Philip ii biography summary page
Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon was born in 382 B.C.E. in Aegae. He was the son of King Amyntas III. He was the 18th king of Macedonia and ruled from 359 to 336 B.C.E.
Macedon was unstable during Philip II’s youth. During an invasion by the Greek city-state of Thebes, Philip himself was even taken hostage. He remained in Thebes for three years and learned military strategies from Epaminondas, the great Theban general. Upon returning to Macedon, Philip was able to help his brother, Perdiccas III, rule and succeeded him as king after Perdicass died.
King Philip II is credited with restoring internal peace to his country. Philip used his military knowledge to strengthen the Macedonian army. His soldiers were trained to fight as a phalanx. A phalanx was a large group of foot soldiers armed with shields and spears. Soldiers moved closely together in a rectangular formation as if they were one giant soldier. One phalanx could contain 265 soldiers.
King Philip’s military battles and diplomatic tactics resulted in the expansion of his empire and domination over all of Greece. After he conquered Greece, he planned to conquer the Persian Empire, but he would never achieve this goal. Philip II was assassinated in 336 B.C.E., and was succeeded by his son, Alexander III, later known as Alexander the Great. While Philip II did not fulfill his plans to expand his empire through Persian territory, he is often credited with paving the way for his son to be one of the greatest military leaders in history.
Philip II
(1527-1598)
Synopsis
King Philip II of Spain, also known as Philip the Prudent, ruled one of the world's largest empires. His reign as Spain's king began the Golden Age, a period of great cultural growth in literature, music and the visual arts. He was also the King of England through his marriage to Mary Tudor for four years. The Philippines, a former Spanish colony, are named after him.
- Name: Philip
- Birth Year: 1527
- Birth date: May 21, 1527
- Birth City: Valladolid
- Birth Country: Spain
- Gender: Male
- Best Known For: King Philip II of Spain, also known as Philip the Prudent, ruled one of the world's largest empires. The Philippines are named after him.
- Industries
- Christianity
- War and Militaries
- Astrological Sign: Gemini
- Nacionalities
- Death Year: 1598
- Death date: September 13, 1598
- Death City: Madrid
- Death Country: Spain
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- Article Title: Philip II Biography
- Author: Biography.com Editors
- Website Name: The Biography.com website
- Url: https://www.biography.com/royalty/philip-ii
- Access Date:
- Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
- Last Updated: May 7, 2021
- Original Published Date: April 2, 2014
Philip II of Spain
King of Spain (1556–1598) and Portugal (1580–1598)
| Philip II | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Sofonisba Anguissola (1565) | |
| Reign | 16 January 1556 – 13 September 1598 |
| Predecessor | Charles I |
| Successor | Philip III |
| Reign | 12 September 1580 – 13 September 1598 |
| Acclamation | 16 April 1581, Tomar |
| Predecessor | Henry or Anthony (disputed) |
| Successor | Philip III of Spain (as Philip II) |
| Reign | 25 July 1554 – 17 November 1558 |
| Predecessor | Mary I |
| Successor | Elizabeth I |
| Co-monarch | Mary I |
| Born | 21 May 1527 Palacio de Pimentel, Valladolid, Crown of Castile |
| Died | 13 September 1598(1598-09-13) (aged 71) El Escorial, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Crown of Castile |
| Burial | El Escorial |
| Spouses | |
| Issue more... | |
| House | Habsburg |
| Father | Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Mother | Isabella of Portugal |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Signature | |
Philip II (21 May 1527 – 13 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (Spanish: Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He was also jure uxorisKing of England and Ireland from his marriage to Queen Mary I in 1554 until her death in 1558. Further, he was Duke of Milan from 1540. From 1555, he was Lord of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands.
The son of Emperor Charles V and Isabella of Portugal, Philip inherited his father's Spanish Empire in 1556, and succeeded to the Portuguese throne in 1580 following a dynastic crisis. The Spanish conquests of the Inca Empire and of the Philippines, named in his honor by Ruy López de Villalobos, were completed during his reign. Under Philip II, Spain reached the height of its influence and power, sometimes called the Spanish Golden Age, and ruled territories in every continent then known to Europeans. Philip led a highly debt-le (383-336) Philip II became Macedonia's leader in 359, and was officially its king by 357. He used skilled military and diplomatic tactics to expand his country's territory and influence, and ended up dominating almost of all of his neighboring Greek city-states. He was assassinated in July 336, at the approximate age of 46, and was succeeded by his son, Alexander the Great. The son of Macedonia's King Amyntas III and his wife, Eurydice, Philip II was born in either 383 or 382 B.C. After his brother, Alexander II, took the throne, Philip spent three years, from 368 to 365, as a hostage in Thebes. This time was well-spent, as it was in Thebes that Philip learned about military strategy from the work of Epaminondas, one of the greatest generals of the day. After Alexander II's assassination, Philip's brother, Perdiccas III, became king and brought Philip back from Thebes. When Perdiccas was killed in 359 while fighting the Illyrians, Philip was selected to serve as the guardian for Perdiccas's young son, Amyntas IV. From his new position of power, Philip began to use his military ingenuity in order to remake the Macedonian army. Members of the army were soon equipped with a sarissa, a pike that, at about 16 feet long, had a greater reach than Greek weapons. This innovation meant that Philip's army's phalanxes could make the first strike, which transformed them into a deadly force. In 358, his new army successfully invaded first Paeonia and then Illyria, regaining territory that Macedonia had ceded. An excellent military tactician, Philip was also adept at consolidating power through other means. Macedonians were polygamous, so marrying the female relatives of powerful opponents and allies was a natural step for Philip (his seven wives included Molossian princess Olympias, the mother of Alexander the Great). By 357, Philip was no longer acting as his nephew's regent and Philip II of Macedon
Who Was Philip II of Macedon?
Early Life
First Years in Power