happily, he enlives the narrative with captivating details." --Roger Miller, Orlando Sentinel

"Brilliant . . . This is one of those rare works of popular history that, like Alan Morehead's The While Nile or Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August, makes a half-remembered story from school seem real and relevant." --Josh Ozersky, Newsday

"A splendid volume . . . Hanson is superlative in doing justice to the social complexities of the time and the suffering of the many who fought on both sides." --Publishers Weekly

"Brilliant . . . This outstanding work covers a true turning point in world history&quo...

Review
“Hanson's precise and sparkling narrative captures the cataclysmic urgency of political and religious conflict in early modern Europe. He is obviously a historian with a winning hand.”–The Houston Chronicle

“An exciting narrative. . . . Never before has actual battle been described in such detail and rarely with such flair.”–Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Excellent. . . . Hanson does a good job of conveying the excitement and danger of the individual sea battles." –Chicago Sun-Times

“Brilliant. . . . Hanson is a meticulous historian and a compelling storyteller. This is one of those rare works of popular history that, like Alan Morehead’s The White Nile or Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of August, makes a half-remembered story from school seem both real and relevant.”–Newsday

About the Author
Neil Hanson is the author of The Custom of the Sea and The Great Fire of London. He lives in the Yorkshire Dales in England.

Customer Reviews

Galleons and Arquebuses - Oh My!
On the one hand, this book is a meticulous reconstruction of a now almost apocryphal event: the Defeat of the Spanish Aramada. On the other hand, it is a finely told story of suspense and adventure. And finally, it is a superb tale of the days when Spain was the Master of the World, England was hanging on by its fingernails, and wooden ships were not yet the miracles of technology that they later came to be in the days of Nelson.

I love the detail and connections in this book! For example, the author of Don Quixote, Cervantes, was involved in events leading up to the Spanish Armada(s). We learn more about Elizabeth I's (told from a decidedly UNsympathetic historian's point of view) and Sir Francis Drake's (who comes off as a superbly competent though self-interested risen-from-the-common-ranks adventurer) roles. We learn MUch more about Phillip II, King of Spain and effective secular Master of the Western World (until, that is, the defeats of his Armadas).

Sailing in the 1500's was so much a matter of luck, timing, logistics, weather, and fortitude. New naval technologies and strategies were in their infant states. The Spanish had the popular vote to win. The English had the technology (guns and gunnery) if only they had the food. Poor planning on the Spanish side and supremely fortunate timing on the English side managed to counteract English budget frugalities and supplier shenanigans.

In the end it is a rip-roaring story, all the more enthralling for the details. Hanson builds the story masterfully: element by element, personality by personality, circumstance by circumstance... from Phillip's "brainstorm" to invade England, to the climactic sequence of battle encounters as both fleets were pushed along the English Channel by wind and storm.

It's hard indeed to remember how uncertain setting sail was back then. This was the same era as the setting of Clavell's "Shogun" book - Blackthorne the devil-take-all English pilot and his precious navigation Rutters. Galleons and Arquebuses ruled back then. Oh my!