1. 1556

2. Government
 New councils had been set up, such as the
Council of War, making admin more
efficient.
 The government was fully functioning, and
had experience.
 Charles had appointed family members to
positions in government – loyal.

3. Religion
 Spain was completely Catholic, and untainted
by Protestantism.
 Philip inherited the Inquisition, which helped
to maintain Catholic uniformity by finding and
destroying heresy.
 Censorship helped to restrict the Spanish
peoples’ access to dangerous Protestant
ideas.
 Philip made sure he had power over the Pope
in Spain. All papal laws had to have royal
approval before they were passed.
 Religious unity = order.

4. Economy and Finance
 The Spanish economy benefitted from
bullion – precious metals from the New
World.

5. Law and Order
 There had been little opposition to Charles
reign since the Comuneros Revolt (1520)
had been defeated.
 The Spanish people supported Philip as
the rightful heir, and were reconciled to
his rule.

6. Foreign Policy
 AlthoughPhilip inherited the Habsburg-
Valois war, the Spanish eventually won
and made gains at the Treaty of Cateau-
Cambresis in 1559.

7. Empire
Philip inherited what is now seen as one of

the largest and most powerful empires in
history.

8. 1556
Negatives of Philip
II’s Inheritance

9. Government
A conciliar system had worked well for

Charles – an absentee monarch – but did
not work so well for Philip as he did not
like to delegate.
 Family members had been appointed and
although they were loyal, they were not
necessarily the best people for the job.
This damaged the potential effectiveness
of government.
 Secretaries grew in power and status, and
they could become threatening to Philip.

10. Government (2)
Separate assemblies (e.g. Castile Cortes)

guarded rights and privileges that had existed
before the Iberian Peninsula was united. This
could make government difficult.
Philip had different powers in each state.

Consequently, consistency was almost
impossible to achieve. Philip met with
difficulty when it came to issues such as
taxation, for example.
Communication was extremely slow.

No fixed capital.


11. Religion
Isolated cells of heresy existed, especially

in rural areas, threatening Spain’s Catholic
uniformity.
 The growth of Protestantism was always a
threat.
 The Inquisition contributed largely to the
‘Black Legend’ view of Philip as a tyrant.
 Censorship was almost impossible to
enforce.

12. Economy and Finance
36 million ducats in debt, 68% of annual

revenue needed to pay off loans.
As early as 1532, revenue was less than

expenditure.
Charles had sold crown land and offices to

make immediate money, but these were now
exempt from tax, and so damaged Spain in
the long-term.
There was a lack of investment in new

farming and industrial techniques, making it
hard for Spain to raise money in the future.

13. Economy and Finance (2)
Trade was disrupted by war, and the

economy also suffered as war affected
population.
 The treasury was strained by almost 40
years of continuous warfare.
 Each area of Spain needed to be self-
supporting, with a little profit for the
Empire. However, only Castile and the
Netherlands did this in reality.

14. Law and Order
Relied heavily on Grandees and

Corregidores to enforce – they had self-
interests at heart.
 Philip was biased towards Castile, causing
resentment.

15. Foreign Policy
War with France, not going well on

Netherlands border.
 Ottoman Empire always a threat.
 Uneasy ceasefire with the Turks.

16. Empire
The Empire demanded costly and

extensive defence.
 Military forces were strained across the
Empire, leaving some areas vulnerable.
 The Empire threatened France, who were
surrounded by Spanish territory on all
sides. They aimed to destroy the Spanish
Empire.