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Imprudent King: A New Life of Philip II

Geoffrey Parker

3.95 · Rating details · 202 ratings · 26 reviews

A vast archive of documents, unread since the sixteenth century, revises the portrait of Spain’s best-known king

Philip II is not only the most famous king in Spanish history, but one of the most famous monarchs in English history: the man who married Mary Tudor and later launched the Spanish Armada against her sister Elizabeth I. This compelling biography of the most power ...more

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Hardcover, 456 pages

Published October 1st 2014 by Yale University Press

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Oct 16, 2016 Jonfaith rated it really liked it

Shelves: biography, flat_circle_of_lies_and_despair

My rating may drop upon further reflection, as the epilogue goes out of its way to spoil its own triumphant party. The Philip who emerges in Palmer's study is a man both austere and ambitious, someone always a bit uncomfortable in their own skin. Inheriting a global empire, Philip was an uber bureaucrat, perpetually drowning in a sea of memos and contracts. He delegated, forming committees, but micromanaged their findings and recommendations. Philip felt he was chosen by God to act as a steward. ...more

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Oct 19, 2014 Pete H rated it it was amazing

Phillip II of Spain ruled over what was arguably the world's first transoceanic empire-at its height, Spain controlled southern Italy, the entirety of the Iberian peninsula, the Low Countries, and a colossal overseas empire stretching across the globe, including the Americas and portions of India. He had access to immense mineral wealth from the Peruvian silver mines, a huge military made up of hardened veterans, and many able and competent civil servants. And yet, in many respects, Phillip was Phillip II of Spain ruled over what was arguably the world's first transoceanic empire-at its height, Spain controlled southern Italy, the entirety of the Iberian peninsula, the Low Countries, and a colossal overseas empire stretching across the globe, including the Americas and portions of India. He had access to immense mineral wealth from the Peruvian silver mines, a huge military made up of hardened veterans, and many able and competent civil servants. And yet, in many respects, Phillip was a failure, despite his many triumphs against the Ottoman Empire and, in the early decades of his rule, the French. His reign saw the permanent loss of the Netherlands, the destruction of the Invincible Armada at the hands of Francis Drake, and the expenditure of so much wealth and human life in futile wars, which so weakened the Castilian economy that within fifty years Spain would be eclipsed by France as the preeminent European hegemon.

What went wrong? According to Geoffrey Parker, the Spanish Empire was not predestined to fail, despite the difficulties inherent in managing a global empire with many enemies. Indeed, within Phillip's life, slightly changes in the way events unfolded could have led, for example, to him conquering England or crushing his rebellious Dutch subjects. However, Phillip's flaws as a ruler contributed to his empire's blunders. An obsessive micromanager who was often unwilling to trust his subordinates, he attempted to command complex military operations occurring hundreds of miles away from Madrid, an impossible task that often left his commanders hamstrung. Phillip's obsessive nature also led him to waste tremendous amounts of time on irrelevant minutia, for example devoting countless hours in designing his magnificent palace complex at El Escorial while the situation in the Netherlands spiraled out of control. Phillip, for all of his genius at administration, was ultimately a flawed, and at times tragic figure.

Parker is skilled writer and an excellent historian. One is not likely to find such an readable biography about this time period , particularly in English. ...more

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Aug 06, 2020 Lois rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: all-things-european-history, audio-book, biography, books-i-own-digital-copy, books-i-read-in-2020, historical-interest-to-read, non-fiction, slavery-non-fiction

This was slow, poorly organized and full of sexism, racism and colonialist nonsense.
Theres a lot of info here but it's very poorly organized.
This author is overly wordy. ...more

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Dec 23, 2015 Emmanuel Gustin rated it really liked it

