Philip II of Spain -- ruler of the most extensive empire the world had ever known -- has been viewed in a harsh and negative light since his death in 1598. Identified with repression, bigotry, and fanaticism by his enemies, he has been judged more by the political events of his reign than by his per[...]

Philip V, who reluctantly assumed the Spanish throne in 1700, was the first of the Bourbon dynasty which continues to rule Spain today. His 46-year reign, briefly curtailed in 1724 when he abdicated in favour of his short-lived son, Louis I, was one of the most important in the country's history. Th[...]

This volume shows how Spain achieved world power in the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries by examining crucial political events and foreign policy during the reigns of each of the nation's rulers, from Ferdinand and Isabella at the end of the15th century to Philip V at the beginning of the 18th ce[...]

From the late-fifteenth to the mid-eighteenth century, Spain was the most extensive empire the world had seen, stretching from Naples and the Netherlands to the Philippines. This provocative work of history attributes Spain's rise to power to the collaboration of international business interests, in[...]

Ferdinand Alvarez de Toledo, the third duke of Alba (1507-1582), is known to history as "the butcher of Flanders". The general who carried out Philip II's repressive policies in the Netherlands, he was responsible for the massacre of thousands of men, women and children, considering it better to lay[...]