forces in the Netherlands, Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, who was supposed to launch his invasion fleet to meet the Armada at sea. However, this problem was fundamental to the operational plan imposed on the two commanders by Philip II. Allowing for the limitations inherent in a total lack of command experience, Medina Sidonia fought the battle courageously and intelligently. His health suffered badly as a result of the campaign, and after his return to Spain the king finally relieved him of his command and granted him permission to return home to convalesce. Later, he served the Spanish crown for another two decades in various functions. The duke's reputation suffered, because several popular accounts, notably the one written by the monk Juan de Victoria, placed all blame for the defeat on him. Informed commentators and modern historians have put most of the blame on Philip II himself for imposing an impractical plan on his commanders, and on Diego Flores de Valdes for badly advising the duke. Philip II himself did not single out his chosen commander to bear the responsibility for the defeat. He stated "Action without cause is illegitimate of reason" in response to public outcry on re-sending a fleet to Britain. The duke retained his posts of admiral of the ocean and captain-general of Andalusia, and continued to serve Philip II and later Philip III. The popular image of the duke in later years was strongly influenced by propaganda surrounding the Armada, including an English account which claimed that the Duke of Medina Sidonia was a fool and a coward who hid below decks in a specially reinforced room. This story became a lasting part of popular descriptions of the battle, in which the Duke of Medinia Sidonia was frequently portrayed as an incompetent buffoon. Later years When an English fleet attacked Cádiz in 1596, Medina Sidonia's allegedly slow response was blamed for giving the English enough time to sack the city. In 1606 Medina Sidonia's obstinacy caused the loss of a squadron which was destroyed near Gibraltar by the Dutch. This episode made the duke a satirical target of Miguel de Cervantes. In popular culture In the Belgian Suske en Wiske comic book story "De Stierentemmer" ("The Bull Tamer") (1952) the character Aunt Sidonia learns that she is related to the 16th century duke of Medina Sidonia, Alonso Pérez de Guzmán. In the Dutch educational comic strip