Philip - Government
As a ruler
Philip believed that he was accountable to God for the wellbeing of his subjects
Very meticulous, and insisted on seeing every paper personally
Always had advice for decisions and encouraged difference of opinion
Careful in his decisions. Rescinded offer of governorship of the Netherlands to his son Don Carlos because he was emotional and unpredictable
Use of the conciliar system
Expanded under Philip, adding Council of Italy in 1559
Lawyers dominated the conciliar system
Allowed councillors to express their own opinions
Juntas
Emerged during Philip's reign
Divided into different departments, e.g. Castile, Foreign Affairs, Finance
Informal committees, similar to councils, contributing a lot of Spanish policies
Allowed for genuine experts to be in the loop on government policy
Junta de Noche was an inner committee and included powerful figures like the Count of Chinchon
Charles warned Philip not to let himself be exploited by powerful councillors
Philip distrusted some councillors, such as the Duke of Alba and Don John of Austria
Royal Secretaries
Wielded a lot of power in Spain through councils
Chose which papers the King should read in full
Antonio Perez, secretary to Philip, accused of betraying state secrets.
Relations with the Cortes
Philip asserted his authority over the Castilian Cortes
"If it be my pleasure, I shall annul, without the Cortes, the laws made in the Cortes; I shall legislate by edicts and I shall abolish law by edicts."
Used the Cortes to be kept informed of regional interests
Factions
Philip promoted, rather than suppressed, the factions at court
The factions prevented Philip from being challenged by unanimous councillors
Eboli faction included nobles like the Mendoza family and the Duke of Sessa
Alba faction included important secretaries including Vasquez, the Count of Chinchon and the King's personal confessor
Opinions of the councils were rarely consistent and could easily change, e.g. Duke of Alba wanting to use force in Dutch Revolt but restraint against England
Relations with nobility
Rarely appointed nobles in positions of domestic power, preferring to give them foreign responsibility
Philip did not trust the grandees
Philip encouraged nobles remaining in Spain to stay at court, where they could be easily controlled
The Morisco Revolt
The first significant revolt that Philip faced
Caused by government legislation targeting moriscos, taking land which they could not prove was theirs
Revolt started in Dec 1568 and had 4000 rebels by 1569. by 1570, rebel numbers were 30,000
Don John's troops defeated the rebellion, and the government ordered evacuation of moriscos from Granada
90,000 moriscos were redistributed across Castile
Over 60,000 Spaniards were killed in the revolt
The Aragonese Revolt
Philip largely respected Aragonese rights and privileges
Justiciar of Aragon determined how justice was administered
Antonio Perez, disgraced secretary, escaped from Castile and fled to Aragon, and claimed protective custody of the justiciar
Philip sent in 14,000 soldiers and overtook Aragon quickly, executed 150 ringleaders, including the justiciar
Philip swore to obey the fueros after the revolt, and gained more control in appointing senior judges, less vulnerable to aristocratic pressure
The Diputacion del Reyno, a permanent committee of the Cortes, was forced to give up its powers over Aragonese revenues and the regional guard