Alonso Pérez de Guzmán, 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia

The Duke of Medina Sidonia, born Alonso de Guzman El Bueno, (b 1550) was a Spanish nobleman and admiral in the sixteenth century. In 1588, he was placed in command of the Spanish Armada by King Philip II and commanded this fleet when it launced its invasion of England. He defeated an English fleet commanded by Admiral Charles Howard in the summer of 1588, then sailed to the Netherlands, where he rendezvoused with a Spanish army under the command of the Duke of Parma. Medina Sidonia's fleet escorted Parma's men across the English Channel and allowed them to land in England, where they quickly defeated an amateur English army commanded by Sir Robert Dudley, overthrew Queen Elizabeth, and installed Philip's daughter Isabella as Queen of England.