The story of Philip II‘s Secretary of State is one of the most exciting in all of Spanish national history. Antonio Pérez (1534–1611), at the top of the Spanish Empire and on top of his personal power, decided to betray his king and his homeland.
On 28 July 1579 Antonio Pérez and the Princess of Éboli, his lover and also traitor to Philip, were arrested by order of the king. It was just the starting of a long and incredible process. On 19 April 1590, Antonio Perez fled Castille to find refuge in Aragon in a time where both kingdoms had different laws and rules. At the end, he was able to escape and exile in France and England where he survived many plots to kill him, until his dead in Paris in 1611. King Philip died in 1598; and the wife and children of Antonio Pérez, who were still imprisoned in Madrid, were set free.
Antonio Pérez heavily contributed to the Spanish black legend that has grown around Philip II by deteriorating the Spanish image with its book titled Pedaços de Historia o Relaciones, printed in England by Richard Field.
In 1947, Gregorio Marañón published a biography of Antonio Pérez and separately the same year, the documentary work Los procesos de Castilla contra Antonio Pérez (The Judicial Processes of Castile Against Antonio Pérez). Both are in Spanish and were republished in a single volume in 1970 as volume VI of its complete works. Yet, these are, probably, the most complete works documenting the life of Antonio Pérez.
This biography was translated into english in 1954 by Charles David Ley and is available to read online.
This story is far more amazing than any fictional thriller or movie based on medieval power struggles. It goes like this: political struggles, religious wars, power battles, economic struggles, sex with royals, intrigues with popes, bastards conquering kingdoms… what else? In short, everything that has already been seen in TV series and much more.
Main characters: Philip II, Juan de Austria, William of Orange, Henry IV of France, Pope Paul III, Elizabeth I, Earl of Essex, William Cecil, Duke of Alba, Alexander Farnese Duke of Parma, Pope Julius III… and many more.