When we think of sixteenth century English monarchs, the usual figures come immediately to mind: Henry VIII or Elizabeth I; a mention of consorts might prompt thoughts of Elizabeth of York or Anne Boleyn. The Marian period (1553-1558) is not often quickly recalled; if examined, the focus is on Mary I. If her husband Philip is noted then he is seen as someone of a shadowy disposition or of little significance. Habsburg England is the first monograph to overtly readjust this prism. Velasco Berenguer does not shy away from making new claims about the rule of Philip and Mary, claims which often challenge the established Anglo-centric narrative. His editorial choice to name Philip as Philip I of England may raise eyebrows, but in the course of reading this book, he does, in the view of this reviewer, make a persuasive case. Velasco Berenguer’s book has three main objectives: to balance the debate surrounding Philip’s role as King of England, to correct the misunderstandings surrounding his rule, and to present England as an equal-status partner with Spain, happy to integrate herself into the Spanish monarchy.
In his introduction, Velasco Berenguer outlines the monograph’s agenda, and this is where the work’s first major achievement is revealed. It offers a clear challenge to the established understanding of key primary sources used during the period. Velasco Berenguer retranslates key sources, offering new insight into key often quoted remarks. The most significant retranslation occurs where Philip’s often quoted ‘reasonable regret’ over his wife’s death is corrected to ‘I have felt it as much as is to be expected’ (p. 13). This retranslation softens the harshness of the previous translation and suggests an emotional connection between Mary and Philip. Usefully, too, the author includes the original Spanish in the footnotes, allowing for readers to scrutinise the translation for themselves. These new translations open the path for a future project which could involve the retranslation of material in the Spanish State Papers; a project which this reviewer, and likely others, would be very keen to see.
This monograph is divided into six key chapters. Velasco Berenguer begins by examining the ideology surrounding English and Spanish Imperial thought; chapter two scrutinises reactions to the Spanish marriage. The third chapter takes a new look at Philip’s court in England with special attention paid to the consejo escogido, the select council. Chapter four investigates one of the regime’s main achievements, the Catholic restoration. Chapter five offers an exploration of Spanish and English theology. The final chapter examines the policy which has left a dark shadow over the reign of Mary and Philip: the implementation of heresy laws and the persecution of Protestants.
Chapter one begins by placing the surviving sources into context. Velasco Berenguer correctly reminds readers that Philip’s reign in England retains an element of mystery primarily due to Philip burning all private correspondence upon Mary’s death. This was less about an attempt to hide particular secrets, and more about employing what became his usual practice upon the death of a wife. The survival of a single draft letter from Mary to her husband is in some ways miraculous. This chapter examines the new historiography, primarily Alexander Samson’s groundbreaking study, and continues Samson’s argument by reiterating that the marriage between Mary and Philip followed the precedent set by the marriage between Isabel of Castille and Fernando of Aragon. Here the title given to Philip comes under challenge. He was not, Velasco Berenguer argues, the ‘king consort’, a description favoured by recent academics, but was as much king as Mary was queen. The chapter compares the marriage between Mary and Philip with that of Isabel and Fernando: exploring the marriage treaty and material culture, it argues that both Mary and Philip saw their union in the light of that of Isabel and Fernando, and understood themselves as two parts of a single Crown.
Chapter two delves into the criticisms and controversy surrounding Philip. Here plenty of Protestant writers and sources are used, some of which will be familiar to Anglophone scholars. Velasco Berenguer analyses the rebellion led by Thomas Wyatt in 1554 and concludes that it was, as Mary I correctly asserted in her Guildhall speech, raised primarily for religious reasons instead of secular concerns over Spanish influence. This chapter also insists that the marriage between Mary and Philip was the most significant royal marriage of the century, and that the tensions between the English and Spanish have been overexaggerated.
Chapter three is where a significant analysis is achieved. Most Anglophone scholars have much to learn from the examination of Philip’s role as king and his creation of the Select Council (consejo escogido). This section also goes into great depth concerning the king’s pension scheme and how successful Philip’s position was in England. The Council and pension, in Velasco Berenguer’s view, prove that Philip was invested in England far more than previously argued. This reviewer was left wishing that the analysis of the Select Council was even more developed, in order to further understand the true significance of the role Philip played. However, as Velasco Berenguer stated in the beginning of the monograph, the unfortunate truth is that many of the sources which could address this omission are lost.
Though this chapter was the most significant for this reviewer, it does suffer from being dated rather quickly when the author begins his analysis on the portrayal of Philip. Though not realised at the time of writing this monograph, Velasco Berenguer follows the traditional narrative concerning the imagery of Mary and Philip. The evidence relating to the King’s Bench rolls, which appears to show the king and queen swapping positions in 1556, is not as definitive as the author suggests. In fact, the imagery related to Mary and Philip is more nuanced, and perhaps more varied than understood in this monograph. This reviewer’s own research demonstrates that the positioning of the couple was not uniform, especially when taking into account other legal documents presented at the time. Velasco Berenguer argues that Philip was placed on the right from 1556; my own work has proven this is not the case. The examination of the second Great Seal would also benefit from revision: in fact, the seal was not in use until 1557, a year later than Velasco Berenguer’s 1556 date. Despite these observations, the work on the Select council is unmatched.
Chapters four to six examine the religious character of the reign. The role of Philip is emphasised throughout the Reconciliation with Rome, in the growing Spanish influence on theological developments, in its success in infiltrating the universities, and in the achievements in undoing the Edwardian reformation. Chapter six looks in great depth at the heresy laws, observing that England was not an outlier but was consistent with European thought at the time. Moreover, Velasco Berenguer reinterprets this well-trodden theme with new emphasis on the Spanish influence and how the king actively supported the policy, a noted challenge to revisionist thought on the Marian restoration.
Velasco Berenguer’s conclusion is that the Marian government was a success, and, had it been longer-lived, its policies would have survived and taken root. The co-monarchy may have been seen with suspicion by some in England, but this monograph argues that for the European audience, and for the English people as a whole, the co-monarchy could be seen as a reincarnation of the great Catholic Monarchs Isabel and Fernando. Mary and Philip were even granted the same title by their supporters. This is a lively study of England’s Spanish King, and, thanks to this work, Philip I of England may now receive the recognition he deserves.
