[.ca] Empire: How Spain Became a World Power, 1492-1763 (ISBN 0060932643)

Solid Study:
This is an interesting history of the Spanish Empire from its foundation at the end of the Reconquest of Spain to the 18th century. The author is a leading authority on early modern Spain. Kamen has two primary objectives. The first is simply to provide an accurate narrative history of the Empire. The second is to rebut nationalistic claims that the Spanish Empire resulted from the formation and activities of a powerful Spanish (actually Castillian) state. As can be seen by some of the negative comments of prior reviewers, this second objective is surprisingly controversial. Kamen demonstrates well that early modern Castille was not a strong state and that the assembly of the huge Spanish Empire resulted from a confluence of factors that had relatively little to do with the strength of Castille. A crucial fact was the dynastic good luck of the Castillian state. A series of very competent rulers - Ferdinand and Isabella, Charles V, Phillip II - were in charge during the formation of the Empire. Beyond their own personal abilities, they were also pan-European figures and the formation of the Empire owed a great deal to the fact that the ruling dynasty was able to tap into the talents and capital of other European entities. The Castillian monarchs also exercised power in the Low Countries and Italy, and under Charles V, in Central Europe. These territories and resources were crucial for building the Empire. Kamen shows very well the multi-ethnic and trans-national aspects of the Empire. A great deal of the capital for overseas investment came from Italy. Italians, Flemings, and Germans were all important servants of the Crown. The assembly of the Empire in the Western Hemisphere was largely a private enterprise though the Crown did provide crucial captial and sanctions. While most have concentrated on the Western Hemisphere, Kamen does an excellent job of reviewing the Empire in Europe and imperial efforts in North Africa. Kamen is concerned also with undermining the view that the conquest of the Americas was due to the overwhelming power of the Europeans. He points out repeatedly the importance of native American allies and the crucial role of epidemics involving imported diseases. In this context, Kamen probably misses a chance to make an important connection. Not only did epidemic disease facilitate conquest but it really made it possible for the Europeans to impose their culture, language, and rule in permanent ways. As Hugh Thomas pointed out in his book on the conquest of Mexico, without the huge depopulations that followed the conquest, the Spanish Empire in the Western Hemisphere might have resembled British India in the 18th and early 19th centuries, an administrative European veneer over a powerful native culture. Kamen shows very well the weaknesses of the Empire. Since Castille was not a strong state, the success of the Empire depended crucially on appropriate management of resources contributed from the holdings of the Empire. Without a competent dynast at the center, problems occurred. Also, problems in one important part of the Empire tremendously affected the rest of the Empire. The revolt of the Netherlands played a large role in dissipating the windfall of precious metals from the Western Hemisphere. A real virtue of this book is how it shows how rapidly the linkages between the Americas and Europe developed. Surprisingly, however, the Castillians themselves never became particularly cosmopolitan. Despite being the center of this huge Empire, Castillians remained insular. In later decades, Spanish Emperors had difficulty finding individuals with the language skills to serve as diplomats, and Castille was relatively intellectually barren. In the long run, the inability of Spain itself to become a major financial, intellectual, or industrial center doomed the Empire to failure.

The Journal Article That Grew:
Mr Kamen has been working on Euorpean history during the sixteenth century for more than 30 years, and he knows quite a bit; this book is a sort of overgrown article for a learned journal, which somehow escaped its author's original intentions and grew too large for an article. The Spanish empire was the dynastic product of a variety of European territories and populations--prove it in 30 pages and it's publishable. But why repeat yourself five times over and extend it long past the era of the establishment of the empire, in a manuscript of 600 pages? I don't know. The thesis is proved, all right; and reproved, and reproved, and reproved. You cannot read this book without assenting, that a wide variety of territories and peoples collaborated in the growth and development of the Spanish Empire. You won't learn much about the economic, social, religious, or political motives for the empire; Mr Kamen is out to prove his thesis and not much else. Nor does he give a lot of attention simply to narrating what happened--the Dutch revolt goes unmentioned (unless you count "fighting in the Netherlands"); again, that detracts from The Thesis. My suggestion is, believe the thesis and skip reading the book, which proves it beyond, way beyond, any possible cavil.

The Black Legend Lives.:
This book is completely written on a massive negativity scale. I refuse to buy Henry Kamen's books on spanish history. This book is not worthy to be put in my library. I went to the local library and read it before I would buy it. I felt depressed and resentful after reading it. He only gives a partial explanation based on facts but unfortunately the way it is written it is one dimensional and one sided. Not enough credit is given to Castille and the massive enterprise she took in creating a worldwide empire. Everything Castille did was for the glory of Spain. Other European countries faced the same problems as Spain if not worse. Spain made good sense in using all the resources at her possesion in keeping her empire in check and in which other countries also did in creating their own empires. There is hardly anything positive that the author refers in writing this book. It is his own personal opinion in injecting a negative atmosphere throughout the book. This author is not considered an "Hispanista" and it shows on his writing so subjectively on this matter.

Finally: an Honest history of Spain's "Empire":
I cut off one star only because of the overlapping shingle writing style of the Author. Kamen should take some lessons from Garrette Mattingly (Armada) on how to communicate. I had difficulty following how each chapter jumped back in time from where the previous chapter left off. What the book amounts to is more a series of essays rather than a single work. However, after years of the politically correct propaganda which universally condemns Spain as one of the leading criminal enterprises in history, Kamen tells of honest attempts by Spain to promote Christianity in the new world points out that the Spanish Empire was not so inhearently evil as some would have us believe. Even so, Kamen is quick to point out that the result of Spain's rule was often catastrophic for her subjects. Kamen details horriffic battles against Protestants in the Netherlands, and Rampant Slavery in the New World. He also details the "Help" Spain had in maintaining her empire from all participants, primarily the Portugese, Dutch, Italians, but including even the English and Natives! Spain's role as the pipeline for European Wealth over 250 years seemed to be understood, according to Kamen, by most of the ruling class. I found the work mostly difficult to read due to style, but Kamen's matter of fact voice is refreshing in its honesty.

Erudite revisionism on a massive scale:
Henry Kamen, a well-known expert on Spanish history, gives us a new look at how the Spanish Empire was created and maintained. He makes a good case that Spain (particularly Castile) could not have kept this enterprise going without help. Influential people from other European nations had an interest -- particularly an economic interest -- in maintaining the Empire. They supplied much of the money through loans and most of the military personnel as well. Kamen assembles extensive supporting evidence for his revisionist theory. His description of the Empire as the first example of globalization is intriguing, though that globalization was of a different sort from what we see today. The more than five hundred pages of text may discourage non-academic readers. The book includes some fine color plates.