Imprudent King
A New Life of Philip II

My rating may drop upon further reflection, as the epilogue goes out of its way to spoil its own triumphant party. The Philip who emerges in Parker’s study is a man both austere and ambitious, someone always a bit uncomfortable in their own skin. Inheriting a global empire, Philip was an uber bureau......more

Phillip II of Spain ruled over what was arguably the world's first transoceanic empire-at its height, Spain controlled southern Italy, the entirety of the Iberian peninsula, the Low Countries, and a colossal overseas empire stretching across the globe, including the Americas and portions of India. H......more

Philip II holds the particular distinction of being simultaneously one of the potentially most boring people in history, a royal bureaucrat who endlessly laboured behind his desk, and one of the most fascinating ones, as his long reign involved him in decisions that still influence our world today.......more

It's hard to think of a historical figure that would be more fascinating than Philip II. Parker concludes that the king was obsessive and simply couldn't rule effectively because of the size of his kingdom. An interesting analysis, albeit one that could have been drawn earlier. The author did a good......more

Over the years I've been a great enthusiast for the writings of Geoffrey Parker, but for assorted reasons I didn't get to this work until more than 10 years after it was published. Call this a commentary on how it seemed more logical to read Parker's biograph of Charles V first, a certain lack of av......more