Philip II

Philip II in his coronation robes c. 2749

**Philip II** (Philip Bourbon Martell; 3 March 2709 - 21 December 2793) was King of Rockfield and Elector of Sardinia from 28 December 2748 until his death 45 years later in 2793. Known by many as the **Sun-King**, Philip II is the longest reigning monarch in Rockfield history.

Born during the reign of his grandfather, Charles II, in 2709, Philip was christened as Felipe Bourbon of Talaga, owing to his father's title of Duke of Talaga (heir to the Iberian Throne; later Charles III). As second in line to the throne, Philip was barred from serving in the Royal Navy by his grandfather, the King, instead became the first King to study at Pembroke University. Philip reportedly became disillusioned with the Church during his time at the Divinity School and, upon his return to Court in 2728, joined a liberalising faction known as the Whigs. Philip's support of the Whigs brought him in direct confrontation with his grandfather in 2935 and again in 2937, when rumours suggested that he could be disinherited. Charles II's death in 2738 is typically agreed by historians to be the event that saved Philip's position in the line of succession.

Upon his return to Court in 2728, Philip married Lady Annette of the House of Fredreick-Holsbatten, a German house that had migrated to Rockfield in the late 2600s. Philip's marriage to Annette, while mildly controversial to some of the more conservative members of the Court, was generally accepted at the time and was later described by Charles II as a "grave mistake", due to Philip's later endorsement of the liberalising Whigs. Philip and Annette had eleven children, two of whom went on to become King (Oberon in 2793 and Antony in 2801). Some of Philip and Annette's other children went on to marry into other senior royal positions across the world, including their second daughter Francesca, who became Queen of Lisbon. During the reign of his father, Charles III, Philip became Duke of Talaga. His tenure as Duke was relatively benign. He continued to support the Whig faction, though to a continually decreasing degree than during the reign of his grandfather. Generally, though, he supported his father and mother. Upon his father's death in 2748, he ascended to the throne as King Philip II.

Philip's early reign saw him skyrocket in terms of popularity. He would often open the doors of the Iberian Palace Great Hall for large banquets with the common people. His tours around the Kingdoms became famous for their street parties. Philip's coronation in early 2749 was the largest in Rockfield's history up until that point and was marked with two weeks of celebrations. During his early reign, Philip remained mostly aside from mainstream politics as the Tory government continued much of the policies of his father. It was his early reign in which Philip gained the nickname of the Sun-King and his abstention from politics is generally considered to be one of the primary motivators behind his historic popularity.

Philip's involvement of politics wasn't, however, destined to remain low forever. In 2756, the long serving Tory Lord President, Sir Leopoldo Aznar, died and with him the political consensus of Philip's early reign died too. Aznar served as Lord President under Charles III and held significant support in the Court. Despite generally being a conservative, Aznar held some limited sympathies with the Whigs in Court and advocated for their inclusion in both the King's Council and Parliament. The Cortes Generales gathered immediately following Aznar's death to pay homage to him. During that session, the Duke of Cantabria attempted to gather political consensus for his appointment as Aznar's replacement. The Whig's de facto leader, Sir Enrique Basque, made similar moves. However, when it became apparent that Cantabria would win the support of Parliament, Basque appealed to Philip's support of the Whigs.

Philip appointed Basque as Chief Minister and Lord Privy Seal. The King's Council formally named Cantabria as Lord President. However, the position of Chief Minister and Lord Privy Seal outranks that of Lord President (and was vacant during Aznar's tenure as head of the government), meaning that Philip's appointment went into direct contradiction with the decision of Parliament and the nobility. Basque became the de facto head of the government - the first Whig to rise to such a position. The Basque Ministry was almost immediately an unpopular one, as its first agenda was reform of the Urban Tax.

While the Basque Ministry was seen as too reformist for many, its conservative position on the succession became a rallying point for many. As the Duke of Talaga, the King's eldest son and heir, Prince Oberon, proclaimed that he would never marry or have children owing to his Pontifical Faith. Basque urged the King to force his son into a marriage - something the King was reluctant to do. Eventually, Basque relented and urged Parliament to pass a new succession act, which laid out the succession rules clearly beyond Oberon in an effort to avoid civil war. The succession act ruled that Oberon's younger brother, Antony, would succeed him as King, followed by Prince Antony's issue.

Parliament became enraged as Basque spent five years attempting to implement Whig policies without the support of the King's Council or, indeed, the Cortes Generales. Eventually, in 2761, Cantabria resigned as Lord President, alongside four other Lord Councillors. Parliament attempted to pass a motion of duress when Basque, in an attempt to reassert control of the situation, advised the King to dissolve Parliament and call for a general election. General elections in Balancin history were rare and, typically, were only held during the death of the Crown. Basque's call for a general election (which was not a democratic exercise, rather a poll of the nobility and landowners) was accepted by Philip, who dissolved Parliament for the first time in 80 years.

The general election that followed was a direct repudiation of Basque and the King's support of him. The Parliament that returned, known as the Blue Parliament, was dominated by the Tories and Basque subsequently resigned as Chief Minister and Lord Privy Seal. Basque, in an address to Parliament in 2762, said "if my tenure is the cause of civil war, then my tenure shall end". Philip attempted to appoint his younger brother, Prince Robert, another Whig, as Chief Minister but, when Cantabria confirmed that he would continue to prevent the King's Council from working, the King relented. Cantabria was re-appointed Lord President of the Council and Chief Minister. The King allowed Basque to maintain his title of Lord Privy Seal but made clear the authority of the position was held by Cantabria. Following his engagement in politics - and general failure to redirect Tory policy - Philip's popularity slowly began to fall. While it recovered slightly in the final years of his reign, Philip never regained the popularity of his early reign.

Philip died in 2793 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Oberon.

## Titles and styles

* 3 March 2709 - 8 August 2728: *His Royal Highness* Prince Philip Bourbon of Talaga
* 8 August 2728 - 8 August 2738: *His Royal Highness* Prince Philip Bourbon, Duke of Murcia
* 8 August 2738 - 28 December 2748: *His Royal Highness* The Prince Philip, Duke of Talaga and Murcia
* 28 December 2748 - 21 December 2793: *His Majesty* The King