How far was Philip II successful in achieving his aims in his Foreign Policy?

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How far was Philip II successful in achieving his aims in his Foreign Policy?

Philip's main aims in his Foreign Policy were to unify the Iberian Peninsula, prevent the spreading of Protestantism and defend the Catholic church in his empire, defend routes, both sea and land, to the Netherlands, and not to give up any of his land. It is questionable that Philip's Foreign Policy was a failure; however he did have some successes during his reign.

One of Philip's major victories in France was the battle of St. Quentin in 1559; this was a huge success although Philip did not take advantage of this by continuing to defeat other parts of France like he should have done. Philip could have made a big step towards conquering France, instead the Treaty of Câteau - Cambrésis was signed later on that year, which showed the French just how dominant Spain was in Italy at the time. The Treaty was signed at a time when Philip was suffering from serious financial difficulties in the early years of his reign. Philip tried hard to maintain a peaceful relationship with France; he managed this when he married Elizabeth of Valois, giving him