philip2

H.C.M. King Philip II of Spain

      Having a father like Emperor Charles V, it is probably no wonder that King Philip II was to set such an example of Christian devotion and royal leadership at a time when the world was in need of both. Although he was not to inherit the office of Holy Roman Emperor, Philip II was recognized as the strongest Christian monarch in the world, ruling over Spain, Burgundy and most of the New World. Perhaps due to his desire for the religious reunification of Christendom, he agreed to an arranged marriage with Queen Mary I of England. Although she was much older than him, the two had a devoted marriage, but, in typical Tudor fashion, the Queen was unable to have children and Philip's duties on the continent kept him away for long periods. In 1556 Philip was crowned King of Spain and returned to England the following year, the last he would see of Mary before her death. He urged her to maintain the succession and allow her half-sister Elizabeth to inherit the throne. Despite this, Queen Elizabeth was to prove a bitter enemy of King Philip II.
      In 1559 Philip II defeated the French at the Battle of San Quentin and signed a peace treaty with King Henri II. To give thanks to God King Philip built a monastary-palace and devoted it to St Lawrence. As part of the treaty the King married Isabel d'Valois. Not long after peace had been declared the Wars of Religion broke out in France between the Protestant Huguenots, supported by the English, and the Catholics under the Duc d'Guise. Many churches were sacked and innocent people on both sides were killed. Naturally, Philip sent troops to support the Catholic forces in thwarting the rebel armies.
       Another problem in international relations was the renewed Turkish invasions under the legendary Sultan Suleiman the Magnificant. When the Muslim forces attacked the island of Malta the Knights of St John called on King Philip for help. He rushed his fleet and troops in as fast as he could, and by the grace of God, they arrived just in time to save Malta from disaster. However, Philip II was also being plagued by a Protestant revolt in the Netherlands, this time republican as well as Calvanist, and again aided by the English. There was no doubt that Philip II was the rightful King of the area, nor that many of the leaders of the revolt were driven by greed as much as religious conviction, but as Philip sent in more troops so did other Protestant leaders of Europe. Furthermore, the mighty Spanish fleet was constantly being harassed by English and Huguenot pirates at sea. In 1568 Philip lost both his wife and his only son. A few years later he married again to Anne of Austria, but only one of their four children lived to adulthood.
       When Europe came under another attack by the Muslim Turks, threatening to sack the Vatican itself, Pope St Pius V called for a new Crusade. In all of Christendom, the only ruler to answer the Pontiff's call was King Philip II of Spain. However, through the determination of the great king and the saintly Pope, as well as through Our Lady of the Rosary, the Turkish invasion was blunted at the Battle of Lepanto. Still, difficulties remained in France and the low countries as traditional Catholic, royal authority was challenged by liberal revolt. Driven by such intense beliefs, hatred soon got out of hand and massacres occured on both sides. King Philip achieved success in Holland thanks to his general, the Prince of Parma. Yet, just as victory was in sight, the English again intervened and the war went on. It is for this reason that the Low Countries became divided between the Protestant Dutch in the north and the Catholic Belgians in the south.
       This act, as well as the inhuman murder of Queen Mary of Scotland, led Philip to believe that he had no recourse but a full invasion of England to remove the Protestant government and restore the country to Catholicism. It was for this purpose that the famous Spanish Armada was formed. As you probably know the attack ultimately failed, though due more to weather than any brilliance on the part of the English commanders. The sea power of Spain would never fully recover from the campaign. When King Philip heard of the defeat he asked the monks of El Escorial to sing a hymn of praise and accepted it as God's will that he bear this along with the other sufferings he had been obliged to face. Despite this setback Philip would never stop defending the Church as long as a single attacker remained. He sent troops from the Netherlands to the relief of the besieged Catholics in Paris and to Ireland when English forces threatend to destroy the Catholic population there.
       King Philip II of Spain died on September 14, 1598 and was buried in a humble coffin according to his previous instructions. Although he had known a great deal of hardship during his reign, and had seen many defeats, his steadfast devotion to God and his people ensured that the Faith would be preserved in the "Austrian Netherlands", France and Ireland. He was also instrumental in saving Europe from Muslim invasion. However, even if King Philip had never won a single victory, his determination to do the right thing, to stubbornly defend his Church whenever it was attacked and stand up for the traditional, Christian monarchial principle, would still be an inspiration for all people.