Biographical Essay On Philip Ii Of Spain

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‘Write a Biographical essay about a historical figure’: Philip II There is not a conclusively popular opinion amongst historians when it comes to the reign of Philip II of Spain. He is a hugely debated figure, which is partly down to the pressure he was under before he even came into power. Philip was a weak character, which made the magnitude of his task even greater, and of particular concern was his indecisive nature, especially under pressure. However, his father ensured that he was prepared for kingship unlike he himself had been when he took control of the Holy Roman Empire at the age of just nineteen. According to R. Trevor-Davies, ‘Philip set out in life to train himself for the duties of a king.’ He was well educated, taught Latin, French and Italian by the well renowned scholar Juan Martinez Siliceo, and wrote Latin with ‘the precision and facility of a scholar.’ Trevor-Davies also makes reference to the important message that Philip’s father gave him as part of his instructions, ‘Depend on none but yourself.’ However, Philip took this advice very literally, and throughout his reign, would insist on checking all paperwork, and overseeing all matters done by others. This scrutiny of every article of government is present throughout his reign, and he was branded a ‘micro-manager’ by some, spending a lot of time dealing with the minutiae of government. Trevor-Davies refers to such a case, while commenting on surviving papers annotated by Philip; ‘His marginal notes are strangely revealing. They reflect his unhurrying pace and microscopic attention to trivial, and often irrelevant, detail.’ This could be seen as a positive outlook on his reign showing his devotion, but as James Casey states, ‘he came to be criticised for listening to too many conflicting pieces of advice and failing to make up his own mind quickly or at all.’ This shows that this
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