Philip Ii Of Spain Essays - Moriscos, Philippine Dynasty

Philip Ii Of Spain HOW WAS SUCCESSFUL A RULER WAS PHILIP II? To fully answer this question it is necessary to truly evaluate each of his policies with dealing his enemies and compatriots both foreign and domestic throughout his reign. This essay will attempt to take each main area of conflict in his life and provide clear indications as to the degree of success that Philip achieved. Philips character itself is a critical as his personality and characteristics convey, not only himself, but also his empire to others. It is believed by some historians that Philip was a far poorer leader than his father, Charles I, who had reigned before him. Philip grew up to be an outsider and carried this flaw with him into leadership. He never fully trusted anyone and so was incapable of calling upon others resources to aid him. He controlled a multi-cultural empire but was held very basic skills in the languages which he needed to communicate with all of his subjects. The only language he spoke fluently was Spanish and he lived in Castille throughout his time at the throne, which made the people from more far-flung areas of his kingdom begin to distrust him, and treat him more as a Castillian than one of their own. He was a devout catholic and a strong belief in ridding the continent of all forms of heresy at any cost, which could often cloud his judgement in making key decisio ns. All of the above contributed to his troublesome reign as leader. The moriscos were the Muslim population inhabiting the south of Spain. Throughout Phillips reign his primary objective had been to expel all forms of heresy and to have only his own Catholicism as the surviving religion. The moriscos existence had come about through Phillips efforts to convert them into the Christian lifestyle. This name was given to the converted Muslims, or new Christians. His policy was to attempt to make the moriscos genuine coverts through the teaching and persuasion of catholic missionaries, designed to guide them into their new way of life. This effort was largely a failure as provided that the moriscos went to Christian mass and looked to be practising their new religion, then little more was asked of them. The majority of moriscos retained their old faith in spite of Phillips efforts. It wasnt until the 1560s that Phillip decided that his policy would have to be changed. A section of the Christian clergy were angry that the moriscos abided in name only and insisted that action needed to be taken. There was a higher military incentive to remove the presence of the moriscos, however. While the battle in the Mediterranean between the Spanish and the Turks raged on, it was feared that the moriscos could become an enemy within. It was deemed possible that the moriscos would support a Turkish incursion, particularly from North Africa. There was also a chance that they would join with Protestants in Southern France in any attack on Spain itself. Phillip was extremely concerned about Turkish power and agreed that any possibility of a Turkish-morisco alliance would have to be quashed. It is for these reasons that Phillip took the decision to take a sterner approach on the moriscos in Granada. This new policy began in 1567. The morisocs were completely forbidden to practice any of their own customs including language and dress. They were to suffer severe economic hardships as a result. This brought them to revolt in Granada in 1568. The government was completely unprepared as it was fighting the war in the Netherlands. There was no plan on how to curb the uprising and many paid with their lives. The moriscos eventually lost in 1570. Phillips next policy was to spread the moriscos throughout the Christian population to try to prevent any future hostilities. This met with adverse effects as old Christians became angrier at the moriscos turning up on their doorstep. Phillip was encouraged to expel the moriscos completely from his country, but he decided against it as the moriscos in Valencia made up a large portion of the workforce on its estates. Instead the number of missionaries was increased but had little effect. The main reason why Phillips policy of