The Protestants and the Muslim "Turks and Berbers", more precisely the Barbary pirates, collaborated during that period against their common enemy, Catholic Europe. This collaboration has to be seen in the context of the wars of religions and the ongoing mortal battle between Protestantism and Catholicism. At that time, Spain, Portugal, and France, which were implementing anti-Protestant policies, were the target of this Anglo-Muslim collaboration. It also seems that English pirates, who had been active against Spain until 1604 when peace was signed with England, were still inclined to continue the fight and the depredations, although under the protection of a different state, to the embarrassment of the English Crown.