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Imperial Spain, 1469 - 1716
The story of Spain's rise to greatness from its humble beginnings as one of the poorest and most marginal of European countries is a remarkable and dramatic one. With the marriage of Ferdinand & Isabella, the final expulsion of the Moslems and the discovery of America, Spain took on a seemingly unstoppable dynamism that made it into the world's first global power. This amazing success however created many powerful enemies and Elliott's famous book charts the dramatic fall of Habsburg Spain with the same elan as it charts the rise.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
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About the author
J.H. Elliott
60 books83 followersSir John Huxtable Elliott, FBA, was an English historian, Regius Professor Emeritus at the University of Oxford and Honorary Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford and Trinity College, Cambridge. He published under the name J.H. Elliott.
Elliott was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was an assistant lecturer at Cambridge University from 1957 to 1962 and Lecturer in History from 1962 until 1967, and was subsequently Professor of History at King's College, London between 1968 and 1973. In 1972 he was elected to the Fellowship of the British Academy. Elliott was Professor in the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey from 1973 to 1990, and was Regius Professor of Modern History, Oxford between 1990 and 1997.
He held honorary doctorates from the Autonomous University of Madrid (1983), the universities Genoa (1992), Portsmouth (1993), Barcelona (1994), Warwick (1995), Brown University (1996), Valencia (1998), Lleida (1999), Complutense University of Madrid (2003), College of William & Mary (2005), London (2007), Charles III University of Madrid (2008), Seville (2011), Alcalá (2012), and Cambridge (2013). Elliott is a Fellow of the Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford, of whose Founding Council he was also a member.
Elliott was knighted in the 1994 New Year Honours for services to history and was decorated with Commander of Isabella the Catholic in 1987, the Grand Cross of Alfonso the Wise in 1988, the Grand Cross of Isabella the Catholic in 1996, and the Creu de Sant Jordi in 1999. An eminent Hispanist, he was given the Prince of Asturias Prize in 1996 for his contributions to the Social sciences. For his outstanding contributions to the history of Spain and the Spanish Empire in the early modern period, Elliott was awarded the Balzan Prize for History, 1500–1800, in 1999.
His studies of the Iberian Peninsula and the Spanish Empire helped the understanding of the problems confronting 16th- and 17th-century Spain, and the attempts of its leaders to avert its decline. He is considered, together with Raymond Carr and Angus Mackay, a major figure in developing Spanish historiography.
Elliott was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was an assistant lecturer at Cambridge University from 1957 to 1962 and Lecturer in History from 1962 until 1967, and was subsequently Professor of History at King's College, London between 1968 and 1973. In 1972 he was elected to the Fellowship of the British Academy. Elliott was Professor in the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey from 1973 to 1990, and was Regius Professor of Modern History, Oxford between 1990 and 1997.
He held honorary doctorates from the Autonomous University of Madrid (1983), the universities Genoa (1992), Portsmouth (1993), Barcelona (1994), Warwick (1995), Brown University (1996), Valencia (1998), Lleida (1999), Complutense University of Madrid (2003), College of William & Mary (2005), London (2007), Charles III University of Madrid (2008), Seville (2011), Alcalá (2012), and Cambridge (2013). Elliott is a Fellow of the Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford, of whose Founding Council he was also a member.
Elliott was knighted in the 1994 New Year Honours for services to history and was decorated with Commander of Isabella the Catholic in 1987, the Grand Cross of Alfonso the Wise in 1988, the Grand Cross of Isabella the Catholic in 1996, and the Creu de Sant Jordi in 1999. An eminent Hispanist, he was given the Prince of Asturias Prize in 1996 for his contributions to the Social sciences. For his outstanding contributions to the history of Spain and the Spanish Empire in the early modern period, Elliott was awarded the Balzan Prize for History, 1500–1800, in 1999.
His studies of the Iberian Peninsula and the Spanish Empire helped the understanding of the problems confronting 16th- and 17th-century Spain, and the attempts of its leaders to avert its decline. He is considered, together with Raymond Carr and Angus Mackay, a major figure in developing Spanish historiography.
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April 26, 2020The book runs from the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella down to the death of the dynasty with Charles II, "the last stunted sprig of a degenerate line" as Elliot describes him on account of the Spanish Hapsburg's bad habit of marrying uncles to nieces or first cousins, or sometimes both at the same time because the genealogy got complicated. That unfortunate young man seems to have only enjoyed shooting at birds. He was married twice but fathered no children, whether this was due to the poor state of sex education for royal couples or the extent of his disabilities remains unknown.
The picture emerges of a disparate, personal union of Spanish states (the dynastic union of Castile and Aragon (itself the union of Catalonia,Aragon, Valencia & the Balearic Islands) achieved by the marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castle at the beginning of this book exploited for money and manpower to support the ambitions of, and challenges to, Hapsburg authority (who won it all in the inheritance lottery in the person of Charles, Duke of Burgundy etc, etc). The constant need for ready cash and occasionally for short-term political gain leaves those states exhausted, impoverished and eventually under the rule of the French Bourbon dynasty.
The section dealing with the seventeenth century is sketcher than the rest of the book, which may reflect the state of research at the time of writing. For a fairly brief survey history there is good attention played to complex economic situation with all the distortions caused by the massive in flow of silver from the New World as well as to the social conditions with conflicting attitudes to Jews, Muslims, and new religious currents from the rest of Europe. The playwright Quevado's words "There are many things here that seem to exist and have their being, and yet are nothing more than a name and an appearance" seem to sum up the whole experience of a state driven by political ambition paid for out of credit.
On which subject I particularly enjoyed his discussion of Hamilton's thesis on the impact of the New World silver, pointing out that new world silver did not necessarily stay in Spain, flowing out to service the Royal debts or to pay for foreign goods exported to the New World. Prices rises might well have been more effected by the export of Spanish goods, particularly foodstuffs than the inflow of silver in Elliot's account.
The picture emerges of a disparate, personal union of Spanish states (the dynastic union of Castile and Aragon (itself the union of Catalonia,Aragon, Valencia & the Balearic Islands) achieved by the marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castle at the beginning of this book exploited for money and manpower to support the ambitions of, and challenges to, Hapsburg authority (who won it all in the inheritance lottery in the person of Charles, Duke of Burgundy etc, etc). The constant need for ready cash and occasionally for short-term political gain leaves those states exhausted, impoverished and eventually under the rule of the French Bourbon dynasty.
The section dealing with the seventeenth century is sketcher than the rest of the book, which may reflect the state of research at the time of writing. For a fairly brief survey history there is good attention played to complex economic situation with all the distortions caused by the massive in flow of silver from the New World as well as to the social conditions with conflicting attitudes to Jews, Muslims, and new religious currents from the rest of Europe. The playwright Quevado's words "There are many things here that seem to exist and have their being, and yet are nothing more than a name and an appearance" seem to sum up the whole experience of a state driven by political ambition paid for out of credit.
On which subject I particularly enjoyed his discussion of Hamilton's thesis on the impact of the New World silver, pointing out that new world silver did not necessarily stay in Spain, flowing out to service the Royal debts or to pay for foreign goods exported to the New World. Prices rises might well have been more effected by the export of Spanish goods, particularly foodstuffs than the inflow of silver in Elliot's account.
December 1, 2016
Already by the end of the sixteenth century many Spaniards seem to have been gripped by that sense of fatalism which would prompt the famous pronouncement of a Junta of theologians in the reign of Philip IV. Summoned to consider a project for the construction of a canal linking the Manzanares and the Tagus, it flatly declared that if God had intended the rivers to be navigable, He would have made them so.
For Anglophone readers interested in the history of Spain, this book is invaluable. Elliott has here accomplished a real feat—of research, of writing, and of analysis. The book ably navigates that forbidding passage between simplifying popular accounts and unreadable scholarly monographs, managing to be both a work of serious intellectual synthesis and an absorbing account of Spain’s history.
Elliott has an astounding ability to seamlessly combine many disparate threads into the same narrative. He pays close attention to economic history: crop yields, interest rates, inflation and deflation, the debasement of currency, the balance of trade, tariffs and regulations. He incorporates social and cultural shifts: changing religious attitudes, demographic trends, class tensions, intellectual movements. And yet he also does not neglect the outstanding individuals: Ferdinand and Isabella, Charles V, Philip II, the Conde Duque, among others. The only thing conspicuously absent was military history, which suited me just fine.
Although the story of Spain during this time was heavily interwoven with both the New World and the rest of Europe, Elliott’s focus doesn’t stray from the Iberian Peninsula. He gives only the most cursory account of the Spanish conquest of the Americas, and only mentions the struggles of Charles V against the Protestant Reformation. For those looking for a history of Spanish colonization, this book will therefore be disappointing. I must also add that Elliott’s judgment is at its worst in his brief section on the conquistadores. He describes them as glorious conquering heroes of a barren civilization, which I cannot abide in the light of the destruction and exploitation that followed in their wake.
Keeping those exceptions in mind, this book is a superlative account of this period of Spanish history. The competing centrifugal and centralizing forces at play, the conflicting traditions of Castilian and Aragonese governments, the infinitely subtle machinations of power, the gradual emergence of a national identity, the meteoric rise of the Spanish Empire, the cruel, grinding decline that followed, the heroic and hapless individuals struggling with forces beyond their control—all this is related with brevity, insight, and power.
