The resilience of the Spanish monarchy, 1665-1700 / Christopher Storrs.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Storrs, Christopher.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Monarchy.

History.

History, Military.

Spain--History--Charles II, 1665-1700.

Spain.

Spain--History, Military--17th century.

Monarchy--Spain--History--17th century--Congresses.

Genre:

Conference papers and proceedings.

Physical Description:

xii, 271 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2006.

Summary:

The Resilience of the Spanish Monarchy presents a fresh appraisal of the reasons for the survival of Spain and its European and overseas empire under the last Spanish Habsburg, Carlos II (1665-1700). Hitherto it has been largely assumed that in the 'Age of Louis XIV' Spain collapsed as a military, naval, and imperial power, and only retained its empire because states which had hitherto opposed Spanish hegemony came to Carlos's aid. Spain's allies did play a role. However, as Christopher Storrs shows, this view seriously underestimates the efforts of Carlos II and his ministers to raise men to fight in Spain's various armies-above all in Flanders, Lombardy, and Catalonia-and to ensure a continued Spanish naval presence in both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Although these commitments were expensive, adding considerably to the fiscal pressure upon Carlos's subjects and to the Monarchy's political and administrative tensions, nevertheless during this period Spain continued to manage the burden of empire effectively. This was due to a number of factors, including the continued contribution of Castile and American silver, a degree of administrative centralization, the increasing contribution of the non-Castilian territories in Spain, and the continued importance of the input of non-Spanish territories such as Naples.

This book radically revises our understanding of the last decades of Habsburg Spain. As Storrs demonstrates, it was a state and society more clearly committed to the retention of empire-and more successful in achieving this-than historians have hitherto acknowledged.

Contents:

Spain's armies

Spanish naval power

Spanish finance

Spanish politics and government

Centre and periphery in the Spanish monarchy.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [235]-262) and index.

ISBN:

0199246378

OCLC:

70230677

Publisher Number:

9780199246373