Philip 2 - the Spanish king. A brief biography of this ruler testifies to the despotism and rigidity of his character. At the same time, the period of his reign is the time of the highest power of the country.
Philip 2 Spanish Story
The reign of this monarch is 1527-1598. Who was Philip 2 of Spain? The ruler's ancestors are Charles V and Isabella of Portugal. The future king was born in Valladolid. During a visit to his possessions in Germany, the Netherlands and Italy, the future monarch immediately felt the hostility of his subjects. Subsequently, their mutual misunderstanding was aggravated by the fact that the ruler did not know a single language well, with the exception of Castilian.
Childhood
Philip 2 Spanish childhood spent in Castile. His father was the emperor of Rome and heir to the Habsburg territories. From 1516 Charles V was also King of Spain. He ruled while traveling through North Africa and Europe. Valladolid and Toledo were the main cities where Philip II of Spain grew up. The family barely saw their father. State affairs demanded that Charles V constantlypresent in the territories under his control. When Philip's mother died, he was not 12. In his early years, he developed a love for nature. Fishing, hunting, trips to nature became the activities in which Philip II of Spain found solace. The self-consciousness of the monarch also began to manifest itself quite early. From a young age, he was distinguished by religiosity, love of music. Mentors instilled in him a craving for reading. His library consisted of 14,000 volumes.
Joining the board
Philip 2 of Spain (whose photo reproductions of portraits are presented in the article) developed his political views with the direct participation of his father. Despite a long absence and rare visits home, Charles V tried personally, through letters and special instructions, to instruct his son in matters of government. Father always talked about great political responsibility, the need to hope in God. Charles urged his son to be proportionate and fair in his decisions, encouraged him to defend the old faith, not to allow heretics under any circumstances.
Initial management stage
During the years of his first regency (from 1543 to 1548), Philip II of Spain received the most important experience of government. He was supported by the experienced top of the Council. In addition, he constantly consulted with his father, agreed with him on many issues. During this period, Philip II of Spain performed a dual function. He acted primarily as a regent in charge. In this regard, observing the political interest, he married in 1543 Maria, the daughter of the ruler of Portugal. Secondly, Philip 2 of Spain must have been verykeep a close eye on everything that happens in Germany. During that period, the main actions in this territory were carried out by his father. Philip also needed to be able to mobilize the resources of Spain for the subsequent costly policy. In 1547, Charles V defeated the Protestants. This moment marked the rise of the emperor to the height of his power.
Arriving in Germany
The events taking place on the territory of the empire, as well as the fact that the son of Ferdinand (Charles brother), who was prophesied to be the ruler, sympathized with the Protestants, confirmed Father Philip in the opinion that it was time to prepare the heir for the throne. He was ordered to come to the Netherlands and Germany. The years 1548-1559 became an excellent school for European political life for the young monarch. In the autumn of 1548, Philip II of Spain went to Italy. Along the way, with a retinue of two thousand, he stopped in Milan, Genoa, Trient, Mantua. Then he crossed the Alps, visited Heidelberg, Speyer, Munich. Through Luxembourg, he went to Brussels, where he met with his father.
Introducing the Netherlands
The journey of the young monarch was accompanied by numerous feasts and holidays, in which Philip II, the Spanish king, took the most active part. A short biography is full of many events. So, from July 1550 to May 1551, he was present at the Augsburg Reichstag. Here the monarch met Ferdinand (his uncle) and his son, Maximilian. In 1549 Philip traveled around the Netherlands. Acquainted with this country, helearned to appreciate it. The impressions brought from the Netherlands largely influenced the architecture of the parks and buildings that Philip later built in Spain. At the same time, the monarch took the most direct part in the planning of complexes and ensembles. Painting aroused particular delight in the monarch. Soon his collection was replenished with paintings by prominent artists. There were 40 Bosch paintings alone.