It is difficult not to see the whole story as a morality play writ large. What with the ruthless exploitation of the treasure mines of the New World, the expulsion of the Jews and the Moors, the obsession with purity of blood, and the alignment of religious orthodoxy with central power, it seems as if the collapse of the grand but hollow edifice was the inevitable result of intolerance and folly. But even if we can learn some valuable lessons from this history, it is important to remember that the story is not so simple, and many decisions which in retrospect seem obviously foolish were at the time fairly reasonable (though of course many weren’t).
In short, I heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in this fascinating time and place. It could hardly be better.
January 27, 2017
"The lack of natural advantages appears crippling. Yet, in the last years of the fifteenth century and the opening years of the sixteenth, it seemed suddenly, and even miraculously, to have been overcome. Spain, for so long a mere geographical expression, was somehow transformed into an historical fact. [....] [H]ow does this same society lose its impetus and its dynamism, perhaps in as short a period of time a it took to acquire them? Has something vital really been lost, or was the original achievement itself no more than an engaño - an illusion - as seventeenth-century Spaniards began to believe?"
In some ways, this book was exactly what I was looking for. J.H. Elliot sets out to specifically answer a question about which I have long pondered. How is it that Spain rose to be one of the dominant and richest powers of Europe and then lost that position, never to get it back? I have read other books which alluded to the question, but did not directly respond to it.
The history begins with the first steps toward unification (sort of) of the two kingdoms of Aragon and Castille with the marriage of the two heirs (sort of) to the respective thrones, Ferdinand and Isabella. This marriage, and what followed, was really the beginning of what was to become the Spanish Empire. As every girl and boy learns, Isabella helped to pay for the first voyage of discovery of Columbus.
What is notable here is that Isabella did this in her role of Queen of Castille. That is, she was still Queen of Castille, while Ferdinand was King of Aragon which was made up of Aragon, Catalonia and Valencia.
"The union itself was purely dynastic: a union not of two peoples but of two royal houses. Other than the fact that henceforth Castile and Aragon would share the same monarchs, there would, in theory, be no change either in their status or in the form of their government."
This fact, and the fact that each of the four regions had its own constitutional arrangements, made governing, taxing and administering, very difficult. These issues were to remain with the various monarchs during the coming centuries. Jealousies between the regions and their varied economies and histories plagued the attempts of successive rulers during war and peace, good times and bad.
The book then follows the success reigns of Carlos I (Carlos V of Holy Roman Empire), Felipe II, Felipe III, Felipe IV, Carlos II, and Filipe V through their ups and downs, their politics, their financial circumstances and their international situations (wars).
Elliot does a very good job of laying out the history and analyzing it for his stated goals and I am basically satisfied with my reading.
Only problems with the book lay in the fact that, although the book was partially revised in 2003, it remains largely a book researched and written in the 1950s and 1960s. It was first published in 1963. At times, I felt that I was dealing with the prejudices and methods of the 1950s. Historiography has moved on, although, perhaps, no always for its betterment.
There remain some questions for me on my stated goal of reading the book but, in general, it is a good, well-written, academic history.
In some ways, this book was exactly what I was looking for. J.H. Elliot sets out to specifically answer a question about which I have long pondered. How is it that Spain rose to be one of the dominant and richest powers of Europe and then lost that position, never to get it back? I have read other books which alluded to the question, but did not directly respond to it.
The history begins with the first steps toward unification (sort of) of the two kingdoms of Aragon and Castille with the marriage of the two heirs (sort of) to the respective thrones, Ferdinand and Isabella. This marriage, and what followed, was really the beginning of what was to become the Spanish Empire. As every girl and boy learns, Isabella helped to pay for the first voyage of discovery of Columbus.
What is notable here is that Isabella did this in her role of Queen of Castille. That is, she was still Queen of Castille, while Ferdinand was King of Aragon which was made up of Aragon, Catalonia and Valencia.
"The union itself was purely dynastic: a union not of two peoples but of two royal houses. Other than the fact that henceforth Castile and Aragon would share the same monarchs, there would, in theory, be no change either in their status or in the form of their government."
This fact, and the fact that each of the four regions had its own constitutional arrangements, made governing, taxing and administering, very difficult. These issues were to remain with the various monarchs during the coming centuries. Jealousies between the regions and their varied economies and histories plagued the attempts of successive rulers during war and peace, good times and bad.
The book then follows the success reigns of Carlos I (Carlos V of Holy Roman Empire), Felipe II, Felipe III, Felipe IV, Carlos II, and Filipe V through their ups and downs, their politics, their financial circumstances and their international situations (wars).
Elliot does a very good job of laying out the history and analyzing it for his stated goals and I am basically satisfied with my reading.
Only problems with the book lay in the fact that, although the book was partially revised in 2003, it remains largely a book researched and written in the 1950s and 1960s. It was first published in 1963. At times, I felt that I was dealing with the prejudices and methods of the 1950s. Historiography has moved on, although, perhaps, no always for its betterment.
There remain some questions for me on my stated goal of reading the book but, in general, it is a good, well-written, academic history.
March 4, 2014
I recently was looking for something to read and realized my understanding of Spanish history pre-Civil War was light on the details, so off to Amazon to look at what's out there.
Man. That's a thin field to pick from.
Hugh Thomas' histories of High Imperial Spain seemed to have the most noise online about them, so I grabbed one and started reading.. meh. "Celebrity biography masquerading as history". I don't need seven paragraphs on the bloodlines of a minor court functionary, thanks, and it's some serious Big Man history that spends next to no time on economy of social, so I put that volume aside.
The only other general survey that seems to exist in English AND in e-book format is this one, J.H. Elliott's "Imperial Spain". So I grabbed that.
I tend to lean towards very recent history as there has been a lot of new source material and re-examination going on in a lot of historical fields, particularly since the fall of the USSR and, as regards Spain, the post-Franco era. That said, this book originally dates from the 70's, I believe, but you wouldn't know it from the reading. The author is clear to note that he considered his research source-challenged for a variety of reasons, and is clear on what points he's making that he believes may change if more evidence is uncovered. I appreciated this clarity of purpose and problems throughout.
Overall, I found this an EXCELLENT history, particularly for the reader who has a good understanding of the general flow of European, Colonial and Spanish history to begin with. It covers specifically an expanded understanding of the reign of the Habsburg Dynasty over Spain, including the reign of the non-Habsburg Catholic Kings that immediately preceded it as well as the very beginning of the Bourbon Dynasty that supplanted it.
This ordering, his choice of which he goes into detail about in the Introduction, makes clear sense as Ferdinand and Isabella obviously finished the Reconquista, thereby ushering in "modern Spain" as an entity in the first place, and they set the table for the entire Habsburg reign that would see Spain rise to its absolute height of imperial power and majesty as well as crash from that perch in disastrous fashion. The Bourbon denouement serves as a proper coda to the entire era, immediately after which Spain effectively retreated into a broken shell of itself for, arguably, two more centuries.
Elliott gives equal focus to the domineering personalities of this era as well as broader socio-economic forces at play that influenced the range of and final choices of action those "Big Men" could choose from. This is, in my opinion, the proper mix that history should aspire to, as I don't believe in either a pure Big Man or Inevitable Trend view of history, so I was glad to see it strongly represented here. He doesn't go into great detail on, say, the myriad military campaigns that occurred throughout this era, instead focusing on the effects of those campaigns upon greater Spanish politics, society and economy. As the military efforts of any one Habsburg ruler of Spain could easily fill its own thick volume, again, I agree with the author's choice here.
The writing is quite lively and enjoyable, which helps when dealing with such a large book covering such a wide topic. As an example, here's his description of Charles II, one of the last and arguably the worst of Spain's sovereigns during this period: "The poor King himself, the centre of so many hopes, turned out to be a rachitic and feeble-minded weakling, the last stunted sprig of a degenerate line."
That's... some powerfully descriptive stuff right there.
Elliott doesn't go overboard with this sort of flowery language, saving it for when its impact is actually called for. One can tell that he has written a lot in his career and has put a lot of work into sharpening his craft. The book moves along thanks to this, going into enough detail to evoke the scenes and settings without getting mired down in minutiae that doesn't add to the overall understanding.
Just to note, there are a few small technical problems with the e-book addition; there's a handful of garbled phrases and the maps, which look to have been low-detail linework typical of 70's history books to begin with, were not scanned well, with spine seams visible and a muddy resolution at best. Be prepared to Google some more-readable maps when they pop up.
Overall, though, particularly given the paucity of books covering this topic, I can whole-heartedly recommend this volume for anyone looking for a general history of Imperial Spain.
Man. That's a thin field to pick from.
Hugh Thomas' histories of High Imperial Spain seemed to have the most noise online about them, so I grabbed one and started reading.. meh. "Celebrity biography masquerading as history". I don't need seven paragraphs on the bloodlines of a minor court functionary, thanks, and it's some serious Big Man history that spends next to no time on economy of social, so I put that volume aside.
The only other general survey that seems to exist in English AND in e-book format is this one, J.H. Elliott's "Imperial Spain". So I grabbed that.
I tend to lean towards very recent history as there has been a lot of new source material and re-examination going on in a lot of historical fields, particularly since the fall of the USSR and, as regards Spain, the post-Franco era. That said, this book originally dates from the 70's, I believe, but you wouldn't know it from the reading. The author is clear to note that he considered his research source-challenged for a variety of reasons, and is clear on what points he's making that he believes may change if more evidence is uncovered. I appreciated this clarity of purpose and problems throughout.
