Marie Of BURGUNDY

Notes:

Mary (February 13, 1457 ? March 27, 1482), Duchess of Burgundy, was the only child of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and his wife Isabella of Bourbon.

Heiress of Burgundy
As the only child of Charles, the Valois heiress of the rich Burgundian domains, her hand was eagerly sought by a number of princes. When her father fell upon the field at the siege of Nancy, on January 5, 1477, Mary was not yet twenty years of age. Louis XI of France seized the opportunity afforded by his rival's defeat and death to take possession of the Duchy of Burgundy as a fief lapsed to the French crown, and also of Franche ComtÈ, Picardy and Artois.

He was anxious that Mary should marry the Dauphin Charles and thus secure the inheritance of the Low Countries for his descendants, by force of arms if necessary. Mary, however, distrusted Louis, declined the French alliance, and turned to her Netherland subjects for help. She obtained their help only at the price of great concessions.

[edit] The Great Privilege
On February 10, 1477 at Ghent she was compelled to sign a charter of rights, known as "the Great Privilege," by which the provinces and towns of Flanders, Brabant, Hainaut, and Holland recovered all the local and communal rights which had been abolished by the arbitrary decrees of the dukes of Burgundy in their efforts to create in the Low Countries a centralized state on the French model. Mary had to undertake not to declare war, make peace, or raise taxes without the consent of the States, and not to employ any but natives in official posts.

Such was the hatred of the people for the old regime that two of her father's influential councillors, the Chancellor Hugonet and the Sire d'Humbercourt, having been discovered in correspondence with the French king, were executed at Ghent despite the tears and entreaties of the youthful duchess.

[edit] Marriage
Mary now made her choice among the many suitors for her hand, and selected the Archduke Maximilian of Austria, afterwards the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, and the marriage took place at Ghent on August 18, 1477. In this way the Low Countries came to the Habsburgs, initiating two centuries of contention between France and Austria for their possession, which climaxed in the War of the Spanish Succession, 1701?1714.

In the Netherlands, affairs now went more smoothly, the French aggression was temporarily checked, and internal peace was in a large measure restored.

[edit] Death and Legacy
Five years later, the 25-year-old Duchess met her death by a fall from her horse on March 27 1482. Louis was swift to reengage, and forced Maximilian to agree to the Treaty of Arras (1482) by which Franche ComtÈ and Artois passed for a time to French rule, only to be exchanged for Burgundy and Picardy in the Treaty of Senlis (1493), which established peace in the Low Countries.

Marie married Maximilian I Holy Roman EMPEROR on 18 Aug 1477. Maximilian (son of Frederick III Holy Roman EMPEROR and Eleonora Of PORTUGAL) was born on 23 Mar 1459; died on 12 Jan 1519. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Name: Phillip I King Of Spain

Notes:

Wikipedia Encyclopedia:
Philip the Handsome (July 22, 1478 ? September 25, 1506), (Felipe el Hermoso - Philipp der Schˆne - Philippe le Beau) was the son of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. Through his mother Mary of Burgundy he inherited the greater part of the Burgundian state and through his wife Joanna the Mad he briefly succeeded to the kingdom of Castile. He was the first Habsburg ruler in Spain and his successors reckoned him as Philip I of Spain.
Philip was born in Bruges, then in the County of Flanders (today in Belgium). And was named after his grandfather, Philip the Good. In 1482, upon the death of his mother Mary of Burgundy, daughter of Charles the Bold, he succeeded to her Burgundian possessions under the guardianship of his father. A period of turmoil ensued which witnessed sporadic hostilities between, principally, the large towns of Flanders (especially Ghent and Bruges) and the supporters of Maximilian. During this interregnum, the young Philip became caught up in events and was even briefly sequestered in Bruges as part of the larger Flemish campaign to support their claims of greater autonomy, which they had wrested from Mary of Burgundy in an agreement known as the Blijde Inkomst or Joyous Entry of 1477. By the early 1490s, the turmoil of the interregnum gave way to an uneasy stand-off, with neither French support for the cities of the Franc (Flanders), nor Imperial support from Maximilian's father Frederick III proving decisive. Both sides came to terms in the Peace of Senlis in 1493, which smoothed over the internal power struggle by agreeing to make the 15-year old Philip prince in the following year.

