Final answer:
In 1588, Spain sent the Spanish Armada to attack Britain, but it was defeated by the English navy aided by storms known as the "Protestant wind." This event marked the decline of Spanish power and the rise of English naval superiority.
Step-by-step explanation:
In 1588, the country that sent an Armada to attack Britain was Spain. King Philip II of Spain, determined to eradicate Protestantism in England and support Catholicism, assembled a massive fleet known as the Spanish Armada. Despite being a formidable force consisting of over 130 ships and thirty thousand men, the Armada faced disastrous challenges. The English navy, led by Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake, engaged the Spanish Armada in the English Channel. Their smaller and more maneuverable ships, along with a climatic event termed the "Protestant wind," were critical in their success against the Spanish fleet. Treacherous storms assisted the English in defeating the Armada, which also suffered a devastating loss when most of their ships were destroyed during a retreat plagued by more storms. This defeat marked the decline of the Spanish Empire's dominance as a major European power and paved the way for the rise of English naval power and future colonization efforts in the Americas.