Henry Kamen's Spain 1469-1714, a Society in Conflict is a political history spanning the growth and length of Spain's Imperialism and colonial empire. It is also a study of how religious conflict created among Catholics, Jews and Muslims shaped the political agenda of the crown. At the same time there were internal conflicts, Spain both as an alliance of Argon and Castile and later as a part of the Habsburg empire, then the Bourbons, was thrust into a global role in the new world, the Netherlands and Italy. It is a narrative/exposition approach that uses religious and economic strands as well as politics to explore the conflicts that shaped Spain as it passed from individual kingdoms into a modern state. Kamen provides an extensive bibliography including many Spanish sources, none of which appears to include original source material.

Part one of the book focuses on the period from 1469 to 1516, which Kamen calls "The Catholic Kings." It is a time period that is often looked upon as Spain's golden age. The marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella united the kingdoms of Argon and Castile. Both kingdoms evolved in different ways which created potential sources of conflict. It was to Isabella and Ferdinand's credit that their major focus remained the pacification of Spain. Kamen investigates their pacification efforts through seven venues: hermandades, aristocracy, the municipalities, the Military Orders, the councils of state, justice and the Cortes. One of the contributing factors to conflict cited by Kamen throughout this period and all succeeding reigns was the crown's need to raise money. In spite of the wealth that came in from the America's, the Spanish treasury was always in need of money. Kamen, in effect, built as case for self-perpetuating conflict -conflict needs armies that needed money that created more conflict as the crown tried to raise it.

The kings that followed Isabella/Ferdinand set different agendas. Charles V and his descendants committed themselves to Castile and their center of government. They financed their activities by tapping four major sources: Argon, Castile, the church and the Americas. However, the Americas never became the cash cow that the kings and councilors had hoped because the trade business was dominated by foreigners with Spain functioning only as a conduit. Consequently, the government periodically declared bankruptcy to cancel its debts.

Religion was one of the other strands Kamen uses to develop his society in conflict themes. Phillip II, an extremely religious monarch, instituted the Inquisition. This required a nationalized church and its purpose was to reconvert the general population back to Catholicism. It coincided with the expelling of all the Moriscos which in itself created demographic problems and a lower tax base with its corresponding economic consequences.

Kamen continues with the economic, religious and political conflict themes through the reign of Philip V who finally unifies the country and ends the power of the old aristocracy. The empire also came to an end. The book concludes with Kamen arguing that the debate over the future is as uncertain today as it was in 1714.

The book is an outstanding portrait of Spain during the empire days. Although it had a colonial empire during this period and was recognized as a world power, Kamen's thorough analysis reveals the weakness inherent in all phases of society. It was truly a society in conflict.

About time the Prudent King received treatment worth his contemporaneous status! Not much has been written on Phillip II that would pass the most superficial test of historical accuracy. This book, a survey of his reign, is balanced and well written. Kamen describes neither a demon (the characterization of Phillip which most English readers would find familiar) nor a saint (the preferred version among Spanish monarchists), but the first modern bureaucrat. Kamen scholarship has some precursors in the English historical world, ie Elton, Parker, but his contribution to popular history in the form of biography is unique at this point. The 30 Years War, the casus belli for Modern Europe, is inconceivable without Phillip II's presence. This book paints with an informed brush the Spanish dynastic cause. I recommend this book highly.

Kamen offers a very complete and detailed description of the great grandson of the Catholic Kings and the difficulty of managing the most extensive empire the world has ever known. The facts are taken from great sources and presented in an honest fashion. Kamen strays from legends and myths and even challenges some of them as he did in "The Spanish Inquisition". The dedication of Felipe II to his realm is explained realisticly. Finally, the chronology is followed with discipline and is commendable. I would recommend this book to anyone desiring information on this Hapsburg leader.

That's right! I am, at this moment, making a powerful epic screenplay about the greatest king in the 1500s. It is called PHILIP, KING OF SPAIN - and it will star me as the great king Philip II. I will show him as the man, the king, the warrior, the father, the husband, and the ruler of his court!

