How much do you know about Philip II of Spain? | Quiz

Answer: 1527, Valladolid

Philip was the son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and Isabella of Portugal and was born in the Palacio de Pimental, Valladolid on 21st May 1527.

Answer: Vervins

In 1598 Philip II concluded the Treaty of Vervins with France. This came after Philip's fourth bankruptcy in the year 1596. This final bankruptcy in Philip's reign showed him that he needed peace because he could no longer afford to fight a war on three fronts against France, the Netherlands and England.

The Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis was signed with the French in 1559, ending the Habsburg Valois wars. The Treaty of Nonsuch was the treaty concluded between Elizabeth I of England and the Dutch Rebels in 1585, this was a contributing factor in Philip sending the Armada in 1588.

The Treaty of London was between Spain and England and was concluded in 1604 between Philip III and James I.

Answer: Don Carlos

Verdi's opera entitled "Don Carlo", is the tragic tale of a forbidden love between Don Carlos and Elizabeth de Valois. Elizabeth had originally been promised to Don Carlos, but in 1559 Philip married her to confirm the treaty Cateau-Cambresis ending the Habsburg-Valois wars.

Answer: Maria Manuela of Portugal

Philip married his cousin Maria on 15th November 1543 at the age of only 16. She bore him his first son Don Carlos, but she died after a difficult birth. Philip was a father and a widower by the age of 18.

Answer: All of these

The Escorial cost a total of 5,260,560 ducats. Construction began in 1563 and it was completed by 1584. The Escorial's design was based on the grid-iron on which Saint Lawrence was martyred and was inteneded to commemorate Spain's victory at the battle of St Quentin on Saint Lawrence's Day in 1557. Its full name is San Lorenzo del Escorial.

Answer: Philip and Juana

Philip I, also known as Philip the handsome, was the heir to the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and Mary of Burgundy. His wife Juana (La Loca)was heiress to Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. Through them Philip's father, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, inherited the Holy Roman Empire, Burgundy, Castile and Aragon (uniting Spain under one rule.

He united all of these countries as well as large parts of Italy under Habsburg rule. However he did not pass on all of this inheritance to his son Philip II. Charles V split the Habsburg Empire in two.

He handed power over the Austrian part of the Habsburg Empire to his own brother Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor. Ferdinand ruled over Austria, Germany, Hungary and Bohemia. Charles handed power over the Spanish part of the Empire to Philip II, who ruled over Spain, the Netherlands, Naples and Sicily, and later added even more lands to the Monarquia.

Answer: Pope Paul IV

Pope Paul IV (Giovanni Pietro Caraffa) was radically anti-Spanish and had entered into an alliance with the French, and was at war with Philip when he became king in 1556. Paul IV was Pope from 1555-1559.

Answer: 1571

At the Battle of Lepanto, Philip's troops fought with the Holy League against the Ottoman navy. This battle was fought off the coast of Greece. The Turkish navy was destroyed only 35 out of 250 galleys survived.

Answer: Dominicans

The Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) was set up by the Basque, Ignatius Loyola and swore a forth oath of complete obediance to the Pope. Philip felt threatened by this as he thought it would threaten his control over the Spanish church. Philip's sister Juana was secretly accepted into membership of the Jesuits, becoming the only female member in History.

The Inquisition was run largely by Dominicans. There was a traditional rivalry between the Dominicans and the Franciscans.

Answer: 10 million ducats

The original cost of the Armada was supposed to be only 3.5 million ducats. Two-thirds of the soldiers who fought in the Armada had never fought in battle before. Francis Drake's raid on Cadiz set back the Armada's departure by a year.