Elizabeth I celebrated the English victory over the Spanish Armada with what Christmas meal?

After the victory of the Spanish Armada in 1588, Queen Elizabeth I ordered that everybody should eat goose on Christmas Day. She chose this meat because it was the meal she had eaten on the evening she learned that her English navy had beaten the Armada.

The Spanish Armada set sail from Spain in July 1588 in an attempt to overthrow the head of England, Elizabeth I. There are several reasons why the Spanish King Philip II wished to invade England. For several years, there had been a conflict of religion between Catholic Spain and Protestant England. Philip had been married to Queen Mary I of England, Elizabeth's sister, at a time that England followed the Catholic church. Philip wanted to bring back Catholicism to the country.

Spain also saw England as a rival in trade and expansion to the 'New World' (America). Spanish and English sailors frequently ended up in skirmishes as each navy attempted to conquer parts of the American continent.

The Netherlands also played a part in the Spanish Armada. At the time, the European country was owned by Spain but wished to remain a Protestant nation. England supported this, which angered the Spanish officials.

The defeat of the Spanish Armada is often attributed to a storm that scattered the Spanish ships before they reached England. Whilst the Spanish had more vessels, the English carried more guns. The English were able to damage enemy ships, while the Spanish fought to regain control of their fleet.