Philip III of Spain

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Philip III
King of Spain and Portugal
Image:Felipe3-Spain.jpg
Reign April 14, 1598March 31, 1621
Born April 14 1578(1578-04-14)
Madrid, Spain
Died March 31 1621 (aged 42)
Madrid, Spain
Predecessor Philip II of Spain
Successor Philip IV of Spain
Consort Margaret of Austria
Father Philip II of Spain
Mother Anna of Austria

Philip III (Spanish: Felipe III; April 14, 1578March 31, 1621) was the King of Spain and King of Portugal and the Algarves, where he ruled as Philip II (Portuguese: Filipe II), from 1598 until his death. His chief minister was the Duke of Lerma. Philip III married Margaret of Styria, sister of Emperor Ferdinand II.

Born in Madrid, the son of Philip II of Spain and his fourth wife (and niece) Anna, daughter of the Emperor Maximilian II and Maria of Spain. He shared the viewpoints and beliefs of his father, but did not inherit his industry. The capable and intelligent old king had sorrowfully confessed that God had not given him a son capable of governing his vast dominions, and that he had foreseen that Philip III would be led by his servants. This opinion was ultimately correct.

The new king put the direction of his government entirely into the hands of his favorite, the Duke of Lerma, Francisco Goméz de Sandoval y Rojas, and when he fell under the influence of Lerma's son, Cristóbal de Sandoval, the Duke of Uceda in 1618, he trusted himself and his states to the new favourite.

The king's own life was passed amid court festivities, on which enormous sums of money were wasted, or in the practice of piety. It was said that he was so virtuous as hardly to have committed a venial sin. He cannot be justly blamed for having been born to a ruling monarchy, without even the capacity which would have qualified him to manage a small estate.

He died at Madrid on March 31, 1621. The story told in the memoirs of the French ambassador Bassompierre, that he was killed by the heat of a brasero (a pan of hot charcoal), because the proper official to take it away was not at hand, is a humorous exaggeration of the formal etiquette of the court.

Contents

[edit] Domestic Policy

Spanish and Portuguese Royalty
House of Habsburg

Charles I
(Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor)
Children
   Philip II of Spain
   Maria, Holy Roman Empress
   Juana, Crown Princess of Portugal
   Infante Juan (natural son)
   Margarita, Duchess of Parma (natural daughter)
Philip II
(Philip I of Portugal)
Children include
   Carlos, Prince of Asturias
   Isabella, Archduchess of Austria
   Catalina, Duchess of Savoy
   Philip III of Spain
Philip III
(Philip II of Portugal)
Children include
   Anne, Queen of France
   Philip IV of Spain
   Maria Ana, Holy Roman Empress
   Infante Carlos
   Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand
Philip IV
(Philip III of Portugal)
Children include
   Balthasar Charles, Prince of Asturias
   Maria Theresa, Queen of France
   Margarita, Holy Roman Empress
   Charles II of Spain
Charles II

The policies of the Duke of Lerma were aimed towards the maintenance of international peace, towards the expulsion of the Moors and towards his desire of personal enrichment, as much economic as political.

Throughout his reign institutional reforms followed one after another to solve the problems of corruption and inefficiency that plagued the administration of the Monarchy: apart from the changes introduced in the traditional system of Counselors, resources were extended to the Juntas, bodies responsible for decreasing the power of those in favor of a more agile and coherent government, but they didn't produced the desired result. The financial problems that arose from the previous king, made the king dependent on the Courts, who had to meet more frequently then their predecessors in order to grant the resources to run things outside the Monarchy.

The most significant domestic policy acts during the reign of Philip III were the expulsion of the Moors from the Peninsula and the adoption of the coins of a copper and silver alloy for domestic money transactions.

[edit] Expulsion of the Moors (1609–1610)

In 1609 a decree for the expulsion of the Moors from Spain was declared for the following reasons:

  • The Christian attitude desire to maintain a Catholic state
  • A possible alliance between the Berbers to attack the coast of Levant
  • Their unpopularity among the people
  • The necessity of the State to control its riches and values

Between 1609 and 1610 they began their departure from the peninsula. To accomplish this, the Navy and 30,000 soldiers were mobilized with the mission of transporting the Muslims to Tunis or Morroco. Approximately 300,000 Moors were expelled.

This measure considerably affected the Kingdom of Valencia, the valleys of Aragon and the markets of Murcia. The cheap labor and the rent paying owners in these areas decreased considerably. The cultivation of sugar and rice had to be substituted for white mulberry, vineyards, and wheat.

