58 - Kill Phil Volume 2

When Joanna of Castile wed Philip the Handsome aka Habsburg Phil in 1496, few people would have foreseen that this marriage would result in the Habsburg prince wearing the Castilian crown 10 years later. Yet due to a series of dynastic deaths in the Spanish ruling family, by 1501, Joanna was crown princess of Castile. Habsburg Phil’s priorities and attentions began to take on a grander scope as the prospect of ruling in Spain became tantalisingly real. Joanna and Phil would travel to Spain in 1502-3 to be confirmed as heirs to the Castilian crown. Habsburg Phil returned to the Low Countries a year later, but Isabella of Castile insisted Joanna stay behind since she was heavily pregnant. A bizarre incident took place at La Mota castle, after which Joanna rejoined her husband, but Isabella was left doubting her daughter’s capability to rule. Speculation about Joanna’s mental state came to the fore, leading to clashes between her father, Ferdinand of Aragon, and her husband over who would wield the power in Castile. When Isabella of Castile died in 1504, Philip and Joanna made preparations to return to Spain and claim the crown, leaving the Low Countries again in January 1506. This second trip was a disaster from the outset, beginning with an unplanned stay in England following a shipwreck. Then in September, just a few months into his reign as King of Castile, Habsburg Phil would also unexpectedly die, opening the door for his sister, Margaret of Austria, to return to the centre of the political stage and become Regent of the Low Countries. And thanks for our Patreon supporters Prabhakar Chitrapu, Carl Deary, Ian van Alphen, Ursus Arctos and Antoinette. SHOW NOTES: ⁠⁠⁠ PATREON: ⁠⁠⁠ BLUESKY: ⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You can listen to 58 - Kill Phil Volume 2 online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

58 - Kill Phil Volume 2 is an episode from History of the Netherlands by Republic of Amsterdam Radio.

This episode is 60:24 long.

This episode was published on Apr 28, 2026.

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