Medina Sidonia’s candid refusal and subsequent obedience reflected genuine fealty, not ambition
Evidence
It was not the custom of Spanish noblemen to disqualify themselves for high office, especially for high military office. Nor is there any reason to suppose that the complete acquiescence with which the duke took up his post when the King again pressed it upon him represents anything except a sense of fealty to the Crown and the courage to bear any burden imposed by duty. — Garrett Mattingly, The Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 470
Categorization
- corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Garrett Mattingly, The Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 470
- XREF: connects to: Medina Sidonia’s self-blame entrenched the myth of his incompetence — Garrett Mattingly, The Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 831
Broader Connections
- Medina Sidonia’s self-blame entrenched the myth of his incompetence
#qualifies(0.75) — Garrett Mattingly, The Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 831