[edit] The Burgundian Inheritance and the Spanish Alliance
In 1494 Maximilian relinquished his regency under the terms of the Treaty of Senlis and Philip, at the age of 16, took over the rule of the Burgundian lands himself, although in practice authority was derived from a council of Burgundian notables. On October 20, 1496, he married Joanna, daughter of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, in Lier, Belgium.

The marriage was one of a set of family alliances between Habsburgs and Trast·mara, designed to strengthen both the against growing French power, which had increased significantly thanks to the policies of Louis XI and the successful assertion of regal power after war with the League of the Public Weal. The matter became more urgent after Charles VIII's invasion of Italy (known as the First Peninsular War).

Philip's sister Margaret married Juan, Prince of Asturias, the only son of Ferdinand and Isabella and successor to the unified crowns of Castile and Aragon. [1] The double alliance was never intended to let the Spanish kingdoms fall under Habsburg control. At the time of her marriage to Philip, Juana was third in line to the throne, with both Juan and his elder sister Isabella married and hopeful of progeny.

[edit] The Castilian Inheritance
In 1500, shortly after the birth of Juana and Philip's second child (the future Charles V), the succession to the Castilian and Aragonese crowns was thrown into turmoil. The heir presumptive, Juan, had died in 1497 very shortly after his marriage to Margaret of Austria. The succession thereby passed to Isabella, who had married Manuel I of Portugal. She died in 1498, while giving birth to a son, Miguel, to whom succession to the united crowns of Castile, Aragon and Portugal now fell; however, the infant was sickly, and he died during the summer of 1500. The succession to the Castilian and Aragonese crowns now fell to Juana. Because Ferdinand could conceivably produce another heir, the Cortes of Aragon refused to recognise Juana and Philip as the heirs presumptive to the Kingdom of Aragon. In Castile, however, the succession was clear. Moreover, there was no salic tradition which the Castilian Cortes could use to thwart the succession passing to Juana. At this point, the issue of Juana's mental incompetence moved from courtly annoyance to the centre of the political stage, since it was clear that Philip and his Burgundian entourage would be the real power-holders in Castile.

In 1502, Philip, Juana and a large part of the Burgundian court travelled to Spain to receive fealty from the Cortes of Castile as king-consort of Juana, a journey chronicled in intense detail by Antoon van Lalaing (Antoine de Lalaing in French), the future Stadtholder of Holland and Zeeland. Philip and the majority of the court returned to the Low Countries in the following year, leaving a pregnant Juana behind in Spain, where she gave birth to Ferdinand, later Holy Roman Emperor. Philip's life with Joanna was rendered extremely unhappy by his infidelity and by her jealousy, which, working on a neurotic temperament, furthered her insanity. The princess gave way to paroxysms of rage, in which she was guilty of acts of atrocious violence. Before her mother's death, in 1504, she was unquestionably quite insane, and husband and wife lived apart.

[edit] Struggle for Power in Spain
When Isabella died, Ferdinand endeavoured to lay hands on the regency of Castile, but the nobles, who disliked and feared him, forced him to withdraw. Philip was summoned to Spain, where he was recognized as king. He landed, with his wife, at La CoruÒa on April 28, 1506, accompanied by a body of German mercenaries. Father and son-in-law mediated under Cardinal Cisneros at Remesal, near Puebla de Sanabria, and at Renedo, the only result of which was an indecent family quarrel, in which Ferdinand professed to defend the interests of his daughter, who he said was imprisoned by her husband.

A civil war would probably have broken out between them; but Philip, who had only been in Spain long enough to prove his incapacity, died suddenly at Burgos, apparently of typhoid fever, on September 25, 1506. His wife refused for long to allow his body to be buried or to part from it.

Philip married Juana Queen Of CASTILE in 1496. Juana (daughter of Ferdinand V of Castile Ferdinand II King Of ARAGON and Isabella I Queen Of Castile And LEON) was born on 06 Nov 1479; died on 12 Apr 1555. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Excerpt from Wikipedia:
In 1483, she was betrothed to the Dauphin of France, later King Charles VIII of France, and was transferred to the guardianship of King Louis XI of France. After Charles renounced the treaty and married Anne of Brittany, Margaret was returned to her father (1493).