Overall, I found this an EXCELLENT history, particularly for the reader who has a good understanding of the general flow of European, Colonial and Spanish history to begin with. It covers specifically an expanded understanding of the reign of the Habsburg Dynasty over Spain, including the reign of the non-Habsburg Catholic Kings that immediately preceded it as well as the very beginning of the Bourbon Dynasty that supplanted it.
This ordering, his choice of which he goes into detail about in the Introduction, makes clear sense as Ferdinand and Isabella obviously finished the Reconquista, thereby ushering in "modern Spain" as an entity in the first place, and they set the table for the entire Habsburg reign that would see Spain rise to its absolute height of imperial power and majesty as well as crash from that perch in disastrous fashion. The Bourbon denouement serves as a proper coda to the entire era, immediately after which Spain effectively retreated into a broken shell of itself for, arguably, two more centuries.
Elliott gives equal focus to the domineering personalities of this era as well as broader socio-economic forces at play that influenced the range of and final choices of action those "Big Men" could choose from. This is, in my opinion, the proper mix that history should aspire to, as I don't believe in either a pure Big Man or Inevitable Trend view of history, so I was glad to see it strongly represented here. He doesn't go into great detail on, say, the myriad military campaigns that occurred throughout this era, instead focusing on the effects of those campaigns upon greater Spanish politics, society and economy. As the military efforts of any one Habsburg ruler of Spain could easily fill its own thick volume, again, I agree with the author's choice here.
The writing is quite lively and enjoyable, which helps when dealing with such a large book covering such a wide topic. As an example, here's his description of Charles II, one of the last and arguably the worst of Spain's sovereigns during this period: "The poor King himself, the centre of so many hopes, turned out to be a rachitic and feeble-minded weakling, the last stunted sprig of a degenerate line."
That's... some powerfully descriptive stuff right there.
Elliott doesn't go overboard with this sort of flowery language, saving it for when its impact is actually called for. One can tell that he has written a lot in his career and has put a lot of work into sharpening his craft. The book moves along thanks to this, going into enough detail to evoke the scenes and settings without getting mired down in minutiae that doesn't add to the overall understanding.
Just to note, there are a few small technical problems with the e-book addition; there's a handful of garbled phrases and the maps, which look to have been low-detail linework typical of 70's history books to begin with, were not scanned well, with spine seams visible and a muddy resolution at best. Be prepared to Google some more-readable maps when they pop up.
Overall, though, particularly given the paucity of books covering this topic, I can whole-heartedly recommend this volume for anyone looking for a general history of Imperial Spain.
March 5, 2024
This book covers the Union of the Crown under Ferdinand and Isabella up to the demise of the Hapsburg Spanish dynasty and election of the first Bourbon King of Spain, Philipe V. The book is not a military history, neither a history of the Spanish conquest of the Americas, nor is this soley a "big man" history where the King issues orders from the rarefied atmosphere of his throne.
It focuses on the changes (or stagnation) of the cultural and social trends of the various states, as well as the political, fiscal, legislative, economic, and government organization/administration of the various entities (with their own culture, customs, laws and grievances) that would eventually end up as Spain. The book is dense with information pertaining to local and international politics, but also the local economies, trade and tax collection and how the various Kings/Emperors etc got the funds for the running of their households and various wars.
I found the book interesting since it covers so many topics not usually given much space in the usual history books. This period of Spanish history is a fairly good indicator on how not to run a country. Elliot writes clearly and with the occasional pithy observation, which was usually amusing.
Date: 5 March 2024
It focuses on the changes (or stagnation) of the cultural and social trends of the various states, as well as the political, fiscal, legislative, economic, and government organization/administration of the various entities (with their own culture, customs, laws and grievances) that would eventually end up as Spain. The book is dense with information pertaining to local and international politics, but also the local economies, trade and tax collection and how the various Kings/Emperors etc got the funds for the running of their households and various wars.
I found the book interesting since it covers so many topics not usually given much space in the usual history books. This period of Spanish history is a fairly good indicator on how not to run a country. Elliot writes clearly and with the occasional pithy observation, which was usually amusing.
Date: 5 March 2024
September 22, 2012
A decent overview of Spain under the Hapsburgs (and the lead-up to it - Spain under Ferdinand and Isabella). It touches on political structure, economic tendencies, and religious currents, and pays special attention to the push-pull tension between uniting Spain (and other Hapsburg dominions) into a unified whole and preserving the rights and customs of each region. It reads pretty well overall, but probably could have used a bit of a heavier emphasis on the political narrative and possibly a bit more detail for Spain's apparently perpetual financial woes. I'm not much of an economist, and I was feeling a bit lost on occasion. The persistent emphasis on nationalism seemed a little overplayed to me as well, though I don't know all that much about Spain.
It's also vaguely racist at times: Elliott seems to be a huge fan of the conquistadors and at one point in the second chapter he suggests that they were able to conquer the Americas because they had a larger 'zest for life' than the native people . I'm honestly not sure where he's getting that from, unless it was a vague way to imply that it's hard to be zesty when you're being ravaged by smallpox.
It's also vaguely racist at times: Elliott seems to be a huge fan of the conquistadors and at one point in the second chapter he suggests that they were able to conquer the Americas because they had a larger 'zest for life' than the native people . I'm honestly not sure where he's getting that from, unless it was a vague way to imply that it's hard to be zesty when you're being ravaged by smallpox.
September 14, 2011
No wonder Elliott scooped a knighthood given this tour de force . My interest in Spanish imperial history was partly forged at A Level but became an obsession after a visit to Madrid's Prado - Velázquez's pictures depict the declining fortunes of the Habsburg family tree, riven as they were by the inbreeding resultant from ill judged marriages to cousins, nieces and nephews, declining fortunes on the battlefield and a particularly macabre vein of Catholicism - all agonised crucifixions and obsession with Protestant heresy. As Elliott himself suggests - by the time of the weakling monarch Carlos II, the royal family's fortunes had started to resemble a comic opera.
But this is no Jenny Bond style portrait of Kings and Palaces - the social and economic background to modern Spain is portrayed and the vast differences between its constituent parts emphasized. The roots of Catalan-Castilian enmity are methodically described. Spain relied heavily on American silver but too often became waylaid by cultural projects - expulsion of Jewish and Moorish converts most notably. Having begun the period covered by this book as the most multicultural nation in Europe, Spain ended as an inward looking, highly parochial society - shackles that were not be thrown off for another three centuries and the departure of Franco. I have read a number of articles, guide books and novels about this great country and this text is clearly the primary English language source of choice.
But this is no Jenny Bond style portrait of Kings and Palaces - the social and economic background to modern Spain is portrayed and the vast differences between its constituent parts emphasized. The roots of Catalan-Castilian enmity are methodically described. Spain relied heavily on American silver but too often became waylaid by cultural projects - expulsion of Jewish and Moorish converts most notably. Having begun the period covered by this book as the most multicultural nation in Europe, Spain ended as an inward looking, highly parochial society - shackles that were not be thrown off for another three centuries and the departure of Franco. I have read a number of articles, guide books and novels about this great country and this text is clearly the primary English language source of choice.
April 4, 2021
Magnífica revisión del imperio español que se aleja de la típica narración cronológica y nos introduce en el estudio de las instituciones, administraciones, personas y personajes que hicieron de España la primera entre las potencias europeas y que también la llevaron al pozo del desastre.
Con una prosa ágil y de fácil lectura es un libro imprescindible para todos aquellos que quieran conocer un poco más de nuestra historia alejados de las loas y las críticas extremas que parecen poblar los libros actuales sobre este tema.
Con una prosa ágil y de fácil lectura es un libro imprescindible para todos aquellos que quieran conocer un poco más de nuestra historia alejados de las loas y las críticas extremas que parecen poblar los libros actuales sobre este tema.
March 22, 2018
I guess I'm not as familiar with Spanish history as I thought I was--I found myself getting confused as to the geography (political as well as physical). It's amazing to think of the territory that was ruled by the Habsburgs during the time. Elliot's main interest, of course, is Spain itself (or rather what became Spain). A good, solid, complex look at Imperial Spain.
March 10, 2022
Larga vida a John H Elliot
January 4, 2018
A Distant Warning
Spain experienced a metamorphosis in the 16th century. It had been a divided country battling with an age-old enemy. Its separate parts worked more against each other than with each other; Castile concentrated on the fight to reconquer the land from the Muslims, while Aragon and Catalonia fixed their sights on a Mediterranean trading empire and control of southern Italy. Under Ferdinand and Isabella, well-known as the patrons of Columbus, the Moors were conquered, the Jews expelled, and all three main parts of Spain joined under one crown. Spain soon acquired a vast empire in the Americas and Asia. Through marriage, its fortunes were hitched to the Habsburg crown, thus despatching Spanish arms and treasure to the endless European wars in Italy, Germany, and the Low Countries. Spain rose to a certain proud zenith, both in war and in administration of its vast lands. The arts began to flourish. Portugal came under the Spanish crown for sixty years. The glory days did not last long as history goes. By 1640, Spain had crashed. It was bankrupt, taxed-to-the-limit, and losing everywhere. Its European empire fell away, even Portugal threw off Castilian rule. Government fell to mostly incapable favorites of the weak and indecisive kings. Bereft of a middle class, the only good income was to be had from the church or the court. In short, the imperial greatness, which had shot across the world like a brilliant comet, had winked out in financial collapse and administrative failure, though literature and painting continued to shine. Poor education and religious ultra-conservatism had denied Spain the leaders that might have saved it.
