Biography:During Philip II's reign, Spain reached the height of its influence and power often referred to as Spain's Golden Age.
The expression, "the empire on which the sun never sets," was coined during his reign to reflect the extent of his dominion which stretched from Europe, to the Americas and Asia.
From 1554 he was also the King of Naples and Sicily as well as the Duke of Milan. During his marriage to Queen Mary I (1554–58), he also became the King of England and Ireland.
1554-07-25Mary I of England (37) marries Prince Philip of Spain (27) (later Philip II) at Winchester Cathedral, England
1560-01-31 Spanish King Philip II (10) marries Elisabeth of Valois (13), daughter of Henry II of France
Historical Events
1555-10-25 Holy Roman Emperor Charles V publicly abdicates his roles as Lord of the Netherlands and Duke of Burgundy in favor of his son Philip II of Spain
1556-01-16 Holy Roman Emperor Charles V abdicates his role as King of Spain and appoints his son Philip II of Spain
1556-02-05 King Henry II of France and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V sign the Treaty of Vaucelles, creating a temporary truce in the Italian War of 1551–59
1556-03-28 Philip II of Spain is formally crowned King of Spain
1556-11-23 King Philip II confers with Dutch financial experts
1560-09-25 Spanish King Philip II names Frederik V Schenck van Toutenburg as the first Archbishop of Utrecht
1561-09-23 King Philip II of Spain forbids Spanish settlements in Florida
1563-04-23 Cornerstone laid for El Escorial, new Spanish royal palace commissioned by Philip II, by architect Juan Bautista de Toledo
1564-02-21 King Philip II advises Cardinal Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle to retire from the Netherlands to Franche-Comté in France
1564-08-18 Spanish King Philip II joins Council of Trent
1565-11-13 King Philip II's "Letters From the Segovia Woods", rejecting requests to abolish ordinances outlawing heresy, reach Brussels
1569-02-07 King Philip II forms Inquisition in South America
1570-03-04 King Philip II bans foreign Dutch students as part of his attempted suppression of Protestantism
1572-06-24 Five clergymen of Dutch city Enkhuizen are hanged during the Dutch Rebellion against Philip II of Spain
1576-03-08 Spanish official Diego Garcia de Palacio writes of his visit to ruins of Copan to King Philip II of Spain - 1st non-Indian to visit and report on a major Maya site
1579-07-29 Spanish King Philip II arrests plotters Antonio Perez and Princess van Eboli
1581-03-25 Portuguese Cortes (King's Court) calls Philip II King of Portugal, further legitimatizing his rule
1581-04-15 Portuguese assembly the Cortes of Tomar recognizes Philip II of Spain as King of Portugal after a succession crisis
1581-07-26 Dutch Act of Abjuration declared - seven Dutch provinces declare their independence from Spanish King Philip II
1588-05-28 King Philip II dispatches the Spanish Armada under the Duke of Medina-Sidonia from Lisbon, Portugal to invade England
1590-07-19 King Philip II's powerful secretary Antonio Pérez escapes jail in Madrid and flees to Aragon
1594-06-11 Philip II recognizes the rights and privileges of local nobles and chieftains in the Philippines, creating a ruling class of native nobility known as the Principalía
1595-05-02 King Philip II names Albert Archduke of Austria and his nephew Governor of the Hapsburg Netherlands
1596-11-29 King Philip II devalues Spanish currency
1598-06-30 King Philip II of Spain moves to El Escorial royal palace (dies there three months later)
1598-09-01 Spanish King Philip II receives sacraments
Christian II
Christian III
Edward VII
Ferdinand VII
Louis XIV
Wilhelm I