Once the armada was defeated, only a handful of Spanish ships (65/130) returned to Spain. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay And more than 20,000 Spanish sailors and soldiers were killed in the Battle of the Armada. But Spain certainly did not lose its importance after the defeat of the Armada. . In fact, Spain defeated England at sea and on land in several battles during this decade after the Spanish Armada. Spain also retained significant influence over relations in Europe and the Americas until the 16th century. But because of the war with England, Spain was seriously in debt and King Philip had declared several bankruptcies. Philip accepted the defeat of the armada as the will of God. Shortly after, he planned a new, more powerful armada, similar to the English ships. In 1595, Spanish ships landed in Cornwall but were burned. In the years 1596 and 1597, other "Armadas" were sent but they were held back by powerful storms. But around the 17th century, Spain began to slowly lose its power. Now the kings of Spain could no longer think that they could do whatever they wanted. The Armada was the beginning of the fall of the Spanish Empire. The English won a very victorious victory. Only 100 men were killed and none of the ships were sunk. But 7,000 English sailors died of disease. And those who survived were treated terribly by the government, with many receiving barely enough money for the journey back to England. Following the defeat of the Armada, England became a powerful nation. Elizabeth could now be exceptionally secure, knowing that another invasion was not likely to occur. It also meant that England could survive as an independent Protestant country. Another thing was that now the Spanish had fewer ships that they could use to protect their trading ships, which meant that English sailors could plunder Spanish ports more easily. In the 17th century, as Spain weakened, England began to establish colonies. They then established colonists in parts of America, regions that the Spanish had ignored. English businessmen increasingly took on trade with Central and South America. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay After the defeat of the Armada, a tremendous celebration took place in England. A medal was made (right). She said, “God blew and they were scattered.” Much later, at the end of Elizabeth's reign, following the war against Spain, England's debt reached 3 million. Crown offices and land had to be sold to stop falling further into debt..