Elliott's history of Imperial Spain paints a clear picture of the reasons for this abrupt rise and decline. He concentrates not on battles, foreign adventures or any sort of "glory", but on administration, finance, the strong differences between Castile and Aragon/Catalonia, the Inquisition, trade, and domestic policy. I admit that such a mix may not be everybody's cup of tea, but if you are serious about learning the reasons for Spain's brief term at the top, you will certainly need to read this work, an amazingly complete study that stands with some of the best history books ever written. Though the title contains the years 1469-1716, the vast bulk of the book concerns only the sixteenth century.
It seemed to me, as I read IMPERIAL SPAIN, that the book should be required reading in Washington, but of course our "leaders" are not interested in history. They reflect in their actions an uncanny resemblance to that Spain of its glory days, thinking that glory can never end, that the mighty shall not fall, that America must be "great again". Since we seem unable to avoid foreign wars, our education system is inadequate, we are facing a rising tide of religious obscurantism, and worst of all, we operate at a huge deficit, there are some disturbing parallels. Could we learn from the history of Imperial Spain ? No doubt. Will we ? No way.
Spain experienced a metamorphosis in the 16th century. It had been a divided country battling with an age-old enemy. Its separate parts worked more against each other than with each other; Castile concentrated on the fight to reconquer the land from the Muslims, while Aragon and Catalonia fixed their sights on a Mediterranean trading empire and control of southern Italy. Under Ferdinand and Isabella, well-known as the patrons of Columbus, the Moors were conquered, the Jews expelled, and all three main parts of Spain joined under one crown. Spain soon acquired a vast empire in the Americas and Asia. Through marriage, its fortunes were hitched to the Habsburg crown, thus despatching Spanish arms and treasure to the endless European wars in Italy, Germany, and the Low Countries. Spain rose to a certain proud zenith, both in war and in administration of its vast lands. The arts began to flourish. Portugal came under the Spanish crown for sixty years. The glory days did not last long as history goes. By 1640, Spain had crashed. It was bankrupt, taxed-to-the-limit, and losing everywhere. Its European empire fell away, even Portugal threw off Castilian rule. Government fell to mostly incapable favorites of the weak and indecisive kings. Bereft of a middle class, the only good income was to be had from the church or the court. In short, the imperial greatness, which had shot across the world like a brilliant comet, had winked out in financial collapse and administrative failure, though literature and painting continued to shine. Poor education and religious ultra-conservatism had denied Spain the leaders that might have saved it.
Elliott's history of Imperial Spain paints a clear picture of the reasons for this abrupt rise and decline. He concentrates not on battles, foreign adventures or any sort of "glory", but on administration, finance, the strong differences between Castile and Aragon/Catalonia, the Inquisition, trade, and domestic policy. I admit that such a mix may not be everybody's cup of tea, but if you are serious about learning the reasons for Spain's brief term at the top, you will certainly need to read this work, an amazingly complete study that stands with some of the best history books ever written. Though the title contains the years 1469-1716, the vast bulk of the book concerns only the sixteenth century.
It seemed to me, as I read IMPERIAL SPAIN, that the book should be required reading in Washington, but of course our "leaders" are not interested in history. They reflect in their actions an uncanny resemblance to that Spain of its glory days, thinking that glory can never end, that the mighty shall not fall, that America must be "great again". Since we seem unable to avoid foreign wars, our education system is inadequate, we are facing a rising tide of religious obscurantism, and worst of all, we operate at a huge deficit, there are some disturbing parallels. Could we learn from the history of Imperial Spain ? No doubt. Will we ? No way.
December 19, 2021
University level history of Spain that I read in connection with an online class studying the novel "Don Quixote". It provided a good background on the Spain of Cervantes' life and times and certainly enhanced my understanding of the novel. Cheers!
November 22, 2025
This is an exemplar of how a general history should be done. It has a consistent through-line of explaining its thesis--how Spain went from an unstable set of regional principalities beset by internal and external wars at the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabel in 1469, to the world's leading military power by the late sixteenth century, and then to a laughingstock by the early 1700s, when the Habsburg dynasty ended with the early death of the sickly and malformed Charles II, incapacitated by Habsburg inbreeding. Elliott is a master at giving just the right amount of detail--rarely does he drop names of historical figures that are not explained in context and not situated in the big picture. He assumes an educated reader who knows a bit, but not much, about early modern imperial Spain, and he doesn't take anything for granted or patronize the reader. One is particularly struck by his characterization of Philip II (of the abortive Spanish Armada)--was there ever a more conscientious monarch, and also a more failed, tragic one?
The only thing I missed was a more detailed discussion of the magnificent Spanish art and literature of the Golden Age--the world of Cervantes and Lope de Vega, of El Greco and Velasquez. But this is a deliberate omission, so it's hard to fault the author, who has written extensively about Spanish art elsewhere.
Rarely has a final page so persuasively summed up the historian's verdict. Elliott references there the Velasquez portraits of an older Philip IV, who, in contrast to Velasquez's portraits of the young monarch in the early 1620s, looks regal but sad and overwhelmed, as if he can't believe that the world power that he inherited from his grandfather has been reduced to a house of cards, losing Portugal and almost losing Catalonia and Aragon, on his watch. He is stripped naked before the verdict of history, and Elliott show us how.
Elliott concludes, on the same page, with the famous Ortega y Gasset quote: Castilla ha hecho Espana, y Castilla la ha desecho ("Castille has made Spain, and Castille has destroyed it."). One could almost as easily switch the responsibility--that it was the proud regional principalities of Aragon and Catalonia and Valencia and Portugal that unmade Spains by refusing to cede any of their traditional rights to facilitate the development of a truly modern state.
The only thing I missed was a more detailed discussion of the magnificent Spanish art and literature of the Golden Age--the world of Cervantes and Lope de Vega, of El Greco and Velasquez. But this is a deliberate omission, so it's hard to fault the author, who has written extensively about Spanish art elsewhere.
Rarely has a final page so persuasively summed up the historian's verdict. Elliott references there the Velasquez portraits of an older Philip IV, who, in contrast to Velasquez's portraits of the young monarch in the early 1620s, looks regal but sad and overwhelmed, as if he can't believe that the world power that he inherited from his grandfather has been reduced to a house of cards, losing Portugal and almost losing Catalonia and Aragon, on his watch. He is stripped naked before the verdict of history, and Elliott show us how.
Elliott concludes, on the same page, with the famous Ortega y Gasset quote: Castilla ha hecho Espana, y Castilla la ha desecho ("Castille has made Spain, and Castille has destroyed it."). One could almost as easily switch the responsibility--that it was the proud regional principalities of Aragon and Catalonia and Valencia and Portugal that unmade Spains by refusing to cede any of their traditional rights to facilitate the development of a truly modern state.
August 24, 2018
Reconquest, Discovery, Famine, Plague, Inquisition, Insanity, Empire, Silver Mines…
A massive survey of almost 250 years of Spanish history, Imperial Spain 1469-1716 begins with the Reconquista against the Moors and the discovery of the New World, and moves progressively forward in time to the end of the Empire. But, it is not always chronological. Instead, the author focuses on topics as he moves forward in time. These topics range across the gamut of politics, economics, religion, science, military, scholasticism, trade, culture, and race.
This conflict in chronology just means that at times the reader may feel as if he were waking the dead. This is largely unavoidable in a work of such depth and research. I believe that if Elliott had chosen to take the subject in strict chronological order, it would have been a much bigger book, because much would have been repeated. Instead, he chose to synthesize ideas over time and present an amalgamated view of a few centuries. It results in a sweeping view of the Spanish Empire more or less over time.
I learned much of course, but more than the many details and facts I learned, I found myself piecing together the big picture of Spanish history. Moving from the fragmentation of the regions of Medieval Castile and Aragorn, to the unified reigns of the numerous monarchs, into the Reformation and the Renaissance revealed these ideas as they affected Europe. But, there was much to see of the trade between Spain and the New World.
I was amazed at the facts and figures where accounts were given of the amount of silver transported from the colonies to Spain’s coffers, and then raided by the Emperor to finance his wars. Likewise, the large trade that went from Spain to the New World was staggering. It was not surprising that the huge influx of silver had the effect of inflating Spain’s currency and spiraling inflation probably contributed to the huge economic problems that ensued.
There was much info on slavery and the relationship between the Native Americans and Friars, who I already knew were on a few occasions expelled to Spain. Numbers were given for men and horses that overran the major empires of Central and South America. And, the conquistadors originated from a single small area of Spain. Of course, Castile was the origin point for the discovery, since Castile and Aragorn were really a marriage of countries, rather than a single unit at that time.
There is much to read here, and it is well worth reading for anyone interested in history. But, the paperback edition has such tiny print that only those willing to squint for 20 hours should go that route. I ended up switching to the Kindle edition because of this. Even the nice maps in the paperback are so small as to be unusable. So going with Kindle is the better route. I read this for my stop in Spain on my Journey Around the World in 80 books for 2018. A few quotes follow.
A massive survey of almost 250 years of Spanish history, Imperial Spain 1469-1716 begins with the Reconquista against the Moors and the discovery of the New World, and moves progressively forward in time to the end of the Empire. But, it is not always chronological. Instead, the author focuses on topics as he moves forward in time. These topics range across the gamut of politics, economics, religion, science, military, scholasticism, trade, culture, and race.
This conflict in chronology just means that at times the reader may feel as if he were waking the dead. This is largely unavoidable in a work of such depth and research. I believe that if Elliott had chosen to take the subject in strict chronological order, it would have been a much bigger book, because much would have been repeated. Instead, he chose to synthesize ideas over time and present an amalgamated view of a few centuries. It results in a sweeping view of the Spanish Empire more or less over time.
