ABSTRACT
Philip III (1598-1621) was aged 20 when he succeeded to the throne to which he had been heir since the death of his brother Diego in 1582. Philip II had been over-protective to the only surviving male among his children, and his son seems to have reacted by rejecting the advisers placed over him – Cristóbal de Moura had by 1599 been firmly excluded from his intimate circle – and nourishing an admiration for his grandfather Charles V. The new king was in character a contrast to his dominating father, but his several firm policy decisions suggest that he was less pliant than he has usually been painted. A pious Catholic, he was actively concerned to restore the military fortunes of the nation. Unlike his father, he was willing to give greater initiative to his ministers.