Loss of power by Charles V
In 1551, Philip returned to Spain for 3 years. From there, he tried to act independently, supporting his father in the uprising of the German princes. However, Charles and, accordingly, his son lost power in the empire. Ferdinand and Maximilian were able to defend their interests in Germany against the line of the Habsburgs, which, by the way, has now become Spanish. As a result, Charles had to cede the emperorship. Nevertheless, he was able to provide Philip with possessions in Italy and the Netherlands. He intended to strategically protect the territories of the latter with the help of his son's marriage to Mary Tudor, who was much older than him. For this, Philip received the Kingdom of Naples. The young monarch has moved to London.
Death of father and wife
A year after the events described above, Carl's he alth deteriorated significantly. He gave his son first the Netherlands, and then Spain. For another two years, the father wrote instructions to his son, until in 1558, in September, he died. Mary Tudor died two months later. All this allowed Philip to return to Spain in 1559. The monarch was 33 years old. Troubles in personal lifefifteen years of political experience made him a mature husband. Philip II of Spain, like no other European ruler, was ready to take responsibility for the fate of his state.
The goals of the monarch
What ruler was Philip 2 of Spain? A brief biography of the monarch indicates that he understood the importance of his existence, responsibility before God himself for the salvation of the souls of his subjects. His supreme goal was to preserve and expand the possessions of the House of Habsburg, provide protection from Turkish raids, contain the Reformation, fight against its adherents through the reform of the Catholic Church. In many ways, the tasks that he set for himself were consistent with those that his father solved. But at the same time, there was also a specificity in the policy pursued by Philip II of Spain. The king, unlike his father, ruled the country mainly from one permanent residence. During his time on the throne, he only came to Portugal for 2 years, after taking the throne in 1580, Charles V constantly participated in military campaigns. Philip II of Spain was completely different. The king sent his generals on military campaigns.
Residency transfer
In 1561, Philip moved to Madrid. From 1563 to 1568, the Escorial was built next to it. It was a symbolic center of power. It contained a residence, a dynastic tomb and a monastery. With the transfer of central government and his court, the king accomplished what had already been completed in England and France. From that moment on, Madrid began to acquire the features of the capital.
Government Style
Philip clearly followed the advice of his father, tried to ensure that he did not become dependent on individual advisers. In general, the style of his government can be called bureaucratic and authoritarian. Few representatives of the highest aristocracy were involved in the central administration to solve military and foreign policy problems. One such person, for example, was the Duke of Alba. Philip II of Spain entrusted the duties of ambassadors to the European courts to the giants. However, he still removed them from the central control. Key assistants were predominantly legal scholars, often with clerical titles. Most of them have been educated at the leading colleges and universities in Castile.
Tips
They acted as key governing bodies. Councils have evolved since the time of the Catholic rulers. Charles V improved their structure. Some of the organs were endowed with rather capacious functions. In particular, the State Council resolved the most important foreign policy issues, the Financial Council was responsible for money circulation. Under Philip, the body in charge of military policy was finally formed. The Council of the Inquisition, created in 1483, had supra-regional competence. It was he who became the key central power structure under Philip. Other advisory bodies were endowed mainly with regional competence. For example, the Councils of Aragon, Castile, and overseas territories operated in the country. In 1555, an independent body emerged that was in charge of the affairs of Italy. In the course of the emergence of new tasks, Philip II of Spain createdCouncils of the Netherlands and Portugal. Collegiate bodies were endowed with judicial, legislative and administrative powers. These structures assisted the monarch in resolving various issues and were used to exchange views.
Principle of interaction with authorities
Philip rarely attended meetings of the Soviets. Usually deliberative structures provided draft decisions in writing in the form of recommendations. Secretaries acted as intermediaries. They were also members of the Councils. In the eighties, these secretaries were united in the junta. Under Philip, it became the most important governing body. The monarch, when interacting with advisory structures, secretaries and other responsible officials, was guided by the principle of "divide and rule." Councils held meetings separately from each other. Often, even secretaries and a small circle of employees were not fully informed about all issues.
