Henry Kamen for Yale Grandson of Louis XIV, cause of the Spanish War of Succession, patron of Farinelli, husband of the Termagant, and twice king of Spain, Philip of Anjou's life is an interesting one. Kamen, a well-known author on matters Spanish writes a lucid and enjoyable account of it without ever sounding an academic as he so often can. Philip oversaw a number of wars together with the destruction of the conciliar system of the Habsburgs. He rebuilt the Spanish army and Navy, surviving some very low points in Spain. His campaigns in Sicily, Parma and Naples eventually settled the Neapolitan Bourbons but not before an Unholy Alliance of Britain and France had invaded Spain. Philip's mental problems are clearly sketched, as were his methods of dealing with these problems. Although at times his grasp on reality was not strong his courage (and that of his wives) saw him through, and (of course) Bourbons remain seated on the throne of Spain unlike that of France. Old Duffer's Book Corner Book Reviews The First Armies Verdun 1916 Russia's Civil War Luetzen 1632 Philip V of Spain The End of Chivalry Le Roi De Guerre Warships of the Napoleonic Era Cannae The Death of Anglo-Saxon England Ancient Siege Warfare War and Society in Revolutionary Europe 1770-1870 Forgotten Victory The Remaking of the English Navy Cassino: The Hollow Victory Raising Churchill's Army The Imperial War Museum Book of the War in Italy The Irish And British Wars 1637-1654 Cavaliers: The Royalist Army At War 1642-1646 Alamein Normandy 1944 Hill 112 Breaking The Panzers Béveziers (1690) Paths of Glory: The French Army 1914-18 Caesar’s Legion Operation Bluecoat Operation Epsom Marching to the Sound of Gunfire The Franco-Prussian War Robert the Bruce’s Irish Wars When Titans Clashed The Wars of Edward III Monte Cassino Under Fire The Somme Roads to Falaise Mud, Blood And Poppycock All The Kaiser’s Men Iron Hulls Iron Hearts A Noble Crusade The Pendulum of Battle: Operation Goodwood The English Resistance The Battle of Koniggrätz Pallas Armata Back to Perfidious Albion #104 Table of Contents Back to Perfidious Albion List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by Charles and Teresa Vasey. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com