The Third Spanish Armada, also known as the Spanish Armada of 1597, was involved in a major naval event that took place between 18 October and 15 November 1597 as part of the Anglo–Spanish War. The attack of the armada, which was the third attempt by Spain to invade or raid the British Isles during the war, was ordered by King Philip II of Spain in revenge for the English attack on Cádiz following the failure of the 2nd Spanish Armada the previous year due to a storm. The Armada was executed by the Adelantado Martín de Padilla, which had the same objective as the second armada – the support of the Irish rebels in rebellion against the English crown. It was also an opportunity to intercept and destroy the English fleet under Robert Devereux the 2nd Earl of Essex as it returned from the failed Azores expedition. The objective of landing in Ireland changed due to conflicting ideals - instead the armada was to capture either the important port of Falmouth or Milford Haven and use those places as a base for invasion.