The Spanish Plan to Conquer China

[zhaoyun]

I actually agree with everything you just said, except for the ships. I believe that it was the large size of the ships that really made expeditions impractical. The greater the ships, the greater the loss if things go wrong. A bad expedition could ruin a country, just look at what happened with the Spanish Armada. After the last African expedition, the Chinese called a halt to any more expeditions because of how little money was recovered from them.

Just look at the other great explorers, the Polynesians. They explored the whole Pacific, and even conquered Malenisians, using boats that were really the size of overgrown rafts. When it comes to exploration, trade, and even conquest through the ocean, smaller is actually better.

Well, the large ships were able to carry more troops. The Spanish armada failed because they were fighting face to face with an English navy that was more flexible. But at the time, few kingdoms even had navies, so China could've just used their ships to land on other shores.

Anyways, they didn't recover money from the expeditions because China was not out to conquer or take, they only set up the expeditions for diplomatic purposes. If China's goal was to build an empire, the expeditions would've been very profitable. But anyways, again, these are historic what ifs, there really is no point trying to extrapolate at this point.

[Incal]

If that had happen, chinese would be more social today.

[zhaoyun]

If that had happen, chinese would be more social today.

Chinese people are actually very warm and social in China, especially Northern China. But for some reason when they go elsewhere they become clannish and introverted.

[Cristiano viejo]

A bad expedition could ruin a country, just look at what happened with the Spanish Armada.

The Spanish Armada did not ruin Spain, it was just a (bad) chapter within a war that Spain won.

[Tietar]

The Spanish Armada did not ruin Spain, it was just a (bad) chapter within a war that Spain won.

Spain rebuilt its entire armada 10 years later and landed in England in 1597 without resistance, but the troops had to leave because the armada had been dispersed by a storm.

But it seems that the English later won the war of propaganda and today many people still believe that they destroyed an empire

[Cristiano viejo]

Spain rebuilt its entire armada 10 years later and landed in England in 1597 without resistance, but the troops had to leave because the armada had been dispersed by a storm.

But it seems that the English later won the war of propaganda and today many people still believe that they destroyed an empire

One year later of "the Spanish Armada disaster", English sent their own Armada to invade Spain and they failed miserably, with much more died soldiers and sunken/captured ships. And this time via militar, not by storms

But yeah, British propaganda achieved this is very few known...

[Morena]

One year later of "the Spanish Armada disaster", English sent their own Armada to invade Spain and they failed miserably, with much more died soldiers and sunken/captured ships. And this time via militar, not by storms

But yeah, British propaganda achieved this is very few known...

My apologies. Living in the Anglosphere, I usually get their version of the story.

[Cristiano viejo]

My apologies. Living in the Anglosphere, I usually get their version of the story.

The English Armada, also known as the Counter Armada or the Drake-Norris Expedition, was a fleet of warships sent to Spain by Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1589, during the undeclared Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) and the Eighty Years' War. It was led by Sir Francis Drake as admiral and Sir John Norreys as general, and failed to drive home the advantage England had won upon the destruction of the Spanish Armada in the previous year. The campaign resulted in the deadlocking of the English expeditionary force, and its withdrawal with heavy losses. The Spanish victory marked a revival of Philip II's naval power through the next decade.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Armada

Spain won the war but Anglo propaganda has achieved that the world only knows the chapter of the Spanish Armada

[Morena]

The English Armada, also known as the Counter Armada or the Drake-Norris Expedition, was a fleet of warships sent to Spain by Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1589, during the undeclared Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) and the Eighty Years' War. It was led by Sir Francis Drake as admiral and Sir John Norreys as general, and failed to drive home the advantage England had won upon the destruction of the Spanish Armada in the previous year. The campaign resulted in the deadlocking of the English expeditionary force, and its withdrawal with heavy losses. The Spanish victory marked a revival of Philip II's naval power through the next decade.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Armada

Spain won the war but Anglo propaganda has achieved that the world only knows the chapter of the Spanish Armada

Interesting. Thanks, CV. You sure teach me a lot about history.

[Iloko]

Sure. It was really going to happen.

Do you think the Spanish had a chance, or was it more probabilistically impossible back then when you take into account everything? ..Most posters from other forums regarding this topic seemed to be in favour of the Chinese