Philip V

King of Spain (r. 1700-1746)

• Born: December 19, 1683
• Birthplace: Versailles, France
• Died: July 9, 1746
• Place of death: Madrid, Spain

Philip V established the Bourbon Dynasty in Spain and, by putting into force needed reforms in government and economics devised by his French and Italian advisers as well as his queen consort, Isabella, helped Spain recapture some of its diminished international prestige.

Early Life

Born in France, Philip V was called Philippe, duc d’Anjou, for his first sixteen years. His father, the dauphin Louis, was the son of Louis XIV of France and the grandson of Philip IV, king of Spain. His mother, Marie Anne, was the daughter of Ferdinand of Bavaria. Philip retained his title, duke of Anjou, until 1700, but when Philip’s uncle, Charles II, the childless king of Spain, Naples, and Sicily, died on November 1, 1700, he left to Philip his holdings in Spain, the Spanish Netherlands, Spanish America, and parts of Italy.

Charles II, who was born in 1661, had been king since 1665, with his mother, Mariana of Austria, serving as his regent. Even when Charles reached his majority, his mother continued as regent because Charles was physically and mentally disabled. As he neared death, Charles signed a document dated October 2, 1700, that named the duke of Anjou as his successor. Charles had executed two similar documents previously, each naming a different successor.

Following Charles’s death, Philip’s grandfather, Louis XIV, declined to exclude Philip from the French line of succession, an act that led to the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714). Meanwhile, the young Philip, who was installed as king of Spain a few months short of his seventeenth birthday, loathed Spain and longed to return to France. Early in 1701, Philip, who was basically weak and, suffering from an acute bipolar disorder, at times deranged, entered into an arranged marriage with María Luisa of Savoy, who served essentially as Philip’s regent.

During her lifetime, María Luisa saw to it that France maintained a strong influence in the Spanish court. Realizing that the Spanish government was in serious need of reform, María Luisa arranged for a French economist, Jean Orry, to become a de facto first minister to help bring to the Spanish court economic reforms that Orry, in league with María Luisa, deemed necessary. It was at her urging that the French ambassador to Spain held a prominent position in Spain’s council of state.

Life’s Work

The War of the Spanish Succession ended first with the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 and then with the Treaties of Rastatt and Baden in 1714. Under the terms of these treaties, Philip lost the Spanish Netherlands and the Italian possessions held by the Spanish Habsburgs, but he retained the Spanish throne and his extensive holdings in Spanish America, bequeathed to him by Charles II.

In the early years of Philip’s reign, Spain was threatened by many external forces. In 1705, Archduke Charles seized command of Barcelona. The Portuguese occupied Castile and the Austrians invaded Naples, which at that time was part of Philip’s kingdom. Philip faced the possibility of losing Spain to a host of invaders. Louis XIV was on the brink of refusing to support Philip’s efforts, but the besieged king rallied and held on to Spain, gaining support from the Castilians and retaking Barcelona in 1714. Louis XIV was said to have been a forceful and fearless leader in the conflicts that led to Spain’s military victories.

Within a few months of the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht, Philip lost his wife. María Luisa, who had given birth to Ferdinand (the future King Ferdinand VI) on September 23, 1713, succumbed to tuberculosis on February 14, 1714. The official search for a new wife began immediately and was narrowed to a choice between two: the daughter of the king of Poland or Isabella Farnese, the niece of the duke of Parma.

A union between Philip and Isabella Farnese was considered the most politically advantageous, and on September 16, 1714, proxy marriage ceremonies took place simultaneously in Italy and in Spain. Isabella came to Spain in December of the same year, and on December 24, a service confirming the earlier proxy ceremony was held in Guadalajara.

