Philip IV of Spain

Philip IV of Spain (Spanish: Felipe IV; 8 April 1605 – 17 September 1665) was King of Castile and León as Philip IV and King of Aragon and Portugal as Philip III (Portuguese: Filipe III). He ascended the thrones in 1621 and reigned in Spain until his death and in Portugal until 1640. Philip is remembered for his patronage of the arts, including such artists as Diego Velázquez, and his rule over Spain during the challenging period of the Thirty Years' War.

On the eve of his death in 1665, the Spanish Empire had reached its territorial zenith, spanning a then-unheard-of 12.2 million square kilometres (4.7×10^6 sq mi), but in other respects was in decline, a process to which Philip's inability to achieve successful domestic and military reform is felt to have contributed.

Read more about Philip IV Of Spain:  Personal Life, Philip, Olivares and His Royal Favorites, Foreign Policy and The Thirty Years' War, Philip and The Spanish Military, Domestic Policy and The Crisis of The Monarchy, Patronage of The Arts, Philip and Religion, Titles & Style, Legacy, Family, Ancestry, Bibliography

Famous quotes containing the words philip and/or spain:

    It is most true, what we call Cupid’s dart
    An image is, which for ourselves we carve
    And, fools, adore in temple of our heart,
    —Sir Philip Sidney (1554–1586)

    Heroic ages are not and never were sentimental and those daring conquistadores who conquered entire worlds for their Spain or Portugal received lamentably little thanks from their kings.
    Stefan Zweig (18811942)