BattlefieldsDevon Armada Muster at Exeter 1588
Tudor

Devon Armada Muster at Exeter 1588

1588
Devon, England
Also known as: Devon county muster Exeter Armada 1588 · Devon militia Armada 1588
Era
Tudor
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Devon, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Spain (Armada)
VS
Victor
England
Outcome
Devon county militia mustered at Exeter under Lord Lieutenant; forces deployed to coastal positions from Plymouth to Exmouth in response to the Armada alarm
The Battle

History & Significance

The Devon county muster at Exeter in 1588 was the largest mobilisation of county forces in Devon since the Western Rising of 1549. The Lord Lieutenant coordinated the deployment of trained bands and county militia along the full length of the Devon coast to resist any Spanish landing. The muster demonstrated how the Tudor trained band system, reformed in the 1570s, could rapidly produce a credible coastal defence force.

Casualties & Losses

None

Forces Involved

Devon trained bands and county militia estimated at c.5,000 men; coastal deployments from Plymouth to the Exe

Questions & Answers

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