Philip III of Spain

For other monarchs with the name Philip III, see Philip III.

Philip III of Spain
Philip III by Pedro Antonio Vidal.
King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily and Sardinia, Duke of Milan, Sovereign of the Netherlands, Duke of Burgundy
Reign	September 13, 1598 – March 31, 1621 (22 years)
Predecessor	Philip II
Successor	Philip IV
Born	(1578-04-14)April 14, 1578 Madrid, Crown of Castile
Died	March 31, 1621(1621-03-31) (aged 42) Madrid, Crown of Castile
Burial	Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial
Spouse	Margaret of Austria (1599–1611)
Issue	See Marriage and children
House	Austria
Father	Philip II
Mother	Anna of Austria
Signature

Allegory of the Education of Philip III. Painting made around 1590 by Justus Tiel. Prado Museum, Madrid.

Philip III of Spain, called "the Pious" (Madrid, April 14, 1578 – ibid., March 31, 1621), was King of Spain and of Portugal from September 13, 1598 until his death.

Philip III by Juan Pantoja de la Cruz, made around 1601. Kunsthistorisches Museum

He was the son and successor of Philip II and of Anna of Austria (1549–1580). In 1598 he married, in the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Valencia, the Archduchess Margaret of Austria-Styria, daughter of Archduke Charles II of Styria and of Maria Anna of Bavaria, and therefore granddaughter of Philip's paternal great-uncle, the Emperor Ferdinand I. Under his reign Spain reached its greatest territorial expansion.

Fond of theater, painting and, above all, hunting, he delegated the affairs of government into the hands of his valido, the Duke of Lerma, who in turn delegated to his own personal valido Rodrigo Calderón. However, in 1618 the Duke of Lerma was replaced by the Duke of Uceda, whose functions the King limited. Philip III died in Madrid on March 31, 1621, of fevers and erysipelas.

He is considered the first of the "Minor Austrias" (Austrias Menores), given the greatness of Charles I and Philip II; nevertheless, during his reign Spain incorporated some territories in North Africa and in Italy and reached high levels of cultural splendor. The Pax Hispanica was due to the enormous expansion of the Empire and to the years of peace that occurred in Europe at the beginning of the 17th century, which allowed Spain to exercise its hegemony without wars.

Titles

Don Philip, by the Grace of God, King of Castile, of León, of Aragon, of the Two Sicilies, of Jerusalem, of Portugal, of Navarre, of Granada, of Toledo, of Valencia, of Galicia, of Majorca, of Seville, of Sardinia, of Córdoba, of Corsica, of Murcia, of Jaén, of the Algarves, of Algeciras, of Gibraltar, of the Canary Islands, of the East and West Indies, Islands and Mainland of the Ocean Sea,

Archduke of Austria,

Duke of Burgundy, of Brabant, Milan, and of Lerma,

Count of Habsburg, of Flanders, of Tyrol and of Barcelona,

Lord of Biscay and of Molina, &c.

Domestic policy

Half croat minted in Barcelona.
Obv.: PHILIPP·DGHISPANR
Rev.: BARCINOCIVITAS 1612

As soon as he acceded to the throne, the monarch let power be exercised by Francisco de Sandoval, Marquis of Denia, who was named Duke of Lerma in 1599. He did not exercise it by virtue of an official office, but through the friendship and trust the King granted him. Persons of this kind were called in the 17th century privado, valido or, more rarely, favorito (favorite). The existence of validos was something common in 17th-century Europe and in the Kingdom of Castile there had already been precedents, such as that of Álvaro de Luna under John II.

The policy of the Duke of Lerma was directed toward maintaining international peace, expelling the Moriscos, and his desire for personal enrichment. In the religious sphere, under Philip III the founding of monasteries increased enormously, and the Society of Jesus, treated with some suspicion by his father, was favored by the Monarch and increased its influence at court and in society.

Throughout the reign, institutional reforms followed one another in order to solve the problems of corruption and inefficiency afflicting the administration of the Monarchy: apart from the changes introduced into the traditional system of Councils, recourse was increasingly made to the Juntas, bodies intended to reduce the power of the Councils in favor of a more agile and coherent government, but which did not produce the desired result (Junta de Guerra de Indias, Junta de Desempeño, Junta de Hacienda de Portugal…). The financial problems, dragged along from the previous reign, made the King dependent on the Cortes, which he had to convene more frequently than his predecessors so that they would grant him the essential resources intended to sustain the foreign action of the Monarchy (servicios de millones).

