| Philip V | |
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| Reign | 15 November 1700 – 15 January 1724 (23 years, 61 days) |
| Predecessor | Charles II |
| Successor | Louis I |
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| Reign | 6 September 1724 - 9 July 1746 (21 years, 306 days) |
| Predecessor | Louis I |
| Successor | Ferdinand VI |
| Spouse | Maria Luisa of Savoy Elisabeth Farnese |
| Issue | |
| Louis I of Spain Ferdinand VI of Spain Charles III of Spain Maria Anna Victoria, Queen of Portugal Philip, Duke of Parma Maria Teresa Rafaela, Dauphine of France Luis, Count of Chinchón Maria Antonia Fernanda, Queen of Sardinia |
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| House | House of Bourbon |
| Father | Louis, Dauphin of France |
| Mother | Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria |
| Born | 19 December 1683 Palace of Versailles, France |
| Died | 9 July 1746 (aged 62) Madrid, Spain |
| Burial | Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Philip V (Spanish: Felipe V; French: Philippe de France;[1] 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.
Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a grandson of King Louis XIV. His father, Louis, the Grand Dauphin, had the strongest genealogical claim to the throne of Spain when it became vacant in 1700. However, since the Grand Dauphin and Philip's older brother, Louis, Duke of Burgundy, could not be displaced from their place in the succession to the French throne, King Charles II of Spain named Philip as his heir in his will. It was well-known that the union of France and Spain under one monarch would upset the balance of power in Europe, such that other European powers would take steps to prevent it. Philip was the first member of the House of Bourbon to rule as king of Spain. The sum of his two reigns, 45 years and 21 days, is the longest in modern Spanish history.
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Philip was born at the Palace of Versailles[2] in France the second son of Louis, Grand Dauphin, the heir apparent to the throne of France, and his wife Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria,[3] Dauphine Victoire. He was a younger brother of Louis, Duke of Burgundy, the father of Louis XV of France. At birth, Philip was created Duke of Anjou, a traditional title for younger sons in the French royal family. He would be known by this name until he became the king of Spain. Since Philip's older brother, the Duke of Burgundy, was second in line to the French throne after his father, there was little expectation that either he or his younger brother Charles, Duke of Berry, would ever rule over France.
Philip was tutored with his brothers by François Fénelon, Archbishop of Cambrai. The three were also educated by Paul de Beauvilliers.
In 1700 the King Charles II of Spain died childless. His will named the 16-year old Philip, grandson of Charles' half-sister Maria Theresa of Spain, the first wife of Louis XIV, as his successor.[3] Upon any possible refusal, the crown of Spain would be offered next to Philip's younger brother, the Duke of Berry, then to the Archduke Charles of Austria, later Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI.[3] Philip had the better genealogical claim to the Spanish throne, because his Spanish grandmother and great-grandmother were older than the ancestors of the Archduke Charles of Austria. However, the Austrian branch claimed that Philip's grandmother had renounced the Spanish throne for herself and her descendants as part of her marriage contract. This was countered by the French branch's claim that it was on the basis of a dowry that had never been paid.[4]
After a long council meeting in France at which the Dauphin spoke up in favour of his son's rights, it was agreed that Philip would ascend the throne, but would forever renounce his claim to the throne of France for himself and his descendants.[3]
After the Royal Council decided to accept the provisions of the will of Charles II that named Philip king of Spain, the Spanish ambassador was called in and introduced to his new king. The ambassador, along with his son, knelt before Philip and made a long speech in Spanish which Philip did not understand, although Louis XIV (the son and husband of Spanish princesses) did. Philip only later learned to speak Spanish.
On 2 November 1701 Philip married the 13-year old Maria Luisa of Savoy, as chosen by his grandfather. She was the daughter of Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy, and Philip's second cousin Anne Marie d'Orléans, also the parents of the Duchess of Burgundy, Philip's sister-in-law. There was a proxy ceremony at Turin, the capital of the Duchy of Savoy, and another one at Versailles on 11 September.
As queen of Spain, Maria Luisa proved very popular with her subjects. She served as regent for her husband on several occasions. Her most successful term was when Philip was away touring his Italian domains for nine months in 1702. In 1714, she died at the age of 26 from tuberculosis, a devastating emotional blow to her husband.
