Philip 2 - the Spanish king. A brief biography of this ruler testifies to the despotism and rigidity of his character. Moreover, the period of his reign is the time of the highest power of the country.
Philip 2 Spanish: History
The reign of this monarch is 1527-1598. Who was Philip 2 of Spain? The ancestors of the ruler are Charles V and Isabella of Portugal. The future king was born in Valladolid. During a visit to their possessions in Germany, the Netherlands and Italy, the future monarch immediately felt the hostility of his subjects. Subsequently, their mutual misunderstanding was compounded 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 the heir to the Habsburg territories. Since 1516, Charles V was also king of Spain. He ruled traveling in North Africa and Europe. Valladolid and Toledo were the main cities in which Philip 2 of Spain grew up. The family almost did not see the father. Government affairs demanded that Charles V be constantly present in his territories. When Philip's mother passed away, he was not 12. In his early years, he developed a love of nature. Fishing, hunting, and field trips became those activities in which Philip 2 of Spain found reassurance. The monarch’s identity also began to appear quite early. From a young age, he was distinguished by religiosity, a love of music. Mentors instilled in him a craving for reading. His library totaled 14 thousand volumes.
Introduction to the Board
Philip 2 of Spain (photo of reproductions of portraits of which are presented in the article) developed his political views with the direct participation of his father. Despite the long absence and rare visits home, Charles V tried personally, through letters and special instructions, to instruct his son in management matters. Father always spoke of great political responsibility, the need for hope in God. Karl called his son for proportionality and justice in decisions, urged to defend the old faith, not to allow heretics under any circumstances.
Initial management phase
During the years of his first regency (from 1543 to 1548), Philip 2 of Spain gained the most important experience of government. He was supported by the experienced tip of the Council. In addition, he constantly consulted with his father, coordinated many questions with him. During this period, Philip 2 of Spain performed a dual function. First of all, he acted as a responsible regent. In this regard, observing political interest, he married in 1543 to Mary, daughter of the ruler of Portugal. Secondly, Philip 2 of Spain had to closely monitor everything that happens in Germany. At that time, the main actions in this territory were carried out by his father. Philip needed to be able to mobilize the resources of Spain for the subsequent expensive policy. In 1547, Charles V defeated the Protestants. This moment marked the emperor’s rise to the peak of his power.
Arrival in Germany
Events taking place on the territory of the empire, as well as the fact that the son of Ferdinand (Karl’s brother), who was predicted to be rulers, sympathized with the Protestants, approved Father Philip in the opinion that it was time to prepare the heir to the throne. He was ordered to come to the Netherlands and Germany. The years 1548-1559 became for the young monarch an excellent school of European political life. In the fall of 1548, Philip 2 of Spain set off for Italy. Along the way, he and his two thousand retinue stayed in Milan, Genoa, Triente, Mantua. Then he crossed the Alps, visited Heidelberg, Speyer, Munich. Through Luxembourg, he headed to Brussels, where he met with his father.
Discover the Netherlands
The journey of the young monarch was accompanied by numerous feasts and holidays, in which Philip 2, the King of Spain, took an active part. A brief biography is full of 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, he learned to appreciate it. The impressions exported from the Netherlands to a large extent influenced the architecture of the parks and buildings that Philippe subsequently built in Spain. Moreover, the monarch took a direct part in the planning of complexes and ensembles. The monarch was especially delighted with the painting. Soon his collection was replenished with canvases of outstanding artists. Bosch's paintings alone counted 40.
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, Karl and, accordingly, his son lost power in the empire. Ferdinand and Maximilian were able to defend their interests in Germany against the Habsburg line, which, by the way, has now become Spanish. As a result, Karl had to cede the imperial regime. Nevertheless, he was able to secure ownership of Philip in Italy and the Netherlands. The territory of the latter, he proposed to be strategically protected through the marriage of his son to Maria Tudor, who was much older than him. For this, Philip received the Kingdom of Naples. The young monarch moved to London.
The death of father and wife
A year after the events described above, Karl's health 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. Two months later, Maria Tudor died. All this allowed Philip to return to Spain in 1559. The monarch was 33 years old. Adversity in his personal life, fifteen years of political experience made him a mature husband. Philip 2 of Spain, like no European ruler, was ready to accept responsibility for the fate of his power.
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 to God himself for the salvation of the souls of his subjects. Its highest goal was to preserve and expand the possessions of the Habsburg house, to provide protection from Turkish raids, to deter the Reformation, and to fight 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 was solving. But at the same time there was a specificity in politics, which was led by Philip 2 of Spain. The king, unlike his father, ruled the country mainly from one permanent residence. During his tenure 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 2 of Spain was completely different. The king sent his generals to 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 housed a residence, a dynastic tomb and a monastery. With the transfer of the central government and his court, the king accomplished what was already completed in England and France. From that moment, Madrid began to acquire the features of the capital.
