Philip of Spain

by Henry Kamen (Author)

34 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0300078008

ISBN-10: 0300078005

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"A historian’s biography of Philip II as Renaissance prince, refuting the Elizabethan propaganda picture of the spider of the Escorial."—New York Times Book Review (And Bear in Mind)

"In humanizing a man too often viewed as a cardboard tyrant, Kamen has made a valuable contribution to European historiography."—Booklist

Philip II of Spain—ruler of the most extensive empire the world had ever known—has been viewed in a harsh and negative light since his death in 1598. Identified with repression, bigotry, and fanaticism by his enemies, he has been judged more by the political events of his reign than by his person. 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Drawing on Philip's unpublished correspondence and on many other archival sources, Henry Kamen reveals much about Philip the youth, the man, the husband, the father, the frequently troubled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, the book is the definitive portrayal of Philip II.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

This fascinating biography provides. . .a new appreciation. . .and a convenient and readable introduction to early-18th-century Spain. -- Choice

From the Back Cover

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 Drawing on Philip's unpublished correspondence and on many other archival sources, Henry Kamen reveals much about Philip the youth, the man, the husband, the father, the frequently troubled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.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press (February 8, 1999)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0300078005
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0300078008
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.46 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.1 x 6.23 x 1.19 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,354,052 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #359 in Historical Spain & Portugal Biographies
- #3,719 in Royalty Biographies
- #6,962 in European History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
34 ratings

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3 star		12%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		7%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Glenn D. Robinson

Very Thorough Bio

Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2014

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Very thorough. Well researched, well researched. I learned a great deal more about Phillip II. I have read 2 others, so I am starting to learn and know about the many secondary players, powers and events. Glad I read this one. Henry Kamen did a very good job at describing all the many wars, the many states that Phillip II was king of and the many dynasties that he had to deal with. From the heights of empire to the depths of losses. Very good and worth the time.

5 people found this helpful

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Gene Rhea Tucker

Kamen's masterful portrayal of Philip is a must read

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2017

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Kamen has stepped into J. H. Elliott's shoes as the dean of early modern Spanish history. Kamen's masterful portrayal of Philip is a must read.

One person found this helpful

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E. F Bryan

Phillip of Spain

Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2014

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this book is easy to read and has many details on Phillip of Spain and also his father, Charles V and his unfortunate son, Don Carlos. A must read for people interested in Spainish and also English history. Detailed account of his marriage to Mary Tudour

One person found this helpful

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Amz customer

Great Historial Perspective on King Phillip II

Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2016

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Great historical perspective on King Phillip II. Good documentation, and author perspective.

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Bookworm in Houston

Difficult read

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2013

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The book is well researched and written but it is a very dry read. All of the facts are there but the narrative lacks color.

One person found this helpful

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Basil E. Lallos

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2015

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interesting person good read good price

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Kindle Customer

A dry and boring read.

Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2015

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I am an avid reader of European royalty. I have a BA in Spanish and Hispanic American Literature so my interest in Phillip of Spain is great. But this particular book which I purchased on my Kindle was so very disappointing because it is dry, boring and difficult to read. I have tried on three different occasions to restart reading the book, only to abandon it once again. So now I am going to try the book by Geoffry Parker, The Imprudent King, $19.99 on kindle. Hope it is a better read than this Henry Kamen book.

One person found this helpful

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João Sá

A biography on irrelevant facts, a mere collection of events and quotes

Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2017

I should state first that I'm Portuguese therefore I may have an emotional bias against Philip I of Spain, who unified Portugal and Spain into a single kingdom. However, I am a huge fun of political biographies, especially of kings, and I have read biographies of kings I appreciate and of kings I dislike. Nevertheless, this biography is, by far, the worst biography I have ever read and probably one of the worst books I have read in my life. This books reads like a collection of quotes and of events that anyone today could do using wikipedia. There is no analysis or insight from the writer about the personal views and ambitions of Philip I for his kingdom. No commentary on his skills, on his temperament, or on his manner of conducting politics. Moreover, the book does not discuss the impact of Philip I's reign on Iberian politics, on Europe and on the world history, considering after all that the two biggest empires at that moment in the world had become one. In summary, the book is hurtingly and plainly descriptive. For example, opening a random page I find this sentence: "Some observers refer to his driscreet nature as being 'melancolic', but the King doesn't seem to have suffered from serious melancoly or depression. Notable exceptions were his reactions towards D.Carlos imprisonment and towards the Spanish Armada's defeat." [translation from Portuguese]. What is the relevance of this?
Now, I have to buy a new biography of Philip I.

