Philip IV (Spain)
Philip IV - Spanish Felipe IV - (born April 8, 1605 in the Palacio Real de Valladolid, Valladolid ; † September 17, 1665 in the Real Alcázar de Madrid , Madrid ) was a Spanish monarch from the House of Habsburg (Casa de Austria). From 1621 to 1665 he ruled the countries of the Spanish crown ( Spain , Naples , Sicily , Sardinia , Spanish Netherlands ) with colonial property , until 1640 he was Filipe III, the last Habsburg king of Portugal .
Philip IV, called the Great ( el Grande ) or King of the World ( Rey Planeta ), was the last Spanish king to pursue a real great power policy . He renewed the war against the Netherlands and took part in the Thirty Years' War on the side of the Austrian Habsburgs. In addition, he fought with France and England for hegemony in Europe ( Franco-Spanish War and Anglo-Spanish War ). In the Peace of Westphalia (1648) Spain had to recognize the independence of the Netherlands and the power of the Protestants and France, in the Peace of Pyrenees (1659) it lost territories to France.
The numerous, ongoing wars weighed heavily on the economy, which resulted in multiple national bankruptcies . Internally, attempts to enforce a central state led to revolts, especially in Catalonia (since 1640), and Portugal gained independence from the Spanish crown in 1640. Overall, the reign of Philip IV stands for the decline of the Spanish-Habsburg power and the loss of the hegemonic position.
Life
Early years
Infant Felipe Domingo Víctor de la Cruz de Austria was born on April 8, 1605 in Valladolid as the third descendant and eldest son of the Spanish King Philip III. and his wife Margarete of Austria . Philip was baptized in the Iglesia de San Pablo , the First Minister of his father Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas (Duke of Lerma) served as godfather .
As the designated heir to the throne of the Spanish Empire , Philip received the title of Prince of Asturias and was carefully prepared for his future role as ruler. While he u. a. was taught literature and geography and learned four foreign languages ( Latin , French , Portuguese , Italian ), he wrote poetry and showed great interest in painting.
To consolidate the rapprochement between Spain and France, a marriage contract was signed between the House of Habsburg and the Bourbons in 1611 . According to these regulations, Philip, who was still a minor, was to be married to Élisabeth de Bourbon , the eldest daughter of the French King Henry IV and his wife Maria de 'Medici . On November 25, 1615, the ten-year-old Philip was married to the three years older Élisabeth (Spanish Isabel ) in the cathedral of Burgos .
Domestic politics
Philip took over the rule in 1621 at the age of sixteen. In contrast to his less ambitious father, he endeavored to fight for Catholicism and to enforce the authority of the crown within. The actual rule was in the hands of his favorite ( valido ) and First Minister Gaspar de Guzmán, Conde de Olivares . This endeavored internally to expand the power of the state. He tried to make a central state out of the various areas, which were mainly connected by the person of the monarch . These plans provided for uniform taxes and the creation of a uniform army. There was support for this in various parts of the empire. This was strictly rejected in Catalonia.
Not only the high costs of the wars contributed to the fact that Spain had to declare national bankruptcy in 1627. Old debts from the time of Philip II and declining silver deliveries from South America also played a role. Olivares' attempts to reorganize the state finances were unsuccessful. The financial problems remained a central problem of the empire during the entire reign of Philip IV and afterwards.
In 1638 there was an uprising in the Portuguese town of Évora . The situation worsened when in 1640 the Catalans rebelled against the rule of the central state in the revolt of the reapers ( Guerra dels Segadors ). Although the army managed to quickly retake a large part of Catalonia, the insurgents proclaimed the Catalan Republic and placed the country under the protection of the French King Louis XIII. Reconquering the country became a major goal of Spanish politics. This only came to an end in 1652, when Barcelona surrendered. Displeasure against Olivares led to a successful uprising in Portugal in 1640. The rulership of this kingdom came to the House of Braganza . Military attempts to regain Portugal failed.
