Philip IV of Spain

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Philip IV

King of Spain
Reign 31 March 1621 – 17 September 1665
Predecessor Philip III
Successor Charles II
King of Portugal
Reign 31 March 1621 – 1 December 1640
Predecessor Philip II
Successor John IV
Spouse Elisabeth of France
Mariana of Austria
Issue
Baltasar Carlos, Prince of the Asturias
Maria Theresa, Queen of France
Margaret Theresa, Holy Roman Empress
Philip Prospero, Prince of Asturias
Charles II of Spain
John of Austria the Younger
Father Philip III of Spain
Mother Margaret of Austria
Born 8 April 1605(1605-04-08)
Valladolid, Spain
Died 17 September 1665 (aged 60)
Madrid, Spain
Burial El Escorial

Philip IV (Spanish: 'Felipe IV', 8 April 1605 – 17 September 1665) was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal (as Philip III, Portuguese: 'Filipe III') until 1640. Philip is remembered for his patronage of the arts, including such artists as Diego Velázquez, and his rule over Spain during the challenging period of the Thirty Years War (1618–48).

On the eve of his death in 1665, the Spanish empire had reached its territorial zenith spanning almost 3 billion acres, but in other respects was already in decline, a process for which Philip's inability to achieve successful domestic and military reform is felt to have contributed.

Personal life

Philip IV was born in Valladolid, and was the eldest son of Philip III and his wife Margaret of Austria. Aged ten, he was married to Isabella of France in 1615, although the relationship does not appear to have always been close; some have even suggested that Olivares, his key minister, later deliberately tried to keep the two apart to maintain his influence, encouraging Philip to take mistresses instead.[1] Philip had seven children, but only one son, through Isabella, Baltasar Carlos who died young at the age of sixteen in 1646. The death of his son deeply shocked the king, who appears to have been a good father by the standards of the day. Isabella was able to conspire with other Spanish nobles to remove Olivares from the court in 1643, and for a brief period she held considerable influence over Philip; by the time of her death, however, she was out of favour following manoeuvering by Olivares' successor, de Haro.[2]

Philip remarried in 1646, following the deaths of both Queen Isabella and his only legitimate heir. His choice of his second wife, Maria Anna, Philip's niece and the daughter of the Emperor Ferdinand, was guided by politics and Philip's desire to strengthen the relationship with Hapsburg Austria.[3] Maria Anna had six pregnancies, but only successfully gave birth to one girl and, after her first son Philip died young, finally to Carlos José in 1661 - but he was sickly and considered in frequent danger of dying, making the line of inheritance potentially uncertain.[4]

Perceptions of Philip's personality have altered considerably over time. Victorian authors were inclined to portray Philip as a weak individual, delegating excessively to his ministers, and ruling over a debauched, Baroque court.[5] Victorian historians even attributed the early death of Baltasar to debauchery, encouraged by the gentlemen entrusted by the king with his education. The doctors that treated the Prince at that time in fact diagnosed smallpox, although modern scholars attribute his death to appendicitis.^{[citation needed]} Historians' estimation of Philip gradually improved in the 20th century, with comparisons between Philip and his father being increasingly positive - some noting that he possessed much more energy, both mental and physical, than his diffident father.[6]

Philip was idealised by his contemporaries as the model of Baroque kingship. Outwardly he maintained a bearing of rigid solemnity; foreign visitors described Philip as being so impassive in public he resembled a statue,[7] and he was said to have been seen to laugh only three times in the course of his entire public life. Philip certainly had a strong sense of his 'royal dignity',[8] but was also extensively coached by Olivares in how to resemble the Baroque model of a sovereign,[9] which would form a key political tool for Philip throughout his reign. Philip was a fine horseman, a keen hunter and a devotee of bull-fighting,[10] all central parts of royal public life at court during the period.

Privately, Philip appears to have had a lighter persona. When he was younger, he was said to have a keen sense of humour and a 'great sense of fun'.[11] He privately attended 'academies' in Madrid throughout his reign - these were light hearted literary salons, aiming to analyse contemporary literature and poetry with a humorous touch.[12] A keen theatre-goer, he was sometimes criticised by contemporaries for his love of these 'frivolous' entertainments.[13] Others have captured his private personality as 'naturally kind, gentle and affable'.[14] Academically competent, those close to him claimed he had a good grasp of Latin, geography, and could speak French, Portugese and Italian well.[15] Like many of his contemporaries, including Olivares, he had a keen interest in astrology.[16] His handwritten translation of Francesco Guicciardini's texts on political history still exists.

