In 1588, Britain fought Spain in the Spanish Armada. King Philip II of Spain was angry with Elizabeth I for not punishing Francis Drake for stealing Spanish ships. Another reason was that Philip was a Catholic and felt that it was his duty to turn England back into a Catholic country as it was Protestant at the time.
The two fleets met at the English channel. There were many more Spanish ships than English ones but our ones were smaller and easier to move.
We won because we set fire to some ships which made the Spaniards panic. They got scattered into the sea, losing position so they were easy targets. What also helped us win was the typical English weather. There was a huge storm which blew the Spanish ships apart.
The medal given to the fighters said,
"God blew and they were scattered."

I got this information from http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/tudors/armada.htm.