Philip of Spain / Henry Kamen.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 363-368) and index.

This book, published four hundred years after Philip's death, is the first full-scale biography of the king. Placing him within the social, cultural, religious and regional context of his times, it presents a startling new picture of his character and reign. Drawing on Philip's unpublished correspondence and on many other archival sources, Henry Kamen reveals much about Philip the youth, the man, the husband, the father, the frequently troubled Christian and the king. Kamen finds that Philip was a cosmopolitan prince whose extensive experience of northern Europe broadened his cultural imagination and tastes, whose staunchly conservative ideas were far from being illiberal and fanatical, whose religious attitudes led him to accept a practical coexistence with Protestants and Jews, and whose support for Las Casas and other defenders of the Indians in America helped determine government policy. Shedding completely new light on most aspects of Philip's private life and, in consequence, on his public actions, this book is the definitive portrayal of Philip II.

Print version record.

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- The House of Hapsburg in the Sixteenth Century -- 1. The Formative Years 1527-1544 -- 2. The Renaissance Prince 1545-1551 -- 3. Soldier and King 1551-1559 -- 4. The Cross and the Crescent 1559-1565 -- 5. Towards Total War 1566-1572 -- 6. Dropping the Pilot 1572-1580 -- 7. The World of Philip II -- 8. The Statesman -- 9. War in the West 1580-1586 -- 10. The Time of Thunder 1587-1593 -- 11. Last Years 1593-1598 -- 12. Epilogue -- List of Abbreviations -- Notes -- A Note on Sources -- Index.

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