Although interpretations of Philip's role in government have improved in recent years, Diego Velasquez's contemporary description of Philip's key weakness - that 'he mistrusts himself, and defers to others too much' - remains extant.[17] Although Philip's Catholic beliefs no longer attract criticism from English language writers, Philip is still felt to have been 'unduly pious' in his personal life.[18] Notably, from the 1640s onwards he sought the advice of a noted cloistered abbess, Sor Maria de Agreda, exchanging many letters.[19] This did not stop Philip becoming known for his numerous affairs, particularly with actresses,[20] the most famous of these being his actress-mistress María Inés Calderón (La Calderona),[21] with whom he had a son in 1629, Juan José, who was brought up as a royal prince.[22] By the end of the reign, and with the health of Carlos José in doubt, there was a real possibility of Juan José making a claim on the throne, and this would add to the instability of the regency years.

Philip, Olivares and his royal favourites

During the reign of Philip's father, Philip III, the royal court had been dominated by the Sandoval noble family, most strikingly by the Duke of Lerma, Philip III's principle favourite and chief minister for almost all of his reign. Philip IV came to power as the power of the Sandovals was being undermined by a new noble coalition, led by Don Baltasar de Zúñiga. De Zúñiga regarded it as essential that the Sandovals were unable to gain an influence over the future king; de Zúñiga first began to develop his own influence over Prince Philip,[23] and then introduced his nephew, Olivares, to the prince, then aged ten;[24] At first, Philip did not particularly take to Olivares.[25] Over the course of at least a year, however, the relationship became very close,[26] with Philip's tendency towards underconfidence and diffidence counteracted by Olivares' drive and determination.[27] Olivares was rapidly to become Philip's most trusted advisor and when Philip ascended the throne in 1621, at the age of sixteen, he showed his confidence in Olivares by ordering that all papers requiring the royal signature should first be sent to the count-duke. Philip would retain Olivares as his confident and chief minister for the next twenty years.

Early on in his reign, Philip would be woken by Olivares in the morning to discuss the day's affairs,[28] and would meet with him twice more during the day, although later on this regime declined until the king would only hold one short meeting on policy with Olivares each day.[29] Philip intervened far more in policies during 1641-2, however, and it has been suggested that Philip paid more attention to policy making than has been traditionally been depicted, with some recent histories going so far as to describe him as 'conscientious' as regards policy-making[30] although he is still criticised for his failiure to make timely decisions.[31] Philip himself argued that it was hardly appropriate for the king himself to go house to house amongst his ministers to see if his instructions were being carried out.[32] The incredibly close relationship between Philip and Olivares was symbolised in their portraits being placed side by side at the Buen Retiro palace - an act unheard of in Europe at this time.[33] Philip's relationship with Olivares, however, was not a simplistic one. The pair had many rows and arguments over the course of their relationship, both as a result of their different personalities and differences of opinion over policies.[34]

Initially, Philip chose to confirm the reappointment of his father's household to assuage grandee opinion.[35] Under the influence of de Zúñiga and Olivares, however, Philip was then quick to place de Lerma's estates - expanded considerably during his long period as favourite - under administration, and to remove the Duke of Uceda - de Lerma's son, who had initially helped de Zúñiga remove his own father to advance his own position - from office.[36] Philip's initial announcements reflected an intent to reform the monarchy to the sober, moral position it had been under his grandfather, including selecting ministers whose grandfathers had served under Philip II.[37]

Philip has in the past been considered to be 'unimaginative' in his politics,[38] but recent histories have stressed the more radical elements of his first two decades in power. The early 1600s saw a febrile atmosphere in Spain, with numerous arbitrista offering various advice on how to solve Spain's various ills; this advice could, and would, be given in person by those of the lower classes to the king on suitable occasions, provided it was presented with the aim of strengthening the crown.[39] Those debates extended to the nature of the monarchy. It has been suggested that the writers of the period who best capture Philip's view of royal authority were Justus Lipsius and Giovanni Botero, who promoted religiously inspired, stoic self-sacrifice and a view of Hapsburg family-led hegemony respectively.[40] Whilst at one level conservative - harking back in foreign policy to the period of Phillip II, invoking traditional values at home - Philip's policies were also radical, rejecting the policy towards the rebellious Dutch that had held since 1609, entering into the Thirty Years War, and introducing a system of junta, or small committee, government across Spain in competition to the traditional system of royal councils.