Philip IV of Castille (Spanish: Felipe IV) (April 8, 1605 – September 17, 1665) was the king of Spain, from 1621 until his death, and king of Portugal as Philip III (Portuguese: Filipe III) until 1640. The eldest son of Philip III (and his wife Margaret), Philip IV was born at Valladolid. His chief minister was Gaspar de Guzmán. Speaking properly was also Philip III of Aragon, though Spain was not a complete country in the same sense that has today. (The term King of the Spains - Rey de las Españas in Spanish - was the official title then). In his realms he was known as the Planet King, after the Sun (the fourth planet in the astronomy of the time).
A painting of Philipp IV displaying the prominant
Hapsburg lip.
His reign, after a few passing years of barren successes, was characterized by political and military decay and disaster. He has been held responsible for the fall of Spain, which was, however, mostly due to internal causes beyond the control of either a capable ruler or a despot. Philip certainly possessed more energy, both mental and physical, than his father: his handwritten translation of Francesco Guicciardini's texts on political history still exists, and he was a fine horseman and keen hunter.
His artistic taste was shown by his patronage of Diego Velázquez, and his love of letters by his favor to Lope de Vega, Calderón, and other dramatists. He is even credited, on fairly probable testimony, with a share at least in the composition of several comedies. He also commended the building of the Palacio del Buen Retiro in Madrid. Parts of it still remain near the Prado museum. His good intentions were of no avail to his government. Feeling himself not yet qualified to reign when he ascended to the throne at the age of 16, he allowed himself to be guided by the most capable man he could find. His favourite, Olivares, was a far more honest man than the Duke of Lerma, and was more fit for the place of prime minister than any Spaniard of the time. However, Philip lacked the confidence to free himself from Olivares' influence when he had come of age, and, with Olivares' encouragement, he busied himself with amusements.
When, in 1643, the disasters falling on the monarchy on all sides led to the dismissal of Olivares, Philip had lost the power to devote himself to hard work. After a brief struggle with the task of directing the administration of the most extensive and the worst organized monarchy in Europe, he sank back into his pleasures and was governed by other favourites. His political opinions were those he had inherited from his father and grandfather. He thought it his duty to support the Austrian Habsburgs and the cause of the Roman Catholic Church against the Protestants, to assert his sovereignty over the Dutch United Provinces, and to extend the dominions of his house. The utter exhaustion of his people in the course of a hopeless struggle with the Netherlands, France and England was seen by him with sympathy, but he considered it an unavoidable misfortune and not the result of his own errors, since he could not be expected to renounce his rights or to desert the cause of God and the Church.
In public he maintained a bearing of rigid solemnity, and was seen to laugh only three times in the course of his life. But in private he indulged in horseplay and very coarse immorality. His court was grossly vicious. The early death of his eldest son, Baltasar Carlos, was unquestionably due to debauchery encouraged by the gentlemen entrusted by the king with his education. The lesson shocked the king, but its effect soon wore off. Philip IV died broken-hearted in 1665, expressing the hope that his surviving son, Carlos, would be more fortunate than himself.
Family
Siblings
Children
With Elizabeth Bourbon (or Elisabeth of France, 1603-1644, daughter of Henry IV of France) - married 1615 at Burgos
With Mariana of Austria (or Marie-Anne of Austria, 1634-1696) - in 1649
In fiction
The Spanish movie El rey pasmado features Gabino Diego as Philip in his early reign.
References
The best accounts of Philip IV will be found in the Estudios del reinado de Felipe IV, by Don A. Canovas del Castillo (Madrid, 1889), and in the introduction by Don F Silvela to his edition of the Cartas de Sor Maria de Agreda y del rey Felipe IV (Madrid, 1885-1886).
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication in the public domain.
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_IV_of_Spain under GFDL