Shelves: history_spain, history_low_countries

Philip II holds the particular distinction of being simultaneously one of the potentially most boring people in history, a royal bureaucrat who endlessly laboured behind his desk, and one of the most fascinating ones, as his long reign involved him in decisions that still influence our world today. I have always felt some sympathy for him, sympathy for an underdog, because his reputation was blackened by writers and historians almost from his lifetime to today. We have to recognise, however, tha Philip II holds the particular distinction of being simultaneously one of the potentially most boring people in history, a royal bureaucrat who endlessly laboured behind his desk, and one of the most fascinating ones, as his long reign involved him in decisions that still influence our world today. I have always felt some sympathy for him, sympathy for an underdog, because his reputation was blackened by writers and historians almost from his lifetime to today. We have to recognise, however, that Philip II was, by modern standards, definitely guilty of religious persecution, ethnic cleansing, various acts of obvious illegality, and above all of continuing wars that were the disaster of his time and exhausted his kingdoms. He remains both important and somewhat mysterious.

He poses a difficult challenge to a biographer, in many ways. One of them was the sheer volume of the written legacy of a king who ruled by paperwork, putting his signature -- "Yo el Rey" often to hundreds of documents per days, documents which he corrected, annotated, and commented on. The proud motto of his reign was "Non Sufficit Orbis", the World Is Not Enough, but for Philip II, his existing possessions were more than he could cope with. Parker fairly criticises his unwillingness to delegate, which exhausted him and slowed down the entire governmental machine, but Philip's complex empire was ultimately united in himself only: Government officials of Castile held no authority in Portugal, Aragon had its own laws and constitution, the Low Countries resented their foreign viceroys, his Italian fiefs were almost as unruly, and the distant colonies in the Americas and the Pacific were almost beyond oversight. His presence was often required to function as the symbol of government, and Parker equally takes him to task for not returning to the Low Countries to resolve conflicts in person.

When central authority emanated from the person, even from the body of the king, the burden of duty on him became crushing. Philip II did not feel equal to the task, dutiful and hardworking though he was. As a deeply religious man, he often made relying on a miracle his plan B, if not his plan A. The consequences were frequently disastrous.

Geoffrey Parker has spent a vast amount of time investigating the archives left behind by Philip II, and his biography paints a very convincing picture. It is, perhaps, rather unsympathetic to its subject, as even its title indicates. Parker is a skeptic who critically examines the king, his decisions and his failings, at arm's length. Especially his failings, which were numerous. Due to the complexity of the era and the long reign of Philip II, choices had to be made, and often one gets the feeling that although it is already quite bulky, this book could have been ten times as long. The author had to prioritise and he did so effectively, so that the reader gets a reasonable complete picture of the monarch without drowning in detail. But I often found myself wishing for a bit more.

In particular, the boundaries of the power of Philip II merit further study. It is fascinating how the king could sometimes act as the quintessential absolute monarch, explicitly recognising no worldly authority above his own, even when overruling the constitution; but in other cases was forced to seek redress for both major and minor wrongs in court, to personally testify, and to engage in complex negotiations to work across the legal systems of his different domains. He could and did ultimately resort to violence -- when and if he could afford to.

The book does not stick to chronological order, except in broad outlines, which can be a bit confusing, when a chapter relies on persons who died or where dismissed in the previous one. The choice for thematic chapters works to keep the story manageable, so it can be consumed in digestible bites. But it is engaging enough to keep the reader hooked.

...more

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Nov 24, 2014 Anton Tomsinov rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A great example of a great biography. Parker is at his finest in this new book on his favourite topics: early modern Spain and Philip II. He is truly the leading contemporary expert on the subject. This book gives us both a personal story of a king as a human with fears, errors, and hopes and a management analysis. Parker’s conclusion is very convincing: the king suffered from obsessive-compulsive syndrome that led to a very inefficient management of his empire. Though hard-working, Philip procr ...more

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Jul 14, 2020 Benny rated it liked it

Shelves: history

Emperor, Geoffrey Parker’s recent biography of Charles V, left a deep impression, so I couldn’t wait to read Imprudent King too. This deals with Philip II, the emperor’s son, the king of Spain, ruler of one of the biggest empires the world had ever seen. Though written several years before Emperor, Imprudent King can be regarded as its historical sequel.

