Spain: The Centre of the World 1519-1682

by Robert Goodwin

Overview

In the sixteenth century, the Spaniards became the first nation in history to have worldwide reach—across most of Europe to the Americas, the Philippines, and India. The Golden Age of the Spanish Empire would establish five centuries of Western supremacy across the globe and usher in an era of transatlantic exploration that eventually gave rise to the modern world. It was a time of discovery and adventure, of great political and social change—a time when Spain learned to rule the world.

It was also a time of great turbulence and transition, which fueled an exceptional flourishing of art and literature and inspired new ideas about international law, merchant banking, and economic and social theory. Chronicling the lives and achievements of a cast of legendary characters—great soldiers like the Duke of Alba, artists and writers like El Greco, Velázquez and Cervantes, and the powerful monarchs who ruled over them—Robert Goodwin delves into previously unrecorded sources to bring this tumultuous and exciting period to life. Spain is a revealing portrait of an empire at the height of its power and a world at the dawn of a new age.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620403617
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	07/21/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	608
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Dr Robert Goodwin is a research and teaching fellow at University College London. His first trade book, Crossing the Continent 1527–1540: The Story of the First African-American Explorer of the American South, was published in 2008 to critical acclaim. He appears on Spanish radio and TV. He lives between London and Seville, where he regularly conducts archival research.

Table of Contents

Maps xi

Habsburg Family Tree xv

Introduction 1

Part I Gold

Prologue 7

The Age of Chivalry: Charles V

1 Realms of Gold 13

2 Holy Roman Emperor 33

3 Isabella of Portugal 49

4 Arms and Letters: Garcilaso and Alba 71

5 Rule of Law 89

6 Death of the Emperor 111

The Age of Bureaucracy: Philip II

7 El Escorial and El Greco 129

8 St Teresa, Mystic Poets and the Inquisition 150

9 The Netherlands: 'The Great Bog of Europe' 171

10 Portugal and the Duke of Alba 190

11 Pirates, Criminals and Tax Collecting 214

12 The Great Armada, 1588 233

Part II Glitter

Prologue 253

The Age of Peace: Philip III and the Duke of Lerma

13 The First Modern Novel, Don Quixote 275

14 Moriscos and Catalans 304

15 Holy Week: Art and Illusion 327

16 Velázquez and Zurbarán 344

17 Politics and Poetry: Góngora and Quevedo 367

The Age of Decline: Philip IV and the Count-Duke Of Olivares

18 Drama: Olivares and Don Juan 391

19 The Prince of Wales in Madrid 417

20 Triumph and Disaster 433

21 Death and Defeat 458

Epilogue 480

Notes 491

A Note about Currency and Monetary Values 537

Bibliography 539

Acknowledgements 566

Index 569

Editorial Reviews

"A well-researched, intelligent and easily understood history of the first global empire on earth . . . Any student of the Renaissance should read this excellent work showing Spain's enormous impact on the arts and, with her vast American empire, the world." —Best Books of 2015, Kirkus

"A highly readable account of the birth of the first global superpower." —The Economist

"Goodwin adopts a page-turning style to convey the sheer magnitude of Spain in this period . . . Anyone wanting a better idea of the feel of this phase of Spanish history will be well served by this title." —Library Journal

"Goodwin is in complete command . . . A sweeping and revealing portrait of Spain at the height of its power and a world at the dawn of the modern age." —Bookreporter.com

"What distinguishes Goodwin from other historians of the period is the sheer multiplicity of his perspectives. He is erudite and concise in covering familiar ground, while full of original insight when it comes to the motives and actions of the key players . . . [I]t is not enough to bring truth to history. One must also bring life—and this book has it in golden abundance." —The Spectator

"Full of major revelations for most readers, this richly informed little book should be considered essential for understanding crusading, then and now." —starred review, Booklist on CROSSING THE CONTINENT

"Goodwin succeeds in lifting an important historical figure out of the fog of myth." —The Washington Post on CROSSING THE CONTINENT

"An adventure story more thrilling than Defoe or Melville could have imagined." —Philadelphia Inquirer on CROSSING THE CONTINENT

From the Publisher

★ 2015-05-06
A bright, wide-ranging chronicle of the golden age of the Spanish empire. Though Goodwin (Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American Studies/Univ. Coll. London; Crossing the Continent 1527-1540: The Story of the First African-American Explorer of the American South, 2008) denies that he has written a magisterial work filled with scholarly detail but rather a book for the "idle reader," it is a well-researched, intelligent, and easily understood history of the first global empire on Earth. The author divides the work into two sections: "Gold" deals with the historical, economic, and political history, and "Glitter" explores literary and artistic works. At the beginning of the empire, King Charles V realized that the great wealth of silver and gold arriving from America would require a bureaucracy to ensure the availability of the banks, postal service, food, and roads essential for the movement of troops and supplies. He had to be well-organized and wealthy to wage wars and contain an empire that included the Netherlands, Naples, the Holy Roman Empire, and, eventually, Portugal. Charles was also an avid collector of Renaissance art and appointed the Venetian artist Titian as court painter. His son, Philip II, inherited a well-oiled machine that enabled him to expand the vast art collection his father had begun. He laid the path for Spain's great artists Velázquez, Murillo, and El Greco, who were joined by great writers and thinkers like Cervantes, Góngora, and Quevedo. Goodwin not only shows the greatness of Spain's empire, but also explains the psyche of Spaniards during the time. They preferred poverty over labor and honor over trade, and they were obsessed with purity of blood. The latter aspect was one of the prime drivers of the Inquisition, formed to rid Spain of lapsed Christians who had converted from Judaism during the diaspora of 1492. Any student of the Renaissance should read this excellent work showing Spain's enormous impact on the arts and, with her vast American empire, the world.

Kirkus Reviews