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Philip II of Spain - Coggle Diagram
Philip II of Spain
Royal Finance/economy
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Income and taxation.
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Castile tax burden
Ordinary revenue from crown lands, salt tax, customs duties.
Church contributions (e.g. Royal Third, cruzada) reached 1.14 million ducats/year in the 1590s.
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From 1559–77, Cortes taxes tripled; new subsidies taxed food, hitting the poor hardest
Philip also raised money by selling land and titles—this brought short-term gain but long-term damage
Borrowing + Debt
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By 1600, juros interest took up 40% of royal income- high interest
Several bankruptcies: 1557 (debated), 1575, and 1596.
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Military costs
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The Spanish economy, especially agriculture, suffered badly.
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Consequences
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Agriculture was hit by plague and labor shortages (e.g. Segovia lost nearly half its population in 1598–99).
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The church
Archbishop Carranza was jailed in Spain (1559–76) over jurisdictional dispute; only released when mutual interests aligned.
Inquisition.
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Censorship increased: imported books banned, study at foreign universities prohibited (from 1559).
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However, fears of heresy (especially from Moriscos and Conversos) re-emerged.
Reform
The Church was plagued by absenteeism, uneducated clergy, and wealth disparity.
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Partial reform
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6 bishoprics created in Aragon,
Council of Trent decrees enforced,
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Adminstration
Council System
Philip ruled through councils responsible for territories or governmental aspects (e.g. Council of Italy, Council of War).
Councils received reports, annotated them, sent them to Philip, who returned them with his comments.
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The Council of State was purely advisory and often ignored, as were other councils.
Councils worked independently and sometimes clashed (e.g. Council of War vs. Council of Castile on billeting).
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Role of secretaries
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Gonzalo Perez held the post (1543–66); after his death, it was split: Antonio Perez (South) and Gabriel de Zayas (North).
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Court factions
Secretaries became powerful due to Philip’s reluctance to travel, leading to factionalism.
Notable factions: Duke of Alva (hardline on Netherlands) vs. Ruy Gomez de Silva (conciliatory approach and active foreign policy).
Factional conflict could be dangerous, exemplified by the Perez Affair.
Grand juta
By the 1570s–80s, government inefficiency required reform.
From 1586, the Grand Junta (a sort of Cabinet) gained importance.
A smaller group, the Junta of the Night, began formulating policy with the king approving strategy rather than initiating it.
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