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Philip the Handsome

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Philip the Handsome
King of Castile and Léon
Reign26th November 1504-25th September 1506
Coronation27th June 1505, Zamora
PredecessorIsabella I
SuccessorJoanna the Mad
Born22nd June/July 1478
Bruges, Flanders, Belgium
Died25th September 1506 (age 28)
Burgos, Castile, Spain
BurialRoyal Chapel of Granada
SpouseJoanna the Mad m.1496
Issue
FatherMaximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
MotherMary, Duchess of Burgundy
ReligionRoman Catholic
SignaturePhilip the Handsome's signature

Philip the Handsome (also known as the Fair; born 22 June or July 1478 – died 25 September 1506) was the ruler of the Burgundian Netherlands and the titular Duke of Burgundy from 1482 to 1506. He also briefly became King of Castile as Philip I in 1506.

He was the son of Maximilian of Austria (who later became Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I) and Mary of Burgundy. Philip became ruler of the Burgundian Netherlands after his mother died in a riding accident when he was almost four years old.

Even though he was young, Philip became popular for ruling well—he kept peace and helped the economy grow in the Low Countries.

In 1496, his father arranged for him to marry Joanna of Castile, the daughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon.[a] At the same time, Philip’s sister Margaret married Joanna’s brother, John, Prince of Asturias.

After John, Joanna’s sister Isabella, and her nephew Miguel da Paz all died, Joanna became the heiress presumptive to the thrones of Castile and Aragon.

When Queen Isabella died in 1504, Joanna became queen, and Philip was declared king in 1506. But Philip died not long after, and Joanna was left heartbroken. Her father, Ferdinand II of Aragon, and her son, Charles, quickly took over and kept Joanna locked away for the rest of her life, saying she was mentally ill.[1]

Although Philip never became Holy Roman Emperor, his son Charles inherited a huge empire that included the Habsburg, Burgundian, Castilian, and Aragonese lands. This made Philip the first Habsburg ruler in Spain and the ancestor of all later Spanish monarchs.

References

[change | change source]
  1. Fox, Julia, Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile, New York: Ballantine Books, 2011.
  1. Joanna (or Juana) was also the sister of Catherine of Aragon, who was Henry VIII's first wife.