American Toby Jug Museum 

King Philip II of Spain character jug modeled by Stanley J. Taylor and produced by Royal Doulton of Burslem, England, in a 1988 limited edition of 9,500 commissioned by Lawleys By Post to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Battle of the Spanish Armada. Philip II (1527-1598) of Spain was the only son of the Emperor Charles V. He was an able king but lacked political wisdom. The huge campaigns he undertook, often simultaneously, led to the weakening rather than the strengthening of Spain. The Spanish Inquisition was a useful tool to exact his tyrannical policies, but in the Low Countries it caused a revolt that ended in 1579 with the independence of the Seven United Provinces. The sailing of the Spanish Armada in 1588 in an attempt to conquer England also ended in disaster for Philip and is perhaps the best known of his foreign defeats. His oppressive demands for contributions to fund his enterprises and the persecution of the industrious Moriscos led to the failure of Spanish commerce. One of Philip's attributes was his apparent tenderness as a husband; among his wives were Queen Mary Tudor of England and Queen Isabella of France. A warship forms the handle of the jug.