Charles V and his son Philips II ruled over most of mainland Europe for most of the 16th century. Their rule witnessed and played a crucial role Emperor, Geoffrey Parker’s recent biography of Charles V, left a deep impression, so I couldn’t wait to read Imprudent King too. This deals with Philip II, the emperor’s son, the king of Spain, ruler of one of the biggest empires the world had ever seen. Though written several years before Emperor, Imprudent King can be regarded as its historical sequel.

Charles V and his son Philips II ruled over most of mainland Europe for most of the 16th century. Their rule witnessed and played a crucial role in the rise of and fight against Protestantism (Luther), the emergence of globalism and colonialism (Columbus) and the break-up of the Netherlands (Willem van Oranje). If I was thumbscrewed to pick and name a favourite century in history, this ‘d be the one.

In the southern part of the Low Countries (which is where I live) the old emperor Charles V is still regarded with a certain kindness. The old man’s legacy lives on in folktales, traditions and beer. Philip II, however, is our bogey man, evil incarnate, the alien ruler who together with his cruel lieutenants (such as the Duke of Alba) and marauding soldiers wreaked havoc in our homelands and ultimately destroyed them.

I was secretly hoping this study might bring some nuance to the man’s grim reputation, but I can’t really say that it did. Philip II was a religious fanatic and a control freak. There’s nothing likeable about him.

In a fascinating epilogue Parker argues that the mighty king's disturbed psychology and obsessive-compulsive behaviour stems from his troubled childhood. The same epilogue lists the great what-ifs of his rule. A minor twist here or there and our world would have been very different. A Roman-Catholic England, the United Netherlands…it really was a close call.

Imprudent King provides a challenging thesis, reversing the traditional nickname of Philip II ("the Prudent"), but it is quite boring at times. There’s much focus on the military history, without much psychology or care for the common people who suffer because of it. In the end I found myself just checking Wikipedia to get the facts summarized…and that’s never a good sign, is it?

While the elements of evaluation and speculation in the epilogue are quite fascinating, the bulk of the book is rather dry stuff. Why? Why was Emperor such a good read and why did I find Imprudent King rather boring in comparison? Geoffrey Parker’s academic achievement is equally formidable in both cases, maybe he has become a better writer? That’s quite possible, but another explanation lies in the very subjects of these biographies. At heart, Filip II, the scourge of the Low Countries, was a very, very dull bureaucrat. The horror, the horror!

Spaanse Furie, Philip II, Geoffrey Parker, Imprudent King

Spaanse Furie, Philip II, Geoffrey Parker, Imprudent King

The Spanish Fury in Antwerp, anonymous (1576-1585), MAS Antwerp ...more

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Nov 05, 2014 Richard Thomas rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: europe

This is an important book on a King who certainly in England has had a very bad name. He married poor Mary Tudor and was at a minimum party to her persecution of Protestants and the martyrdom of some 300 mostly humble folk. From about 1570, he supported the Papacy in seeking Elizabeth Tudor's overthrow which culminated in the Enterprise of England or the Spanish Armada as pretty well all English people know it. The King's industry was legendary but of course, Philip did justify the old saw that ...more

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Jan 17, 2017 Arjen Taselaar rated it it was amazing

This is a very readable biography of king Philip II of Spain, who felt his own work to coincide with the work of God. Written by a specialist who seems to know everything, but is still able to write a coherent story that really centres around the man, this is a stunningly impressive work. Defending the Catholic faith seems to have been Philip's overriding objective, and he sacrificed everything to it, even when all money was spent. His faith sent tens of thousands of soldiers to their deaths, an ...more

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Mar 28, 2019 Susanna Polakov rated it liked it

A comprehensive but albeit rather dry and dull account of the life of Philip II of Spain. I dutifully plodded on and in the end felt quite enlightened although there was no joy in the process as with some other better written non-fiction books. Despite the book being a mighty tome, the events happened and decisions taken were missing a wider outlook both in terms of international and internal affaires, which could have helped to explain them. I, then, read a biography of Philip's father Charles ...more

