Resource Sheet 1 – The Legacy of Charlies I
Charles and the Netherlands
The Netherlands (and with them the rest of the Burgundian
inheritance including Franche-Comté) were all of his possessions
closest to the heart of the emperor. He felt bound to them by ties
of family and sentiment and spent most of his reign there - twelve
years – than in any other part of his monarchy after Spain. His
attachment explains why he decided to bind the Netherlands to
Spain when he divided up his territories and why he charged
Philip to preserve them as a sacred trust. In fact, there were also
sound practical reasons for Charles’ attitude. Situated at the
confluence of Europe’s trading routes, secure in possession of an
extensive range of heavy and light industry, served by the great
metropolis of Antwerp, the Netherlands were the most flourishing
region of his empire and the most capable of contributing to his
financial needs.
Kamen H (2014), Spain 1465-1714: A Society of Conflict, p.68
Philip II
Uniquely among European rulers of his day, he had extensive
experience of the ways of the world, had spent nearly seven
years travelling through Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and
England, had personally met every person of importance in
Europe and was the last Hapsburg king of Spain to fight actively
in battle for his country. Pensive by disposition and always
reluctant to rush into decisions – hence the tag of ‘prudent’ king –
he had a deep sense of duty that governed both his personal and
his private life. The stern side was what foreign ambassadors
saw and reported, and Philip cultivated the public reserve
expected of a king; but his relaxed and affectionate private side
emerges clearly in his private correspondence. Above all, the
Catholic religion gave him comfort and conviction.
There is no doubt that his father was the ruling influence on his life. In his Instructions of 1543,
which were meant to be a code of conduct for the prince’s first regency, Charles commanded him
to serve God, uphold the Inquisition, suppress heresy, dispense justice and hold the balance
between his advisors. He also urged him to pay particular attention to finance ‘upon which the
success or failure of my policies depend’. He must never recede from an inch of territory and
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should maintain integrally the inheritance given by God: a policy carried out stubbornly in the
Netherlands, which Philip like his father considered his patrimony.
Kamen H (2014), Spain 1465-1714: A Society of Conflict, p.68
Charles V
Charles V had impressed upon his son his own high sense of duty,
as expressed in his famous confidential instructions which he
prepared for him before leaving Spain in 1543. Philip was advised
to keep God always before his eyes, and to listen to the advice of
good counsellors; he must never give way to anger; he must never
do anything offensive to the Inquisition; and he must see that
justice was dispensed without corruption. These instructions were
carefully followed, for Philip entertained for his father a respect
amounting to veneration.
Elliot J.H. (Penguin 2002), Imperial Spain 1469-1716, p.249-50
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