I learned much of course, but more than the many details and facts I learned, I found myself piecing together the big picture of Spanish history. Moving from the fragmentation of the regions of Medieval Castile and Aragorn, to the unified reigns of the numerous monarchs, into the Reformation and the Renaissance revealed these ideas as they affected Europe. But, there was much to see of the trade between Spain and the New World.
I was amazed at the facts and figures where accounts were given of the amount of silver transported from the colonies to Spain’s coffers, and then raided by the Emperor to finance his wars. Likewise, the large trade that went from Spain to the New World was staggering. It was not surprising that the huge influx of silver had the effect of inflating Spain’s currency and spiraling inflation probably contributed to the huge economic problems that ensued.
There was much info on slavery and the relationship between the Native Americans and Friars, who I already knew were on a few occasions expelled to Spain. Numbers were given for men and horses that overran the major empires of Central and South America. And, the conquistadors originated from a single small area of Spain. Of course, Castile was the origin point for the discovery, since Castile and Aragorn were really a marriage of countries, rather than a single unit at that time.
There is much to read here, and it is well worth reading for anyone interested in history. But, the paperback edition has such tiny print that only those willing to squint for 20 hours should go that route. I ended up switching to the Kindle edition because of this. Even the nice maps in the paperback are so small as to be unusable. So going with Kindle is the better route. I read this for my stop in Spain on my Journey Around the World in 80 books for 2018. A few quotes follow.
In the middle decades of the fifteenth century the kings of Castile could not even rule their own country; a hundred years later they were the effective rulers of a vast empire thousands of miles away. The change is only explicable in terms of the greatest royal achievement of the intervening years: the building of a State by Ferdinand and Isabella.
…the establishment of an Inquisition throughout Spain had obvious political advantages, in that it helped to further the cause of Spanish unity by deepening the sense of common national purpose. The same was true of the conquest of Granada and its aftermath. The holy war ended in 1492 with the achievement of Spain's territorial integrity; this in turn forged a new emotional bond between the peoples of Spain, who shared a common sense of triumph at the downfall of the infidel.
The conquest of Granada and the expulsion of the Jews had laid the foundations for a unitary state.
Just as the Crowns of Castile and Aragon were politically united only in the persons of their kings, so their monetary systems were similarly united only at the top, by a common coin of high value.
The main cost of financing Charles's imperialism was borne by different territories at different times, depending on their presumed fiscal capacity and on the facility with which money could be extracted from them.
It is no coincidence that the rise of a tribunal intended to impose religious orthodoxy was accompanied by the growth of certain practices designed to secure racial purity, for religious and racial deviation were easily equated in the popular mind.
Was the reality of Spanish experience to be found in the heroic imperialism of a Charles V or in the humiliating pacifism of Philip III? In the world of Don Quixote, or the world of Sancho Panza? Confused at once by its own past and its own present, the Castile of Philip III – the land of arbitristas – sought desperately for an answer.
Read
September 28, 2015The go-to book on the subject. Not only was Elliott one of the first modern English-language historians to focus on the subject, his book has stood the test of time and is highly readable.
February 13, 2024
A really well written history of Imperial Spain, this could have been a dry book recounting a number of events and personalities from 1469-1716, but author J.H. Elliott wrote instead a really thematic work of history, stating early on themes he was going to explore and proceeds to do just that. Namely, the themes are the creation of “Spain” (which he puts in quotation marks early on in this context), beginning with Ferdinand and Isabella, chronicles the rise and fall of the Hapsburg era of Spain, the beginning of the Bourbon era, continuing his “narrative up to 1716, the year in which the Bourbons abruptly terminated the semi-autonomous status traditionally enjoyed by the Catalans,” as the author saw as a central theme “the interaction over two and a half centuries of centre and periphery” and the 1716 Nueva Planta, ending Catalan’s special status, marked “the transformation of Spain from a collection of semi-autonomous provinces into a centralized state.”
Much of the book is focused on the struggle between a Castilian center of Spain and the semi-autonomous provinces with century’s old rights and privileges, not just Catalonia but also Aragon and Valencia, of the continuing dynamic of how Catalonia, Aragon, and Valenica had little to no say in how Spain as a whole was governed and were in a national sense politically isolated, that Spain at the national and international level was really Castile and it was Castile that most benefitted from the bounty of the New World, yet also Castile had to go it alone most of the time as far as financial and manpower support, that it was Castille that supported the central government, that Castile was taxed the most, and that it was soldiers from Castile that fought in Imperial Spain’s many wars, that while the other provinces often benefitted from Castille’s actions, they rarely provided all that much in terms of money or of manpower for soldiers, certainly when compared to Castille. Not only did Castile have to manage the disparate provinces of Spain (and for a time, Portugal as well), but also “the increasingly unmanageable inheritance of the Spanish Hapsburgs” which included parts of Italy, Germany, Austria, and the war-torn Netherlands.
It was interesting to read that just as Spain became a centralized state, the formerly dominant Castile was full of “emptiness and misery” owing to manpower shortages, a moribund economy, fighting endless wars, an increasingly independent New World that needed Castilian goods less and less, and high levels of taxation, while the other provinces were full of “vitality and populousness,” part of a trend throughout the “late fifteen and sixteenth centuries” of “shift of predominance from the centre to the circumference.”
The other theme explored through the book, as one might guess, is basically, how did Imperial Spain ultimately fail, a concept closely tied to an exploration of center versus the periphery discussion of a central state versus a de facto federalist system of sorts if not a loose conglomeration of essentially independent countries. In essence, how did Castile become full of “emptiness and misery.” While there were some physical challenges owning to the climate and terrain of Castile and numerous wars drained Castile of manpower, much of Castile’s wounds were self-inflicted. Elliott touched on such topics as “how both money and labor were misapplied” in Castile, of the “disproportion between expenditure and investment” by the Crown and the Court, of how the Court drew “from all over the country the rootless, the dishonest, and the ambitious,” and the “contempt for commerce and manual labor, the lure of easy money from investment in censos and juros, the universal hunger for titles of nobility and social prestige – all these, when combined with the innumerable practical obstacles in the way of profitable economic enterprise, had persuaded the bourgeoise to abandon its unequal struggle, and throw in its lot with the unproductive upper class of society.”
Nicely done history, it reads surprisingly fast and even when there are sections that might seem like they would be dull, such as discussing the many, many taxes of Castile, they always serve to support the author’s central themes. My review doesn’t touch on other topics explored in the book, such as the conquest of Granada, the history of the Inquisition, the story of the Jews, conversos, and Moriscos, Spanish governance of the New World, wars against the Turks in the Mediterranean, wars in Italy, interesting intrigue in the Court, the Spanish Armada, or Spanish religious history such as the interesting story of Erasmus’ writings and Erasmianism in Spain.
Originally published in 1963, this is an edition with a 2001 forward by the author along with an updated notes on further reading. There are a number of black and white maps and an index.
Much of the book is focused on the struggle between a Castilian center of Spain and the semi-autonomous provinces with century’s old rights and privileges, not just Catalonia but also Aragon and Valencia, of the continuing dynamic of how Catalonia, Aragon, and Valenica had little to no say in how Spain as a whole was governed and were in a national sense politically isolated, that Spain at the national and international level was really Castile and it was Castile that most benefitted from the bounty of the New World, yet also Castile had to go it alone most of the time as far as financial and manpower support, that it was Castille that supported the central government, that Castile was taxed the most, and that it was soldiers from Castile that fought in Imperial Spain’s many wars, that while the other provinces often benefitted from Castille’s actions, they rarely provided all that much in terms of money or of manpower for soldiers, certainly when compared to Castille. Not only did Castile have to manage the disparate provinces of Spain (and for a time, Portugal as well), but also “the increasingly unmanageable inheritance of the Spanish Hapsburgs” which included parts of Italy, Germany, Austria, and the war-torn Netherlands.
It was interesting to read that just as Spain became a centralized state, the formerly dominant Castile was full of “emptiness and misery” owing to manpower shortages, a moribund economy, fighting endless wars, an increasingly independent New World that needed Castilian goods less and less, and high levels of taxation, while the other provinces were full of “vitality and populousness,” part of a trend throughout the “late fifteen and sixteenth centuries” of “shift of predominance from the centre to the circumference.”
The other theme explored through the book, as one might guess, is basically, how did Imperial Spain ultimately fail, a concept closely tied to an exploration of center versus the periphery discussion of a central state versus a de facto federalist system of sorts if not a loose conglomeration of essentially independent countries. In essence, how did Castile become full of “emptiness and misery.” While there were some physical challenges owning to the climate and terrain of Castile and numerous wars drained Castile of manpower, much of Castile’s wounds were self-inflicted. Elliott touched on such topics as “how both money and labor were misapplied” in Castile, of the “disproportion between expenditure and investment” by the Crown and the Court, of how the Court drew “from all over the country the rootless, the dishonest, and the ambitious,” and the “contempt for commerce and manual labor, the lure of easy money from investment in censos and juros, the universal hunger for titles of nobility and social prestige – all these, when combined with the innumerable practical obstacles in the way of profitable economic enterprise, had persuaded the bourgeoise to abandon its unequal struggle, and throw in its lot with the unproductive upper class of society.”