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May 18, 2020 Jack Bharucha rated it really liked it

A good historical study. Humanizes a man who was pretty monstrous by our standards, and whose beliefs are far different from those of a modern person. It also shows us the policy side of the vast empire he ran. The story of the Spanish Empire and it's overly worked king have great bearing for how world powers conduct themselves today. ...more

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Sep 18, 2016 Philjones62 rated it liked it

Not the greatest narratve I've read but nevertheless enjoyable. Perhaps there was too much nitty gritty for me at time - Philip's incontinence at the end for example.

I will continue to read Geoffrey Parker for his take on 17th century Europe though mayb enot any more biographies. ...more

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Mar 25, 2018 Susan Abernethy rated it it was amazing

Link to my review of this book:

https://flhwnotesandreviews.com/2018/... ...more

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Mar 24, 2019 Andrew Dockrill rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Geoffrey Parker's treatment of Philip II was quite well done and extremely easy to read making his life fly by. Parker clearly wishes to make the argument that Philip II was an extremely hardworking king who was always working on paperwork for his kingdom and the issues that was faced for Spain, mostly consisting of religion, finances and war but failed to address the important issues of his reign correctly and appropriately, instead relying on God to deliver him from his troubles.

Philip wished Geoffrey Parker's treatment of Philip II was quite well done and extremely easy to read making his life fly by. Parker clearly wishes to make the argument that Philip II was an extremely hardworking king who was always working on paperwork for his kingdom and the issues that was faced for Spain, mostly consisting of religion, finances and war but failed to address the important issues of his reign correctly and appropriately, instead relying on God to deliver him from his troubles.

Philip wished to see Spain as primarily Catholic and had little issue with doing what was necessary to rid the country of protestants or anyone who was seen as corrupt. He carried this policy into the Netherlands where Philip was their sovereign and this created a tremendous amount of conflict within Brussels and the other cities as for many, the Netherlands were meant to be a safe haven for those who were not catholic in England and France, acting as a safe place for their beliefs to be practiced. Philip would try for some time to carry this policy into England where he burned many protestants with the assistance of Mary Tudor - his second wife for a short period.

Parker actually criticizes Philip II deep devotion to god, while it was normal for the 16th century for rules to be extremely devout, Philip and his immediate family circle took these measures to an extreme and firmly held the belief that whatever military conquest Philip pursued he would be victorious as God would support Spain as Philip was a devout subject who was doing everything in his power to please God. Parker argued that this was extremely naive of Philip as he not only ignored his advisors and commanders such as the duke of Alba who would criticize him for his lack of vision in military affairs and being unrealistic - believing that God would deliver them, instead of focusing on sound military logistics and tactics.

Parker again criticizes Philip that while he was a tremendous administrator, dealing with constant paperwork and being very efficient and competent with the matters he had to deal with, he focused all too much of his time on unimportant matters, such as Escorial (Royal Spanish Palace) instead of on crucial matters that had to be dealt with.

Parker does praise Philip II on the tremendous amount of problems he faced during his reign and gives him just credit for the fact that he nearly pulled it off- having wars on multiple fronts with little money to do so with. He arguably set the precedent in renaissance Europe for managing an empire, the likes which had not been seen since the Roman empire or Genghis Khan, especially when much of his land was overseas and not readily accessible. This in itself made his job as king that much more difficult but would ultimately set the example for the English and French for when they themselves would become empires.

Parker does not do a very good job of discussing the Dutch Revolt, giving it a sweeping drive by of why it took place but did not delve too much into the issue of the taxations which the people had to bare to help Philip pay his debts which were left over from his ancestors, most notably his father who had very expensive wars. This was rather disappointing but Parker clearly had set out to focus not on the dominions of Spain and how they existed during his reign, but instead focused entirely on Philip and the problems he faced with his family and paid fleeting attention to domestic affairs.