In 1497, she was married to Juan, Prince of Asturias, Infante of Spain (1478-1497), the son and heir of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, but he died after only six months.

In 1501, she married Philibert Ii, Duke of Savoy (1480-1504), who died three years later. She was made regent of the Netherland (1507-1515) and guardian of her young nephew Charles (the futer Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor).

Margaret acted as intermediary between her father and his subjects in the Netherlands, negotiated a treaty of commerce with England favorable to the Flemish cloth interests, and she played a role in the formation of the League of Cambrai (1508).

After his majority in 1515, Charles rebelled against her influence, but he soon recognized her as one of his wisest advisers, and she was again regent of the Netherlands (1519-30) intermittently until her death. In 1529, together with Louise of Savoy, she negotiated the Treaty of Cambrai, the so-called "Ladies' Peace".

Both her marriages were childless.

She lied at Mechelen (between Antwerp and Brussels) after appointing her nephew, Charles V, as her universal and sole heir. She is buried at Bourg-en-Bresse, Franche-Comte.

Margaret married Prince of Asturias Juan Of ARAGON in Apr 1497 in Cathedral of Burgos. Juan (son of Ferdinand V of Castile Ferdinand II King Of ARAGON and Isabella I Queen Of Castile And LEON) was born on 28 Jun 1478 in Seville, Portugal; died on 04 Oct 1497 in Salamanca. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Margaret married Philibert II Duke Of SAVOY in 1501. Philibert (son of Philip II Duke Of SAVOY and Margaret Of BOURBON) was born in 1480; died in 1504. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Ferdinand I (10 March 1503 ? 25 July 1564), Holy Roman Emperor (1556?1564), was born in Madrid, the son of Juana the Mad, Queen of Castile (1479?1555), and Philip I the Handsome, King of Castile (1478?1506), who was heir to Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg.

Ferdinand was the younger brother of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who entrusted him with the government of the Habsburg hereditary lands (roughly modern-day Austria and Slovenia). In 1531 Ferdinand was elected King of the Romans, making him Charles's designated heir as emperor. He deputised as ruler during his brother's many absences from imperial lands.

After Charles's abdication as emperor in 1556, Ferdinand assumed the title of Holy Roman Emperor, Charles having agreed to exclude his own son Philip from the German succession, which instead passed to Ferdinand's eldest son Maximilian (1527?1576
Hungary and the Ottomans
After Suleiman the Magnificent defeated Ferdinand's brother-in-law Louis II, King of Bohemia and of Hungary, at the battle of Moh·cs on 29 August 1526, Ferdinand was elected King of Bohemia in his place. The throne of Hungary became the subject of a dynastic dispute between Ferdinand and John Z·polya, voivode of Transylvania. Each was supported by different factions of the nobility in the Hungarian kingdom; Ferdinand also had the support of Charles V, and Z·polya, after defeat by Ferdinand at the Battle of Tokaj in 1527, the support of Suleiman. Ferdinand was able to win control only of western Hungary because Z·polya clung to the east and the Ottomans to the conquered south. In 1554 Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq was sent to Istanbul by Ferdinand to discuss a border treaty over disputed land with the Sultan, Suleiman.

The most dangerous moment of Ferdinand's career came in 1529 when he took refuge in Bohemia from a massive but ultimately unsuccessful assault on his capital by Suleiman and the Ottoman armies at the Siege of Vienna. A further Ottoman attack on Vienna was repelled in 1533. In that year Ferdinand signed a peace treaty with the Ottoman Empire, splitting the Kingdom of Hungary into a Habsburg sector in the west and John Z·polya's domain in the east, the latter effectively now a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire.

In 1538, by the Treaty of Nagyv·rad, Ferdinand became Z·polya's successor, but he was unable to enforce this agreement during his lifetime because in 1540 John II Sigismund Z·polya, infant son of John Z·polya and Isabella Jagiello, was elected the new king of Hungary. He was initially supported by King Sigismund II Augustus of Poland and Lithuania, his mother's brother, but in 1549 a treaty was signed between the Habsburgs and the Polish ruler as a result of which Poland became neutral in the conflict, Sigismund Augustus marrying Elisabeth von Habsburg, Ferdinand's daughter.

