Spanish king, 1527-98
Fishburn and Hughes: "A king of Spain, son of the Emperor Charles V and Isabel of Portugal, who married in 1554 as his second wife Mary Tudor, Queen of England. Philip II dedicated his rule to unifying the Iberian peninsula and furthering the Spanish conquest of America. His religious fervour, which caused him to reactivate the Inquisition, affected the culture and art of Spain; a strong mystical note is evident both in the literature and the plastic arts of the time. Philip II conducted a successful campaign against the Turks, who were defeated by his younger brother Don John of Austria at Lepanto in 1571. His policies in Europe, and in particular in the Low Countries in revolt against Spanish rule, brought him into conflict with Queen Elizabeth. In 1588 his Armada was defeated by the English navy." (152)