Nicely done history, it reads surprisingly fast and even when there are sections that might seem like they would be dull, such as discussing the many, many taxes of Castile, they always serve to support the author’s central themes. My review doesn’t touch on other topics explored in the book, such as the conquest of Granada, the history of the Inquisition, the story of the Jews, conversos, and Moriscos, Spanish governance of the New World, wars against the Turks in the Mediterranean, wars in Italy, interesting intrigue in the Court, the Spanish Armada, or Spanish religious history such as the interesting story of Erasmus’ writings and Erasmianism in Spain.
Originally published in 1963, this is an edition with a 2001 forward by the author along with an updated notes on further reading. There are a number of black and white maps and an index.
August 16, 2020
Imperial Spain only touches slightly on certain aspects of Spain's imperial past which are now deemed crucial to the story. These are for example the devastating fate of millions of natives in the Americas, the horrifying slave trade, and the role of women. However, as J.H. Elliott explains in a convincing argument in his preface from 2001, the book is a product of its time. The story told in Imperial Spain does not need to be inferior to newer stories. Rather, Imperial Spain can be viewed as a complement to more modern perspectives, and these two ways of looking at history do not need to take hierarchical positions to one another.
This story centers around the economic and mental life in Spain, probably influenced by the Braudelian thought. However, Elliott also manages to integrate a political narrative in which human agency is perceived as a driving force in history. Furthermore, Elliott also places the empire of Spain in a wider Western European context, and there are even bits and pieces of comparisons between European states. On the one hand, Elliott's immense research and his refreshing perspectives are impressive. On the other hand, the literary style and the masterful writing are remarkable. Elliott is able to combine historical science and literary techniques in a wonderful manner, without sacrificing the scientific value or the readability of the book. This is a unique book!
This story centers around the economic and mental life in Spain, probably influenced by the Braudelian thought. However, Elliott also manages to integrate a political narrative in which human agency is perceived as a driving force in history. Furthermore, Elliott also places the empire of Spain in a wider Western European context, and there are even bits and pieces of comparisons between European states. On the one hand, Elliott's immense research and his refreshing perspectives are impressive. On the other hand, the literary style and the masterful writing are remarkable. Elliott is able to combine historical science and literary techniques in a wonderful manner, without sacrificing the scientific value or the readability of the book. This is a unique book!
January 16, 2021
A relatively traditional history of Imperial Spain, J.H. Elliott's book takes us from the union of Castile and Aragon under Ferdinand and Isabella through the almost accidental joining of Spain into the Hapsburg empire, its becoming the seat of the Hapsburg empire controlling the Netherlands, Portugal, much of Italy, parts of Austria, and then its shrinking again as it loses wars with England and elsewhere, goes through financial and economic crises. The book was originally written in 1960 and reads that way--a focus on leaders, politics, wars, and the like, but also a decent amount about the economy, society, and church. The conquest of America is discussed only briefly and largely in heroic terms one would not read today and the expulsion/conversion of the Jews and Muslims is treated as lamentable but not dwelled on either. Culture gets relatively short shrift as well, with only passing mentions of Cervantes and Velázquez. I say this more for context than as criticism, in many ways reading a traditional, linear history of the rise and fall from greatness was refreshing and a story that filled in a lot of gaps in my knowledge.
April 24, 2024
This seems to be THE book in English on Early Modern Spanish history, and it pretty much lives up to its reputation. There are several topics that I wish Elliott would have gone into more detail on – gender, religion, the Inquisition, the 30 Years War, to name a few – but given that he's cramming nearly three hundred years worth of history into a readable, one-volume length, he does an impressive job at including a wide range of topics, individuals, and approaches.
Imperial Spain was originally written in the 1960s and it shows, mainly in weirdly Freudian analyses of political figures or by ascribing shared personalities to large groups of people (such as the Aztecs and Incas, who apparently "lacked [a] zest for life". Okay then). But those quirks are thankfully rare, and overall I wouldn't have guessed it was such an old book. Elliott seems to have been one of the pioneering figures (at least in Hispanic studies) in shifting from the "Great Man" school of historiography to social and economic history, which luckily lends the text a very modern feeling.
Overall this is a readable, rewarding, and wide-ranging history of the period covered. It's perhaps slightly too definitive to be entirely accurate, but doesn't it feel nice to have all the answers?
Imperial Spain was originally written in the 1960s and it shows, mainly in weirdly Freudian analyses of political figures or by ascribing shared personalities to large groups of people (such as the Aztecs and Incas, who apparently "lacked [a] zest for life". Okay then). But those quirks are thankfully rare, and overall I wouldn't have guessed it was such an old book. Elliott seems to have been one of the pioneering figures (at least in Hispanic studies) in shifting from the "Great Man" school of historiography to social and economic history, which luckily lends the text a very modern feeling.
Overall this is a readable, rewarding, and wide-ranging history of the period covered. It's perhaps slightly too definitive to be entirely accurate, but doesn't it feel nice to have all the answers?
October 30, 2024
A book which made my notetaking app almost uninhabitable. Treating just around 300 years, with an author that exhibits a remarcable talent of drawing out detail after detail, interpreting it and seeing a cause in such a complex and diverse society.
Spain in the Early Modern period is a complete puzzle. Deeply marked by it's history as a Crusading society, while exhibiting moorish cultural traits and manners - aggresive yet moderate, its transformations and complete decay - from an Euro-American Empire that was flooded with riches, knowledge and piety to the absolute hellhole of a bureaucratic, military and economic failure. This puzzle is here, in a lot of words :), kind of undone...
An easy read through some of its parts, it can get really harsh through others - but it's indispensable to Spanish history. 8.5/10
Spain in the Early Modern period is a complete puzzle. Deeply marked by it's history as a Crusading society, while exhibiting moorish cultural traits and manners - aggresive yet moderate, its transformations and complete decay - from an Euro-American Empire that was flooded with riches, knowledge and piety to the absolute hellhole of a bureaucratic, military and economic failure. This puzzle is here, in a lot of words :), kind of undone...
An easy read through some of its parts, it can get really harsh through others - but it's indispensable to Spanish history. 8.5/10
September 23, 2025
Cannot express how enjoyable this was to read. Beautifully written, easily accessible, clear claims accompanied by honesty about their potential pitfalls….. kind of the ideal primer. Wow!!!! Wow. Sad I finished it!
October 27, 2021
What a splendid book! The amount of information and analyses in this book regarding the history of Early Modern Spain is astonishing. J.H. Elliott really is one of the masters of Hispanic studies. His study of Spanish political, social, administrative, economic and religious aspects was brilliantly woven together to show how much of these influence each other. Though Elliott chose to cover the Early Modern Spanish history strictly on its Iberian Peninsula’s side rather than also include its overseas possession of the America, still this book is a very comprehensive and informative piece of works.
The book did not follow a linear timeline but rather, describing the evolution of Spanish social, political, religious, economic, and administrative aspects through its rulers starting from the union of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon to the last Spanish Habsburg ruler, Charles II the Bewitched.
The most comprehensive study in this book was done on the reign of the Catholic Kings, a title bestowed by Pope Alexander VI in his recognition of Isabella and Ferdinand’s successful occupation of Granada. Their union brought about a much-needed change on Castilian’s life which was yet to maximise its potential and also, to save Aragon which, at that time, already collapsed economically due to civil wars and black death plague.
Castile and Aragon were two different nations with two different constitutional systems. Castile was expansionist in nature and more or less centralised. On the other hand, Aragon was a cosmopolitan state and had a mercantile characteristic in their veins, prefer to trade rather than to conquer. The union between Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon unfortunately was merely the union of their sovereigns and not a union of their people or their systems. And while the Catholic Kings will brought about many reforms in their respective domains yet they failed to unite the different constitutional system of Castile and Aragon. And what the Catholic Kings failed to unite in their time will eventually have a dire effect in the future of Spain.
Yet, the reign of the Catholic Kings by far was the most fruitious. Under their leadership, the crude Castile was transformed into a nation that was able to capitalise on every possible opportunities presented to them. Aragon itself was slowly recovering from their exhausted state and once again back on their former mercantile glory.
And by unfortunate streak of events, Spain came to be taken over and led by the Habsburg dynasty where, despite its glorious titles and decorations, bankrupted Spain with their imperial ambitions and endless wars from almost all fronts. Charles V, Philip II, Philip III, Philip IV, and Charles II the Bewitched did nothing to unify the constitutional differences of Castile and Aragon yet kept bleeding the Castilian’s treasury dry. And this striking differences began to spread to other aspects.
To quote from Part 8 of Imperial Spain : “Castilian society, as the arbitristas never tired of pointing out, was a society based on paradox and contrast. The contrast were everywhere: Moorish and Christian, devoutness and hypocrisy, fervent possessions of faith and exceptional laxity of manners, vast wealth and abject poverty.”
Kudos to J.H. Elliott for presenting a balanced view on Spanish history. I enjoyed every pages in the book although it could be better with additional translation for the many Spanish terms in it.
The book did not follow a linear timeline but rather, describing the evolution of Spanish social, political, religious, economic, and administrative aspects through its rulers starting from the union of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon to the last Spanish Habsburg ruler, Charles II the Bewitched.
The most comprehensive study in this book was done on the reign of the Catholic Kings, a title bestowed by Pope Alexander VI in his recognition of Isabella and Ferdinand’s successful occupation of Granada. Their union brought about a much-needed change on Castilian’s life which was yet to maximise its potential and also, to save Aragon which, at that time, already collapsed economically due to civil wars and black death plague.