[edit] Government
The western rump of Hungary over which Ferdinand retained dominion became known as Royal Hungary. As the ruler of Austria, Bohemia and Royal Hungary, Ferdinand adopted a policy of centralization and, in common with other monarchs of the time, the construction of an absolute monarchy. In 1527 he published a constitution for his hereditary domains (Hofstaatsordnung) and established Austrian-style institutions in Pressburg for Hungary, in Prague for Bohemia, and in Wroclaw (Breslau) for Silesia. Opposition from the nobles in those realms forced him in 1559 to concede the independence of these institutions from supervision by the Austrian government in Vienna.

In 1547 the Bohemian Estates rebelled against Ferdinand when he ordered the Bohemian army against the German Protestants. After suppressing Prague with the help of his brother's Spanish forces, he retaliated by limiting the privileges of Bohemian cities and inserting a new bureaucracy of royal officials to control urban authorities. Ferdinand was a supporter of the Counter-Reformation and helped lead the Catholic fight-back against what he saw as the heretical tide of Protestantism. For example, in 1551 he invited the Jesuits to Vienna and in 1556 to Prague; and in 1561 he revived the archbishopric of Prague.

Ferdinand died in Vienna and is buried in St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague.

Names in other languages: German, Czech, Slovak, Croatian: Ferdinand I.; Hungarian: I. Ferdin·nd

Ferdinand married Anna Of Bohemia And HUNGARY in 1521. Anna (daughter of Vladislaus II Of Bohemia And HUNGARY and Anne DE FOIX) was born on 23 Jul 1503; died on 27 Jan 1547. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Maria married Louis II Of Hungary And BOHEMIA in 1522. Louis (son of Vladislaus II Of Bohemia And HUNGARY and Anne DE FOIX) was born on 01 Jul 1506; died on 29 Aug 1526 in Battle Of Mohacs. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Also Known As: Eleanor of Spain
• Name: Eleanor Of Austria
• Name: Eleanor Of Habsburg

Notes:

Wikipedia Encyclopedia:
Eleanore of Austria, sometimes known also as Leonor of Castile (November 15, 1498 ? February 25, 1558) was born Archduchess of Austria and Infanta of Spain, became subsequently in turn queen consort of Portugal (1518?1521) and of France, also duchess of Touraine (1547?1558) as dower. Named Leonor de Austria in Spanish, Leonor(a) in Portuguese and "royne Eleonore" or Alienor in French.

Born in Louvain as the eldest child of Philippe the Handsome, archduke of Austria and duke of Burgundy and of Joanna of Castile, Infanta of Castile and Aragon and later queen of the named countries. Her siblings were: Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire, Ferdinand I, also emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Elizabeth queen of Denmark, Maria queen of Hungary and later regent of the Low Countries and Catherine, queen of Portugal.

When she was young, her relatives tried to marry her to the king of England (Henry VII or Henry VIII), the French king (Louis XII or Francois I) or with the Polish king (Sigismund I), but they could not, so they had to lower their intentions, finally marrying her to Portugal, where firstly her nephew the crown prince was the candidate but finally the king, Manuel I of Portugal. They married July 16, 1518. They had two children, the infante Carlos (who died as a child, born February 18, 1520) and the infanta Maria (born June 8, 1521, and who was later one of the richest princesses of Europe). She became a widow on December 13, 1521, when Manuel died of the plague.

Some time later as a widow, by the treaty called "La Paz de las Damas" (The Ladies' Peace) she was married to Francis I of France on July 4, 1530. They had no children.

As the French queen she did not have any political power; however, she was used as a contact between France and the Holy Roman Empire. She was Charles V's favorite sister. She died in 1558 on the return trip from Badajoz, where she tried to make peace with her daughter Maria.