Economy

Economically there were several problems. The adoption of vellón coinage (an alloy of silver and copper) on a large scale for transactions within the country faced the problem that from 1599 manipulations were carried out that consisted of removing silver from the vellón coinage, and even reducing the weight of the coin, in order to then speculate with that metal. The vellón coinage would not stop devaluing against the silver real. This ill would last until the 1680s. On the other hand, the avalanche of precious metals coming from America was such that it produced an inflation that hardly worried wealthy Spaniards, but which in the first half of the 17th century would reach 107%. Furthermore, Philip III had found the coffers almost empty because of the enormous cost of the wars and because the enormous quantity of precious metals brought to Seville had generated demand for luxury goods that were produced outside the Peninsula. For this and other reasons, in 1607 the Royal Treasury would declare a suspension of payments, as it was unable to meet the repayment of its debt. This circumstance was not new, because under Philip II the Crown had been in suspension of payments in 1557, in 1575 and in 1596. Spain came out of this situation in 1607 in a manner similar to the way Philip II had done before and as Philip IV would do later. Juros, that is, public debt securities, were handed over to the bankers who were creditors of the Crown in exchange for loans.

Through the influence of the Duke, the Spanish court moved temporarily in 1601 to Valladolid, a city closer to his estate of Lerma, later returning to Madrid in 1606. This has been interpreted as a case of real estate speculation.

The Duke of Lerma devoted himself to buying a large number of houses, palaces and lots in Valladolid at very cheap prices. The move of the Court to Valladolid brought with it the relocation to that city of a large number of officials, nobles, artists and other persons connected with the Court, and consequently a rise in property prices from 1601 onward. The Duke then sold his properties, obtaining handsome profits. After this, prices in Madrid fell and the Duke devoted himself to buying houses in the Villa of Madrid so that, five years later, he could move the Court back to Madrid and, once prices had risen, again make profits from the sale.

Equestrian statue of Philip III in the Plaza Mayor of Madrid (J. Bologna and P. Tacca, 1616).

High officials, burghers and wealthy farmers accumulated wealth as a first step toward hidalguía. Because there were so many hidalgos, simple hidalguía became devalued, and only counts, dukes or marquises were really considered noble. To go from hidalgo or knight to holder of one of those titles it was necessary to be a "lord of vassals" (señor de vasallos). For this reason, both Charles I and Philip II had sold, with the permission of the Holy See, many towns belonging to monasteries and military orders in order to obtain money. Under Philip III these sales were halted, but they continued under Philip IV, who this time devoted himself to selling royal towns (pueblos realengos). Under the Austrias some 200 lordships were constituted, largely in order to obtain a Castilian title.

Expulsion of the Moriscos (1609 to 1610)

Main article: Expulsion of the Moriscos

In 1609 the expulsion of the Moriscos from Spain was decreed for the following reasons:

• Their attitude as unconvinced Christians, in a State that was a defender of Catholicism.
• Their possible alliance with the Turks and Barbary pirates who constantly attacked the coasts of the Levante.
• Their unpopularity among the population.
• The State's need to control their wealth and assets.

Between 1609 and 1610 they left the peninsula. For this operation 30,000 soldiers were mobilized, and the Navy was in charge of transporting them to Tunis or Morocco. Approximately 300,000 Moriscos were expelled.

This measure considerably affected the Kingdom of Valencia, the river plains of Aragon and the irrigated lands of Murcia. The labor force and the landowners paying rents in those areas diminished considerably. The crops of sugar and rice had to be replaced by the mulberry, the vine and wheat.

Dismissal of the Duke of Lerma (1618)

The corruption and enrichment of the Duke of Lerma and of his adherents, such as the Count of Lemos and the Marquis of Siete Iglesias, became scandalous. His last diplomatic success was obtaining peace in Italy with Savoy and Venice in the Peace of Pavia (1617).

In March 1618 Lerma was named Cardinal of San Sisto, which obliged him to resign his palace offices. He still retained his ascendancy over the monarch, but in the question of the Monarchy's position regarding the Defenestration of Prague in May 1618, the vulnerability of the valido became evident, as the interventionist position of Baltasar de Zúñiga prevailed.

