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Y208: Philip II 1556–1598

Political authority: Legacy of Charles I and condition of Spain

  • 2 things to know
  • Unit group 2

Overview

Recall questions on legacy of Charles I, condition of Spain, absolutism, the conciliar system, centralisation, methods and style of government.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

Describe the condition of Spain at Philip's accession.

Key term

Explain how the conciliar system worked under Philip.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Outline what Philip inherited from his father in 1556.

    Model answer

    He received Spain and the Indies, the Netherlands, Franche-Comté and the Italian lands, together with an unfinished war against France, obligations to defend Catholicism, and debts so large that payments to the bankers had to be suspended in 1557.

  2. 2

    Describe the condition of Spain at Philip's accession.

    Model answer

    Castile was populous and prosperous with a growing colonial trade, but heavily taxed and inflated in price, while the monarchy was a bundle of kingdoms with separate laws, so the crown's real power varied sharply between Castile and the rest.

  3. 3

    How far is it accurate to call Philip's rule absolutism?

    Model answer

    He acknowledged no earthly superior and made every important decision himself, but he was bound by the fueros of Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia and later Portugal, depended on the Castilian Cortes for taxes, and was limited by distance and by his own officials, so his authority was greater in theory than in practice.

  4. 4

    Explain how the conciliar system worked under Philip.

    Model answer

    Separate councils dealt with each territory and with matters such as finance, war, the Indies and the Inquisition; each debated business and sent the king a written recommendation, on which he wrote his decision in the margin, so the councils advised while he alone decided.

  5. 5

    Why did Philip increasingly govern through juntas in the later part of the reign?

    Model answer

    The councils were slow and the business too great for one man, so he referred urgent matters to small committees of trusted ministers who could work quickly and secretly, an arrangement that concentrated power in a handful of hands.

  6. 6

    Why was Madrid made the seat of government in 1561?

    Model answer

    A fixed and central capital allowed the councils, secretaries and archives to work in one place around a king who no longer travelled, replacing the itinerant court of his father and pulling government towards Castile.

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