Foreign policy
In terms of foreign policy, the government tried to restore the empire's old position of power through war. The eighty year war against the Netherlands was resumed after a twelve year armistice. In the Netherlands, Breda was captured in 1625 . This Spanish success became known through Velázquez's painting The Surrender of Breda . But Breda was lost again. The Spaniards also lost Maastricht and 's-Hertogenbosch . By 1637 the fighting had stalled. The current borders of Belgium and the Netherlands are essentially based on this.
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This conflict was linked to the Thirty Years' War. In this Philip IV was allied with the related Austrian Habsburgs. Its most important general was Ambrosio Spinola , who is considered one of the most successful military leaders of the Thirty Years' War. He conquered the Electoral Palatinate in 1620 . The Spaniards took part in the victorious battle of the White Mountain against the rebellious Bohemians, occupied the Valtellina in 1620 and took part in the battle of Nördlingen , which was victorious for the Habsburgs in 1634 .
The dispute over the succession over Mantua since 1627 heightened tensions with France. The French supported the Dutch and Swedes with subsidies in the war against Spain. Open war broke out from 1635 onwards. This too became a partial conflict of the Thirty Years' War. The French succeeded in breaking the Spanish connections ( camino espanol ) between Milan and the Netherlands. This contributed to Spain's defeats in the Netherlands. In addition, after 1640, Spain and France faced each other in the Catalan theater of war.
After the fall of Olivares
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The resentment against the excessive influence of Olivares was finally so strong that Philip had to fire him in 1643. Since then, the king has increasingly determined politics again. There were still minions and advisors, but none were as powerful as Olivares. Philip had to acknowledge that his country's power was no match for a war against the Netherlands and France. Since 1644 he strove to end the wars. He sent 1645 Gaspar de Bracamonte to the negotiations on the Treaty of Westphalia of Munster . This succeeded in reaching an agreement with the Netherlands. This enabled France to be isolated. In the peace treaty between Spain and the Netherlands, Philip IV had to recognize the independence of the free Netherlands in 1648, but at the same time was able to secure the continued existence of the Spanish Netherlands against France. However, in connection with the peace treaty, the alliance between the Austrian Habsburgs and Philip IV broke up.
The poor financial situation forced the king to raise taxes and introduce more. In the end he was even forced to pawn the silver shipments from South America. Internally, the empire was shaken by further uprisings. Unrest broke out in Sicily and Naples in 1647. In Sicily, concessions by the viceroy put an end to the uprising, while the unrest in Naples had to be put down by force. In 1648 parts of the nobility rose in Aragon and Navarre . In 1652 there was another national bankruptcy.
The war with France continued even after the Peace of Westphalia, with varying successes for both sides. One of the decisive factors was that France allied with England in 1655. The English succeeded in conquering Jamaica in 1655. In 1657 the English sank or captured the Spanish silver fleet . This further worsened Spain's financial situation. The war against France could not be ended until 1659 in the Peace of the Pyrenees. Spain had to cede important border provinces such as Roussillon , Artois , Cerdagne and others. With this at the latest, the Spanish hegemonic position in Europe ended. During the Restoration War (1659–1668) Philipp tried in vain to recapture Portugal.
During his reign, the consequences of wars, hunger and epidemics reduced the number of inhabitants of Spain significantly.
family
First marriage
On October 18, 1615, Philip married Elisabeth de Bourbon (called Isabel in Spain), the daughter of King Henry IV of France and Maria de Medici . Eight children resulted from this relationship, but only the youngest was old enough to be married: Maria Teresa , who married the French King Louis XIV in 1660 . In 1644 Philip IV became a widower.
Second marriage
In his second marriage, Philip IV married Maria Anna of Austria (1634–1696) on November 8, 1649 . The marriage was in response to the death of his only son and heir to the throne, Baltasar Carlos . This was only a few weeks after an agreement with Emperor Ferdinand III. died, according to which he should have married his daughter Maria Anna (on the night of October 9-10, 1646). Although he only recovered very slowly from this stroke of fate, the then 42-year-old Philipp ultimately decided to accept the emperor's proposal and to marry the bride of his deceased son himself, even though she was his biological niece and only 13 years old. Maria Anna (Spanish: Mariana ) did not arrive in Madrid until autumn 1649, so that at the time of their marriage she was 15 years old.
