John Barratt is a leading authority on the Royalist Armies in the Civil War. Author of over a dozen books on the subject, including Cavaliers the first detailed study of the Royalist forces, and a nuber of campain histories. His latest books with Helion include Rabble of Gentility the story of the Northern Horse, and The Last Battle: The Stow on the Wold Campaign. He lectures regularly on historical subjects and lives in the Welsh Marches, an area rich in history!

The defeat of the Spanish Armada is one of the turning points in English history, and it was perhaps the defining episode in the long reigns of Elizabeth I of England and Philip II of Spain. The running battle along the Channel between the nimble English ships and the lumbering Spanish galleons has achieved almost legendary status. In this compelling new account John Barratt reconstructs the battle against the Armada in the concise, clear Campaign Chronicles format, which records the action in vivid detail, day by day, hour by hour. He questions common assumptions about the battle and looks again at aspects of the action that have been debated or misunderstood. Included are full orders of battle showing the chains of command and the effective strengths and fighting capabilities of the opposing fleets. There is also an in-depth analysis of the far-reaching consequences of the wreck of Philip II's great enterprise.