Philip III (1578-1621) was king of Spain from 1598 to 1621. He was dominated by minister-favorites, and his personal impress on events was slight.

On April 4, 1578, Philip III was born in Madrid, the son of King Philip II, whom he succeeded in 1598, when he was 20 years old. From the outset of his reign he virtually gave over the government to Francisco de Lerma, his favorite, who was the true ruler of Spain for the next two decades. Philip's inheritance included the crises and dilemmas that had wracked Spain during the previous half century. During the first two years of his reign, the country was ravaged by a plague that probably wiped out the 15-percent increase in the Spanish population in the 16th century. Although projects of a reforming nature, including plans to restructure the tax system, were submitted to the King and his ministers, regional traditionalism and vested interests blocked...