Philip II, (born May 21, 1527, Valladolid, Spain—died September 13, 1598, El Escorial), king of the Spaniards (1556–98) and king of the Portuguese (as Philip I, ... French at Saint-Quentin (1557), the sight of the battlefield gave him a permanent distaste for war, though he did not shrink from it when he judged it necessary. read more
Philip II, (born May 21, 1527, Valladolid, Spain—died September 13, 1598, El Escorial), king of the Spaniards (1556–98) and king of the Portuguese (as Philip I, 1580–98), champion of the Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation. read more
Philip II was born in 1527 and he died in 1598. Philip II became king of Spain in January 1556. He governedSpain in her so-called “Golden Age”. However, his reign saw the economic decline of Spain, her bankruptcy and a disastrous decade from 1588 to 1598 which included the disaster of the Spanish Armada. read more