The King Who Lost Spain’s Power: A handsome and powerful ruler Philip IV, 1285–1314, called “The Fair” because of his handsome looks, is the next Philip of France who is historically significant. He was the first French king with both the will and the means to become a powerful monarch. He left a mark on French life and government that has not been wiped out by successive revolutions.
His reign was notable chiefly for the development of royal power, the increase in taxation, and the meeting of the first session of the Estates-General, a national assembly corresponding to the English Parliament, for his struggle with and triumph over Pope Boniface VIII. To understand this struggle, one should note that Philip was at war with England and Flanders, and to carry on these wars, he needed money.
After taxing the laymen all he could, Philip turned to the rich churchmen for money. However, the pope claimed that church property was not under the state’s jurisdiction and could not be taxed. He forbade the priests to pay Philip’s taxes. In the end, the king won the conflict with the church. He also secured the removal of the popes from Rome to France’s southern border, where they were more easily subjected to French influence. This was the period of the church’s “Babylonian Captivity,” which lasted for 70 years.
Philip VI, from 1328 to 1350, was not personally of special importance. However, his accession to the throne is noteworthy because of the momentous consequences for France and England. In 1328, the last Capetian king of France, Charles IV, died without a son, and succession was uncertain. It was decided, following a precedent set in 1314, that a woman could not rule over France. The added principle was that she could not pass on her claim to a son. The throne, therefore, belonged to Philip of Valois, the nearest descendant in the male line, who became Philip VI of France.
His chief rival was young Edward III of England, whose mother was Charles IV’s sister. Initially, everyone accepted this decision. However, in 1337, Edward III of England denied its justice and laid claim to France’s throne on the ground that he stood nearer to the last preceding king than did Philip of Valois.
Moreover, Edward’s claim was one of the grounds for the 100 years war. This was waged, except for brief intervals, until 1456, and ended in England losing all its possessions in France except Calais. It was this, in fact, that led England to turn its attention to the seas, where it soon reigned supreme. The war also helped the king of France consolidate his power to absolutism which existed until 1789.
Philip, King of Spain: At the end of the reign of each Philip, the country was a little weaker politically and slightly poorer industrially than it was when he began to rule. The first, third, and fourth names were so characterless that they left no trace of personality. Philip V, the first French or Bourbon king, was distinguished for few faults and virtues,” but the weak-minded man is influential because of the devastating War of the Spanish Succession (1701–13), by which he gained his throne.
Philip II, in 1556, took up the burden of ruling Spain when his father, Charles V, laid it down. He carried it until his death in 1598. At the start of his reign, his kingdom included Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spanish possessions in the New World. Charles V’s other possessions went to Charles’ brother Ferdinand, head of the Austrian Habsburgs. During his rule, Philip lost the Netherlands but controlled a rich but weak Portugal.
He was 28 years old when his father abdicated, but he was prudent and experienced beyond his years. Dull and plodding, he was determined to do his finest and sacrifice everything for his view of duty. Unfortunately, though he was conscientious and well-meaning, he believed that his mission in life was to win worldwide power for Spain and the Roman Catholic Church.
His first wife, the Catholic Queen Mary of England, died two years after he became king. He had a small chance to win England for Spain with Queen Elizabeth-I as his rival. He was no match for her in international intrigue, and even his effort to conquer England by force failed, for the Invincible Armada expedition in 1588 ended in disaster (see Armada, Spanish). This defeat alone would not have wrecked Spain, but Philip’s policy weakened. In other ways, the country is affected. Moreover, his intrigues in France against the Huguenots and on behalf of the Catholic League were frustrated by the victories. So, that brought the Protestant-bred Henry of Navarre (Henry IV) to that deep throne.
Therefore, in his desire to extend the church’s power, he also encouraged the Spanish Inquisition. He scattered all over Spain the Moriscos of Granada, the thriftiest of his people. However, his efforts to stamp out Protestantism in the Netherlands by the same means led in 1568 to a revolt under William of Orange. This led to the final independence of the Dutch Netherlands, or Holland.
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