| Philip the Handsome | |
|---|---|
,_,_Kunsthistorisches_Museum_Wien,_Gem%C3%A4ldegalerie_-_Philipp_der_Sch%C3%B6ne_(1478-1506)_-_GG_3872_-_Kunsthistorisches_Museum.jpg) Portrait by Juan de Flandes, c. 1500 | |
| King of Castile and León | |
| Reign | 12 July – 25 September 1506 |
| Proclamation | 12 July 1506 |
| Predecessor | Joanna |
| Successor | Joanna |
| Lord of the Netherlands Duke of Burgundy[a] | |
| Reign | 27 March 1482 – 25 September 1506 |
| Predecessor | Mary and Maximilian I |
| Successor | Charles II |
| Governors | See list
|
| Regent | Maximilian of Austria (1482–1494) |
| Born | 22 June/July 1478 Bruges, Flanders, Burgundian Netherlands |
| Died | 25 September 1506 (aged 28) Burgos, Castile, Spain |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | |
| House | Habsburg |
| Father | Maximilian of Austria (later Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor) |
| Mother | Mary, Duchess of Burgundy |
| Religion | Catholic Church |
| Signature | .PNG) |
Philip the Handsome[b] (22 June/July 1478 – 25 September 1506), also called the Fair, was ruler of the Burgundian Netherlands and titular Duke of Burgundy from 1482 to 1506, as well as the first Habsburg King of Castile (as Philip I) for a brief time in 1506.
The son of Maximilian of Austria (later Holy Roman Emperor as Maximilian I) and Mary of Burgundy, Philip was not yet four years old when his mother died as a result of a riding accident, and upon her death, he inherited the Burgundian Netherlands. Despite his young age, Philip quickly proved himself an effective ruler beloved by his people in the Low Countries, pursuing policies that favored peace and economic development, while maintaining a steady course of the government building.
In 1496, Philip's father arranged for him to marry Joanna, the second daughter of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon.[1] Around the same time, Philip's sister, Margaret, was given in marriage to Joanna's brother John, Prince of Asturias. After the deaths of her brother John, sister Isabella, and nephew Miguel, Joanna became heiress presumptive to the thrones of Castile and Aragon. Most of Philip's time in Spain was spent consolidating his power, often leading to conflicts with his wife and her father. Joanna became queen of Castile when her mother died in 1504. Philip was proclaimed king in 1506, but died a few months later, leaving his wife distraught with grief. Joanna's father, Ferdinand II of Aragon, and her own son, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, were quick to seize power, confining the queen for the rest of her life on account of her alleged insanity.[2]
Philip was the first Habsburg monarch in Spain, and every Spanish monarch since his son Charles V has been one of his descendants. Philip died before his father, and therefore never inherited his father's territories or became Holy Roman Emperor. However, his son Charles eventually united the Habsburg, Burgundian, Castilian, and Aragonese inheritances. By inheriting the Burgundian Netherlands and acquiring much of Spain and its possessions in the New World by marriage to Joanna, Philip was instrumental in vastly enhancing the territories of the Habsburgs, and his progeny would rule over European territories for the next five centuries.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Joanna (or Juana) was also the sister of Catherine of Aragon, who was Henry VIII's first wife.
- ^ Fox, Julia, Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile, New York: Ballantine Books, 2011.