1554 Charles cedes Naples to his son Philip. Philip marries Mary, queen of England.
1555 Philip invested with the sovereignty of the Netherlands.
1556 Philip invested with the sovereignty of Spain as Philip II. His possessions embrace Spain, Naples, Sicily, Milan, Franche-Comté, the Netherlands, Tunis, the Barbary coast, Canaries, Cape Verd Islands, Philippines, Spice Islands, West Indian colonies and territories in Mexico and Peru. Truce of Vaucelles arranges five years’ peace with France. Charles resigns the empire to his brother Ferdinand and retires to San Yuste. Pope Paul IV persuades Henry II of France to break the truce of Vaucelles and excommunicates Charles and Philip. Alva invades the papal states.
1557 Philip visits England and persuades Mary to declare war on France. St. Quentin captured by Spaniards and English. Peace with Paul IV.
1558 Spanish victory of Gravelines. Death of Charles V. Death of Mary of England.
1559 Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis between Spain and England and France. Philip marries Elizabeth of France. Margaret of Parma regent of the Netherlands. Philip assembles a force to recover Tripoli for the Knights of Malta.
1560 It captures Los Gelves in the Gulf of Khabes. A Turkish fleet routs the Spaniards, and takes sixty-five vessels.
1561 A new fleet, collected to oppose the Turks, dispersed and partly destroyed by a storm. Turks ravage the Spanish coast.
1563 The Castilian cortes protest in vain against the Inquisition. The Moriscos forbidden to carry arms.
1564 The pirate stronghold of Peñon de los Velez in Fez captured.