The Ottoman Empire
The war against the Ottoman Empire started in 1558 when the Turkish acquired the Balearic Islands. Philip II did not want the Turkish (Ottoman Empire) to gain more power so war broke out. He established a foreign policy because he was scared that the Islamic people would take over the Mediterranean. As a result of the capture of the Balearic Islands, many people were enslaved and Minorca was damaged. Philip II was defending Catholicism against the Muslims of the Ottoman Empire. In 1571, the pope called on all Catholic princes to come together to fight against rising power of the Ottoman Empire.
England
Starting in 1554 when Philip II married Mary I (queen of England), war broke out because Mary I was trying to convert the people of England who were Protestant back to Roman Catholic. Philip II wanted to punish England because of their choice of religion, being Protestantism. He sent a fleet againt Elizabeth I (pictured above).She supported the Protestant subjects that went against Philip, and they defeated him in the end.
Other Religious Wars
Philip II fought with France, England, and the Netherlands because of political and religous discontent that came together to cause a lot of revolts. He wanted to crush them. He wanted to defeat France and England because they helped out people who were against Catholicism. All in all, it was a struggle between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. Philip II appeared as the champion of the Church because of all the fighting that he did.