Imprudent King: A New Life of Philip II

Even the new catechism, missal and breviary issued by Pius V to provide a universal liturgy for Catholics provoked strenuous objections from Madrid. In 1566 copies of a new catechism that incorporated the doctrine approved at Trent reached Spain, together with permission to make a Spanish translation; but, Philip’s theologians studied the new catechism closely and claimed to find crypto-Protestant doctrines in it. The Inquisition therefore embargoed the text and forbade its use. An amended version of the Roman catechism in Latin appeared in Spain only in 1577, and the first vernacular translation of it - the only form suitable for use by ordinary Spaniards - not until 1777.

Although Philip displayed immense pride and pleasure at having sired another child, he became anxious about carrying the baby to the font for baptism. According to the French ambassador, who must have got the story from the queen, Philip practised ‘carrying a large doll from one side of the room to the other; but in the end he could not manage it, obliging him to let Don John carry the infanta’. Perhaps the king’s anxiety arose because Isabel developed puerperal fever, just like his first wife, María Manuela, but she soon recovered and Ambassador Fourquevaux predicted that ‘the queen will give us a son or daughter every year’.16 His forecast soon came true: early in 1567 Isabel became pregnant again.