Philip II:
He ruled a large empire which consisted of:
- Spain
- The Low Countries
- Naples
- Sicily
- Some territories in North Africa (Melilla, Oran and the Canary Islands).
- The Philippines
Philip's mother was Princess Isabella of Portugal, so when King Sebastian of Portugal died without descendants in 1578 he claimed the throne and after some battles he was finally crowned in 1581.
He defended the Catholicism fighting against Turks, for example in the Batlle of Lepanto (1571) and Protestants.
He had to face serious financial problems and the Empire soon fell into debt even though Spain received large amounts of Gold and Silver from America.
Philip II moved his court to Madrid in 1561. Thanks to this, the city of Madrid became the political centre of the monarchy, being de facto the capital of Spain.
In 1588, the English defeated Philip's Spanish Armada, frustrating his plan to invade the country and re-establish Catholicism. One year later, Philip II died.

A

C