Philip V (Spanish:Felipe V; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) wasKing of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724 and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign (45 years and 16 days) is the longest in the history of theSpanish monarchy, surpassingPhilip IV. Although his ascent to the throne precipitated theWar of the Spanish Succession, Philip V instigated many important reforms in Spain, most especially the centralization of power of the monarchy and the suppression of regional privileges, via theNueva Planta decrees, and restructuring of the administration of theSpanish Empire on theIberian Peninsula and its overseas regions.[1]
Philip was born into theFrench royal family (asPhilippe, Duke of Anjou) during the reign of his grandfatherLouis XIV. He was the second son ofLouis, Grand Dauphin, and was third in line to theFrench throne after his father and his elder brother,Louis, Duke of Burgundy. Philip was not expected to become a monarch, but his great-uncleCharles II of Spain was childless. Philip's father had a strong claim to the Spanish throne, but since Philip's father and elder brother were expected to inherit the French throne, Charles named Philip as hisheir presumptive in hiswill. Philip succeeded in 1700 as the first Spanish monarch of theHouse of Bourbon.
Philip's accession in Spain provoked the 13-year War of the Spanish Succession, which continued until theTreaty of Utrecht forbade any future possibility of unifying the French and Spanish crowns while confirming his accession to the throne of Spain. While Spain maintained its New World empire and in East Asia, it removed theSpanish Netherlands and Spanish-controlled territories in Italy from the Spanish monarchy. In 1724, Philip abdicated in favor of his eldest son, Louis I. Louis died later that year, and Philip took the throne again. As a result of his depression, Queen Elisabeth held control over the Spanish government. When Philip died in 1746, he was succeeded by his second son, Ferdinand VI.
Philip was a younger brother ofLouis, Duke of Burgundy, the father ofLouis XV of France. At birth, Philip was createdDuke of Anjou, a traditional title for younger sons in the French royal family. He would be known by this name until he became the King of Spain. Since Philip's older brother,Louis, Duke of Burgundy, was second in line to the French throne after his father, there was little expectation that either he or his younger brotherCharles, Duke of Berry, would ever rule over France.[citation needed]
Proclamation of Philip V as King of Spain in the Palace of Versailles on 16 November 1700
In 1700, KingCharles II, the last Habsburg to rule Spain, died childless. His will named as successor Philip, grandson of Charles' half-sisterMaria Theresa, the first wife of Louis XIV.[4] Upon any possible refusal, the crown of Spain would be offered next to Philip's younger brother, the Duke of Berry, then to the ArchdukeCharles of Austria, later Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI.[5] Philip had the better genealogical claim to the Spanish throne, because his Spanish grandmother andgreat-grandmother were older than the ancestors of the Archduke Charles of Austria. However, the Austrians maintained that Philip's grandmother had renounced the Spanish throne for herself and her descendants as part of her marriage contract. That renunciation was contingent on her dowry being paid. The French claim to Spain was due to the dowry having never been paid.[6] In addition to this, while Philip did have a remote claim to the throne of France, Archduke Charles had an even more proximate claim to beHoly Roman Emperor, and his ascension to the throne would have also destabilized the European balance of power.[7]
After a longRoyal Council meeting in France at which the Dauphin spoke up in favor of his son's rights, it was agreed that Philip would ascend the throne, and in doing so,forfeit his and his heirs' claim to the throne of France. The Royal Council decided to accept the provisions of the will of Charles II naming Philip king of Spain.[citation needed]
A young Maria Luisa of Savoy holding a miniature portrait of her husband, Philip V
2 November 1701, the almost 18-year-old Philip married the 13-year-oldMaria Luisa of Savoy, as chosen by his grandfather King Louis XIV. She was the daughter ofVictor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy, and his wifeAnne Marie d'Orléans, Philip's first cousin once removed. The Duke and Duchess of Savoy were also the parents ofPrincess Marie Adélaïde of Savoy, Duchess of Burgundy, Philip's sister-in-law. There was a proxy ceremony atTurin, the capital of theDuchy of Savoy, and another one at Versailles on 11 September.[8]
