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Spain and Europe 1556–98

Philip II's kingship and working methods

  • 3 things to know
  • AS Unit 2

Overview

Escorial and what purposes did it serve, how Philip II's marriages served his policy and black Legend.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Key term

Give two drawbacks of Philip II's insistence on deciding everything himself.

Numbers

What did Philip II do in 1561 that shaped the government of Spain?

Numbers

Why did the fate of Don Carlos damage Philip II's reputation?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    How did Philip II understand his authority as king?

    Model answer

    Philip II believed his authority came directly from God and that he was answerable to God alone for the souls and the government of his subjects.

  2. 2

    Why was Philip II known as el Prudente?

    Model answer

    Philip II earned the name el Prudente, the Prudent, because of his caution, his refusal to be hurried and his habit of weighing every decision at length.

  3. 3

    What was a consulta?

    Model answer

    A consulta was the written recommendation a council sent up to the king, on which Philip II wrote his decision in the margin before returning it.

  4. 4

    Why was Philip II mocked as a king of paper?

    Model answer

    Philip II governed from his desk, reading and annotating thousands of documents a year rather than travelling to his territories or leading armies in person.

  5. 5

    Give two drawbacks of Philip II's insistence on deciding everything himself.

    Model answer

    Decisions were delayed for months while papers travelled, and important business was buried under trivial detail because the king would not delegate.

  6. 6

    Why did Philip II refuse to appoint a single chief minister?

    Model answer

    Philip II distrusted any servant who might monopolise power, so he balanced rival secretaries and councils and kept the final decision in his own hands.

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