Board style
Philip clearly followed his father's advice, tried to ensure that he did not become dependent on individual advisers. In general, the style of his rule can be called bureaucratic and authoritarian. Few representatives of the higher aristocracy were involved in the central administrative apparatus for solving military and foreign policy tasks. One such person, for example, was the Duke of Alba. The Grands Philip 2 of Spain assigned the duties of ambassadors to European courts. However, he still removed them from the central government. The key assistants were predominantly academic jurists, often with clerical titles. Most of them were educated at the leading colleges and universities of Castile.
Advice
They acted as key governing bodies. Councils have evolved since the time of Catholic rulers. Charles V perfected their structure. Some 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, a body that was in charge of military politics was finally formed. The Inquisition Council, created in 1483, possessed supra-regional competence. It was he who became the key central power structure under Philip. Other deliberative bodies were vested mainly with regional competence. For example, the Soviets of Aragon, Castile, and overseas territories acted in the country. In 1555, an independent body was established, in charge of the affairs of Italy. As new tasks arose, Philip 2 of Spain created the Soviets of the Netherlands and Portugal. Collegial bodies were vested with judicial, legislative and administrative powers. These structures assisted the monarch in resolving various issues and were used to exchange opinions.
Principle of interaction with authorities
Philip rarely attended meetings of the Soviets. Typically, deliberative structures provided draft decisions in writing in the form of recommendations. Secretaries acted as intermediaries. They were also members of the Soviets. In the eighties, these secretaries were united in the junta. Under Philippe, it became the most important governing body. The monarch, in collaboration with deliberative structures, secretaries and other responsible officials, was guided by the principle of "divide and conquer." The councils held meetings separately from each other. Often, even secretaries and a small circle of employees were not fully informed about all issues.
Penalties
Philip did not tolerate the neglect of officials to their duties. If someone was noticed using his position for personal gain or not fulfilling his tasks, he was immediately deprived of his post and removed from the yard. Such a fate, for example, befell the secretaries of Antonio Perez and Francisco de Erazo. They were taken into custody. Periodically, the Duke of Alba also 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 crisis. It is worth noting the public outcry that arose during these events. Philip’s contemporaries did not doubt for a moment that the monarch’s determination was determined by the state’s need to protect dynastic interests. Along with this, the stiffness of the ruler created the basis for political propaganda launched by opponents. Throughout Europe, she passed under the name legenda negra. Her echoes became the basis for the works of German writers F. Schiller ("Don Carlos"), G. Mann, T. Mann.
The revolution in the Netherlands
The rebellion was largely due to the actions of Philip. He rigorously introduced and strengthened the Inquisition in the Netherlands. The persecution of Muslims, Protestants, and Jews intensified. The Netherlands hated the monarch. To all 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 to the country of Alba - one of the outstanding generals. All his successors could not make peace with the Netherlands. Philip has always been against any compromises. He sat in his residence and from there sent letters with orders to his proteges. In 1581, the general states in The Hague announced that Philip was deprived of his possessions in the Netherlands. At that very 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 latter rejected the offer. As the successes of the Netherlands grew, Elizabeth showed more sympathy for their affairs. Adventure seeker Francis Drake, under the auspices of the English government, attacked the Spanish shores. Elizabeth sent help to the Netherlands - a large detachment of foot soldiers and artillery. In turn, Philip decided to deliver her decisive blow. In 1588, he sent a huge flotilla to the English shores - the “Invincible Armada”. But on the campaign, almost all ships (and there were 130) were lost in the storm and during attacks by enemy ships. The world with Elizabeth Philip never made. Until his death, the country was attacked by the British. The treasury of Spain was exhausted. There was not even money to create at least a small defensive fleet.
Descendants
For all the time of the reign, four times married Philippe 2 of Spain. His children were heterosexual. The first son, Don Carlos, was born of Mary of Portugal. She died after the birth of the firstborn. From his second wife, Maria Tudor, Philip had no children. At the same time, Don Carlos died under rather strange circumstances. It is known that he suffered from mental illness. In a third marriage with Isabella Valois , daughters were born. One of them began to rule in the Southern Netherlands. Her same Philip tried to make Queen of France. As for the heir to the throne, he became the only son of the monarch. Philip 3 was married to Anna of Austria. It was originally intended for Don Carlos. From history it is known that Philip 2 often changed lovers. Numerous wars, barbarism in relation to the commercial and working population for religious beliefs ruined the once rich state ruled by Philip 2 of Spain. The end of his life he spent 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 to him various vices. At the same time, they emphasize his unpleasant, repulsive appearance. An atmosphere of suspicion reigned in the court of the ruler. Governance was accompanied by vile intrigues. At the same time, Philip was considered the patron and subtle 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 flowering continued until the second half of the 17th century. Philippe's collection included rare canvases from all over Europe. Above was mentioned his love of books. 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. In many ways, this was promoted by the policy of the father of the monarch - Charles V. However, the suspiciousness, suspicion, and cruelty of Philip 2 destroyed the country.