Religion has played a central and varied role in European politics, society, culture and thought, from the late 16th century to the Enlightenment. In politics, the interest of nations was centered on religion. Monarchs aligned themselves based on religious belief and fought wars against those who worshiped differently. In Spain, King Philip II declared war on the Islamic Ottoman Empire in an attempt to stop the spread of Islam into Western Europe and further spread Catholicism. Spain, the most powerful nation in Western Europe in the late 16th century, also tried to interfere in the French royal succession when Henry IV, a Protestant, was about to ascend the throne. A fact that underlines the role of religion is that the fighting between Spain and France continued even after Henry IV's conversion to Catholicism. Another example of relations influenced by difference in religion is the strained relations, which eventually led to armed conflict, that Spain had with England and the Netherlands, two Protestant nations. Elizabeth, who ruled England, herself experienced discord with her Puritan subjects who felt that the differences between the Protestant Anglican Church and the Catholic Church were not clear enough. This same fanaticism led Elizabeth to order the execution of Mary Queen of Scots to extinguish the Catholic hopes of government, which her life and position in line to the throne gave to Catholics in England. Religious tolerance was rare. During the late 16th century, the Netherlands was the only nation to have a policy of tolerance. The Dutch benefit from this tolerant policy as it attracts people of different religious backgrounds, creating fertile ground for trade. During the scientific period...... paper......s became cannon fodder for thinkers such as the philosophes, men who saw no merit in the dogmatic way in which religion was imposed on the people. The radical proposals of the philosophes during the Enlightenment showed the desire for a different model of worship and application of religion in society. Authors like Voltaire, who called religion “The Infamous Thing,” preferred that man be responsible for his actions. As people continued to speak out against abuses of power, the role of religion began to change once again. Although the scope of its influence varied over the years, religion continued to play a central role in European politics, society, culture and thought from the late 16th century until the Enlightenment. As illustrated by the above examples, it has remained a powerful tool and leaders have used it to varying degrees and to varying degrees.