Philip III of Spain

Reign: 1598 – 1621
Life: 1578–1621

He was known as the Iberian Union. A member of the House of Habsburg, he was born in Madrid to King Philip II of Spain and his fourth wife, Anna of Austria. One year after inheriting the throne, he married his Habsburg cousin Margaret of Austria, the sister of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor. Philip is associated with a period of relative peace in Western Europe, called the Pax Hispanica by some historians, but his lack of focus contributed to the Spanish Empire's gradual decline.

During Philip III of Spain's reign, James VI and I ruled England, Jahangir I ruled Mughal Empire, and Ahmed I ruled Ottoman Empire.

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Philip of Spain by Henry Kamen

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Philip of Spain

Henry Kamen

Kamen on Philip III and the validos, continuity and decline after the age of Philip II.

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