The Spanish Resurgence 1713-1748

Resumen del libro

A major reassessment of Philip V's leadership and what it meant for the modern Spanish state

Often dismissed as ineffective, indolent, and dominated by his second wife, Philip V of Spain (1700 1746), the first Bourbon king, was in fact the greatest threat to peace in Europe during his reign. Under his rule, Spain was a dynamic force and expansionist power, especially in the Mediterranean world. Campaigns in Italy and North Africa revitalized Spanish control in the Mediterranean region, and the arrival of the Bourbon dynasty signaled a sharp break from Habsburg attitudes and practices. Challenging long-held understandings of early eighteenth-century Europe and the Atlantic world, Christopher Storrs draws on a rich array of primary documents to trace the political, military, and financial innovations that laid the framework for the modern Spanish state and the coalescence of a national identity. Storrs illuminates the remarkable revival of Spanish power after 1713 and sheds new light on the often underrated king who made Spain's resurgence possible.

Biografía del autor

Christopher Storrs, historiador hispanista británico y profesor de la Universidad de Dundee, es autor de varios libros acerca de la historia de Europa, entre ellos The Resilience of the Spanish Monarchy 1665-1700 y El resurgir español 1713-1748. Sus áreas de investigación se centran, principalmente, en el mundo moderno temprano y en España y su imperio. También ha estudiado el caso de Italia, en particular los territorios gobernados por la casa de Saboya. Asimismo, la formación del Estado (e imperio), las relaciones internacionales (ejércitos, diplomacia, guerra y paz) y el llamado Estado fiscal-militar figuran entre sus investigaciones.