HIST 32105   SPAIN THE FIRST GLOBAL EMPIRE 1469-1714

Course Description:

This course surveys the history of Imperial Spain from the unification of the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon in 1469 until the end of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714. We begin with an examination of Spain’s rise from a mere agglomeration of kingdoms to an empire of global proportions. We will devote the next portion of the course to studying the imperial system that developed under the Habsburgs. In the later part of the course, we will immerse ourselves in the politics and culture of the seventeenth century and examine the monarchy during its so-called decline: a period in which political, economic, and demographic crises coincided with a Golden Age in cultural achievements in the realms of literature, theater, architecture, and painting.

By the end of the course, students will be able to place the history of Spain in the early modern era within broad pan-European and Atlantic contexts. They will understand what made the Spanish imperial system successful and, likewise, what were its inherent weaknesses. Students will also become familiar with and appreciate the substantial cultural output of the period.

Required Texts:

John Cowans, ed. Early Modern Spain: A Documentary History (University of Pennsylvania, 2003).

Silvia Z. Mitchell, Queen, Mother, and Stateswoman: Mariana of Austria and the Government of Spain (Penn State University Press, 2019)

Alexandra Parma Cook and Noble David Cook, Good Faith and Truthful Ignorance: A Case of Transatlantic Bigamy (Duke University, 1991).

Sherry Velasco, The Lieutenant Nun: Transgenderism, Lesbian Desire, and Catalina de Erauso (University of Texas, 2001)

Silvia Z. Mitchell and Erica Heinsen-Roach, eds. Ibero-Dutch Imperial Entanglements in the Seventeenth Century: Conflict and Collaboration in Global Perspective (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025); ebook available in the HHSE library.

Learning Goals

1. Students will acquire a solid understanding of how the Spanish Monarchy was born, grew, and developed from a series of kingdoms to an empire of global proportions that shaped the history of the world.
2. Students will be able to identify the composition and the shifts of the geographic scope of the Spanish Monarchy from 1469 to 1713.
3. Students will gain a sophisticated understanding of women’s contributions to the political and cultural history of Spain in the period covered in the course.
4. Students will be able to identify the role of dynastic marriages and succession in shaping the history of Spain, Europe, and the World from 1469 to 1713.

Learning Guides (60 points total): A good portion of your grade will come from the Learning Guides (two learning guides and a draft). This assignment consists of a series of questions that you will answer (essay format) based on the readings and lectures. This assignment will allow you to master the material for the course in a gradual manner. Expectations and grading criteria will be fully explained. I have also included a 10-point draft of a portion of Learning Guide 1, so that you get to practice and improve your work before you submit the final product. This assignment will be used to evaluate the Learning Outcomes. It is imperative that you approach completion of the Learning Guides gradually and conscientiously to do well in class. I will give incentives in the participation grade as well.

Spanish Women and the Arts Project (20 points total): This period in the history of Spain is associated with a flourishing of the arts; in this project, students will investigate how women contributed to the Golden Age of Spain in various ways. You will pick an artifact, a topic, an artist, or a theme that is associated with women as either subjects, patrons, or artists. The arts are broadly defined and can extend to theater, literature, fashion, material culture, paintings, sculpture, architecture, and so forth. The final product will be a self-running power point with voice over (or equivalent format).

Guided Participation Assignment (20 points total): You will answer a series of questions about the readings.

Grade Distribution and Due Dates:

Students must complete all major assignments in order to receive a passing grade for the course (Learning Guides 1 and 2 and Spanish Women and the Arts Project).

Grading Scale

100-98 = A+ 97-93 = A

92-90 = A-

89-88 = B+ 87-83 = B

82-80 = B-

79-78 = C+ 77-73 = C

72-70 = C-

69-68 = D+ 67-63 = D

62-60 = D-

Expectations and Policies

You are expected to attend class, but considering the current situation as well as potential weather disruptions, I will attempt to the best of my ability to record lectures and allow Zoom access to those that are prevented from coming to class. Completion of the assignments when they are due is expected, but again, your health should be first. If you are having difficulties, you need to let me know. If you are having learning difficulties, you need to make an appointment and talk to me about it. I cannot help you if I don’t know what’s going on with you.

Academic Integrity

Plagiarism or any sort of cheating will result in a failing grade for the entire course and, likely, the case will be referred to the Dean of Students Office. Cheating can take many forms, including, but not limited to, passing someone else’s work for one’s own, copying from another student’s work during an exam, or using unauthorized material. Familiarize yourself with Purdue’s policy on Academic Integrity. http://www.purdue.edu/odos/osrr/academicintegritybrochure.php

Disclaimer:

In the event of a major campus emergency, the above requirements, deadlines, and grading policies are subject to changes that may be required by a revised semester calendar. Any such changes in this course will be posted on Brightspace once the course resumes or can be obtained by contacting the professor via email.

