Biography of King Philips II
King Philip II of Spain, also known as “Philip, The Prudent” who ruled one of the largest empires of the world, The Spanish Empire. Under his reign there began the Spanish Empires Golden Age, where enhancement of music, literature and visual art perplexed.
King Philip was also named as the King of Portugal, Duke of Milan, King of Naples as well as the lord of 17 provinces of Netherlands at various stages in his life. He also became King England for four years as a result of his marriage to Mary Tudor. So he became the brother in law of Queen Elizabeth. The former Spanish colony called the Philippines was named after him.
King Philip was a cautious reformer and remained a devoted Catholic during the Protestant counter-reformation. Because of his religious piety, he often got indulged in the conflicts with his neighbor kingdom which also procured loss to his own kingdom.
During his reign, he saw to the extermination of many Protestants and was responsible for the atrocities carried out in the name of the Spanish Inquisition. He was regarded as being a man of ruthless motive, vain and ambitious. Throughout his reign, the main enemies of Spain were The Turkish, the French and the English.
King Philip II of Spain Timeline of Key Events
Year 1527: Philip II of Spain was born in Valladolid on May 21st, 1527. He was son to the parents Charles V (The Holy Roman Emperor) and Isabella of Portugal.
Year 1543: Philip II married his first wife, Maria of Portugal who was also his cousin.
Year 1545: His first wife died while giving birth to his son Don Carlos.
Year 1554: Philip then married Queen Mary I of England (Bloody Mary) much to the disapproval of the English nobility. Mary was eleven years older than Philip and as a sign of their disapproval of her choice of husband; Parliament refused to crown him king to ensure whatever power he held in England was kept to a minimum.
Year 1556: Philip was granted the Spanish crown in January 1556 after his father Charles V announced his retirement to a monastery. By the time, Philip II was already crowned as King of Naples, Milan, Sicily and Netherlands by his father.
Year 1556: On 5th February of the year, a treaty called a truce of Vaucelles was signed between King Philip II of Spain and King Henry II of France.
Year 1557: The French were defeated at the battle of St. Quentin by the alliance of Spanish and English Troops.
Year 1558: Queen Mary I was executed and then King Philip II tried to persuade Elizabeth, her sister to marry him, she refused.
Year 1559: A treaty of peace called Cateau-Cambresis was signed between Philip II and Henry II of France.
Year 1560: Philip married Elizabeth of France, the daughter of King Henry II. They had two daughters together, Isabella Clara Eugenia and Catherine Micaela.
Year 1567: On January of this year, the imprisonment and expulsion of the Christian Moors who were living in Spain began.
Year 1567: The Spanish Army was sent to the Netherlands to stop the uprising protestant there by King Philip II.
Year 1568: His third wife Elizabeth of France died.
Year 1569: An inquisition was formed by King Philip II in South America.
Year 1570: Philip married for a fourth time in 1570 to Anna of Austria, the daughter of Emperor Maximilian II. They had one son who would later be crowned King Philip III.
Year 1571: Turkish Navy was destroyed by the Spanish Ships in the Battle of Lepanto in the Mediterranean Sea.
Year 1581: King Philip II was also crowned as the King of Portugal.
Year 1587: King Philip II got approval from the Pope Sixtus V for the invasion of England which was considered more a Catholic Issue than that of Kingdom issue.
Year 1588: The Spanish Armada which included 132 ships were defeated by the English Armada that consisted of 34 ships and 163 armed merchant vessels. The War between the Spanish throne and the English throne then continued till 1603.
Year 1590 – Year 1598: King Philip II took part in the Spanish war that was against France that took place in Huguenots.
Year 1598: Philip II died in September 1598 in Spain.
Accomplishments of King Philip II of Spain
Philip II is regarded as being the King of Spain throughout it’s ‘Golden Era’ in history. Not all of his accomplishments were positive throughout his reign, and his orders saw that many hundreds if not thousands of Protestants lost their lives.
The first major accomplishment of his reign was the signing of a treaty with Henry II of France, called the Truce of Vaucelles it signaled a new period of peace between France and Spain. this truce ended the conflict of Hapsburg-Valios. So within a year of being a king, he ended the battle and expanded the area of his reign and Spain.
In 1557 Philips troops fought alongside the English in the Battle of St Quentin against French forces. Till now he was having a great reign and it was loosened up after he was rejected by the Queen of England.
HE was lucky enough to sign a further peace treaty, the Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis with Henry II. January 1567 saw the start of the persecution of the Moors in Spain, this was followed by the sending of an army to the Netherlands in the same year to put a stop to a Protestant uprising.
In 1569 Philip gives orders for the instigation of the Spanish Inquisition in South America. A battle in the Mediterranean sees the fleet of Spain destroy the Turkish Navy.
Later when Philip was crowned King of Portugal, he joined both the countries bu owing both the thrones. Combined Portugal and Spain made him more powerful and empire such a force which cannot be reckoned with.
With double the wealth and the double military power, King Philips II gains backing for the pope to invade England on a holy crusade to restore the old religion in 1588, resulting in the defeat of the Spanish Armada in the English Channel.
Although his timing of death was not in his favor, King Philip II became very successful during his reign and increased the power of Spain. He also continued the legacy of his father and forefathers.
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