Philip II of Spain – a timeline

Years of Crisis 

1557 : first bankruptcy

1560 : second bankruptcy

1566 : first stages of Revolt in the Spanish Netherlands

The Roman Catholic Church in 1500
The Roman Catholic Church in 1500

1568 : start of the Revolt of the Moriscos

 

Years of Triumph 

1571 : defeats Turks at Lepanto

BUT : 1572 : second outbreak of trouble in the Spanish Netherlands. Problems until 1578

1573 : Tunis taken for Spain

1576 : large increase in bullion shipments to Spain from the South America

BUT : 1576 : Philip went bankrupt for the third time.

1578 : Farnese successful in Netherlands

1581 : Philip became king of Portugal

The decline of Spain 

1586 : Elizabeth of England officially sent aid to the rebels in the Netherlands 

1586 : Philip decided to invade England

1588 : the Spanish Armada.

1590 : Farnese invaded France – on the orders of Philip just as he was about to make major progress in the Spanish Netherlands. This enabled the rebels to re-group and recover from their losses. Farnese had to do the same on Philip’s orders in 1592.

1591 : the Revolt of Aragon

1596 : the fourth bankruptcy

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