Maria Luisa proved very popular as Queen of Spain. She served as regent for her husband on several occasions. Her most successful term was when Philip was away touring his Italian domains for nine months in 1702, when she was just 14 years old. On entering Naples that year he was presented withGian Lorenzo Bernini'sBoy with a Dragon. In 1714, Maria Luisa died at the age of 26 fromtuberculosis, a devastating emotional blow to her husband.[9]
The actions of Louis XIV heightened the fears of theEnglish, theDutch and theAustrians, among others. In December 1700, Louis XIV issuedletters patent to Philip, prior to Philip leaving France, preserving his status as a régnicole (a natural Frenchman), and by extension his claim to the French throne,despite his permanent departure from France. The documents further granted Philip's male heirs status as régnicoles, and therefore as French dynasts, despite their births abroad.[10]
Almost immediately theWar of the Spanish Succession began. Concern among other European powers that Spain and France united under a single Bourbon monarch would upset thebalance of power pitted France and Spain against the Grand Alliance of England, the Dutch Republic and Austria.[11]
Inside Spain, theCrown of Castile supported Philip of France. On the other hand, anti-French sentiment was strong in Aragon and some members of the nobility of theCrown of Aragon rallied behindCharles of Austria, son ofLeopold I, Holy Roman Emperor and claimant to the Spanish throne by right of his grandmotherMaria Anna of Spain. Their support swayed a significant portion of the population to support the Archduke.[12]
The war was centred in Spain and west-central Europe (especially theLow Countries), with other important fighting in Germany and Italy.Prince Eugene of Savoy andJohn Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough distinguished themselves as military commanders in those theatres. In colonial North America, the conflict became known to the English colonists who fought against French and Spanish forces asQueen Anne's War. Over the course of the fighting, some 400,000 people were killed.[13]
Portrait of Philip V of Spain exhibited upside down in theMuseum of Almodí [es],Xàtiva, for having burned the city in 1707.
It was with this war as a backdrop that, beginning in 1707, Philip issued theNueva Planta decrees, which centralized Spanish rule under the Castilian political and administrative model and in the process abolished the charters of all independently administered kingdoms within Spain—most notably the Crown of Aragon, which was supporting Charles VI in the conflict—except for theKingdom of Navarre and the rest of the Basque region, who had supported Philip in the war for the Spanish throne, and retained theirsemi-autonomous self-government. The policy of centralization had as model theFrench State under Louis XIV and was strongly supported by politicians such as Joseph de Solís and theSardinian political philosopherVicente Bacallar.[14]
Philip agreed to relinquish his right of succession to France under one condition: the introduction ofsemi-Salic law in Spain. Under this law, the succession to the Spanish crown was limited to his entire male line before it could pass to any female, a requirement made clear to the allies during the preliminary peace negotiations. The purpose of this may have been to ensure that Philip and his male heirs, who under normal circumstances would inherit the French throne should the male line ofLouis, Duke of Burgundy be extinguished, would always have a throne to occupy in its place. It was not until this was successfully accomplished (10 May 1713) that Spain and Great Britain made their own peace terms at the second Treaty of Utrecht (annexing the new law to the Treaty). By the terms of theTreaty of Utrecht that concluded the war, Philip was recognized as king of Spain but was forced to cedeMenorca andGibraltar toGreat Britain; theSpanish Netherlands,Naples,Milan, andSardinia to the AustrianHabsburgs; andSicily and parts of Milan toSavoy.[15] To further ensure the removal of Philip and his heirs from the French succession, theletters patent issued to preserve their claim to the throne despitetheir absence from the country, were repealed by theParlement of Paris.[10]
These losses greatly diminished theSpanish Empire in Europe, which had already been in decline. Throughout his reign, Philip sought to reverse the decline of Spanish power. Trying to overturn the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht, he attempted to re-establish Spanish claims in Italy, triggering theWar of the Quadruple Alliance (1718–1720) in which Spain fought a coalition of four major powers. France, under theregency ofPhilippe II, Duke of Orléans later joined this coalition, as theHouse of Orléans had a strong interest in keeping Philip and his descendants out of the line of succession. Lacking allies, Phillip V was forced to sue for peace.[citation needed]
A breech loadingmiquelet musket with a reusable cartridge, used by Philip V, made by A. Tienza, Madrid, circa 1715.
