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.

Philip the Handsome
A posthumous portrait by the painter Peter Paul Rubens which is commonly mistaken as his father, Maximilian. The St. Andrew's cross (it was added to his coat of arms after his marriage to Joanna) makes him identify as Philip.
Famous Issue	Charles

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.^[a] 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.^[1]

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.