Although Philip IV fathered a number of healthy children with his mistresses, three of his five children fathered with Maria Anna either died shortly after birth or they were born dead. Only one daughter and one son reached adulthood. The daughter Margarita Teresa was later with her uncle, I. Leopold married.
King Philip IV's successor was born on November 6, 1661. The later Charles II , however, was a weak and sick child from the start. Due to the centuries-old incest between the individual royal houses, he showed clear signs of degeneration. While a person in the fifth generation normally has 32 different ancestors, there were only ten due to intra-family marriages, and seven of his eight great-grandparents were descended directly from Joan the Mad (Juana la loca).
progeny
On October 18, 1615 he married Élisabeth de Bourbon (1602–1644, henceforth called Isabel in Spain), with whom he had the following children:
- María Margarita (* / † 1621)
- Margarita María Catalina (* / † 1623)
- María Eugenia (1625-1627)
- Isabel María Teresa (* / † 1627)
- Baltasar Carlos of Spain (1629-1646)
- Francisco Fernando (* / † 1634)
- María Ana Antonia (1636-1636)
- Maria Teresa of Spain (1638–1683) ⚭ Louis XIV (1638–1715) King of France
The following children emerged from the marriage with Maria Anna of Austria :
- Margarita Teresa (1651–1673) ⚭ 1666 Leopold I (1640–1705), Holy Roman Emperor
- Maria Ambrosia de la Concepción (* / † 1655),
- Philipp Prosper of Spain (1657–1661),
- Tomás Carlos (1658-1659),
- Carlos II (1661–1700) King of Spain
He was also the father of the illegitimate son:
- Juan José de Austria (1629–1679)
death
Philip IV died on September 17, 1665 in the Real Alcázar de Madrid and was buried in the Pantheon of the Kings of the El Escorial Monastery.
Pedigree
| Pedigree of Philip IV. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great-great-grandparents |
|
King Manuel I of Portugal |
Emperor Ferdinand I (1503–1564) |
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King |
Duke |
Emperor Ferdinand I (1503–1564) |
| Great grandparents |
|
Emperor Maximilian II (1527–1576) |
Emperor Ferdinand I (1503–1564) |
Duke Albrecht V of Bavaria (1528–1579) |
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| Grandparents |
|
Archduke Charles II of Inner Austria (1540–1590) |
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| parents |
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literature
- Friedrich Edelmeyer: The Spanish monarchy of the Catholic kings and the Habsburgs (1474-1700). In: Peer Schmidt (ed.): Small history of Spain. BPB, Bonn 2005, pp. 180-201 (original edition by Reclam).
- RA Stradling: Philip IV and the Government of Spain 1621-1665 . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1988, ISBN 0-521-32333-9 .
Web links
- Entry on Westphalian history
- Entry on Madrid Monumental
- Publications by and about Philip IV. In VD 17 .
- Illustration from 1627: Philip IV.,… Hispaniae… Rex ( digitized )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Felipe Pereda, Fernando Marías (ed.): El atlas del Rey Planeta. La "Descripción de España y de las costas y puertos de sus reínos" by Pedro Texeira (1634) . Nerea, Donostia-San-Sebastián, 4th edition 2009, ISBN 978-84-96431-62-1 .
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Philip III |
King of Spain 1621–1665 |
Charles II |
| Philip III |
King of Naples 1621–1665 |
Charles II |
| Philip III |
King of Sicily 1621–1665 |
Charles II |
| Philip III |
King of Sardinia 1621–1665 |
Charles II |
| Philip III |
Duke of Milan 1621–1665 |
Charles II |
| Philip III |
Duke of Luxembourg 1621–1665 |
Charles II |
| Philip III |
Grand Master of the Order of the Golden Fleece 1621–1665 |
Charles II |
| Philip II |
King of Portugal 1621–1640 |
Johann IV. |
| Philip of Austria |
Prince of Asturias 1608–1621 |
Baltasar Carlos of Austria and Bourbon |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Philip IV |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Felipe IV |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | King of Spain, Naples, Sicily; as Philip III. King of Portugal |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 8, 1605 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Valladolid |
| DATE OF DEATH | 17th September 1665 |
| Place of death | Madrid |