Report Card: Philip II – Period 7
Letter Grade
Leadership Ability
B
Accomplishments/Strengths
A-
Username: way2kool65
Commentary
-Though his official title was that of an absolute monarch, Philip faced many
constitutional constraints on his authority.
-Spain was not a single monarchy with one legal system but a union of separate
regions with each one guarding its own rights against those of the Crown of Castile.
-Philip’s rule and power were often undermined by local lords who often had a greater
influence over their peoples.
- Despite its large size, Spain was a poor country with a relatively small population that
provided a limited income to the crown. Philip found raising taxes difficult; the
collection of which was monopolized by local lords.
-He was able to finance his military campaigns only by overly taxing and exploiting the
local resources of his empire. The flow of income from the “New World” proved vital
to his militant foreign policy, but nonetheless he faced bankruptcy several times.
- During his reign, Spain was the foremost Western European power; reaching the
height of its influence and power, directing explorations all around the world, and
settling the colonization of territories in all the continents known by the Europeans.
-He ended French Valois ambitions in Italy and brought about the Habsburg
ascendancy in Europe.
-He succeeded in massively increasing the importation of silver in the face of English,
Dutch and French privateers, overcoming multiple financial crises and consolidating
Spain's overseas empire.
-Although battles would be ongoing, he ended the major threat posed to Europe by
the Ottoman navy and relatively secured the Mediterranean.
-He dealt successfully with a crisis that threatened to lead to the secession of Aragon.
-Finally, his efforts contributed greatly to the long term success of the Catholic
Counter-Reformation and in curbing the religious movement of Protestantism in
Europe by imposing strong traditional catholic views.
Letter Grade
Areas of Concern
C-
Global Implications
B
Commentary
- In the Netherlands Philip banned Protestantism and severely restricted the rights of
the people. He used the Inquisition as a method of control, and thousands of
Protestants were killed or exiled. In 1567 the Protestants revolted, and Philip sent an
army to suppress them, starting 80 years of war through which the northern provinces
(now the Netherlands) won their independence.
- In Spain Philip's oppression of the Moriscos (Muslims who practiced Christianity)
provoked them to rebel in 1568; after suppressing the revolt in 1571, Philip exiled
almost the entire group, causing much harm to his country because the Moriscos
comprised a large portion of Spain’s economy.
- Even with the wealth from the American mines and also from the Portuguese spice
trade, along the support of the Habsburg dominions for the Counter-Reformation,
Philip II never succeeded in completely suppressing Protestantism during his reign
and, by connection, defeating the Dutch rebellion.
-Philip's foreign policies were defined by a combination of a strong belief in
Catholicism and expansionist self-interest.
-He considered himself as the defender of Catholic Europe, both against the Ottoman
Turks and against the forces of the Protestant Reformation. He never relented from
his war against what he regarded as heresy, preferring to fight on every front at
whatever cost rather than grant religious toleration within his territories.
-These territories included his territory in the Netherlands, where Protestantism had
taken deep root. Following the Revolt of the Netherlands in 1568, Philip waged a
campaign against Dutch religious heresy.
-In 1588 the English defeated Philip's Spanish Armada, ending his planned invasion of
the country. But the war would continue for the next sixteen years, and had a large
impact on much of europe including France, Ireland and the main battle zone, the Low
Countries.
-However not all of Philip’s foreign policy was militarily inclined. He established
settlements in the Philippines (Named after Philip himself) and started the first transPacific trade route between America and Asia known as the Manila- Galleon Trade.