Lerma's attempts to influence Prince Philip were thwarted by the faction of his own son, the Duke of Uceda, and the royal confessor, Fray Luis de Aliaga, in an episode known as the revolution of the keys. One of those who took part against Lerma was the Jesuit priest Jerónimo de Florencia, who was confessor to King Philip and to Queen Margaret, favorite preacher of the Monarch and a person of great standing at Court. Weeks later, on October 4, 1618, the King informed the Duke of Lerma of the withdrawal of royal favor.

The Duke of Uceda and Fray Luis Aliaga, who obtained the office of Inquisitor General, jointly conducted the government of the Monarchy, the Duke of Uceda through his ascendancy over the Monarch and Aliaga over the functioning of the Councils; however, their power was more limited, since the King devoted more interest to affairs of State.

The administration of Uceda and Aliaga was characterized by incapacity for government and lack of ascendancy over the Monarch. And when Philip III died, his son, the new King Philip IV, ordered the dismissals of the Duke of Uceda and of the Grand Inquisitor Aliaga.

Foreign policy

Philip III, equestrian portrait painted by Diego Velázquez between 1634 and 1635.

Although the reign of Philip III has stood out for its "international peace", Spain had several open fronts: the Ottoman Turks, the Republic of Venice and the Duchy of Savoy. In North America, the Spanish conquests north of Florida were deepened.

In 1610 Muali Ech Cheich sold the city of Larache to Philip III as compensation for his help in the war of succession to the throne. Spain would occupy that city from 1610 to 1689, with the aim of pursuing the movements of corsairs and pirates in the area. Spain would also acquire La Mamora in 1614.

England

When Philip III came to the throne in 1599, the war against England continued, and a fleet of 50 ships under the command of Martín Padilla would be sent to attack the coasts of Protestant England, given the success of expeditions such as that of Cornwall in 1595; however, the fleet was totally destroyed by a storm before reaching the Azores islands. In addition, in 1601 a military expedition set out to help the Catholics of Ireland gain independence from England, giving rise to the Battle of Kinsale.

With the accession to the throne of James I of England in 1603, Spain gained an important ally. In August 1604 the Peace of London was signed, by which commercial and diplomatic relations between both countries would improve. James would attempt to marry his son Charles to the Infanta Maria Anna of Spain. This idea had strong support from many ministers and diplomats within England, who came to be called the "Spanish Party". But in 1621, after the death of Philip III, Philip IV succeeded him on the throne.

Charles arrived in Spain in 1623 with the Duke of Buckingham on a secret expedition to win the Princess's hand, but the mission was a failure, and moreover Spain demanded Charles's conversion to Catholicism for the marriage. On their return to England, Charles and Buckingham would ask James to start war against Spain; however, he did not do so. In 1625 James died and was succeeded by his son Charles, beginning a new Anglo-Spanish war, framed within the Thirty Years' War.

Netherlands

Philip III of Spain

Philip II of Spain had bequeathed these territories to his daughter Isabella Clara Eugenia and to her husband, Archduke Albert, on the condition that, should they die without heirs, these would once again form part of the Spanish Crown. The equality of forces between the rebel provinces of the north – Lutheran Protestants – and the southern territories – allies of Spain –, the exhaustion after the war and the good offices of the new rulers led to the signing in 1609 of the "Twelve Years' Truce" with the United Provinces. This meant de facto independence for the Dutch and allowed the beginning of their expansion through the East Indies and the Caribbean. After the twelve years, and in view of Dutch expansion and the constant alliance of the Dutch with England, Spain would again become heavily involved in fighting in the Netherlands under the reign of Philip IV.

France

Although the reign of Philip III with respect to Henry IV of France began with a peace signed beforehand with Spain, Henry was killed in 1610 while he was preparing a campaign against Spain in Italy. A period of instability followed in the French kingdom. Henry IV's son, Louis XIII, was only nine years old, so the kingdom was left in the charge of his mother, Marie de' Medici, as Regent. Marie de' Medici asked Spain for help in the struggle against the Huguenots; by 1614 Louis XIII was declared of age.

