| Philip III and the Pax Hispanica, 1598-1621: The Failure of Grand Strategy Contributor(s): Allen, Paul C. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0300076827 ISBN-13: 9780300076820 Publisher: Yale University Press OUR PRICE: $73.26 Product Type: Hardcover Published: February 2000 Annotation: This intriguing book argues that the sixteenth-century treaties King Philip III forged with Spain's most powerful enemies were not intended to ensure a permanent peace. Instead, the author shows, Philip's plan was to lull his foes, thereby enabling Spain to regain its strength after fifty years of incessant and expensive warfare. Ending the truce and resuming war with the Dutch, the English, and the French were all a part of the grand strategy. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Europe - Spain & Portugal - Political Science |
| Dewey: 946.054 |
| LCCN: 99040557 |
| Series: Yale Historical Publications |
| Physical Information: 0.81" H x 6.14" W x 9.21" (1.47 lbs) 352 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 16th Century - Chronological Period - 17th Century - Cultural Region - Western Europe |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Impoverished and exhausted after fifty years of incessant warfare, the great Spanish Empire at the turn of the sixteenth century negotiated treaties with its three most powerful enemies: England, France, and the Netherlands. This intriguing book examines the strategies that led King Philip III to extend the laurel branch to his foes. Paul Allen argues that, contrary to widespread belief, the king's gestures of peace were in fact part of a grand strategy to enable Spain to regain military and economic strength while its opponents were falsely lulled away from their military pursuits. From the outset, Allen contends, Philip and his advisers intended the Pax Hispanica to continue only until Spain was able to resume its battles--and defeat its enemies. Drawing on primary sources from the four countries involved, the book begins with a discussion of how Spanish foreign policy was formulated and implemented to achieve political and religious aims. The author investigates the development of Philip's "peace" strategy, the Twelve Years' Truce, and the decision to end the truce and engage in war with the Dutch, and then with the English and French. Renewed warfare was no failure of peace policy, Allen shows, but a conscious decision to pursue a consistent strategy. Nevertheless the negotiation for peace did represent a new diplomatic method with significant implications for both the future of the Spanish Empire and the practices of European diplomacy. |