Concern among other European powers that Spain and France united under a single Bourbon monarch would upset the balance of power in Europe led to the War of Spanish Succession between 1701 and 1714. It pitted powerful France and weak Spain against the Grand Alliance of England, the Netherlands and Austria.[5]
Inside Spain, the Kingdoms of Castile and Navarre supported Philip of France. On the other hand, the majority of the nobility of the Kingdom of Aragon supported Charles of Austria, son of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I and claimant to the Spanish throne by right of his grandmother Maria Anna of Spain. Charles was even hailed as King of Aragon under the name Charles III.
The war was centred in Spain and west-central Europe (especially the Low Countries), with other important fighting in Germany and Italy. Prince Eugene of Savoy and the Duke of Marlborough distinguished themselves as military commanders in the Low Countries. In colonial North America, the conflict became known to the English colonists who fought against French and Spanish forces as Queen Anne's War. Over the course of the fighting, some 400,000 people were killed.[6]
It was with this war as a backdrop that, beginning in 1707, Philip issued the Nueva Planta decrees, which centralized Spanish rule under the Castilian political and administrative model and in the process abolished the charters of the independently administered kingdoms within Spain - including most notably the Crown of Aragon, which was supporting Charles VI in the conflict. The policy of centralization had as model the French State under Louis XIV and was strongly supported by politicians such as Joseph de Solís and the Sardinian-born political philosopher Vicente Bacallar.[7]
At one point in 1712 Philip was offered the choice of renouncing the throne of Spain so that he could be made heir of France, but he refused.
By the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht that concluded the war, Spain was forced to cede Minorca and Gibraltar to Great Britain; the Spanish Netherlands, Naples, Milan, and Sardinia to the Austrian Habsburgs; and Sicily and parts of Milan to Savoy. Nonetheless, Philip was allowed to remain on the Spanish throne.[8]
These losses greatly diminished the Spanish Empire in Europe, which had already been in decline. Throughout his reign, Philip sought to reverse the decline of Spanish power as Great Britain increasingly began to dominate at sea. Trying to overturn the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht, Spain attempted to re-establish its territories in Italy, triggering the War of the Quadruple Alliance in which a coalition of states fought Spain. Phillip V was eventually forced to sue for peace following a failed invasion of Scotland and a British raid on Vigo.
Shortly after the death of Queen Maria Luisa in 1714, the King decided to marry again. His second wife was Elisabeth of Parma, daughter of Odoardo Farnese, Hereditary Prince of Parma, and Dorothea Sophie of the Palatinate. At the age of twenty-one, on 24 December 1714, she were married by proxy in Parma. The marriage was arranged by Cardinal Alberoni, with the concurrence of the Princesse des Ursins, the Camarera mayor de Palacio ("chief of the household") of the king of Spain.
On 14 January 1724, Philip abdicated the throne to his eldest son, the seventeen-year old Louis, for reasons still subject to debate. One theory suggests that Philip V, who exhibited many elements of mental instability during his reign, did not wish to reign due to his increasing mental decline.[9] A second theory puts the abdication in context of the Bourbon dynasty. The French royal family recently had lost many legitimate agnates to diseases, making the lack of an heir and another continental war of succession a possibility. Philip V was a legitimate descendant of Louis XIV, but matters were complicated by the Treaty of Utrecht, which forbade a union of the French and Spanish crowns. The theory supposes that Philip V hoped that by abdicating the Spanish crown he could circumvent the Treaty and succeed to the French throne.
In any case, Louis died on 31 August 1724 in Madrid of smallpox, having reigned only seven months and leaving no issue. Philip was forced to return to the Spanish throne as his younger son, the later Ferdinand VI, was not yet of age.
Philip helped his Bourbon relatives to make territorial gains in the War of the Polish Succession and the War of the Austrian Succession by reconquering Naples and Sicily from Austria and Oran from the Ottomans. Finally, at the end of his reign Spanish forces also successfully defended their American territories from a large British invasion during the War of Jenkins' Ear.
During Philip's reign, Spain began to recover from the stagnation it had suffered during the twilight of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty. Although the population of Spain grew, the financial and taxation systems were archaic and the treasury ran deficits. The king employed thousands of highly paid retainers at his palaces--not to rule the country but to look after the royal family. The army and bureaucracy went months without pay and only the shipments of silver from the New World kept the system going. Spain suspended payments on its debt in 1739--effectively declaring bankruptcy.[10]
Philip was afflicted by fits of manic depression and increasingly fell victim to a deep melancholia.[11] His second wife, Elizabeth Farnese, completely dominated her passive husband. She bore him further sons, including another successor, Charles III of Spain.[11] Beginning in August 1737 his affliction was eased by the castrato singer Farinelli, who, became the "Musico de Camara of Their Majesties." Farinelli would sing eight or nine arias for the king and queen every night, usually with a trio of musicians.[3]
Philip died on 9 July 1746 in El Escorial, in Madrid, but was buried in his favorite Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, near Segovia.[3] Ferdinand VI of Spain, his son by his first queen Maria Luisa of Savoy, succeeded him.