Queen Isabel I of Castile by Luis de Madrazo y Kuntz
Fernando II of Aragon by Bernardino Montanes
Castile and Aragon were two different nations with two different constitutional systems. Castile was expansionist in nature and more or less centralised. On the other hand, Aragon was a cosmopolitan state and had a mercantile characteristic in their veins, prefer to trade rather than to conquer. The union between Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon unfortunately was merely the union of their sovereigns and not a union of their people or their systems. And while the Catholic Kings will brought about many reforms in their respective domains yet they failed to unite the different constitutional system of Castile and Aragon. And what the Catholic Kings failed to unite in their time will eventually have a dire effect in the future of Spain.
Yet, the reign of the Catholic Kings by far was the most fruitious. Under their leadership, the crude Castile was transformed into a nation that was able to capitalise on every possible opportunities presented to them. Aragon itself was slowly recovering from their exhausted state and once again back on their former mercantile glory.
And by unfortunate streak of events, Spain came to be taken over and led by the Habsburg dynasty where, despite its glorious titles and decorations, bankrupted Spain with their imperial ambitions and endless wars from almost all fronts. Charles V, Philip II, Philip III, Philip IV, and Charles II the Bewitched did nothing to unify the constitutional differences of Castile and Aragon yet kept bleeding the Castilian’s treasury dry. And this striking differences began to spread to other aspects.
To quote from Part 8 of Imperial Spain : “Castilian society, as the arbitristas never tired of pointing out, was a society based on paradox and contrast. The contrast were everywhere: Moorish and Christian, devoutness and hypocrisy, fervent possessions of faith and exceptional laxity of manners, vast wealth and abject poverty.”
Kudos to J.H. Elliott for presenting a balanced view on Spanish history. I enjoyed every pages in the book although it could be better with additional translation for the many Spanish terms in it.
May 13, 2025
Hay que empezar diciendo que es un buen libro de Historia. El trabajo que debe llevar recopilar y organizar la información necesaria es una tarea de años. Solo por esto, es encomiable. Realmente aprendes de la política, la época, la economía y la sociedad de los siglos XVI-XVII.
Es interesantísima además la tesis principal del autor, que durante estos dos siglos la Monarquía Hispánica vivió un conflicto (tanto desde el punto de vista ideológico como en la práctica) entre las ideas centralistas (representadas por Castilla, que si bien es cierto que quería imponer un control mayor sobre los otros reinos e imponerles sus instituciones tradicionales y sus formas jurídicas, también es verdad que soportaba un mayor peso, tanto humano como fiscal, en los esfuerzos de la Monarquía) y las ideas “descentralizadoras”, que defendían que España siguiera respetando las instituciones tradicionales de esta monarquía de agregación o monarquía compuesta.
Por otro lado, la parte de los primeros Austrias, es mucho más completa y clara que la parte de los últimos.
Y por último, no he podido evitar notar que el autor adopta el punto de vista del “catalanismo” (que no independentismo catalán) a la hora de narrar la Historia. No descarto que esto lo haya notado, me temo, por los tiempos que me han tocado vivir, donde este tema cansino ha tenido mucho protagonismo. No lo puedo asegurar. Lo que sí puedo asegurar es que a lo largo del libro, el autor defiende las razones del Principado de Cataluña y sus intereses, llegando incluso a valorar con adjetivos calificativos y a asignar un carácter general, común, a todo el pueblo de Cataluña.
No es algo exagerado, ni acrítico, ni nada de eso, pero me parece que se le nota una preferencia personal que no justifica en hechos concretos sino en, eso, preferencias, gustos o querencias personales.
Buscando sobre el tema, porque realmente esto me sorprendió, leí que Elliott se formó en Cataluña, lo que me parece que explica este “catalanismo”, al menos en este libro. Porque luego he leído otras entrevistas que le hicieron posteriormente, en las que rechaza las bases históricas de las pretensiones independentistas.
Vamos, en general es un buen libro, a veces algo confuso, pero con un enfoque realmente bueno en la economía y la sociedad de las distintos reinos que conformaban la Monarquía Hispánica.
Es interesantísima además la tesis principal del autor, que durante estos dos siglos la Monarquía Hispánica vivió un conflicto (tanto desde el punto de vista ideológico como en la práctica) entre las ideas centralistas (representadas por Castilla, que si bien es cierto que quería imponer un control mayor sobre los otros reinos e imponerles sus instituciones tradicionales y sus formas jurídicas, también es verdad que soportaba un mayor peso, tanto humano como fiscal, en los esfuerzos de la Monarquía) y las ideas “descentralizadoras”, que defendían que España siguiera respetando las instituciones tradicionales de esta monarquía de agregación o monarquía compuesta.
Por otro lado, la parte de los primeros Austrias, es mucho más completa y clara que la parte de los últimos.
Y por último, no he podido evitar notar que el autor adopta el punto de vista del “catalanismo” (que no independentismo catalán) a la hora de narrar la Historia. No descarto que esto lo haya notado, me temo, por los tiempos que me han tocado vivir, donde este tema cansino ha tenido mucho protagonismo. No lo puedo asegurar. Lo que sí puedo asegurar es que a lo largo del libro, el autor defiende las razones del Principado de Cataluña y sus intereses, llegando incluso a valorar con adjetivos calificativos y a asignar un carácter general, común, a todo el pueblo de Cataluña.
No es algo exagerado, ni acrítico, ni nada de eso, pero me parece que se le nota una preferencia personal que no justifica en hechos concretos sino en, eso, preferencias, gustos o querencias personales.
Buscando sobre el tema, porque realmente esto me sorprendió, leí que Elliott se formó en Cataluña, lo que me parece que explica este “catalanismo”, al menos en este libro. Porque luego he leído otras entrevistas que le hicieron posteriormente, en las que rechaza las bases históricas de las pretensiones independentistas.
Vamos, en general es un buen libro, a veces algo confuso, pero con un enfoque realmente bueno en la economía y la sociedad de las distintos reinos que conformaban la Monarquía Hispánica.
February 15, 2013
As a 6th generation Texan of Spanish descent (on my mother's side), I have always identified myself culturally with the Tex-Mex culture of South Texas where I am from. I read this book because while I consider myself a history buff, I had never studied about my Old World roots.
This book gives a great descriptive almost lifelike overview of Spain from 1469-1716. I'll admit, the first 25-30 pages start out slow and seem cumbersome but once it gets to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, it becomes really interesting and you won't want to put it down. It serves as a good introduction to Spanish history; you don't have to know a lot about Spain beforehand. My favorite portion of the book was that of the Spanish Inquisition. I am sure you have pre-conceived notions about what went on but this book clarifies what actually occurred and shatters a few myths about the Inquisition. While there is a slight Anglo-Saxon bias, I found it to only be subtle. I'd be hard pressed to find a better overview and introduction to Spanish history in this time period than this one.
While reading, I found myself delving more into the specifics of locations , battles and people mentioned in the book. This opens up even more subjects to study. For example, there are whole books on King Philip II, but you get a good summary of what he did while in power in the book.
If you are looking for a catalyst to get started learning about the history of Spain then this book is for you. Or if you are like me who wants to know his own history, it is definitely for you.
As a side note, I found it fascinating to learn about the succession of the throne of Spain. I hadn't known that current King Juan Carlos I is a direct descendant of the first king of the Bourbon line, Philip V. I had no interests in Monarchs before reading this book, but now I want to learn more about European royalty. This book gives a good outline of the Monarchs but is by no means a guide to them.
This book gives a great descriptive almost lifelike overview of Spain from 1469-1716. I'll admit, the first 25-30 pages start out slow and seem cumbersome but once it gets to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, it becomes really interesting and you won't want to put it down. It serves as a good introduction to Spanish history; you don't have to know a lot about Spain beforehand. My favorite portion of the book was that of the Spanish Inquisition. I am sure you have pre-conceived notions about what went on but this book clarifies what actually occurred and shatters a few myths about the Inquisition. While there is a slight Anglo-Saxon bias, I found it to only be subtle. I'd be hard pressed to find a better overview and introduction to Spanish history in this time period than this one.
While reading, I found myself delving more into the specifics of locations , battles and people mentioned in the book. This opens up even more subjects to study. For example, there are whole books on King Philip II, but you get a good summary of what he did while in power in the book.
If you are looking for a catalyst to get started learning about the history of Spain then this book is for you. Or if you are like me who wants to know his own history, it is definitely for you.
As a side note, I found it fascinating to learn about the succession of the throne of Spain. I hadn't known that current King Juan Carlos I is a direct descendant of the first king of the Bourbon line, Philip V. I had no interests in Monarchs before reading this book, but now I want to learn more about European royalty. This book gives a good outline of the Monarchs but is by no means a guide to them.
January 19, 2014
This is a very scholarly work. The details of coinage and governance can be fascinating, but are often tedious for one seeking a less granular telling. The work covers the Reconquista to the War of Spanish Succession. Highlights of the Imperial period include the New World, Charles V and the HRE, Philip I I and The Reformation. There are several plates, diagrams, and maps.
The economic realities I found very interesting. Charles V's profligacy and military adventurism more than consumed New World previous metals (much more silver than gold). Also, the merino sheep was an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Tightly regulated from central Spain (Castille) like intellectual property, the heath of those herds and the strategic trade fairs were vital to Imperial Spain's GDP.
The economic realities I found very interesting. Charles V's profligacy and military adventurism more than consumed New World previous metals (much more silver than gold). Also, the merino sheep was an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Tightly regulated from central Spain (Castille) like intellectual property, the heath of those herds and the strategic trade fairs were vital to Imperial Spain's GDP.
