具体描述
Wide-ranging and original re-interpretation of English history and national identity during the vital century (1660-1760) in which the country emerged as the leading world power and developed its peculiarly free political culture. Disputing the insular and xenophobic image of the English in the period, and denying that this was an age of secularisation, Tony Claydon demonstrates instead the country's active participation in a 'protestant international' and its deep attachment to a European 'Christendom'. He shows how these outward-looking identities shaped key developments by generating a profound sense of duty to God's foreign faithful. The English built a world-beating state by intervening abroad to defend Christendom and the reformation, and their politics were forged as they debated different understandings of these international entities. England may have diverged from continental norms in this period but this book shows that it did so because of its intense religious engagement with that continent.
A Tapestry of Power: The Iberian Peninsula in the Age of Exploration, 1450–1650 Book Synopsis This sweeping historical narrative delves into the complex political, social, and cultural dynamics that defined the Iberian Peninsula—comprising the kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, Portugal, and the nascent political entity of Spain—during the crucible of the early modern era. Spanning from the eve of the voyages of Columbus and da Gama through the height of global imperial expansion and culminating in the political realignments following the Thirty Years’ War, this volume offers a detailed exploration of how these kingdoms forged global empires while simultaneously wrestling with profound internal transformations. It moves beyond simplistic narratives of discovery and conquest to meticulously examine the intricate mechanisms of state-building, religious imposition, economic diversification, and intellectual ferment that characterized the Iberian ascent and subsequent challenges. Part I: Forging Unity and Ambition (c. 1450–1516) The initial section charts the critical juncture of unification and reconquest that shaped the Iberian identity. The focus rests heavily upon the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. We scrutinize the meticulous bureaucratic and military consolidation required to finally expel the Nasrids from Granada in 1492, examining the immediate societal repercussions for the remaining Muslim and Jewish populations. The narrative unpacks the complex constitutional relationship between the Crown of Castile—possessing vast demographic and territorial weight—and the Crown of Aragon, which maintained distinct legal traditions (fueros) and a strong Mediterranean commercial focus. A substantial portion of this section is dedicated to the nascent imperial vision. It analyzes the financing, intellectual justification, and logistical nightmares associated with Columbus’s westward voyages. Critically, it assesses the internal political resistance and subsequent co-option of the Castilian nobility, demonstrating how the Crown leveraged the promise of overseas wealth to centralize power away from recalcitrant local magnates. Furthermore, the book explores the Portuguese maritime revolution under the Avis dynasty. This investigation details Prince Henry the Navigator’s role not merely as a patron of exploration, but as the architect of a disciplined, state-sponsored maritime infrastructure aimed at controlling the West African coast and the lucrative spice routes around Africa. The Treaty of Tordesillas is analyzed not as a simple division of the globe, but as a profound diplomatic maneuver reflecting early modern European legal concepts regarding non-Christian territories. Part II: The Golden Century and Imperial Overstretch (c. 1516–1580) This segment centers on the reign of Charles V (Carlos I of Spain), a monarch whose inheritance—Castile, Aragon, the Netherlands, the Holy Roman Empire, and vast American territories—created an unprecedented pan-European dominion. The analysis dissects the inherent instability of this composite monarchy. It explores the Comuneros Revolt in Castile and the Aragonese Revolt (Alteraciones de Aragón), viewing these internal uprisings not as resistance to a foreign ruler, but as deeply rooted disputes over taxation, representation, and the perceived diversion of Castilian resources toward continental European wars (against France, the Ottomans, and the Protestant princes). The economic machinery of the early empire is thoroughly examined. The arrival of American silver and gold from Potosí and Zacatecas is tracked, detailing its impact on Iberian economies. Rather than a simple boon, the text argues that the influx spurred rampant inflation (the Price Revolution), distorted local production, and inadvertently favored mercantile nations like England and the Netherlands, who acted as vital intermediaries for the transmission of specie. The book contrasts the centralized, bureaucratic control exerted by the Habsburgs over their American viceroyalties (New Spain and Peru) with the more decentralized, commercially focused governance structure established by Portugal in its nascent Asian feitorias and Brazil. The rise of religious uniformity is scrutinized. The institution of the Spanish Inquisition is studied as a key tool of state homogenization, extending its jurisdiction across Spain and its possessions to enforce Catholic orthodoxy, fundamentally shaping the cultural landscape for centuries to come. Part III: The Zenith and the Strain (c. 1580–1640) The period following the Iberian Union in 1580, when Philip II inherited the Portuguese crown, represents the apex of Iberian global reach. This section focuses on the strains placed upon the system by ceaseless warfare. The narrative meticulously details the Spanish commitment to defending Catholicism across Europe—from the suppression of the Dutch Revolt to the intervention in the French Wars of Religion—often necessitating massive debt refinancing that crippled royal solvency. The book offers a detailed comparative analysis of the colonization efforts. In the Americas, the system of encomienda and subsequent administrative structures are explored in depth, paying close attention to the critical demographic collapse of indigenous populations and the importation of African enslaved labor. The resistance posed by indigenous leaders (such as the Inca and Aztec nobility who adapted to the new system) and the early articulation of critiques against colonial brutality (like Las Casas’s arguments) are given due prominence. Conversely, the Portuguese maritime empire, while economically vibrant through the spice trade, faced escalating friction with emergent powers. The Portuguese acquisition of the East Indies forts brought direct confrontation with the Dutch—a conflict that would become existential following the Iberian Union. The text analyzes the strategic miscalculations made by Philip II in engaging in direct conflict with England (the Armada campaign of 1588), highlighting how this venture drained resources better allocated to defending the vital Atlantic routes against Dutch incursions. Part IV: Fractures and Reorientations (c. 1640–1650) The final chapters address the fracturing of the composite monarchies during the tumultuous middle decades of the seventeenth century. The focus shifts to the internal revolts of 1640: the Catalan Revolt (where local aristocratic and political grievances exploded against royal centralization), and, most consequentially, the Portuguese Restoration War. The analysis of the Portuguese separation reveals the critical role of internal Portuguese elite sentiment—a feeling that Lisbon’s interests were being subordinated to Madrid’s Habsburg continental strategy. The successful restoration of the House of Braganza is presented as a significant geopolitical event, enabled by the distraction of Spain’s simultaneous involvement in the protracted and devastating Thirty Years’ War in Central Europe. The book concludes by assessing the lasting legacy of the Iberian imperial model as it entered the mid-seventeenth century. While Spain retained its vast American territories, the golden age of dominance was irrevocably over. Portugal, newly independent, immediately moved to solidify alliances with France and England (culminating in the marriage treaties), signaling a necessary shift away from a purely Iberian power bloc toward a new, distinctly Portuguese diplomatic and commercial orientation centered on surviving the rivalry with the ascendant Dutch and securing the American periphery. This concluding section emphasizes that the foundations for the later commercial economies of the eighteenth century—the silver flows to Asia, the Brazilian sugar boom, and the enduring cultural markers of the peninsula—were all firmly laid during this intense, globally focused century and a half.
