er victories followed as the Spanish defeated the Turks in Naples. This was a huge moral boost for the Spanish people and soldiers.In 1570 the Spanish garrison at La Goleta was isolated by a take-over in Tunis. Cyprus was also invaded by the Turkish. This led Phillip to form the Holy League, an alliance between Italian States and Spain, thus increasing the defending force available to protect Cyprus. This was an important step for Phillip who was never once to trust the help of others.Led by Don John of Austria, the fleet set sail and met the Turkish fleet in Greek waters. Victory came to the Christians when John masterminded the battle including the death of a Turkish admiral. The majority of Turkish ships were sunk or captured. Despite the lack of territorial gain for the Spanish, the moral victory was huge. The Turkish fleet had long been considered invincible and now this could be proved otherwise. It was now believed that the Turkish could no longer pose as large a threat to the Mediterranean lands.The Holy League soon broke up and Phillip once again embroiled in other matters of concern, this time the Protestant challenge in England, France and the Netherlands. The Turkish themselves were also becoming more concerned with enemies on their opposite borders, the Persians. Peace was therefore now a plausibility.Phillip was largely successful in his dealing with the Turks. He recognised the areas of concern and made decisions to change them. He had regained the support of his subjects and could now move on to concentrate on other affairs.The unification of the Iberian Peninsula is one of the greatest successes of Phillip’s reign. The area we now know as Portugal existed as an independent state on the borders of Phillip’s home territory of Spain. When the Portuguese King died, the only heir was the aged Cardinal Henry who was expected to live for not much longer. This was the opportunity that Phillip needed ...
