Philip II (
Spanish Felipe II;
Portuguese Filipe I;
Catalan Felip I ) was
King of Spain (kingdoms of
Castile and
Aragon) and
Portugal,
Naples,
Sicily, and, while married to
Mary I,
King of England and
Ireland.
[1][2] He was lord of the
Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories, such as
Duke or
Count.
He ruled one of the world's largest empires which included territories in every continent then known to Europeans.
Philip was born in Valladolid, the son of Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire (who also reigned as Charles I of Spain) and his consort Isabella of Portugal. During his reign, Spain was the foremost Western European power. Under his rule, Spain reached the height of its influence and power, directing explorations all around the world and settling the colonization of territories in all the known continents.
He was described by the Venetian ambassador Paolo Tiepolo in 1563 as "slight of stature and roundfaced, with pale blue eyes, somewhat prominent lip, and pink skin, but his overall appearance is very attractive." The Ambassador went on to say "He dresses very tastefully, and everything that he does is courteous and gracious."[3]