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

A Customer

Good informative biography with lack of analysis

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 9, 2015

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I liked this book and author obvious has done enormous research, but if honestly - there were some issues, which made this book less enjoyable than I expected it to be.

Main pros: I highly appreciate the factual side of it - I learned a lot about Philip, Spanish politics, religion and conflicts in the 16th century Europe. And since I knew very little about Spanish history, this biography really helped me to understand the Spanish point of view of certain historical events, the very thing which I expected to gain and received. Well done.

But I really wanted much more analysis into this. And that's where problems start - this book simply tells Philip's (and his reign's) story without giving decent examination of reasons, which stood behind king's decisions or actions (or those of other persons), and consequences, which they faced. There could be more exploration of Philip's personality too - I missed it.
I also felt that there were some holes in Kamen's argumentation/interpretation - in many cases his conclusions and statements appeared to contradict the facts presented, or even his own opinions. Besides narrative's (or should I say author's?) tone concerning Philip's actions and decisions occasionally grew a little bit too much apologetic for my taste - it was kind of irritating.

Another issue with this work - I think that some important topics were worth more exploration than the author did: Philip's impact on the English government during Mary Tudor's reign, his marriage to Mary Tudor in general, his conflict with papacy (I can't remember if Kamen even mentioned the fact that Philip was excommunicated from the Church), his relationships with his heir, later Philip III. I also had like to know about his plans concerning the invasion in England (I mean, what they planned to do if the Armada had won?), but for some reason the only thing what Kamen has to say on the subject is "neither the king nor anyone else was quite sure what it was meant to achieve. No concrete plans were ever drawn up, either military or political, on what was to be done should the invasion succeed." Well, I don't know, but I doubt that they had no plans whatsoever.

Overall, it is a good factual biography and it encouraged me to read further about Philip. Next try "Imprudent king" by Geoffrey Parker.

3 people found this helpful

Loverofbooks

A trap of his own making

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2013

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This certainly is a weighty and worthy tome. As the writer himself asserts, a thoroughly researched and new biography is long overdue of this somewhat dark and evasive historical figure.
In many respects, Philip II is the stuff of easy legends to be created around his self-confessed aloofness and distant character. (He refused to allow any biography to be written, certainly in his lifetime.) There is no doubt that he was cold and harsh as a monarch, but perhaps that was bred into him by the enormous role he and Spain played in one of the most formative times in European history.
Henry Kamen's book is well-written and very readable, however, the author falls into his own trap when, as he writes in the preface that he did not want to write a political biography but one that exposes the 'thoughts, motives and preferences of the man...'. Unfortunately Kamen does get rather bogged down in the politics of Spain in relation to Flanders and other political situations.
Overall, this is a scholarly and highly readable book that makes Philip an accessible man to learn about and help the reader to gain an insight into his reputation for being a harsh, seemingly cruel monarch.

3 people found this helpful

Christine Arabella

An incredibly readable book! Philip II's travels through Europe ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 13, 2014

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An incredibly readable book! Philip II's travels through Europe as prince-regent (yo el rey principe, he signed himself after his elevation as King of Naples on the eve of his marriage to Mary I of England). Philip the ladies' man. Philip the king, of course. Also interesting on Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I of England. It has been claimed by another biographer that this book is a hagiography; this is definitely not true. It does show though that Philip was human, and a rather average person.

JONATHAN

Bland

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 25, 2015

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This book is well written, but lacking in detail in some areas, you get an overall sense of Philip II, but it leaves more questions than it answers, and you need to read more than this book if you want to have a better idea of the man.

Mr. John Harmsen

A wonderful book. Henry Kamen gives the king a human ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2016

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A wonderful book. Henry Kamen gives the king a human face and demolishes the Protestant view of this truly great monarch.

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Philip of Spain

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