[edit] The Dismissal of the Duke of Lerma (1618)

In 1618 the corruption grew to intolerable levels in the Court of Madrid. The King dismissed the Duke of Lerma and named the duke's son as his successor, the Duke of Uceda, who he sent to detain Rodrigo Calderón, a figure emblematic of the administration of his father.

[edit] International Policy

[edit] England

With the ascension to the throne of James I of England, a solid alliance was created between England and Spain. In August of 1604 the Treaty of London was signed, through which diplomatic and commercial relations between both countries would be improved.

[edit] Netherlands

Philip II of Spain had bequeathed this territory to his daughter Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain and her husband, Archduke Albert, under the condition if she died without any heirs, the land would return to the Spanish Crown. The equality of forces between the rebellious provinces of the north - Calvinist Protestants - and the southern provinces - allied with Spain - led to war exhaustion and ultimately the Truce of Twelve Years with the United Provinces, also known as Pax Hispanica. This acknowledge the de facto independence of the Dutch and allowed its beginning of expansion into the Caribbean and the East Indies.

[edit] France

With the death of Henry IV of France - a supporter of the war against Spain - a period of instability commenced in the Kingdom of France. The Queen Regent, Marie de' Medici, asked Spain for help in the fight against the Huguenots. And so the peace with France that Philip II of Spain had arranged in his last moment with the Peace of Vervins was consolidated in 1615, by means of the marriage of the King of France with a Spanish infant and the crown prince of Spain (future Philip IV) with Elisabeth of Bourbon.

[edit] Italy

The Duke of Osuna, viceroy of Naples, the Marquess of Villafranca, and the Governor of Milan directed the Spanish policy in Italy that encountered resistance from the Kingdom of Saboya and the Republic of Venice. To secure the connection between Milanesado and the Netherland a new route was opened through Valtelina, Switzerland and in 1618 the plot of Venice occurred in which the authorities engaged in the persecution of Pro-Spanish agents.

[edit] Thirty Years' War

Main article: Thirty Years' War

Confrontation between the Catholics and Protestants in Bohemia.

[edit] Intervention of Philip III of Spain (1618–1621)

Emperor Ferdinand II of Habsburg ask his family in Spain for help to make a front against the rebellion of the Protestant Czechs.

Spain, allied with Austria and Bavaria confronted the Bohemian Protestants supported by the Electoral Palatinate. The Spanish troops headed by Ambrosia Spinola in the Palatinate and by Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly in Bohemia, achieved victory against the Czechs in the Battle of White Mountain.

[edit] Ancestors

Philip's ancestors in three generations
Philip III of Spain, II of Portugal Father:
Philip II of Spain, I of Portugal
Paternal Grandfather:
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Paternal Great-Grandfather:
Philip I of Castile
Paternal Great-grandmother:
Joanna of Castile
Paternal Grandmother:
Isabella of Portugal
Paternal Great-Grandfather:
Manuel I of Portugal
Paternal Great-Grandmother:
Maria of Aragon
Mother:
Anna of Austria
Maternal Grandfather:
Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
Maternal Great-Grandfather:
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maternal Great-Grandmother:
Anna of Bohemia and Hungary
Maternal Grandmother:
Maria of Spain
Maternal Great-grandfather:
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Maternal Great-Grandmother:
Isabella of Portugal

[edit] Family

Philip married Margaret of Austria. They had the following children:

NameBirthDeathNotes
Anne of AustriaSeptember 22, 1601January 20, 1666Married Louis XIII, King of France (1601 - 1643) in 1615.
Philip IV, King of SpainApril 8, 1605September 17, 1665Married (1) Elisabeth of Bourbon (1603 - 1644) in 1615. Had issue. Married (2) Mariana of Austria (1634 - 1696) in 1649. Had issue.
Maria Anna of SpainAugust 18, 1606May 13, 1646Married Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor (1608 - 1657) in 1631. Had issue.
Carlos, Prince of SpainSeptember 14, 1607July 30, 1632Died unmarried.
Ferdinand, Prince of SpainMay 16, 1609November 9, 1641Had illegitimate daughter (nun).

[edit] References

Philip III of Spain
Born: 14 April 1578 Died: 31 March 1621
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Philip II of Spain
I of Portugal
King of Spain
1598 – 1621
Succeeded by
Philip IV of Spain
III of Portugal
King of Portugal and the Algarves
1598 – 1621
Spanish royalty
Preceded by
Diego
Prince of Asturias
1582 – 1598
Succeeded by
Philip
(future Philip IV of Spain)
Portuguese royalty
Preceded by
Diego
Prince of Portugal
1582 – 1598
Succeeded by
Anne

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