Philip II and Militant Catholicism
Philip II was a very big supporter of militant Catholicism in the 16th century. Under his leadership, Spain prospered in many ways. One thing that Philip wanted to do was to secure and gather all of the land he had inherited. One way to get everyone on the same page was to force Catholicism. In order to do that, Philip II had to use the Spanish Inquisition as well as creating a strong monarchy. It was hard to create a strong monarchy because the kingdom was split into territories that each had unique relationships with the king. Philip drew the focus away from the aristocracy and over to him, and he also was in charge of every single department. Because it was too much work for one man, he often got very far behind on his work.
Philip also wanted Spain to be a prominent power in Europe. Spain heavily depended on imports such as gold and silver. It also needed to be prosperous in agriculture, commerce, and its industry. The Spanish economy was also influenced in a bad way by silver because of the inflation that hurt the economy. The war also cost a lot of money, which the government didn’t have. Because of this, taxes were raised, and the Spanish government began to borrow money. Even though Philip used much of his money to pay off the debt, he still had to pay interest. The Spanish people had participated in Crusades years before, so they easily saw themselves as divinely chosen to save Catholicism from the new Protestant Reformation. Philip II was eventually known as the “Most Catholic King”, and was able to defeat many people for the spread of Catholicism. Spain was a part of a holy league that fought against the Turks, and had an amazing victory over them in 1571 at the Battle of Lepanto. Two of the most unfortunate things that happened to Philip were his failed attempt to stop the revolt in the Netherlands and the tortured relations he had with Queen Elizabeth.
Philip also wanted Spain to be a prominent power in Europe. Spain heavily depended on imports such as gold and silver. It also needed to be prosperous in agriculture, commerce, and its industry. The Spanish economy was also influenced in a bad way by silver because of the inflation that hurt the economy. The war also cost a lot of money, which the government didn’t have. Because of this, taxes were raised, and the Spanish government began to borrow money. Even though Philip used much of his money to pay off the debt, he still had to pay interest. The Spanish people had participated in Crusades years before, so they easily saw themselves as divinely chosen to save Catholicism from the new Protestant Reformation. Philip II was eventually known as the “Most Catholic King”, and was able to defeat many people for the spread of Catholicism. Spain was a part of a holy league that fought against the Turks, and had an amazing victory over them in 1571 at the Battle of Lepanto. Two of the most unfortunate things that happened to Philip were his failed attempt to stop the revolt in the Netherlands and the tortured relations he had with Queen Elizabeth.