Most historians have concluded that Philip had a compelling need to be closely associated with strong women. Certainly María Luisa had been a dominant and, according to many accounts, a domineering force in his life. If she dominated Philip, the twenty-two-year-old Isabella far outdid María Luisa in that regard. Isabella was bright and determined. Philip’s marriage to her heralded a change in emphasis in the Spanish court. Isabella immediately set about eradicating many of the French influences imposed by her predecessor. She saw to it that the princess des Ursins, who had brokered Philip’s first marriage and had also arranged Isabella’s marriage to him, was exiled after she engaged in a heated exchange with Isabella upon her arrival in Guadalajara. Isabella was instrumental in replacing Philip’s French advisers with Italians, the most influential of whom was Giulio Alberoni, a prelate who was made a cardinal in 1717, presumably as repayment for his services to Philip and the Spanish court. Isabella made strenuous efforts to regain for the benefit of her two sons, Luis and Fernando, the Italian holdings Philip had ceded to Austria in the Treaty of Utrecht and the Treaties of Rastatt and Baden.

Scholarly opinion is sharply divided regarding who brought about the significant changes in Spanish government that became the basis for the Spanish state as it currently exists. Philip, whether acting independently or acquiescing to Isabella’s initiatives, was officially responsible for bringing about drastic changes in Spain’s foreign policy and international relations. During his reign, the Spanish economy was reformed and Spain’s armed forces were substantially strengthened. Under his forty-six-year rule, Spain emerged as a dominant force in Europe.

In 1724, Philip abdicated in favor of his son, Luis, who became king of Spain on January 15, 1724. Historians generally concede that the major reason for Philip’s abdication was that he hoped to succeed the ailing Louis XIV as king of France. On August 31, 1724, however, just seven months after assuming the throne, Luis died, a victim of smallpox, and Philip was forced to reign a second time. Philip suffered throughout his life from a severe bipolar disorder. At times he was clearly demented and unable to discharge his official responsibilities. During such periods, particularly in the last decade of his life, Isabella undoubtedly assumed many of his official duties.

Significance

During the long reign of Philip V, dramatic changes took place in Spain. Philip established the Bourbons as the nation’s official rulers and, except for the usurpation of the throne by Francisco Franco for four decades until 1975, the Bourbons have ruled Spain since.

Under Philip, with Isabella’s help, a new Spanish state took shape, the early organization of which has persisted to the present day. There is considerable uncertainty about the extent to which Philip was personally involved in the changes that occurred, but because they took place during his official reign, they are generally attributed to him.

In addition to reform in Spain’s economy, foreign policy, and military forces, the country under Philip entered a period during which the official encouragement of literature, art, and music led to a revival of culture throughout the country. This revival helped Spain regain recognition throughout Europe as a significant cultural force.

Although many historical accounts of Philip’s reign are inconclusive, revisionist historians are exploring extensive archival materials to present a more accurate account of his time on the throne. Philip’s life was convoluted and, in many ways, puzzling, but historians such as Henry Kamen are beginning to put it into a new, more accurate perspective.

Bibliography

Hamilton, Earl J. War and Prices in Spain, 1651-1800. New York: Russell and Russell, 1969. This carefully presented study offers valuable information about Spain’s economic state during the rule of Philip V and also provides details about the abortive reign of Charles II.

Kamen, Henry. Philip V of Spain: The King Who Reigned Twice. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2001. By far the best researched and most appealingly written book about the life and reign of Philip V. The book is fascinating and is a model of excellence in analytical biographical writing.

‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. The War of Succession in Spain, 1700-1715. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1969. A thorough presentation of the conflict that arose when Louis XIV refused to exclude Philip V from the line of succession in France after he became king of Spain.

Lynch, John. Bourbon Spain, 1700-1808. Oxford, England: Basil Blackwell, 1989. A detailed presentation of the politics of Bourbon rule in Spain, including the reign of Philip V.

McLachlan, Jean. Trade and Peace with Old Spain, 1667-1750. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1940. McLachlan investigates the economy of Spain during the reign of Philip V. The book is somewhat dated, but contains useful insights into Philip’s rule.