Philip I of Castile

Philip the Handsome
Portrait by Juan de Flandes, c. 1500
King of Castile and León (jure uxoris)
Reign	12 July – 25 September 1506
Proclamation	12 July 1506
Predecessor	Joanna
Successor	Joanna
Lord of the Netherlands Duke of Burgundy[a]
Reign	27 March 1482 – 25 September 1506
Predecessor	Mary and Maximilian I
Successor	Charles II
Governors	See list Margaret of York (1489–1493) Engelbert II, Count of Nassau-Breda (1501–1504) William de Croÿ (1504–1506)
Regent	Maximilian of Austria (1482–1494)
Born	22 July 1478 Bruges, Flanders, Burgundian Netherlands
Died	25 September 1506(1506-09-25) (aged 28) Burgos, Castile, Spain
Burial	Royal Chapel of Granada
Spouse	Joanna, Queen of Castile ​ ​ (m. 1496)​
Issue	Eleanor, Queen of France and Portugal Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Isabella, Queen of Denmark Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor Mary, Queen of Hungary Catherine, Queen of Portugal
House	Habsburg
Father	Maximilian of Austria
Mother	Mary, Duchess of Burgundy
Religion	Catholicism
Signature

Philip the Handsome^[b] (22 July 1478 – 25 September 1506), also called the Fair, was ruler of the Burgundian Netherlands and titular Duke of Burgundy from 1482 to 1506, as well as the first Habsburg King of Castile (as Philip I) for a brief time in 1506.

The son of Maximilian of Austria (later Holy Roman Emperor as Maximilian I) and Mary of Burgundy, Philip was not yet four years old when his mother died as a result of a riding accident, and upon her death, he inherited the Burgundian Netherlands. Despite his young age, Philip quickly proved himself an effective ruler beloved by his people in the Low Countries, pursuing policies that favored peace and economic development, while maintaining a steady course of the government building.

In 1496, Philip's father arranged for him to marry Joanna, the second daughter of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon.^[1] Around the same time, Philip's sister, Margaret, was given in marriage to Joanna's brother John, Prince of Asturias. After the deaths of her brother John, sister Isabella, and nephew Miguel, Joanna became heiress presumptive to the thrones of Castile and Aragon. Most of Philip's time in Spain was spent consolidating his power, often leading to conflicts with his wife and her father. Joanna became queen of Castile when her mother died in 1504. Philip was proclaimed king in 1506, but died a few months later, leaving his wife distraught with grief. Joanna's father, Ferdinand II of Aragon, and her own son, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, were quick to seize power, confining the queen for the rest of her life on account of her alleged insanity.^[2]

Philip was the first Habsburg monarch in Spain, and every Spanish monarch since his son Charles V has been one of his descendants. Philip died before his father, and therefore never inherited his father's territories or became Holy Roman Emperor. However, his son Charles eventually united the Habsburg, Burgundian, Castilian, and Aragonese inheritances. By inheriting the Burgundian Netherlands and acquiring much of Spain and its possessions in the New World by marriage to Joanna, Philip was instrumental in vastly enhancing the territories of the Habsburgs, and his progeny would rule over European territories for the next five centuries.

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