1. Philip II ruled Spain from 1556 to 1598 and made himself an absolute monarch, believing that God had given him the right to rule. 2. He controlled all parts of the Spanish government and persecuted Protestants while supporting the Catholic Reformation. 3. Under Philip II, Spain had a strong navy and defeated the Ottomans in 1571, but the English navy later defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588, contributing to the decline of Spanish power over subsequent decades as it spent too much on wars and neglected domestic economic matters.