In this way, the peace with France that Philip II of Spain had concluded in his last moments (Vervins, 1598) was consolidated in 1615 through two marriages: that of the French King with a Spanish Infanta, Anne of Austria, and that of the heir Prince of Spain, the future Philip IV, with Elisabeth of Bourbon.

Italy

Philip III. Portrait of 1617 by Pedro Antonio Vidal. Prado Museum, Madrid

The Duke of Osuna, Viceroy of Naples, and the Marquis of Villafranca, Governor in Milan, directed the policy of the Hispanic Monarchy in Italy, which met the resistance of the Duchy of Savoy and the Republic of Venice. To secure the connection between the Milanese and the Netherlands, a new route was opened through the Valtellina, in Switzerland, and in 1618 the Conspiracy of Venice took place, in which the authorities undertook a persecution of pro-Spanish agents.

In Northern Italy, he increased the possessions of the Milanese with the annexation of Finale and of the city of Novara and, through good political management, nullified the successes of Henry IV over the Duke of Savoy in the Treaty of Lyon of 1601. In addition, a prestigious fort was built, that of the Count of Fuentes, who was a continuer of the Duke of Alba, at the entrance of the Valtellina Valley, and the passage of Spanish troops through the Tyrol to the Empire and to Flanders was secured, thereby guarding against the cutting of the traditional road between Savoy and the Franche-Comté.

Thirty Years' War (1618 to 1648)

Main article: Thirty Years' War

In this war Spain supported the Emperor Ferdinand II of Habsburg against Frederick V, who had the support of France and England. This occurred amid the confrontation between Catholics and Protestants in Bohemia and Germany. This conflict would be of great intensity. Some have called this event the true First World War, prior to the one that occurred in the 20th century.

Intervention of Philip III of Spain (1618 to 1621)

The Emperor Ferdinand II of Habsburg asked his Spanish relatives for help in confronting the rebellion of the Protestant Germans.

Spain, an ally of Austria and of Bavaria (which led the German princes of the Catholic League), confronted the Bohemian Protestants supported by the Palatinate (which led the German princes of the Protestant Union). The Spanish troops commanded by Ambrosio de Spínola in the Palatinate, and those of the League under the command of the Count of Tilly – Johan Tzerelae – in Bohemia, were victorious in the Battle of White Mountain in 1620 against the Czechs.

The Golden Age

Main article: Spanish Golden Age

At the end of the reign of Philip II and during that of Philip III, the principal artistic figures of the Spanish Golden Age were born and developed in the two most prosperous cities: Seville, Port of the Indies, and Madrid, seat of the Court.

The Sevillian Mateo Alemán published Guzmán de Alfarache, a picaresque novel of great international success. In 1605 Miguel de Cervantes published the first part of Don Quixote, which he began to write when he was imprisoned in the Royal Prison of Seville some years earlier. In 1615 Cervantes would publish the second part. Also in Seville, the painter Diego Velázquez would produce his first works. Cervantes, established as a writer and living in Madrid, would share a neighborhood with the prestigious playwright Lope de Vega. Luis de Góngora and Francisco de Quevedo also wrote during this period.

Pax Hispanica

Main article: Pax Hispanica

Although many historians have wished to see in the famous Pax Hispanica a gesture of weariness with war and of difficulty on the part of the Monarchy in reorganizing attacks, one could also hold that it formed part of a grand strategy that would allow Spain to recover its military and economic strength and divert its adversaries from their military undertakings. In fact, both Philip III and his advisers intended the truce to last only until Spain could resume the fighting and thus defeat its enemies.

Philip III has been judged much more severely than his son, Philip IV, has been, and the latter's valido, Olivares, more favorably than Lerma, something that is surprising if the results of their respective governments are compared. Therefore, it may be stated that under the reign of the third Philip, Spain reached its true zenith. For Spain reached its greatest territorial expansion, and played a crucial role both in peace and in the large-scale armed conflicts that took place.