Leonor married Manuel I King Of PORTUGAL on 16 Jul 1518. Manuel (son of Ferdinand Duke Of VIZEU and Beatrice Of PORTUGAL) was born between 31 May and 01 Jun 1469 in Alconchette; died on 13 Dec 1521 in Belem. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Leonor married Francis I Of FRANCE on 07 Aug 1530. Francis (son of Count of Angouleme Charles Of VALOIS-ORLEANS and Louise Of SAVOY) was born on 12 Sep 1494; died on 31 Mar 1547. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Queen Consort of Portugal
• Name: Catherine Of Austria
• Name: Catherine Of Habsburg

Catharina married John III King Of PORTUGAL on 10 Feb 1525. John (son of Manuel I King Of PORTUGAL and Maria Of ARAGON) was born on 06 Jun 1502 in Lisbon, Portugal; died on 11 Jun 1557 in Lisbon, Portugal; was buried in Belem. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Isabella married , Christian II Of DENMARK in 1515. Christian was born on 02 Jul 1481 in Nyborg Castle; died on 25 Jan 1559 in Kalundborg Castle; was buried in Odense. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Emperor of Austria
• Name: Charles I King of Spain
• Death: 1556

Notes:

Charles V (24 February 1500 ? 21 September 1558) was ruler of the Burgundian territories (1506-1555), King of Castile (1516-1556), King of Aragon (1516-1556), King of Naples and Sicily (1516-1554), Archduke of Austria (1519-1521), King of the Romans (or German King), (1519-1531) and Holy Roman Emperor (1530-1556). In Spain, though he is often referred to as Carlos V, he ruled officially as Carlos I, hence Charles I of Spain. He is also known in English by his French name, Charles Quint.

He was the son of Philip the Handsome and Joanna the Mad of Castile. His maternal grandparents were Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, whose marriage had first united Spain. His paternal grandparents were Emperor Maximilian I and Mary of Burgundy. His aunt was Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England and first wife of Henry VIII, his cousin was Mary I of England who married his son Philip.

Charles V's reign introduced the first documented use of the styles of His Majesty or His Imperial Majesty. Because of his far-reaching territories he was described as ruling an Empire "in which the sun does not set".

Combining in himself the heritage of the German Habsburgs, the House of Burgundy, and the Spanish heritage of his mother, Charles transcended ethnic and national boundaries.

Charles was born in the Flemish city of Ghent and brought up in Mechelen by his aunt Margaret until 1517. The culture and courtly life of the Burgundian Low Countries was the prime influence in his early life. He was brought up to speak French and Flemish, but also added Spanish and some German [1]. Indeed, he was said to speak "Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, and German to his horse". He could not speak Spanish very well, as it was not his primary language.

From his Burgundian ancestors, he inherited an ambiguous relationship with the Kings of France. Charles shared with France his mother tongue and many cultural forms. In his youth, he made frequent visits to Paris, then the largest city of Western Europe, which he thoroughly enjoyed. In his words: "Paris is not a city, but a universe" (Lutetia non urbs, sed orbis). But Charles was also born into the tradition of political and dynastical enmity between the Royal and the Burgundian lines of the Valois Dynasty.

This conflict was amplified by his accession to both the Holy Roman Empire and the kingdom of Spain. Though Spain was the core of his kingdom, he was never totally assimilated and especially in his earlier years felt and was viewed as a foreign prince. Nonetheless, he spent most of his life in Spain, including his final years in a Spanish monastery.

In his youth, Charles was tutored by Adrian of Utrecht, later Pope Adrian VI. His three most prominent subsequent advisors were Lord ChiËvres, Jean Sauvage and Mercurino Gattinara.

Charles married Isabella Of PORTUGAL on 10 Mar 1526. Isabella (daughter of Manuel I King Of PORTUGAL and Maria Of ARAGON) was born on 04 Oct 1503 in Portugal; died on 01 May 1539. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Maria Anna Of BAVARIA. Maria (daughter of Albert V Duke Of BAVARIA and Anna Of AUSTRIA) was born on 21 Mar 1551; died on 29 Apr 1608. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: A Nun

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: A Nun

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Consort of Wilhelm, Duke of Julich-Cleves-Berg

Johanna married Grand Duke of Tuscany Francesco DE'MEDICI, I on 18 Dec 1565. Francesco (son of Cosimo DE'MEDICI, I and Eleonora DE TOLEDO) was born on 25 Mar 1541; died on 19 Oct 1587. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: William I Duke Of MANTUA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Catharine married Sigismund II King Of Poland And LITHUANIA in 1553. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: A Nun

Elisabeth married Sigismund II King Of Poland And LITHUANIA in 1543. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Alfonso D'ESTE, II. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

