King Philip II: The Spanish Golden Age

Not everyone goes down in history in a good way, and King Philip II did not. Philip II was the ruler of an extremely large empire, so it wasn't easy for him. He was also an untrusting leader causing him to lack necessary assistance. Philip did not only do bad things though, he was the King of Spain when they reached their peak of power and he helped (and crashed) the Spanish economy. He also performed the great feat of unifying Spain and Portugal, which some say was his greatest accomplishment. Philip II is mostly known for his failures, but he still did good for his countries. Philip II always had things relatively easy for him, as he was born into royalty. He was the only legitimate son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and

The Spanish Golden Age art was influenced by the Italian Renaissance. Also, buildings like palaces and churches were being built more lavishly. During the Spanish Golden Age, many new and great composers appeared, making music more desirable and listened to. Lastly, poetry and drama became extremely popular during the Golden Age. The Spanish Golden Age lasted from around 1500 to about 1660. The time during which Philip II reigned Spain has been considered by historians to be the most powerful Spain has ever gotten. Philip II lacked a lot of the self-confidence needed to be a king. He did not trust his own opinions and often look per for the opinions of others. This was a problem though because he did not trust his advisors opinions

According to many historians Philip’s greatest ruination was his lack of self-confidence. He also had trouble trusting other people, this combined with his lacking morale caused his reign to become a debacle. Another one of his downfalls was his passion toward his religion. Many would say having strong faith is important, but Philip’s was just too strong. His religion caused him to make rash decisions causing loss of great amounts of money. Philip’s religious beliefs also made him rule extremely independently. He believed that God has made him ruler, so he often refused help from his advisors which led to some bad