All in all the book wasn't took bad, I became more familiar with Philip but was not terribly impressed with Parker's depth of research, though I do largely agree with his argument. ...more

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Oct 20, 2018 David Frazer rated it liked it

This is a thorough account of the life of Philip II, which is essentially based on the thesis that Philip was an obsessive compulsive personality whose inability to delegate, micromanagement of subordinates, obsession with hard work despite ineffectiveness as well as other such Freudian traits led to "imprudent" decisions throughout his reign. Parker also argues that Philip's religious fanaticism prevented him from pursuing reasonable policies, further contributing to his lack of "prudence." Thi ...more

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Jul 29, 2017 George rated it really liked it

Excellent look at the dark Catholic potentate, whose religion allowed him to murder with impunity, but not grant freedom of conscience

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Oct 21, 2018 Khalid rated it it was amazing

If one was to seek a better understanding of the man that was Philip II, one should not look elsewhere.

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Jun 05, 2019 Kevin Moynihan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: europe, europe-early-modern, europe-spain, z-publication-year-2010-14, zz-16th-century, 6c-publisher-yale

Fantastic. Will re-read many times.

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Nov 26, 2018 Cohen Leicester rated it it was amazing

Very well researched and excellently written, can’t wait for Parker’s book on Emperor Charles V.

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Dec 07, 2018 Robert rated it really liked it

Shelves: biography, western-history-and-philosophy

Brilliant! Parker has command of the sources like no other living historian.

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Jul 05, 2015 Indra rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, most-favorites

An excellent biography. A great example of scholarly work, in which Geoffrey Parker treats Philip and his times with great understanding and care, avoiding glorification and apologia.

"I agree with St Augustine that "You cannot know someone except through friendship." This not mean that biographers shoule's precept does require biographers to extend to their subjects the same openness of mind, the sad implicitly trust their subjects: on the contrary, we must be ready for them (whether living o

...more

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Jul 05, 2019 Eduardo Garcia-Gaspar rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historia

¡Fantástica lectura! Una buena biografía que aprovecha documentos nunca antes usados, miles de ellos, para presentar a un personaje digno de examinar muy de cerca. La abundancia de documentos originales permite al autor citar continuamente al rey mismo, lo que permite adentrarse en una mente sin duda compleja.
El rey gobernó durante 55 años de un territorio extendido por toda la tierra, período durante el que solamente hubo seis meses sin guerra. Además de la narración histórica, el autor present ...more

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Apr 27, 2016 Riet rated it really liked it

Ik heb altijd gedacht, dat Philips 2de een bijzonder saai personage was. Dit boek geeft een andere kijk op hem. Hij is - voor zijn tijd - oud geworden (71) en heeft dus lang geregeerd. De schrijver geeft een goed beeld van die tijd. Hij knipt het leven van Philips a.h.w. op in stukjes: de relatie met zijn familie, zijn religieuze gevoelens, de politiek t.o.v. de verschillende landen onder hem, etc. Het is veel, maar het boek geeft voor mij vooral een goed zicht op de eerste 40 jaar van de 80-jar ...more

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Apr 23, 2015 Sander rated it really liked it

A very concise history of Philip II. Slightly distant, but so much more readable than most American historical writers present their books. The book makes you realize that there's so much more to study about Philip II. What a wonderful life! ...more

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Feb 05, 2015 Alex rated it liked it

Solid account of the personal life of Philip II. Book seeks to give more of an idea of Philip and his life rather than a read of the history of Spain in his rule.

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About Geoffrey Parker

Geoffrey Parker

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Geoffrey Parker is Andreas Dorpalen Professor of European History and an Associate of the Mershon Center at The Ohio State University. He has published widely on the social, political and military history of early modern Europe, and in 2012 the Royal Dutch Academy recognized these achievements by awarding him its biennial Heineken Foundation Prize for History, open to scholars in any field, and an ...more