Course Schedule

Week 1 (January 13-15):

The Birth of Spain: Union of Crowns under the Catholic Monarchs Isabel and Fernando

Readings:

Mitchell, “Spanish Habsburgs” start reading Chapter 1: “From Four Dynasties, One”

Cowans, “King Ferdinand, Marriage Concessions, 1469,” 7-9

Week 2 (January 20-22):

Readings:

Mitchell, “Spanish Habsburgs” continue reading start reading Chapter 1: “From Four Dynasties, One” Review PPs, Brightspace, Section: Union of Crown; Spain under the Catholic Monarchs

Cowans, “Treaty of the Kingdom of Granada,” “Columbus, Letter on the New World,” and “Decree of Expulsion of the Jews”

Week 3 (January 27-29):

Emperor Charles V (1506-1556): Dynastic Foundations, Imperial Expansion

Readings:

Review PPs, Brightspace, Section: Emperor Charles V (1506-1556): Dynastic Foundations, Imperial Expansion Mitchell, “Spanish Habsburgs” finish reading Chapter 1: “From Four Dynasties, One”

Cowans, “The Requirement,” “The Conquest of Mexico,” “Demands of the Comuneros,”

Week 4 (February 3-5):

Readings:

Review PPs, Brightspace, Section: Emperor Charles V (1506-1556): Dynastic Foundations, Imperial Expansion Mitchell, “Spanish Habsburgs,” Start reading chapter 2: Charles V’s Dynastic Project

Cowans, “Charles V Statement on Luther,” “Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda, Just War in the Indies (ca. 1547)” and “Bartolomé de las Casas, Thirty Propositions (1552)”

Week 5 (February 10-12):

Readings:

Review PPs, Brightspace, Section: Emperor Charles V (1506-1556): Dynastic Foundations, Imperial Expansion Mitchell, “Spanish Habsburgs,” finish chapter 2: Charles V’s Dynastic Project

Cook and Cook, Part 1: The Indies

Draft, Learning Guide 1 DUE February 10. Upload to Brightspace by 11:59.

Week 6 (February 17-19):

Philip II and the Monarquía Hispánica (1556-1598)

Review PPs, Brightspace, Section: Philip II and the Monarquía Hispánica (1556-1598) Mitchell, “The Spanish Habsburgs”

Cowans, “Margaret of Parma, The Situation in the Low Countries (1566)”

Cowans, “The Council of State, Events in Antwerp (1576)” and “Philip II, The Portuguese Succession,” “On the causes of the Armada Defeat”

Cook and Cook, Part 2: The Trial

Week 7 (February 24-26):

Readings:

Review PPs, Brightspace, Section: Philip II and the Monarquía Hispánica (1556-1598)

Cook and Cook, finish the rest and complete and upload the Guided Participation Assignment 1, Due by Feb. 26 11:59 p.m.

Week 8 (March 3-5):

Time to work on Learning Guide 1. LG1 Due March 5, upload to Brightspace by 11:59 p.m.

Week 9 (March 10-12):

Spanish Women and the Arts Project, Instructions; Research Proposal due by the end of the week. Velasco, Lieutenant Nun

Week 10: (March 17-19): SPRING BREAK

Week 11: (March 31-April 2)

Velasco, Lieutenant Nun, finish the rest and complete and upload Guided Participation Assignment 2, due April 2 by 11:59 p.m.

Philip III’s Pax Hispanica and the Flourishing of the Court (1598-1621)

Cowans, “Martín González de Cellorigo, The Restoration of the Republic (1600),” “Decree of Expulsion of the Moriscos (1609),” and “The Archbishop of Seville, On the Expulsion of the Moriscos (1610)”

Mitchell and Heinsen-Roach, eds. “(Mitchell): The Iberian Monarchies of Spain and Portugal,” “(M. Boscariol) An Artificial Island,” “(P. Borschberg) Armada in the East”

Week 12 (April 7-9):

The Two Reigns of Philip IV (1621-1665)

Cowans, “The Count-Duke of Olivares, Instructions on Government (1624),” and “Philip IV, Decree Pardoning the Catalan Rebels (1644)”

Mitchell and Heisen-Roach, Ibero-Dutch Entanglements, eds. “(S. Litrel) And Spain Did not even come to the rescue”

Week 13: (April 14-16)

Mitchell, Queen, Mother, and Stateswoman, Introduction, Chapter 1-2

Cowans, “The Velázquez Investigation (1658-1659)”

Week 14 (April 21-23):

Mariana of Austria’s Regency: Resolving Political Crisis and Charting a New Path, 1665-1675

Mitchell, Queen, Mother, and Stateswoman, Chapters 3-5 Cowans, “Treaty Between Spain and Portugal (1668)”

Mitchell and Heisen-Roach, Ibero-Dutch Entanglements, eds. “(Mitchell) Spanish Dutch Collaboration”

Spanish Women and the Arts assignment due April 23 by 11:59 p.m.

Week 15 (April 28-30):

Carlos II’s Reforming Reign 1665-1700

Mitchell, Queen, Mother, and Stateswoman, Chapters, Chapters 6, 7, and Epilogue

Mitchell and Heisen-Roach, Ibero-Dutch Entanglements, eds. (Heinsen-Roach) “The Battle of Stromboli”

Cowans, “Laws of the Habsburg Monarchy,” “The Marquis of Villars, Memoirs of the Court of Spain (1678-1682),” and “Alexander Stanhope, Spain Under Charles II (1696-1699)”

Additional readings TBA.

Finals Week (May 1-6)

Learning Guide 2 DUE May 4; upload to Brightspace by 11:59 p.m