Spain in the Seventeenth Century (Seminar Studies) [1 ed.] 9780582072343, 0582072344

Citation preview

SEMINAR STUDIES IN HISTORY

General Editor: Roger Lockyer

Spain in the Seventeenth Century Graham Darby

O Routledge Taylor &. Francis Group LONDON AND NEW YORK

First published 1994 by Longman Group Limited Second impression 1995. Published 2013 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon 0X 14 4RN 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA Routledge is an im print o f the Taylor & Francis Group, an inform a business

Copyright © 1994, Taylor & Francis. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without perm is­ sion in writing from the publishers. Notices Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experi­ ence broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or m edi­ cal treatm ent may become necessary. Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evalu­ ating and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information or m ethods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility. To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or editors, assume any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a m atter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, in ­ structions, or ideas contained in the material herein. ISBN 13: 978-0-582-07234-3 (pbk)

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Darby, G raham Spain in the Seventeenth Century. (Sem inar Studies in History) I. Title II. Series 946.051

Library o f Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Darby, G raham . Spain in the seventeenth cen tu ry /G ra h am Darby. p. cm. — (Sem inar studies in history.) Includes bibliographical references an d index. ISBN 0-582-07234-4 : £4.75 1. Spain— History— H ouse o f Austria, 1516-1700. II. Series. DP171.D37 1994 946'.051— dc20 Set in 10 /1 1 point Baskerville (Li not ran)

94-1990 CIP

I. Title. 94-1990 CIP

Contents

L IST O F M APS

V

A N O T E O N CURRENCY

V

ACKNOW LEDGEM ENTS

vi

IN T R O D U C T IO N T O T H E SERIES D Y N A STIC T A B L E O F SP A N ISH R U L E R S,

v ii

1474-1700

X

Part One: T he Background 1

2

3

4

T H E S P A N ISH H A B S B U R G M O N A R C H Y

1

Origins Philip II (1556-98)

1 2

King, councils and Cortes Kingdoms and provinces Finance Military organization The economy Conclusion

5 5 9 12 18 21 24

T H E R E IG N O F P H IL IP III,

Part Two: Descriptive Analysis 1598-1621 King and valido Las Paces The expulsion of the Moriscos The Pax Hispanica Zuniga and war The call for reform

25 25 28 28 29 31 34

(1) 1621-43 Olivares Reform Years of success, 1621-25 Years of setbacks, 1628-39 A year of disasters, 1640 The fall of Olivares

37 37 39 42 45 52 55

G O V E R N M E N T A N D R E SO U R C E S

T H E R E IG N O F P H IL IP IV,

Contents 5

T H E R E IG N O F PH IL IP iv, (2) 1643-65 Survival, 1643-48 Revival, 1649-56 The Treaty of the Pyrenees, 1659 The end of the reign

58 58 62 64 66

6

T H E R E IG N O F C H A R L E S II, 1665-1700 The regency and Don Juan, 1665-79 Crisis and reform, 1676-91 War, faction and succession, 1690-1700 Postscript: the War of the Spanish Succession, 1702-14

69 69 73 77 82

Part Three: Assessm ent 7

IV

T H E D E C L IN E O F SP A IN ?

84

Part Four: D ocum ents

90

GLOSSARY

117

BIBLIOGRAPHY

119

IN D E X

126

List o f maps

1 The Spanish Monarchy in Europe in the seventeenth century 2 The Netherlands, 1621-1648

ix 48

A note on currency Maravedi: The basic unit of account. Real: Silver coin worth 34 maravedis. Ducado: Ducat. A unit of account equal to 375 maravedis. Escudo: A gold coin worth 440 maravedis from 1609 but in Castilian accounts generally referred to as the escudo de diez reales worth 340 maravedis. Peso: American treasure was expressed in pesos: 272 maravedis. Vellon: A fractional coin of silver and copper which eventually became all copper. The ducat ‘was used only in payments inside Castile, to calculate vellon, which had no currency outside Castile. Payments in silver were virtually all made outside Castile and were reckoned in escudos, which were theoretically worth fewer maravedis than the ducat but which in practice came to be about the same value, so that estimates in asientos use both ducats and escudos (21, p. XII). The Portuguese cruzado was worth about 15-20 per cent less than the Castilian ducat; the Neapolitan ducat about 30 per cent less. There were 3 to 4 livres toumais (the French money of account) to the ducat, and about 3 ducats to the pound sterling. Rates, of course, varied. See also (33, 35 and 67).

v

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the Head Master, Mr Tommy Cookson, and the Governors of King Edward VI School, Southam pton, for granting me a leave of absence to write this book. On my sabbatical I enjoyed the hospitality of the University of Southam pton and Trinity College, Oxford. The University Library at Southam pton has been particularly helpful to me. I would also like to thank Dr Kevin Sharpe and Dr Alastair Duke, and Professor J. H. Elliott, for their helpful criticisms of several chapters, and Dr Norman Ball for his friendly advice on the book in its entirety. Roger Lockyer deserves a special m ention for all his skill in cutting the manuscript down to size; and finally I must thank my wife, Rose, for putting the text on disk, and my daughters, Natalie and Charlotte, for not erasing it. Cover: Equestrian portrait of the Duke of Lerma by Peter Paul Rubens. Prado, Madrid. Photo: Bridgeman Art Library. To the memory of my father, Henry Joseph Darby (1918-1986)

Seminar Studies in History

Introduction to the series U nder the editorship of a distinguished historian, Seminar Studies in History covers major themes in British and European history. The authors are acknowledged experts in their field and the volumes are works of scholarship in their own right as well as providing a survey of current historical interpretations. They are constantly updated, to take account of the latest research. Each title has a brief introduction or background to the subject, a substantial section of analysis, followed by an assessment, a docum ents section and a bibliography as a guide to further study. The documents enable the reader to see how historical judge­ ments are reached and also to question and challenge them. The material is carefully selected to give the advanced student sufficient confidence to handle different aspects of the theme as well as being enjoyable and interesting to read. In short, Seminar Studies offer clearly written, authoritative and stimulating intro­ ductions to im portant topics, bridging the gap between the general textbook and the specialised monograph. Seminar Studies in History were the creation of Patrick Richardson, a gifted and original teacher who died tragically in an accident in 1979. The continuing vitality of the series is a tribute to his vision. Roger Lockyer

T he General Editor Roger Lockyer, Emeritus Reader in History at the University of London, is the author of a num ber of books on Tudor and Stuart history, including Buckingham, a political biography of George Villiers, first Duke of Buckingham, 1592-1628, and The Early Stuarts; A Political History of England 1603 -1642. He has also written two widely used general surveys - Tudor and Stuart Britain and Habsburg and Bourbon Europe. vii

Note on the system of references

A bold num ber in round brackets (5) in the text refers the reader to the corresponding entry in the Bibliography section at the end of the book. A bold num ber in square brackets, preceded by ‘d o c\ [doc. 6] , refers the reader to the corresponding item in the section of Documents, which follows the main text. Items followed by an asterisk * the first time they appear in the paragraph are explained in the Glossary.

S