Philip IV of Spain
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Philip IV (Felipe IV), (8 April, 1605 – 17 September, 1665) was King of Spain from 1621 to 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands and also King of Portugal (as Philip III) until 1640. The eldest son of Philip III and his wife Margarita of Austria, Philip IV was born at Valladolid. He was known as the Planet King, after the Sun, the fourth planet in the astronomy of the time.
His reign, after a few years of inconclusive successes, was characterized by political and military decay and adversity. He has been held responsible for the decline of Spain, which was mostly due, however, to organic causes largely beyond the control of any one ruler. Philip certainly possessed more energy, both mental and physical, than his diffident father. His handwritten translation of Francesco Guicciardini's texts on political history still exists, and he was a fine horseman and keen hunter.
His artistic taste is shown by his patronage of his court painter Diego Velázquez; his love of letters by his favoring Lope de Vega, Pedro Calderón de la Barca, and other immortal dramatists. He is credited, on fairly probable testimony, with a share in the composition of several comedies. He also commenced the building of the Buen Retiro palace in Madrid, parts of which still remain near the Prado.
His good intentions were no avail to governance, however. Feeling himself not yet qualified to rule when he ascended to the throne at age 16, he allowed himself to be guided by the most capable men he could find. His favourite, Olivares, was a far more honest and capable man than his predecesssor the Duke of Lerma, and better fitted for the office of chief minister than any Spaniard of the time, perhaps. Philip, however, lacked the confidence to free himself from Olivares's influence once he did come of age. With Olivares's encouragement, he rather busied himself with frivolous amusements. By 1643, when disasters falling on all sides led to the dismissal of the all-powerful minister, Philip had largely lost the power to devote himself to hard work. After a brief struggle with the task of directing the administration of the most extensive and worst-organized multi-national state in Europe, he sank back into indolence and let other favourites govern.
His political opinions were those he had inherited from his father and grandfather. He thought it his duty to support the House of Habsburg and the cause of the Roman Catholic Church against the Protestants, to assert his sovereignty over the Dutch, and to extend the dominions of his family. The utter exhaustion of his people in the course of perpetual war, against the Netherlands, France, Portugal, Protestant forces in the Holy Roman Empire and Great Britain, was seen by him with sympathy but he considered it an unavoidable misfortune, since he could not have been expected to renounce his legitimate rights, or to desert what he viewed as the cause of God, the Church and the House of Habsburg.
He was idealised by his contemporaries as the model of Baroque kingship. Outwardly he maintained a bearing of rigid solemnity, and was seen to laugh only three times in the course of his entire public life. But, in private, his court was grossly corrupt. Victorian historians prudishly attributed the early death of his eldest son, Baltasar Carlos, to debauchery, encouraged by the gentlemen entrusted by the king with his education. This shocked the king, but its effect soon wore off. Philip IV died broken-hearted in 1665, expressing the pious hope that his surviving son, Carlos, would be more fortunate than himself. On his death, a catafalque was built in Rome to commemorate his life.
Ancestors
| Philip IV of Spain, III of Portugal | Father: Philip III of Spain, II of Portugal |
Father's father: Philip II of Spain, I of Portugal |
Father's father's father: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Father's father's mother: Isabella of Portugal |
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| Father's mother: Anna of Austria |
Father's mother's father: Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor |
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| Father's mother's mother: Maria of Spain |
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| Mother: Margaret of Austria |
Mother's father: Charles II, Archduke of Austria |
Mother's father's father: Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor |
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| Mother's father's mother: Anna of Bohemia and Hungary |
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| Mother's mother: Maria Anna of Bavaria |
Mother's mother's father: Albert V, Duke of Bavaria |
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| Mother's mother's mother: Anna of Austria |
Family
Siblings
- Anne of Austria (1601–1666), who became Queen of France;
- Maria Anna of Spain (1606–1646), who became Holy Roman Empress;
- Ferdinand, who became Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands
Children
With Elisabeth of Bourbon (1603–1644, daughter of Henry IV of France) — married 1615 at Burgos
- Infanta Maria Margaret (Maria Margarita) (1621)
- Infanta Margaret Maria Catherine (Margarita Maria Catalina) (1623)
- Infanta Maria Eugenia (1625–1627)
- Infanta Isabella Maria Theresa (Isabel Maria Teresa) (1627)
- Baltasar Carlos, Prince of the Asturias (1629–1646)
- Infanta Maria Anna Antonia (Mariana or Maria Ana Antonia) (1636)
- Maria Theresa of Spain (1638–1683), queen consort of France as first wife of Louis XIV of France
With Mariana of Austria (1634–1696) — in 1649
- Margaret of Spain (July 12, 1651 – 12 March 1673), first wife of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
- Infanta Maria Ambrosia de la Concepción (1655)
- Philip Prospero of Spain (1657–1661).
- Infante Thomas Charles (Tomas Carlos) (1658–1659)
- Charles II of Spain (1661–1700)
With Maria Calderon{a}
In fiction
- The novel The king Amaz'd by the Spanish novelist Gonzalo Torrente
Ballester is an ironic portrait of the early years of Philip IV's reign. The movie El rey pasmado, based on the novel, was directed by Imanol
Uribe and features Gabino Diego as Philip in his early reign.
- Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte gives an exquisite description of the difficult social, political and military conditions during the reign of Philip IV in his series of bestselling novels starring the swashbuckler Captain Alatriste.
References
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
| Monarchs of Spain | |
|---|---|
House
of Habsburg  |
Charles I of Spain • Philip II of Spain • Philip III of Spain • Philip IV of Spain • Charles II of Spain |
House
of Bourbon   |
Philip V of Spain • Louis I of Spain • Philip V of Spain • Ferdinand VI of Spain • Charles III of Spain • Charles IV of Spain • Ferdinand VII of Spain |
House of
Bonaparte  |
Joseph Bonaparte |
House
of Bourbon [First Restoration]  |
Ferdinand VII of Spain • Isabella II of Spain |
House of
Savoy  |
Amadeo I of Spain |
| House of
Bourbon [Second Restoration] |
Alfonso XII of Spain • Alfonso XIII of Spain |
House of
Bourbon [Third Restoration]  |
Juan Carlos I of Spain |
| Monarchs of Portugal | |
|---|---|
| House of Burgundy | Afonso I •
|
| House of Aviz | John
I • |
| House of Aviz-Beja | Manuel I •
John III • |
| House of Habsburg | Philip I • Philip II • Philip III |
| House of Braganza | John IV • Afonso VI • Peter II • John V • Joseph • Maria I with Peter III • John VI • Pedro IV • Miguel • Maria II with Ferdinand II |
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