Philip married his double-second cousin Princess Maria Luisa of Savoy (17 September 1688 – 14 February 1714) on 3 November 1701[3] and they had four sons:
| Name | Portrait | Lifespan | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louis Philip King of Spain |
25 August 1707 – 31 August 1724 |
King of Spain from 14 January 1724 until his death. His reign is recorded as one of the shortest in history, as he was king for just over seven months; married Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans and had no issue; | ||
| Infante Philip Peter |
2 July 1709 – 18 July 1709 |
died in infancy; | ||
| Infante Philip Peter Gabriel |
7 June 1712 – 29 December 1719 |
died in childhood; | ||
| Ferdinand King of Spain |
23 September 1713 – 10 August 1759 |
King of Spain from 1746 till death; married Barbara of Portugal and had no issue; |
| Family of Philip V of Spain in 1723 |
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He married Elisabeth of Parma, (25 October 1692 – 11 July 1766), on 24 December 1714,[3] they had seven children:
| Name | Portrait | Lifespan | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Duke of Parma King of Naples and Sicily King of Spain |
20 January 1716 – 14 December 1788 |
was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to his death in 1788. In 1738 he married the cultured Princess Maria Amalia of Saxony with whom he had 13 children; | ||
| Infante Francis |
21 March 1717 – 21 April 1717 |
died in infancy | ||
| Infanta Mariana Victoria Queen of Portugal |
31 March 1718 – 15 January 1781 |
was Queen Consort of Portugal and the Algarves due to her marriage to Joseph I. She also acted as Queen Regent of Portugal. | ||
| Philip Duke of Parma |
20 March 1720 – 18 July 1765 |
Duke of Parma, Plasencia and Guastalla (15 March 1720 – 18 July 1765) was duke of Parma from 1748 to 1765. He founded the house of Bourbon-Parma (a.k.a the Bourbons of Parma); married Princess Louise Élisabeth of France and had issue. | ||
| Infanta Maria Theresa Antonia Rafaela Dauphine of France |
11 June 1726 – 22 July 1746 |
was Dauphine of France as spouse of Louis, Dauphin of France. In France, she was known simply as Madame la Dauphine. | ||
| Infante Luis Count of Chinchón |
25 July 1727 – 7 August 1785 |
known as the Cardinal-Infante. Was Archbishop of Toledo, Primate of Spain and Cardinal since 1735. In 1754 renounced his ecclesiastical titles and became Count of Chinchón. In 1776, he married morganatically Doña María Teresa de Vallabriga y Rozas and had issue, but without royal titles. | ||
| Infanta Maria Antoinetta Ferdinanda Queen of Sardinia |
17 November 1729 – 19 September 1785 |
was Queen of Sardinia as the wife of King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia. She was a mother of 3 rulers of Sardinia. |
| Family of Philip V of Spain in 1743 |
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| Heraldry of His Majesty Philip V, King of Spain | |||
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| Coat of Arms of the Duke of Anjou Coat of Arms of Philip as the Duke of Anjou. Held by him from his birth till his Coronation as King of Spain in 1700. (1683–1700) |
Coat of Arms of Felipe V, King of Spain Coat of Arms of Philip as Felipe V, King of Spain. Held by him from his Coronation till his death in 1746. (1700–1746) |
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Philip V of Spain
Cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty
Born: 19 December 1683 Died: 9 July 1746 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles the Bewitched |
King of Naples and Sardinia; Duke of Brabant, Limburg, Lothier, and Milan; Count of Flanders and Hainaut 1700–1713 |
Succeeded by Charles VI & V |
| Duke of Luxembourg Count of Namur 1700–1712 |
Succeeded by Maximilian II Emanuel |
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| King of Sicily 1700–1713 |
Succeeded by Victor Amadeus |
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| King of Spain November 15, 1700 – January 15, 1724 |
Succeeded by Louis |
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| Preceded by Louis |
King of Spain September 6, 1724 – July 9, 1746 |
Succeeded by Ferdinand VI |
| French royalty | ||
| Preceded by Louis Francis |
Duke of Anjou 1683–1700 |
Succeeded by Louis |
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