Milán, corazón de la monarquíaLa cuestión de finale (1571)

Zusammenfassung

Within the reign of Philip II, the Finale journey was not one of the renowned warlike events. The occupation of this strategic marquisate, nestled on the coast of the Ligurian Sea, was carried out expeditiously in just over a month. In this sense, its duration pales in the face of the war in Flanders. And its cost is far from the great expenses that the day in England implied. However, properly assessed, the Finale conflict sheds light on various aspects of the policy of the Philippine monarchy in Italy, and can be described as exceptional as the only example of offensive expansion carried out in Europe by Philip II. The conflict allows us to observe what were the needs that in the military organization of the Milanese Stato, the border between France and Spanish Italy, felt as more pressing, both from the perspective of the Milanese government and in the court of Madrid. In the same way that the dangers that threaten to subvert the peace of Cateau-Cambresis (1559) and break the fragile "quiet of Italy" are clearly represented. Precisely, these dangers constitute the reverse of the coin, that of the limits to an expansion policy, not only due to the breakdown of the status quo in the face of enemies, but especially in relation to the allied powers, such as Genoa, Savoy or the emperor , eminent lord of northern Italy. It is in these different senses that Finale becomes an example of the Milanesado's inherent potential as the “heart of the Monarchy” and its “main square”.