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The birth of Philip II, King of Spain and Portugal, in Valladolid on May 21, 1527 filled his parents, Emperor Charles V and Lady Isabel of Portugal, with joy. Little Felipe will be sworn in as heir to the crown of Castile on May 10, 1529 in the convent of San Jerónimo in Madrid.
In the following image corresponding to a painting of Philip II, you can see in his left hand his characteristic sword with a loop garrison, snake type, typical of the Renaissance. It was the garrison that provided the least protection at the time of fighting, followed by the shell ones, such as the foil ones; Cup swords were the ones that protected the hand the most in frontal attacks.
The term rapier sword, typical of the Spanish Renaissance, is a sword with a long, straight blade, wielded in one hand. It is called a rapier sword because it was carried as an accessory to clothing, generally used for fashion and as a weapon of personal defense. Don Felipe's relations with his mother were very close, so the death of Doña Isabel in 1539 was a very hard blow for the little prince. That same year he began his political duties as he became regent of the Kingdom before his father left for the city of Ghent. Felipe was twelve years old.
He married his first marriage in 1543 with his cousin María Manuela of Portugal. He was widowed just 1 year later after giving birth to his wife Prince Charles. The same year of his marriage, Felipe once again became regent of Castile. In 1554 he would marry again, the new wife will be the queen of England, Mary Tudor, since Charles V was especially interested in the English alliance. Philip II then received the title of King of Naples and Duke of Milan, moving to London to celebrate his wedding on July 25, 1554.
He was widowed for the second time in 1558, marrying a third time with the young Isabel de Valois. The death of Isabel de Valois in 1568 and the invasion of the Prince of Orange in the Netherlands would cause the year 1568 to be considered the "annus horribilis" of Philip's reign. He was widowed for the third time, without a male heir and with a war brewing in northern Europe. In 1570 he married again, his fourth, the chosen one being his own niece, Doña Anna of Austria. The couple will have 5 children, with only the heir to the crown, the future Philip III, surviving. Doña Anna would die in 1580 but the king would not remarry, spending his last years as a widower.
Philip II's snake-loop sword
In 1555 he received sovereignty of the Netherlands from his father, Charles I. His relationship with the Dutch and Germans was very close, becoming a monarch loved by his subjects. The following year, Charles I abdicated the crowns of Castile and Aragon to his son, making Philip the most important owner of the Empire of his time.
The government of Philip II coincides with the stage known as the Renaissance. Although the ideological change is not as extreme as in other countries; There is no abrupt break with medieval tradition, religious literature does not disappear, and it will be in the Renaissance when ascetic and mystical authors emerge; For this reason, there is talk of a Spanish Renaissance that was more original and varied than in the rest of Europe.
Philip II modernized and strengthened the administration of the Hispanic Monarchy, distancing it from medieval traditions and the aspirations for universal dominion that his father's Catholic Monarchy had represented. He developed a centralized bureaucracy, over which he exercised direct and personal supervision of affairs. Philip had to declare the Monarchy bankrupt on three occasions (1560, 1575 and 1596).
In foreign policy, the reign of Philip II began with the liberation of the Crown from imperial responsibilities (1556), the abandonment of the project of union with England due to the death of Mary Tudor (1558) and the military victories of Saint Quentin (1557) and Gravelines (1558), which temporarily pacified the recurring conflict with France (Peace of Cateâu Cambrésis, 1559). He died in 1598 in the El Escorial Palace that he had ordered to be built. He was succeeded by Philip III, son of his fourth marriage (with Anne of Austria)
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