... arguable whether this period was 'golden' either as there were great consistencies between the four rulers. The El Escorial in Madrid is a remnant from a time of great cultural prosperity where both the arts and literature flourished. This impressive façade of 16th century Spain constitutes a 'golden age' and is, to an extent, more relevant in describing Philip than the other monarchs of the period. Contrary to popular thought, Spain, through Philip, enjoyed cultural prosperity. Jocelyn Hunt states that in comparison to the other rulers of this period 'Philip achieved much more as a builder' as shown by his improvements of the old palaces and his new buildings constructed for the state archives in Simancas. Philip was also a great supporter of the arts, being a patron to Flemish artists Van der Weyden and Bosch. Evidently this supports the argument that Philip's reign culturally flourished and can be perceived ...

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