Philip II

Rating:
Summary: A very concise story of the man behind the king.
Review: Geoffrey Parker wrote tight, leaving nothing extra or unneeded in "Philip II" which I rate a very concise story of the man behind the king. Parker drew from good research and could have included other aspects which may and may not have been true but he chose the journalistic route which leaves the reader with a stronger sense of knowing King Philip II, one of the most influential monarchs in the world. Parker's text gives thought to the effects of Philip's daily habits and events in his life which still have an effect in Spain and parts of the then Spanish Empire. Parker's effort reads well and should be included on the list of any serious follower of old or modern Spain, or of any countries effected by its empire. I read through it in four brisk sittings. Mike McIlvain

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book on this complex person
Review: I am shocked there are not more books about the personal life of this interesting person in history. This book gives a very good picture of Philip II and the forces that shaped him and the religion that governed every aspect of his life, loves and holy causes. Because of his long reign, and dealings with all the important persons of the 16th century, his personal attitudes shaped so much by his childhood, influenced the political, social and religious tide of that time. The conquests of lands in the name of God, influences the geography and history of today

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Biography on Philip II
Review: I picked up this book by chance from my father's personal library and found it to be a wonderfully written work on the life of Philip II.

An aspect I like about this book is that the author -- Geoffrey Parker (who at one point taught at Christ's College) -- tries to give as much of an objective account as he can, recognizing that the life of Philip II has been distorted by historians who have had a Protestant bias (and therefore portrayed Philip II as an inflexible tyrant) and who otherwise have not appreciated the cultural contributions of Spain because of what he describes as the "Black Legend" (wherein the Spanish are believed to be "tainted" with Jewish and Moorish blood).

Mr. Parker appears to exonerate Philip II of many simple-minded charges, and portrays him as a very competent and astute ruler with a strong intellectual curiosity who devoted his life to the Catholic Church. Philip II was somewhat of a connoisseur on art, who enjoyed the works of Bosch and Titian, but who happened to overlook the genius of El Greco. Another interesting detail in the book is Philip II's enthusiasm for hunting.

The book gives a good overview on Philip II's numerous wives and children (he was married 4 times and some of his children were stillborn). It also allows one to understand the period under which the Netherlands was ruled by the Spanish as well as of the "taming" of the New World, as well as the aftermath of the Armada disaster.

King Philip II preferred a very centralized government. He was an indefatigable ruler who did an incredible amount of paperwork.

Philip II is portrayed as an enlightened ruler who at times showed incredible mercy to his subjects. He even dressed like the common man and did not require subjects to bow down to him as did other monarchs. This was the quintessence of "Spanish nobility."

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Biography on Philip II
Review: I picked up this book by chance from my father's personal library and found it to be a wonderfully written work on the life of Philip II.

An aspect I like about this book is that the author -- Geoffrey Parker (who at one point taught at Christ's College) -- tries to give as much of an objective account as he can, recognizing that the life of Philip II has been distorted by historians who have had a Protestant bias (and therefore portrayed Philip II as an inflexible tyrant) and who otherwise have not appreciated the cultural contributions of Spain because of what he describes as the "Black Legend" (wherein the Spanish are believed to be "tainted" with Jewish and Moorish blood).

Mr. Parker appears to exonerate Philip II of many simple-minded charges, and portrays him as a very competent and astute ruler with a strong intellectual curiosity who devoted his life to the Catholic Church. Philip II was somewhat of a connoisseur on art, who enjoyed the works of Bosch and Titian, but who happened to overlook the genius of El Greco. Another interesting detail in the book is Philip II's enthusiasm for hunting.

The book gives a good overview on Philip II's numerous wives and children (he was married 4 times and some of his children were stillborn). It also allows one to understand the period under which the Netherlands was ruled by the Spanish as well as of the "taming" of the New World, as well as the aftermath of the Armada disaster.

King Philip II preferred a very centralized government. He was an indefatigable ruler who did an incredible amount of paperwork.

Philip II is portrayed as an enlightened ruler who at times showed incredible mercy to his subjects. He even dressed like the common man and did not require subjects to bow down to him as did other monarchs. This was the quintessence of "Spanish nobility."