Philip II

Philip of Spain is known in England primarily as the husband of Mary I and the adversary of Elizabeth I. The Spanish Armada hangs about his neck like an albatross. He is defined by his brief marriage, his lack of Englishness, his Catholicism, his otherness, and all the additional layers of complication that these bring. Yet Philip’s life encompasses most of the major struggles and issues of the sixteenth century, as he battled to control the vast Empires acquired by his father, alongside his crippling debts. A complex and private man, Philip dealt with personal tragedy whilst fighting fires across Europe and presiding over a golden era of art, literature and architecture. As the 500th anniversary of Philip’s birth approaches, Amy Licence places him in his cultural context to confront the black legend; she explores anew his relationship with England – and invites us to take a fresh look at the man, the myths and the marriages of England’s forgotten (Tudor-era) king.