Spain, Europe and the Atlantic Essays in Honour of John H. Elliott

The idea of a dialogue--sometimes harmonious, sometimes divisive--between the center and periphery of the early modern European state stands at the heart of much of John Elliott's historical writing. This collection of essays by a group of Elliott's former students examines different aspects of this important theme and develops them. Taken together with the "personal appreciation" of Elliott (now Regius Professor of Modern History at Oxford), it forms an important examination of the work of the greatest living historian of Spain as well as being a major contribution to early modern European history.

The idea of a dialogue - sometimes harmonious, sometimes divisive - between the centre and periphery of the early modern European state stands at the heart of much of John Elliott's historical writing. It is the fulcrum around which his Imperial Spain revolves, and it lies at the heart of his analysis of the causes of the revolt of the Catalans against the centralising policies of the Madrid government. His writings on the Americas, such as The Old World and the New, likewise stressed the relationship between centre and periphery. This collection of essays by a group of Elliott's former students examines different aspects of this important theme and develops them. Taken together with the 'personal appreciation' of Elliott (Regius Professor of Modern History at Oxford), it forms an important examination of the work of the greatest living historian of Spain as well as a major contribution to early modern European history.

List of Contributors; Acknowledgments; List of abbreviations; Sir John Elliott: an appreciation; Introduction; Part I. Power and Propaganda: The World of the Court: 1. Twin souls: monarchs and favourites in early seventeenth-century Spain Antonio Feros; 2. Taxation and political culture in Castile, 1590–1640 Charles J. Jago; 3. Clio and the Crown: writing history in Habsburg Spain Richard L. Kagan; Part II. The Pattern of Society: Community and Identity in Habsburg Spain: 4. Toledanos and their kingdom of Granada, 1492–1560s Linda Martz; 5. Castile, Spain and the monarchy: the political community from Patria natural to Patria nacional I. A. A. Thompson; 6. Aragonese constitutionalism and Habsburg rule: the varying meanings of liberty Xavier Gil; 7. Patriotism in early modern Valencia James G. Casey; 8. The mental world of Jeroni Pujades James Amelang; 9. Centring the periphery: the Cerdanya between France and Spain Peter Sahlins; Part III. Spain and its Empire: 10. David or Goliath?: Philip II and his world in the 1580s Geoffrey Parker; 11. Olivares, the cardinal-infante and Spain's strategy in the Low Countries (1635–1643): the road to Rocroi Jonathan I. Israel; 12. Conquest after conquest: the rise of Spanish domination in America Peter Bakewell; 13. Heeding Heraclides: empire and its discontents, 1619–1812 Anthony Pagden; 14. Why were Spain's 'special overseas laws' never enacted? Josep M. Fradera; Notes on the contributors; Index.

The idea of a dialogue between the centre and periphery of the early modern European state stands at the heart of much of John Elliott's historical writing. This collection of essays examines different aspects of this important theme.