Philip the Handsome

Philip the Handsome (also known as the Fair; born 22 June or July 1478 – died 25 September 1506) was the ruler of the Burgundian Netherlands and the titular Duke of Burgundy from 1482 to 1506. He also briefly became King of Castile as Philip I in 1506.

He was the son of Maximilian of Austria (who later became Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I) and Mary of Burgundy. Philip became ruler of the Burgundian Netherlands after his mother died in a riding accident when he was almost four years old.

Even though he was young, Philip became popular for ruling well—he kept peace and helped the economy grow in the Low Countries.

In 1496, his father arranged for him to marry Joanna of Castile, the daughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. At the same time, Philip’s sister Margaret married Joanna’s brother, John, Prince of Asturias.

After John, Joanna’s sister Isabella, and her nephew Miguel da Paz all died, Joanna became the heiress presumptive to the thrones of Castile and Aragon.

When Queen Isabella died in 1504, Joanna became queen, and Philip was declared king in 1506. But Philip died not long after, and Joanna was left heartbroken. Her father, Ferdinand II of Aragon, and her son, Charles, quickly took over and kept Joanna locked away for the rest of her life, saying she was mentally ill.Fox, Julia, Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile, New York: Ballantine Books, 2011.

Although Philip never became Holy Roman Emperor, his son Charles inherited a huge empire that included the Habsburg, Burgundian, Castilian, and Aragonese lands. This made Philip the first Habsburg ruler in Spain and the ancestor of all later Spanish monarchs.

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Category:1506 deaths
Category:1478 births
Category:15th-century people
Category:16th-century people
Category:French royalty