From 1562 King of Bohemia
From 1563 King of Hungary
From 1564 Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

Member of the House of Habsburg

Family/Spouse: Maria Of SPAIN. Maria (daughter of Charles V Holy Roman EMPEROR and Isabella Of PORTUGAL) was born on 21 Jun 1528; died on 26 Feb 1603. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Albert V Duke Of BAVARIA. Albert (son of William IV Duke Of BAVARIA and Jakobaea Of BADEN) was born on 29 Feb 1528; died on 24 Oct 1579. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: John IIJoao II The Perfect King Of PORTUGAL. John (son of Alfonso V King Of PORTUGAL and Isabel Of COIMBRA) was born on 03 Mar 1455 in Lisbon, Portugal; died on 25 Oct 1495 in "Not without suspicion of poison"; was buried in Batalha. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Maria married Philip II Of SPAIN in 1543. Philip (son of Charles V Holy Roman EMPEROR and Isabella Of PORTUGAL) was born on 21 May 1527 in Palacio de Pimentel, Valladolid, Spain; died on 13 Sep 1598 in El Escorial, Spain. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: 1526, Crown Prince of Portugal

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Between 1537 and 1554, Crown Prince of Portugal
• Fact: 1539, Declared heir

Family/Spouse: Joan Of HABSBURG. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Between 1531 and 1537, Crown Prince of Portugal
• Fact: 1535, Declared heir

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Between 1537 and 1539, Crown Prince of Portugal
• Fact: 1537, Declared heir

Family/Spouse: Francis I Duke Of LORRAINE. Francis was born on 23 Aug 1517; died on 12 Jun 1545. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Name:
Philip II of Spain, called the Prudent' (el Prudenta), was King of Spain (1556-98), King of Portugal (1581-98, as Philip I), King of Naples and Sicily (both from 1554), and 'jure usoris Kingof England and Ireland (during his marriage to Queen Mary I from 1554-58). He was also Duke of Milan. From 1555 he was lord of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands.

Known in Spain as "Felipe el Prudente" ('"Philip the Prudent'"), his empire included territories on every continent then known to Europeans, including his namesake the Philippines. During his reign, Spain reached the height of its influence and power. This is sometimes called the Golden Age. The expression "the empire on which the sun never sets" was coined during Philip's time to reflect the extent of his dominion.

During Philip's reign there were separate state bankruptcies in 1557, 1560, 1569, 1575, and 1596. This was partly the cause of the declaration of independence that created the Dutch Republic in 1581. A devout Catholic, Philip is also known for organising a naval expedition against Protestant England in 1588, the Spanish Armada, which was unsuccessful, mostly due to storms and serious logistical problems.

Philip was described by the Venetian ambassador Paolo Fagolo in 1563 as "slight of stature and round-faced, with pale blue eyes, somewhat prominent lip, and pink skin, but his overall appearance is very attractive". The Ambassador went on to say "He dresses very tastefully, and everything that he does is courteous and gracious."[4]

Philip married Maria Princess Of PORTUGAL in 1543. Maria (daughter of John III King Of PORTUGAL and Catharina Of SPAIN) was born on 15 Oct 1527; died on 12 Aug 1545. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Philip married Mary I Queen Of ENGLAND on 25 Jul 1554 in Winchester Cathedral. Mary (daughter of Henry VIII King Of ENGLAND and Catherine Of ARAGON) was born on 18 Feb 1516 in Greenwich Palace; died on 17 Nov 1558 in St. Jame's Palace, London. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Philip married Elizabeth Of VALOIS in 1559. Elizabeth (daughter of Henry II King Of FRANCE and Caterina DE'MEDICI) was born on 02 Apr 1545; died on 03 Oct 1568. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Philip married Anna Of AUSTRIA in 1570. Anna (daughter of Maximilian II Holy Roman EMPEROR and Maria Of SPAIN) was born on 01 Nov 1549; died on 26 Oct 1580. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Maximilian II Holy Roman EMPEROR. Maximilian (son of Ferdinand I Holy Roman EMPEROR and Anna Of Bohemia And HUNGARY) was born on 31 Jul 1527 in Vienna; died on 12 Oct 1576. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]