Singeing the King of Spain's Beard

Singeing the King of Spain's Beard is the name derisively given^[4][5][6][7] to the attack in April and May 1587 in the Bay of Cádiz, by the English privateer Francis Drake against the Spanish naval forces assembling at Cádiz. Much of the Spanish fleet was destroyed, and substantial supplies were destroyed or captured. There followed a series of raiding parties against several forts along the Portuguese coast. A Spanish treasure ship, returning from the Indies, was also captured. The damage caused by the English delayed Spanish plans to invade England by more than a year, yet did not dispel them.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singeing the King of Spain's Beard