The ecclesiastical historian John Strype (1643-1737) published the third volume of his monumental Elizabethan religious history Annals of the Reformation in 1728. For over two and a half centuries it remained one of the most important Protestant histories of the Elizabethan era and has been reprinted in numerous editions. Volume 3 Part 2 focuses on the year 1588: European diplomacy and Elizabeth's preparations for war with Spain; the attack of the Spanish Armada; the famous English victory; and the books and polemics produced in response to events. It contains an appendix rich in primary sources for the years 1581 to 1588 - state papers, official proclamations, petitions, royal records, and letters. Strype's thorough use of sources and the enormous scope and detail of his history has ensured its place as an outstanding work of eighteenth-century scholarship. It should be read by every student and scholar of Elizabethan religious history.