February 16, 2025
Imperial Spain 1469-1716 by J H Elliott is a fascinating description of Spanish history during the country’s rise to imperial power and then it’s decline into eighteenth century near-obscurity. This is definitely an intellectual history of interpretation, not a catalogue of events. And as such, it is perhaps not the first book to which student of Spanish history should turn to. But once the bare bones of events have been intellectually joined, Elliott’s Imperial Spain will put much needed flesh on the otherwise confusing structure, flesh that will not only fill in the gaps, but will also endow personality, character and meaning to the form.
The event bones of this story are widely known. In the fifteenth century, the Reunification, as Spaniards still refer to it, was under way, but far from complete. The Iberian Peninsula had been ruled in total or in part by Muslims for seven hundred years. The reconquest had made gains over the centuries but also suffered losses because the conflict was far from binary. Alliances came and went, with each separate party occasionally marginalized, occasionally victorious, but unity of neither purpose nor interest seemed to be in evidence.
Thus, a fundamental element in the eventual success of the reunification project was the alliance by marriage of Castile and Aragon in the persons of Isabella and Ferdinand. Elliott spends some time describing how utterly different were these two independent kingdoms, one fundamentally west looking and the other decidedly faced towards the east. This marriage was convenient, not necessarily happy, but it did bring about a united opposition to continued Muslim rule in the peninsula and thus ensured victory. And it was to celebrate this victory that Isabella, primarily, secured the services of one Christopher Columbus, whose mission it was to undermine Portuguese dominance of trade with the east by discovering a new westerly route of arriving there. The rest, of course, is history, but at the time the kingdom of Aragon would not have wanted the mission to be successful because they controlled the importation of goods from the east via Venice and the Mediterranean from the silk routes. Elliott’s book is replete with such complications of history that eventually make sense of it.
Again the skeleton joins the heir-less couple at the end of the fifteenth century via Juana, their unsuitable daughter, to the Emperor Charles V, Charles I of Spain, who eventually became king of Spain in 1516 and Holy Roman Emperor in 1519. But the fleshing out needs to answer the question of how was it that a lad in his teens, who was not even Spanish and had no obvious powerbase in the country could have become undisputed ruler? J H Elliott’s text will again put the flesh on the otherwise loosely connected bones. Read the book and you will understand.
Elliott spends a lot of time analysing the reign of Philip II. This is to be expected for a monarch who occupied the throne for more than forty years, saw the country become the most powerful on earth and played a significant role in world history during the entire second half of the sixteenth century. But Elliott’s text is no hero worship. He exposes and explains how Philip II did not confront real issues, preferring to push paper in his private office rather than attack fundamental problems. High amongst these problems were the ongoing revolt in the Low Countries, territories from which Charles V had hailed, the ultimate fear of Protestantism and, not least, the constant bickering and competition by powerful, wealthy and titled landowners at home.
If there might be a criticism of Elliott’s Imperial Spain, it is that it generally sees things from a Castilian point of view. Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia and later Navarra do figure, but largely as complications to the national project and, as such, thorns in the monarch’s side. Indeed, the book’s final words are ‘Castile has made Spain, and Castile has destroyed it’. And here might just be the argument embedded within this entire text: that the reconquest was born on the implied promise of federalism as a means of uniting a disparate state. This federalism, however, was never followed through and indeed was seen as a potential threat by the monarchs, who eventually saw themselves as Castilian. The consequences last until the present day. But in the days of Imperial Spain, this could only be held together by a strong monarch who distributed gifts, ‘mercedes’, to those who exercised influence. Eventually, by 1700, Spain had neither a strong monarch nor the money to keep the gifts flowing.
Throughout, Elliott’s style is dense but accessible. Analysis is to the fore, not events. But occasionally J H Elliott does throw in real gems, such as this comment on Philip IV. “Philip IV differed from his father in being quick-witted, intelligent, and cultivated, but resembled him in his absence of character. Quite without the animation of his younger brother Ferdinand, (who, with singular inappropriateness, had been created Cardinal-Archbishop of Toledo in 1619 at the grave age of 10), he was inclined by temperament to depend on others who might stiffen his resolution and assist him in the formidable task of making up his mind.”
In sixteenth century Italy, the rulers of city states were continually at one another’s throats. Reading this account of Imperial Spain for the same period, it seems that Spain was little different, except that the presence of a monarch at the head of an apparently unified state made the skeleton of events fit together differently and thus from our contemporary standpoint we continue to see it differently. It is only the detail of history that allows us to make sense of it.
The event bones of this story are widely known. In the fifteenth century, the Reunification, as Spaniards still refer to it, was under way, but far from complete. The Iberian Peninsula had been ruled in total or in part by Muslims for seven hundred years. The reconquest had made gains over the centuries but also suffered losses because the conflict was far from binary. Alliances came and went, with each separate party occasionally marginalized, occasionally victorious, but unity of neither purpose nor interest seemed to be in evidence.
Thus, a fundamental element in the eventual success of the reunification project was the alliance by marriage of Castile and Aragon in the persons of Isabella and Ferdinand. Elliott spends some time describing how utterly different were these two independent kingdoms, one fundamentally west looking and the other decidedly faced towards the east. This marriage was convenient, not necessarily happy, but it did bring about a united opposition to continued Muslim rule in the peninsula and thus ensured victory. And it was to celebrate this victory that Isabella, primarily, secured the services of one Christopher Columbus, whose mission it was to undermine Portuguese dominance of trade with the east by discovering a new westerly route of arriving there. The rest, of course, is history, but at the time the kingdom of Aragon would not have wanted the mission to be successful because they controlled the importation of goods from the east via Venice and the Mediterranean from the silk routes. Elliott’s book is replete with such complications of history that eventually make sense of it.
Again the skeleton joins the heir-less couple at the end of the fifteenth century via Juana, their unsuitable daughter, to the Emperor Charles V, Charles I of Spain, who eventually became king of Spain in 1516 and Holy Roman Emperor in 1519. But the fleshing out needs to answer the question of how was it that a lad in his teens, who was not even Spanish and had no obvious powerbase in the country could have become undisputed ruler? J H Elliott’s text will again put the flesh on the otherwise loosely connected bones. Read the book and you will understand.
Elliott spends a lot of time analysing the reign of Philip II. This is to be expected for a monarch who occupied the throne for more than forty years, saw the country become the most powerful on earth and played a significant role in world history during the entire second half of the sixteenth century. But Elliott’s text is no hero worship. He exposes and explains how Philip II did not confront real issues, preferring to push paper in his private office rather than attack fundamental problems. High amongst these problems were the ongoing revolt in the Low Countries, territories from which Charles V had hailed, the ultimate fear of Protestantism and, not least, the constant bickering and competition by powerful, wealthy and titled landowners at home.
If there might be a criticism of Elliott’s Imperial Spain, it is that it generally sees things from a Castilian point of view. Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia and later Navarra do figure, but largely as complications to the national project and, as such, thorns in the monarch’s side. Indeed, the book’s final words are ‘Castile has made Spain, and Castile has destroyed it’. And here might just be the argument embedded within this entire text: that the reconquest was born on the implied promise of federalism as a means of uniting a disparate state. This federalism, however, was never followed through and indeed was seen as a potential threat by the monarchs, who eventually saw themselves as Castilian. The consequences last until the present day. But in the days of Imperial Spain, this could only be held together by a strong monarch who distributed gifts, ‘mercedes’, to those who exercised influence. Eventually, by 1700, Spain had neither a strong monarch nor the money to keep the gifts flowing.
Throughout, Elliott’s style is dense but accessible. Analysis is to the fore, not events. But occasionally J H Elliott does throw in real gems, such as this comment on Philip IV. “Philip IV differed from his father in being quick-witted, intelligent, and cultivated, but resembled him in his absence of character. Quite without the animation of his younger brother Ferdinand, (who, with singular inappropriateness, had been created Cardinal-Archbishop of Toledo in 1619 at the grave age of 10), he was inclined by temperament to depend on others who might stiffen his resolution and assist him in the formidable task of making up his mind.”
In sixteenth century Italy, the rulers of city states were continually at one another’s throats. Reading this account of Imperial Spain for the same period, it seems that Spain was little different, except that the presence of a monarch at the head of an apparently unified state made the skeleton of events fit together differently and thus from our contemporary standpoint we continue to see it differently. It is only the detail of history that allows us to make sense of it.
April 30, 2020
Decent and interesting book. It’s very dense and focuses a lot on the economic history and realities of Spain which can get very boring. This isn’t a book which delves into the empire or what the expansion of Spain meant for the rest of the world - maybe a sign of the times it was written?
A couple times it did mention colonised people’s as ‘pagans and the uncivilised’ which was a big yikes. And even less was discussed of Spain’s involvement in the Atlantic Slave System.
A couple times it did mention colonised people’s as ‘pagans and the uncivilised’ which was a big yikes. And even less was discussed of Spain’s involvement in the Atlantic Slave System.
May 16, 2014
Was really impressed how easy the book was to read, although it wasn't too scholarly. I feel like it belonged in the classroom, not on my bookshelf. Not enough analysis. Maybe I'm just spoiled with how much I have read on this topic. This does not take away from Elliot's writing ability. I would probably give this close to 4 had it been the first thing I read in school.
October 14, 2013
Very good overview of Spain at the height of its power and the mismanagement (and lack of any coherent economic philosophy) that precipitated its decline.
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