The year is 1588. English pirates have been attacking Spanish ships all over the world. King Philip II of Spain is very angry about this.
He has sent the huge Spanish Armada to attack England. An armada is a fleet of warships. An army of 30,000 Spanish soldiers is ready to invade England. How can the English survive such an attack?
But Queen Elizabeth I of England has some tricks up her sleeve. She has a network of spies and a system of warning beacons. These give the English plenty of time to get ready. They have another trick, too. As the Spanish fleet waits to join the Spanish army, the English light eight ships on fire. They send these flaming boats into the middle of the armada. The Spanish captains cut their anchors and scatter. They don’t want their ships to catch fire. With the armada in a mess, the English defeat the Spanish.