King Philip: An Absolute Monarch

King Philip was the monarch for Spain for 1556 to 1598. In 1580, he defeated the portuguese and became their monarch, as well as the monarch of Spain. King Philip ruled over two different areas, which he claimed rightfully as his. Also, Philip was the son of King Charles V, who was the leader of Spain before him. He inherited Spain from his father. Throughout the time of his reign, and even today, Philip is still praised for his accomplishments. Philip loved hunting as a young boy. He was a big lover of books having over 14,000 volumes of his own that he loved to read.

Through his reign, King Philip II tried numerous times to expand his lands border, most of which were successful. For example, King Philip took over Portugal and became their monarch in the year 1580. If you look at the map, you can see that Portugal is right to the west to Spain. Also, Philip II tried to take over England in the year 1588. England is the island off North from Spain, and north of France. King Philip II was able to get to England by ship, having to cross over part of the Atlantic Ocean. Part of Italy, Naples was given to King Philip by the Catholic Church after the previous ruler left the throne. Naples is the most southern part of Italy, bordering the Mediterranean sea. Lastly, King Philip tried to expand his borders to the Netherlands, which is the part highlighted in light green on the map.

King Philip II was the King of Spain in the years 1556-1598. He ran the government much like an Absolute Monarchy, and used this as an excuse to justify his actions. Although King Philip II of Spain did have a council, viceroys, and secretaries of states to help aid his decisions, he rarely decided actions based on their opinions, and typically stuck to his own basis.

King Philip II of Spain was a devote catholic, who saw himself as the defensor of the catholic faith, and church. He fought against Protestantism and the Ottoman (Islamic) Empire, in an attempt to spread the Catholic religion, and convert others into his religion. King Philip II of Spain, even though he believed and respected the ruling of the pope, sometimes we t off on his own and followed his own laws if they benefited himself. Because King Philip was an absolute monarch, he held the right and authority to murder those who did not follow his religion and laws.

When Philip II was given the country of Spain from his father Charles V, he inherited what was considered Europe's wealthiest country. However, by the end of his reign, the country's economy was in shatters. Spain’s military and economy were far behind the demands of the Empire, so Spain tried to upgrade. This caused for a rise in taxes, and through 1559-1598, taxes increased by 430%. This increase in taxes caused the Spanish people to collapse and not be able to keep up.

In 1558, King Philip II went to war against the Ottoman Empire. This all started because the Ottomans took over the Baleárica islands, and not wanting them to gain more power, King Philip went to war with them. Fearing defeat, Philip rose a foreign policy to stop the attack of the Ottomans. The war finally ended in 1571, when the Pope called on Catholic princes to help fight against the Ottomans. In 1554, when Philip married Mary I of England, she tried to convert the English into Roman Catholic from Protestantism. This didn’t sit well with the English, and they revolted. Queen Elizabeth of England took the side of the English, and attacked back against King Philip’s Spanish Armada. Defeating them.

King Philip II of Spain was born on the 21st of May, 1527, he became king when he was 29 years old, and ruled until the day of his death, on September 13, 1598. Through his life, King Philip II has a total of 4 wives, Princess Maria of Portugal, Queen Mary I of England, Princess Elisabeth of Valois, and Anne, daughter of Emperor Maximillian. Most of King Philip’s reign based itself around spreading Catholicism. He fought wars as Catholic Crusades, and murdered those who weren’t catholic. Today, King Philip’s legacy lives on that he brought Spain to its highest power. Strangely enough, the Philippians today, were named after King Philip. This happened because an explorer from Spain found the islands in the year 1542, and decided to name them accordingly.

In short terms, yes, King Philip II of Spain was an absolute monarch. Out of the 3 characteristics of an absolute monarch; divine right, complete control over the government, and no checks and balances. King Philip hit the criteria for most of these 3. He did believe in divine right, and used this as an excuse for his actions. Even though Philip did have advisors telling him what to do, he rarely listened to them and in the end, had power to control all he desired, he had minimal checks and balances, and had complete control.

A bibliography of all sources used for this project.