Imprudent King: A New Life of Philip II Hardcover – November 11, 2014

I confess that I wanted to read more about the life of Philip II. But, I was more interested in his personal life--which was touched on very little. The book goes very deeply into his political life, emphasizing his reasons for doing everything, and I mean everything! It covers his correspondence, wars--you name it. I finished it, but it was a slog.

The famous dismissal of an author’s voluminous effort about the Roman empire could easily apply not to Geoffrey Parker, but his subject—Phillip II, King of Spain. A monarch who was prone to scribble, scribble, scribble. Imprudent King is a testament to one man’s ability to squander not only ducats, but time and opportunity, all in equal measure.With a peerless pedigree (Ferdinand and Isabella and Maximilian I and Marie of Burgundy were his grandparents) Phillip was born to the purple, if not a life of leisure. His father, Emperor Charles V had rigorous expectations, which for the most part, his son was able to fulfill. Most importantly, and perhaps most deleteriously father impressed upon son the notion one should only trust (and marry) other Hapsburgs, and God, (who apparently was also a Hapsburg).Early on Parker identifies the king’s penchant for considering and then reconsidering all aspects of an argument, along with a complete inability to focus on what today would be called “the big picture.” There is more than a little pop psychology about a stunted childhood due to an absent father and the impact of being taken from his mother at what today would be an early age. Personally, I find this speculation rather silly, but others may not.If not a great mind, Phillip was more intelligent than many and devoted to the success of his dynasty and his kingdoms. Unfortunately that devotion did not always translate into consideration for his subjects or his advisors. Parker documents not only a debilitating tendency to procrastinate but an equally inimical messianic bent. The author properly notes messianic devotion was rife in 16th century Spain, but Phillip seems more fervid than many.In an age of religious bigotry, Parker’s Imprudent King is an exemplar of prejudice, not only sanctioning auto da fe but actually enjoying a good burning at the stake. Rather creepily, he would encourage his children to partake as well. There is the disturbing practice of sacrificing (quite literally) loyal advisors such as Carranza to the Inquisition. When it turns out the Inquisition was motivated merely by personal hatred, Phillip would rather see an innocent burn then discredit the institution itself. Rather appalling morals, that.There’s a willingness to practice ethnic cleansing that puts Phillip ahead of his time, and not in a good way, commit extra-judicial murder (with courtiers) or assassinate other monarchs (William of Orange; Elizabeth I of England) and see 100,000 die before the Netherlands became Protestant. On one level it’s appalling to modern sensibilities, but the value Parker’s life of Phillip is that we understand he is only a heightened reality of his times. The most powerful, most rich, most Catholic, etc. Parker shows us too, however misguided, Phillip is also conscientious and could be quite decent. In fairness almost anyone would have failed given the circumstances.My reason for deducting a star may not be fair to the author: only readers can decide that. I think Parker makes the same point, again and again. There are a multitude of examples of how Phillip procrastinated. A half century’s worth. There are innumerable examples of how he delayed and avoided making decisions. From a scholastic point of view, this is comprehensive and impressive. From a general reader’s point of view, it is overkill. At times I found myself glazing over at the same point, proved again.However, readers should decide for themselves by reading Parker’s Imprudent King. It is engagingly written and very, very thorough.

This is a methodical, workmanlike, and very boring book about a man of enormous activity and no personality, no charm, and no redeeming features. But how could anything good come from a line that included the vicious Queen Isabella and her husband Ferdinand, both fond of burning Protestants and free thinkers.This book is about a man consumed with the mania of religion, with a Catholicism that had no measure, no boundaries, and no cure. He was a dullard without the sharp edge of personality that even Hitler or Mussolini had. A total bore who might be forgiven if he had had the honesty to become a monk in early youth. He repeatedly conflated his will with God's will.This biography introduces this megalomaniac by means of a recital of his epistolary habits. His waking hours, stretching long into the night, were obsessively dedicated to official correspondence, his labors being liberally interspersed with groans of exhaustion and self-pity. If there was a death warrant for a hapless Protestant among the endless stack of papers in front of him, it would no doubt receive the same careful attention as the other papers.He built many astounding buildings, including the Escorial. He ordered the creation of many splendid gardens. And his long reign included numerous wars and many deaths of innocent people around the world. He laughed with joy at hearing of the massacres of French Protestants. He loved and revered the Inquisition.I doubt that any other King was ever as dull a personality as this monarch of half the known world. That last phrase sounds so dramatic, but actually this man's habits and mode of thought, as related in this book, were usually as interesting as the daily events of an ant colony.Even Philip's marriage to Queen Mary of England became dull in this telling. The burning of English Protestants by the English Queen and her Spanish husband evokes neither horror nor pity.Even thinking about this King and his biography induces the most profound annoyance and impatience. I could not finish it. Others, though, may enjoy the details of this pointless man's life.