Punishments
Philip did not tolerate officials neglecting their duties. If someone was seen using his position for selfish purposes or failing to fulfill the assigned tasks, he was immediately deprived of his position and removed from the court. Such a fate, for example, befell the secretaries Antonio Perez and Francisco de Eraso. They were taken into custody. The Duke of Alba also periodically lost confidence due to arbitrariness in the Netherlands. Don Carlos, the son of Philip, was also arrested. The death of the heir saved the country from a deep foreign and domestic politicalcrisis. It is worth noting the public outcry that arose during these events. Philip's contemporaries did not doubt for a moment that the decisiveness of the monarch was determined by the state necessity to ensure the protection of dynastic interests. At the same time, the rigidity of the ruler created the ground for political propaganda launched by opponents. Throughout Europe, it was called legenda negra. Its echoes became the basis for the works of German writers F. Schiller ("Don Carlos"), G. Mann, T. Mann.
Revolution in the Netherlands
The rebellion was largely driven by Philip's actions. He rigorously introduced and strengthened the Inquisition in the Netherlands. The persecution of Muslims, Protestants and Jews intensified. The Dutch hated the monarch. To all the complaints and requests that came to him, he answered with orders to crush heretics, without showing any leniency. In 1565-1567 the uprising grew. Then Philip sent Alba, one of the outstanding generals, to the country. All his successors could not make peace with the Netherlands. Philip has always been against any compromise. He sat in his residence and from there sent letters with orders to his proteges. In 1581, the states general in The Hague announced that Philip was deprived of his possessions in the Netherlands. At the same moment, England advanced against the monarch.
Invincible Armada
After the death of his first wife, Mary, Philip wanted to marry her successor, Elizabeth. However, the lastrejected the offer. As the successes of the Netherlands grew, Elizabeth showed more and more sympathy for their causes. Adventurer Francis Drake, under the auspices of the English government, attacked the Spanish coast. Elizabeth sent help to the Netherlands - a large detachment of infantry and artillery. In turn, Philip decided to deal her a decisive blow. In 1588, he sent a huge flotilla to the English coast - the "Invincible Armada". But on the campaign, almost all the ships (and there were 130 of them) were lost in a storm and during attacks by enemy ships. Philip never made peace with Elizabeth. Until his death, the country was attacked by the British. The Spanish treasury was depleted. There was no money even to create at least a small defensive fleet.
Descendants
During the entire reign, Philip 2 of Spain was married four times. His children were of different sexes. The first son - Don Carlos - was born from Mary of Portugal. She died after the birth of her first child. Philip had no children from his second wife, Mary Tudor. At the same time, Don Carlos died under rather strange circumstances. It is known that he suffered from mental illness. In the third marriage with Isabella Valois, daughters were born. One of them began to rule in the Southern Netherlands. Philip tried to make her queen of France. As for the heir to the throne, he was the only son of the monarch. Philip III was born married to Anna of Austria. It was originally intended for Don Carlos. It is known from history that Philip II often changed mistresses. Numerous wars, barbarism in relation to trade andthe working population for religious beliefs was ruined by the once rich state, ruled by Philip 2 of Spain. He spent the end of his life in physical suffering. He developed gout.
Personality assessment
Protestant and Catholic authors characterize Philip 2 in completely different ways. The former describe the monarch as a bloody monster, attributing various vices to him. At the same time, they emphasize his unpleasant, repulsive appearance. An atmosphere of suspicion reigned in the ruler's court. The administration of the state was accompanied by vile intrigues. At the same time, Philip was considered a patron and connoisseur of art. During his reign, literature and painting experienced their golden age. It was during this period that El Greco, Lope de Vega became known to the world. The heyday continued until the second half of the 17th century. Philip's collection included rare paintings from all over Europe. His love for books has already been mentioned above. In his library were collected works of Copernicus, Erasmus. Despite the depletion of the treasury by the end of Philip's life, the country during his reign entered the international arena as a powerful state. This was largely facilitated by the policy of the father of the monarch - Charles V. However, the suspiciousness, suspicion, cruelty of Philip II destroyed the country.
