Spanish Armada

Imagine commanding 130 ships, one of the largest and most formidable fleets ever assembled.  And imagine getting orders not just from your king, who wants England to stop interfering with his kingdoms in the Netherlands, but also the Pope, who gives you divine sanction to crush the English monarchs who rejected Catholicism and seized the church lands.  (And imagine wanting to get in a little revenge for the pirate attacks on your ships, as well.)  Imagine sailing into the English Channel in a crescent formation seven miles wide, putting on a spectacular display of superior might as you sail to the Netherlands to pick up an army of 18,000 before landing and laying siege to London.


Now imagine being met with 197 ships that are better designed, more maneuverable, and have iron cannons that can fire three times faster than your bronze cannons.  Imagine that many of your ships are simply transports for weapons or troops, and completely unable to defend themselves.  Imagine that your 18,000-strong army never materializes because of miscommunication.  Imagine drawing your fleet into a tight defensive ring, only to have two 'fireships' -- literally the 16th century equivalent of car bombs -- drift into your formation, scattering your ships.  Then imagine a 100-year storm driving your ships onto the coast of Northern Ireland.

Now imagine that despite this defeat -- primarily at the whim of the sea, not the hands of the English -- you are able to limp back to Spain, regroup, and continue to wage war for the next 31 years, before Charles I finally negotiates a peace process.  Imagine that by re-outfitting your ships similar to England, you are able to dominate the high seas for the next two hundred years, and treble your iron haul from the New World. 


Now imagine that after all that, England gets to re-write history, claiming it was a David-and-Goliath struggle, that through sheer prowess they managed to sink the entire Armada, and from that day forward they commanded the high seas.