With considerable skill and sympathy the author brings us a very useful view of one of the brutal world autocrats of the 16th century: at a young age put in charge of a massive world empire by no more than inheritance. He illustrates the descent from a promising youth to a pious megalomaniac humbug. A conscientious and hard working captive of his circumstances and his religion. But it is hard to feel sympathy with a man who allows the Inquisition, stamps hard on freedom seekers and enjoys watching people burned alive. Philip is also a major factor in British history, married to Queen Mary, promoter of the Catholic faith, opposer of Protestant Elizabeth, squanderer of south American gold and silver, competitor on the high seas, sender of the Armada and wielder of a major land army. This book has much to tell us and is well worth the read.

I only had the usual view of Philip as an brief episode of Tudor history so this was a real eye opener. Highly recommended

A must read for those interested in modern European history.

A really great read informed by an extraordinary range of archival material.

Een prachtige en goed geschreven biografie, zeer goed leesbaar ook. Parker is een erkende autoriteit wat betreft het onderwerp van dit werk. De persoonlijkheid van Philips II komt zeer goed uit de verf. Hij was in feite naar huidige maatstaven gemeten een religieus fanaticus die zichzelf voortdurend zag als het instrument van God op aarde. Bij de eindeloze oorlogen die hij gevoerd heeft als uitvloeisel waarvan ook vaak met ketters werd afgerekend, ging hij er ook altijd van uit dat ze door diezelfde God werden gewild. Alleen als de onderneming slecht afliep, kon dat betekenen dat zijn schepper de onderneming niet echt zag zitten. Wat Philips volgens Parker vaak opbrak was zijn dwangmatige neiging om bij alles wat hij ondernam aan 'micromanagement' te doen, hij bemoeide zich met alles tot in de kleinste details. Een voorbeeld is de toewijzing van de cellen voor monniken in zijn beroemde paleis het Escorial bij Madrid. Dat deed hij ongelooflijk genoeg zelf. Je vraagt je als lezer regelmatig af of de koning niets beters te doen heeft, als hij zich weer vol overgave op iets heel onbeduidends stort. Een dergelijke stijl van management stelt extreem hoge eisen aan het uithoudingsvermogen van een vorst en komt de kwaliteit van de besluitvorming meestal niet ten goede. Een bijkomend maar niet onbelangrijk probleem was dat in die tijd de communicatie van de koning met zijn militaire bevelhebbers e.d. natuurlijk nog via een vrij primitief systeem van koeriers te paard of per schip verliep. Over dat koerierssysteem komt de auteur even kort te spreken, ik had er graag meer over gelezen. Hoe belangrijk die koeriers waren wordt meteen duidelijk als je bedenkt dat de bezittingen van de Spaanse kroon zich uitstrekten over grote delen van West-Europa, maar ook gebieden omvatte in de beide Amerika's en Oost-Azië. Denk bij dat laatste aan de Filippijnen, die naar niemand minder genoemd zijn dan: ' Precies die!'Een prominent kenmerk van het bewind van Philips II dat vrijwel de hele tweede helft van de 16e eeuw bestreek, waren ook de eindeloze oorlogen waarin hij was verwikkeld. Van de ongeveer 50 jaar van zijn bewind waren er maar zo'n zes waarin door zijn legers niet ergens een oorlog werd uitgevochten. Discussies over waar al dat geld voor die militaire campagnes vandaan moest worden gehaald, komen steeds weer terug in dit boek. Opvallend is ook dat de oorlog tegen de opstandige Nederlandse provincies bij dit alles een heel prominente plaats inneemt. Met die opstand in de Lage Landen was Philips II voortdurend bezig, veel meer dan ik eigenlijk vooraf gedacht had. Met het Ottomaanse rijk lag hij trouwens ook regelmatig in de clinch, dit alles natuurlijk ook weer in naam van God.Het feit dat de auteur voortdurend put uit herinneringen, persoonlijke correspondentie e.d. van betrokken personen, inclusief de koning zelf, kont de levendigheid van het verhaal zeer ten goede. Een grote aanrader dus, deze biografie, voor iedereen die in sleutelfiguren uit de Europese geschiedenis is geïnteresseerd.