Answer:
the English defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588
Step-by-step explanation:
The Spanish Armada was a fleet of 130 ships that invaded England in 1588, designed by the Spanish monarch Felipe II to dethrone Elizabeth I and invade England. The attack took place in the context of the Anglo-Spanish war of 1585-1604. The attack failed but the war lasted sixteen more years and ended with the London Treaty of 1604. This invasion did not pretend the annexation of the British islands to the Spanish Empire, but the expulsion of Elizabeth I from the English throne, and responded to the execution of Mary Stuart, the anti-Spanish piracy policy and the Flanders war.
The reasons that led Philip II to war were economic, political, and religious:
Politically, the growing power of the Hispanic Monarchy (which in 1580 had annexed the Portuguese domains, was constantly expanding in America, and had the support of the Habsburgs in Germany and the Italian princes) was considered by England a threat to its security. England lent its support to the main enemies of Spain.
On the economic side, the constant expeditions of English privateers against the Spanish territories in the Indies and against the treasury fleet, which loaded with wealth that fed the finances of the metropolis, posed a threat to Spain's economic interests. The privateer Sir John Hawkins began the English participation in the slave trade in 1562, immediately gaining real English support. The corsairs' attacks, such as the battle of San Juan de Ulúa were never great victories, but they were a nuisance for Felipe II. Spain considered traffic not legally regulated with the West Indies as illegal smuggling. In the decade between 1560 and 1570 several plazas were attacked and some Spanish ships were sunk or captured in the Indies.
On the religious side, it was part of the conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Europe.
The defeat of the Spanish Armada meant the end of the naval power of Spain, the beginning of the naval power of England, and the end of Spanish monopoly of the New World.