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Spain and Europe 1556–98

Philip II's Spain in 1598

  • 3 things to know
  • AS Unit 2

Overview

What had been achieved and what had been lost by the end of the reign, and the state of the treasury, the empire and the succession.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

Give the case that Philip II failed.

Evaluation

How far had Philip II achieved his political aims by 1598?

Evaluation

How far had Philip II achieved his economic aims by 1598?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    How far had Philip II achieved his political aims by 1598?

    Model answer

    Philip II had kept his inheritance intact except for the northern Netherlands and had faced down revolt in Granada and Aragon, but government had grown slower and more congested.

  2. 2

    What was the state of royal finances at Philip II's death?

    Model answer

    Royal finances were exhausted after a fourth suspension of payments in 1596, with most ordinary revenue committed to interest on the Crown's bonds.

  3. 3

    How far had Philip II achieved his economic aims by 1598?

    Model answer

    Philip II raised revenue several times over, but at the cost of a taxed and indebted Castile whose agriculture, industry and population were in decline by the 1590s.

  4. 4

    What did the loss of the northern Netherlands cost Spain?

    Model answer

    The northern provinces were effectively independent by 1598, taking with them the richest commerce of northern Europe and creating a naval enemy that attacked Spain's empire.

  5. 5

    What did Philip II do about the Netherlands shortly before his death?

    Model answer

    Philip II transferred sovereignty of the Netherlands in 1598 to his daughter Isabella Clara Eugenia and her husband Archduke Albert, hoping a separate court would reconcile the provinces.

  6. 6

    Summarise Philip II's record against France by 1598.

    Model answer

    Spain ended the French wars at Vervins with no territorial gain, a Catholic but independent Henry IV on the throne, and a France recovering as a great power.

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