Editing Philip II of Spain (section)

===Mediterranean===
{{further|Ottoman–Habsburg wars}}
[[File:Felipe IV offers Ferdinand to Glory.jpg|thumb|[[Titian]]; after the [[Battle of Lepanto]] in 1571, Philip offers his short-lived heir [[Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias|Fernando]] to Glory in this [[allegory]].]]
[[File:Tercio - Morados Viejos.svg|thumb|[[Standard (flag)|Standard]] of the {{lang|es|[[tercio]]s morados}} of the Spanish army under Philip II]]

In the early part of his reign Philip was concerned with the rising power of the [[Ottoman Empire]] under [[Suleiman the Magnificent]]. Fear of Islamic domination in the Mediterranean caused him to pursue an aggressive foreign policy.

In 1558, Turkish admiral [[Piyale Pasha]] captured the [[Balearic Islands]], especially inflicting great damage on [[Menorca]] and enslaving many, while raiding the coasts of the Spanish mainland. Philip appealed to the Pope and other powers in Europe to bring an end to the rising Ottoman threat. Since his father's losses against the Ottomans and against [[Hayreddin Barbarossa]] in 1541, the major European sea powers in the Mediterranean, namely the Spanish Crown and [[Republic of Venice|Venice]], became hesitant in confronting the Ottomans. The myth of "Turkish invincibility" was becoming a popular story, causing fear and panic among the people.

In 1560, Philip II organised a ''Holy League'' between the Spanish kingdoms and the Republic of Venice, the [[Republic of Genoa]], the [[Papal States]], the [[Duchy of Savoy]] and the [[Knights Hospitaller|Knights of Malta]]. The joint fleet was assembled at [[Messina]] and consisted of 200 ships (60 galleys and 140 other vessels) carrying a total of 30,000 soldiers under the command of [[Giovanni Andrea Doria]], nephew of the famous Genoese admiral [[Andrea Doria]].

On 12 March 1560, the Holy League captured the island of [[Djerba]], which had a strategic location and could control the sea routes between [[Algiers]] and [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]]. As a response, Suleiman sent an Ottoman fleet of 120 ships under the command of Piyale Pasha, which arrived at Djerba on 9 May 1560. The battle lasted until 14 May 1560, and the forces of Piyale Pasha and [[Turgut Reis]] (who joined Piyale Pasha on the third day of the battle) won an overwhelming victory at the [[Battle of Djerba]]. The Holy League lost 60 ships (30 galleys) and 20,000 men, and Giovanni Andrea Doria was barely able to escape with a small vessel. The Ottomans retook the Fortress of Djerba, whose Spanish commander, D. [[Álvaro de Sande]], attempted to escape with a ship but was followed and eventually captured by Turgut Reis.

In 1563, capitalizing on the political climate, the [[Regency of Algiers]] launched the [[sieges of Oran and Mers El Kébir]] in a large scale attempt to dislodge the major Spanish positions in Northern Africa, but the attempt met failure. Philip's navy then [[conquest of Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera|conquered Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera]] the following year. The Ottomans sent a [[Siege of Malta (1565)|large expedition to Malta]], which laid siege to several forts on the island and took some of them, but the Spanish sent a relief force under D. [[García Álvarez de Toledo y Osorio|García de Toledo]] and a rescued Álvaro de Sande, which finally drove the Ottoman army out of the island.

The grave threat posed by the increasing Ottoman domination of the Mediterranean was finally reversed in one of history's most decisive battles, with the destruction of nearly the entire Ottoman fleet at the [[Battle of Lepanto]] in 1571, by the [[Holy League (1571)|Holy League]] under the command of Philip's half brother, Don [[John of Austria]], and Don [[Álvaro de Bazán, Marquis of Santa Cruz|Álvaro de Bazán]]. A fleet sent by Philip, again commanded by Don John, [[Conquest of Tunis (1573)|reconquered Tunis]] from the Ottomans in 1573. The Turks soon rebuilt their fleet, and in 1574 [[Uluç Ali Reis]] managed to [[Conquest of Tunis (1574)|recapture Tunis]] with a force of 250 galleys and a siege that lasted 40 days. Thousands of Spanish and Italian soldiers became prisoners. Nevertheless, Lepanto marked a permanent reversal in the balance of naval power in the Mediterranean and the end of the threat of Ottoman control. In 1585 a peace treaty was signed with the Ottomans.{{Citation needed|reason=The name of this treaty?|date=May 2024}}