Family

Marriage and children

Philip III and Queen Margaret of Austria-Styria had eight children:

1. Anne Maria Mauricia of Austria (September 22, 1601 – January 20, 1666), queen consort of France, wife of Louis XIII.
2. Maria of Austria (February 1, 1603 – February 2, 1603).
3. Philip (April 8, 1605 – September 17, 1665), the future Philip IV, married first to Elisabeth of Bourbon, and secondly to Mariana of Austria.
4. Maria Anna of Austria (August 18, 1606 – May 13, 1646), Holy Roman Empress, wife of Ferdinand III.
5. Charles of Austria (September 15, 1607 – July 30, 1632).
6. Ferdinand of Austria (May 16, 1609 or May 24, 1610 – November 9, 1641), known as the Cardinal-Infante.
7. Margaret Frances of Austria (May 24, 1610 – March 11, 1617).
8. Alfonso of Austria (September 22, 1611 – September 16, 1612)

Ancestors

Ancestors of Philip III of Spain

• 1. Philip III of Spain
• 2. Philip II of Spain
• 3. Anna of Austria
• 4. Charles I of Spain
• 5. Isabella of Portugal
• 6. Maximilian II of Habsburg
• 7. Maria of Austria and Portugal
• 8. Philip I of Castile
• 9. Joanna I of Castile
• 10. Manuel I of Portugal
• 11. Maria of Aragon
• 12. Ferdinand I of Habsburg
• 13. Anne of Bohemia and Hungary
• 14. Charles I of Spain (=4)
• 15. Isabella of Portugal (=5)
• 16. Maximilian I of Habsburg
• 17. Mary of Burgundy
• 18. Ferdinand II of Aragon
• 19. Isabella I of Castile
• 20. Ferdinand of Portugal
• 21. Beatrice of Aveiro
• 22. Ferdinand II of Aragon (=18)
• 23. Isabella I of Castile (=19)
• 24. Philip I of Castile (=8)
• 25. Joanna I of Castile (=9)
• 26. Vladislaus Jagiellon of Bohemia and Hungary
• 27. Anne of Foix-Candale
• 28. Philip I of Castile (=8)
• 29. Joanna I of Castile (=9)
• 30. Manuel I of Portugal (=10)
• 31. Maria of Aragon (=11)

See also

• Francisco de Sandoval y Rojas, 1st Duke of Lerma
• Duke of Uceda
• Ana de Castro Egas

Notes and references

Bibliography

• Allen, Paul C. (2001). Felipe III y la Pax Hispánica, 1598-1621: el fracaso de la gran estrategia (in español). Madrid: Alianza. ISBN 84-206-6772-2.
• del Rey Vicente, Miguel; Canales Torres, Carlos (2012). En Tierra Extraña: Expediciones Militares Españolas (in español). Edaf. ISBN 978-84-414-3206-2.
• Domínguez Ortiz, Antonio; Solano, Francisco; Peset, José Luis Mariano (April 1981). Historia de España: Esplendor y decadencia (Siglo XVII) (in español). Vol. 7. Historia 16.
• Domínguez Ortiz, Antonio (1983). Historia de España. El Antiguo Régimen: Los Reyes Católicos y los Austrias. Alfaguara. III. (in español) (Ninth ed.). Alianza Universidad. ISBN 8420620424.
• Elliott, John H. (2004). El Conde-Duque de Olivares: El político en una época de decadencia (in español). Translated by Teófilo de Lozoya. Editorial Critica. ISBN 8484325822. ISBN 9788484325826.
• Feros, Antonio (2002). El Duque de Lerma: Realeza y Privanza en la España de Felipe III (in español). Marcial Pons Historia. ISBN 8495379392.
• García Castaño, Francisco Javier; Kressova, Nina (2011). "Educación: ¿integración o exclusión de la diversidad cultural?". Actas del I Congreso Internacional sobre Migraciones en Andalucía (in español).
• Linde de Castro, Luis María (2005). Don Pedro Girón, duque de Osuna: La hegemonía española en Europa a comienzos del siglo XVII (in español). Encuentro. ISBN 8474907624. ISBN 9788474907629.
• Lozano Navarro, Julián J. (2005). La Compañía de Jesús y el Poder en la España de los Austrias (in español). Cátedra. Grupo Anaya. ISBN 8437622026.
• Martínez Peñas, Leandro (2007). El Confesor del Rey en el Antiguo Régimen (in español). Editorial Complutense. ISBN 8474918510.

External links

• Diccionario Biográfico. Real Academia de la Historia Felipe III

• Philip III at Cervantesvirtual, with links