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May 21, 1527
Philip II was born.
Phillip was born in Valledoid, Spain as the only legitamite son of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and his wife, Isabella of portugal. -
Jul 8, 1545
Philip's 1st son: Don Carlos
Don Carlos, son of Princess Maria of Portugal, was born on July 8th in 1545. He had grown dissatisfied and supported Dutch leaders. Philip imprisoned his son in 1568. Six months afterwards, Don Carlos died which could be blamed on Philip himself. -
Jan 16, 1556
Crowned King of Spain.
As a result of his father's abdication, Philip succeeded to his father's position. He refused to reside the country until his father's death which occured two years later. -
Jan 1, 1557
Bankrupt for the 1st time.
Under Philip's reign, Spain went bankrupt for the first time due to inflation and high tax burdens. He governed Spain in its so-called "Golden Age". The huge debt was left to Philip by his father, Charles V, in which he created bonds where bankers would receive interests. After a while, unpaid interests were adding up and that is where the first bankruptcy occurred. -
Jan 1, 1559
Peace of Cateau-Cambresis
Philip signed the Peace of Cateau-Cambresis to secure Habsburg possessions in Italy against the intrusions of France. After securing Italy, Philip was able to focus on the threats the Ottomans had proposed. This agreement marked the end of struggle between France and for the control of Italy which lasted 65 years. Habsburg, Spain was left a dominant power in Italy for 150 years. -
Mar 12, 1560
"Holy League"
In 1560, Philip II organized the "Holy League" between Spain and the Republic of Genoa, the Republic of Venice, the Papal states, the Duchy of Savoy, and the Knights of Malta. On March 12, the Holy League captured the island of Djerba. In response, an Ottoman fleet was sent to Djerba.The battle lasted until May 14. -
Apr 14, 1578
Male Heir
Philip had yet to provide with a male heir with his previous wives, who had all died. The situation was solved when he married Anne of Austria, who provided him with a son, Philip III. Philip III was born April 14 in 1578 in Madrid, Spain. He later succeeded his father's position after he had passed. -
Jan 1, 1580
King of Portugal
Following the death of Portuguese King Manuel I in 1580, Philip acquiered the kingdom of Portugal. This is because King Manuel failed to produce a male heir. Philip's mother, Isabella of Portugal, happened to be one of Manuel's daughters, leaving the thrown to Philip. The success of colonization all around his empire improved his financial position, enabling him to show greater aggresion towards his enemies.. -
Invasion of England
When Philip began persecuting Protestants in England, Queen Elizabeth sent soldiers to protect them. She agreed to the execution of Mary Stuart while Philip hoped she would become the Catholic Queen of England. This lead to Philip's decision of conquering England and ending Elizabeth's Protestant government. In the Spanish Armada took off to conquer England but the English carried more powerful weaponry leading to the deaths and defeat of many Spanish soldiers. -
War with France
Philip II was at war with Henry IV of France. When Henry IV converted to Catholicism. French Catholics took his side against Philip's Spanish forces. Philip's goal was to suppress Protestantism in France and remove Henry IV from the throne. Thus, the war ended on a disappointing note for Philip. -
Revolt of Aragon & Last Bankruptcy
There was a revolt in Aragon against Philip's rule in 1591. Because of this, Philip's military campaigns created financial problems. By 1596, Spain went bankrupt for the last time under Philip II's reign. Because of the banruptcy, the country was left economically depressed after his death. -
King Philip died.
Philip II died on September 13 in 1598 due to an unspecified type of cancer. He was succeeded by his son, Philip III, and is remembered in the name of a former Spanish colony, The Philippines.