On 14 January 1724, Philip abdicated the Spanish throne to his eldest son, the seventeen-year-oldLouis. As the abdication occurred just over a month after the death of the Duke of Orléans, who had been regent forLouis XV of France, many at the time believed it was an attempt by Philip to circumvent the Treaty of Utrecht, which forbade a union of the French and Spanish crowns, therefore allowing him to claim the former should his young nephew perish without sons of his own.[17] However, the actual reason for the abdication was that Philip, who exhibited many elements of mental instability during his reign, no longer wished to rule due to his increasing mental decline.[18][19] However, Louis died on 31 August inMadrid ofsmallpox, having reigned only seven months and leaving no issue. Six days later, after much convincing, Philip was restored to the Spanish throne, so as to avoid a regency for his second son,Ferdinand, who was only 10 at the time.[20][21]
During Philip's reign, Spain began to recover from the stagnation it had suffered during the twilight of theSpanish Habsburg dynasty. Although the population of Spain grew, the financial and taxation systems were archaic and the treasury ran deficits. The King employed thousands of highly paid retainers at his palaces—not to assist with ruling the country but to look after the royal family. Meanwhile, the army and bureaucracy went months without pay. It was only the shipments of silver from the New World which kept the system going. Spain suspended payments on its debt in 1739 – effectively declaring bankruptcy.[23]
In the last decade of his reign, Philip experienced bouts of manic depression and increasingly fell victim to a deepmelancholia.[24] During this period his second wife, Elizabeth Farnese, seems to have dedicated herself exclusively to caring for his health.[25] Beginning in August 1737 his mental illness was eased by thecastrato singerFarinelli, who became the "Musico de Camara of Their Majesties." Farinelli would sing eight or nine arias for the King and Queen every night, usually with a trio of musicians.[26]
Historians have generally been unkind to the King. Lynch says Philip V advanced the government only marginally over that of his predecessors and was more of a liability than Charles II. When a conflict came up between the interests of Spain and France, he usually favored France. However, Philip made some reforms in government, and strengthened the central authorities relative to the provinces. Merit became more important, although most senior positions still went to the landed aristocracy. Below the elite level, the inefficiency and corruption that had existed under Charles II was as widespread as ever. The reforms started by Philip V culminated in much more important reforms of Charles III.[28] The economy, on the whole, improved over the previous half-century, with greater productivity, and fewer famines and epidemics. The government promoted industry, agriculture and shipbuilding.[29] After the destruction of the main silver fleet at Vigo in 1702, the navy was rebuilt. Nevertheless, the new fleet was still too small to support the vast worldwide empire.[30]
To commemorate the indignities the city ofXàtiva suffered after Philip's victory in theBattle of Almansa in theWar of the Spanish Succession, in which he ordered the city to be burned and renamedSan Felipe, the portrait of the monarch hangs upside down in the local museum of L'Almodí.[31]
The province of theNew Philippines, which occupied parts of what is now Texas in the United States, was named in 1716 in honor of Philip.[32]
Philip V favored and promoted the Atlantic trade of Spain with its American possessions, ending the monopoly ofSeville on colonial trade. During this Atlantic trade emerged important figures of the naval history of Spain, among which stands out theprivateerAmaro Pargo. Philip V frequently supported the privateer in his commercial incursions: he granted a royal order given at theRoyal Palace of El Pardo inMadrid in September 1714, in which he appointed him captain of a commercial ship bound forCaracas.[33] The Monarch also interceded in the liberation of Amaro during his detention by theCasa de Contratación ofCádiz[34][35] and authorized him to build a ship bound forCampeche, which was armed like a corsair ship.[34]
Philip married his double-second cousinMaria Luisa of Savoy (17 September 1688 – 14 February 1714) on 3 November 1701[36] and they had 4 sons, two of which reached adulthood and became kings of Spain, but they all died with no children:
^Hamilton, Earl J. (1943). "Money and Economic Recovery in Spain under the First Bourbon, 1701–1746".The Journal of Modern History.15 (3):192–206.doi:10.1086/236742.JSTOR1871302.S2CID155025535.
^Kamen, Henry (November 1966). "The Destruction of the Spanish Silver Fleet at Vigo in 1702".Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Research.39 (100):165–173.doi:10.1111/j.1468-2281.1966.tb00656.x.
^Harris, Mary N.,Sights and insights: interactive images of Europe and the wider world, (Pisa University Press, 1990), 203."XÀTIVA – Museo de l'Almodí". Archived fromthe original on 27 May 2007. Retrieved1 April 2007.
^Avilés, José de Avilés, Marquis of (1780). Ciencia heroyca, reducida a las leyes heráldicas del blasón, Madrid: J. Ibarra, (Madrid: Bitácora, 1992). T. 2, pp. 162–166.ISBN84-465-0006-X.
Jones Corredera, Edward. "The memory of the Habsburg Monarchy in early eighteenth-century Spain."Global Intellectual History (2018): 1–20.
Dunham, A (1832).A History of Spain and Portugal. Vol. 5.
Pearce, Adrian J. "Bourbon Rule and the Origins of Reform in Spain and the Colonies, 1700 to 1719." inThe Origins of Bourbon Reform in Spanish South America, 1700–1763 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014) pp. 43–62.
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