So forget about those other little biopics like THE LAST EMPEROR, AMADEUS, ELIZABETH, and others! PHILIP, KING OF SPAIN will be an Academy Award-winning, Best Picture epic film made by yours truly - Kristoffer Infante! It will be a companion to my other Oscar-winning Best Picture, PRISONER OF WAR - written, directed, produced, and starring me - and TRIANGLE, another Oscar-winning Best Picture!

I will be faithful to the man and the myth, and destroy all that negativity that has dogged Philip in the last 400 years! Philip will be loved and appreciated again!

Count on it!

This is an effort to produce an unbiased description and analysis of the Spanish Inquisition. Based on Kamen's remarkably thorough knowledge of early modern Spain, Kamen takes pains to present the Spanish Inquisition as neither the Black Legend of liberal 19th century historians or the needed force of Catholic apologists. As shown by Kamen, the Spanish Inquisition was not nearly as powerful or inhumane as its critics allege. He demonstrates that many of its most unsavory features were not products of a particularly brutal regime but in fact conventional for early modern europe. This book contains a wealth of interesting detail and Kamen meets his primary goal, that of presenting the inquisition in an objective fashion. This book has a major defect, which is its poor organization. Kamen presents this study in a series of topical essays with some overlapping and redundant narrative in each chapter. This often obscures the sequence in which important events occurred. In addition, important material for understanding the whole inquisition, such as its organization and methods, is not presented until well into the book, obscuring understanding of material in the earlier chapters. Despite Kamen's intent to produce a book for general readers, the organization of the book is really suited best for professional historians seeking information on controversial topics. This book is also limited in the sense that Kaman cannot, ultimately, account for the emergence of the Inquisition in Spain though one has the impression that it has a somewhat accidental character, and that it might have been a transient institution without the occurrence of the Reformation.

Kamen admirably doesn't attempt to answer all of the many questions that the Spanish Inquisition brings up. Neither does he attempt to reduce it to a simple explanation. Instead he shows us many aspects of the complicated history of the most famous tribunal in the world. Kamen's work is even handed and attempts to understand the Spanish Inquisition on a historical rather than polemic basis.

Kamen's book does fall down in two ways however. At times his arguments seem weak. For instance, in his discussion of inquisitorial censoring and its affect on Spanish literature he uses book sellers in Barcelona in an attempt to show that it the index of banned books had little effect. However, in other parts of the book he repeatedly points out in Catalan in general and Barcelona in specific the Inquisition had little power. Kamen also fails to give any kind of comparison of Spanish literary output before and after the index.

Kamen's second weakness is his failure to put the Spanish Inquisition in context. To a certain extent this is understandable. The book is already over 300 pages, not counting end notes, and a line needs to be drawn somewhere. However, it leaves out any details of the medieval inquisitions that were the basis for the Spanish Inquisition. It also doesn't do a very good job of comparing the Inquisition to other tribunals and judicial systems.

It also would have been nice if Kamen's final chapter "Inventing the Inquisition" had done a better job of explaining how the mythology of the Inquisition grew to be. For what it's worth, Edward Peters' Inquisition delves into many of these issues in more detail.

One note regarding the reader below from Florida. He recommends Jean Plaidy's Spanish Inquisition. It is worth noting that Plaidy's books are 40 years out of date and includes none of the wave of research that was came out in the 70s. For instance, Plaidy contends that the Isabella and Ferdinand "were determined to have a unified country, and they did not believe this ambition could be achieved unless all their subjects accepted one religion." This contention is hard to support given that Ferdinand and Isabella allowed Muslims to exist in their kingdom for 20 years after they forced Jews to convert or be exiled. It wasn't until the rule of Charles V that Muslims were given the choice between baptism and exile.

The Spanish Inqusition is one of the frightening stories that everyone hears as they grow. Henry Kamen, through some vicious research, finally disspells many of the myths and legends associated with it. Methodically showing what the Spanish Inqusition really was and how it was not nearly as bad as it has been played out to be, Kamen does an excellent job of putting together a book full of first hand accounts of what went on, who the accussers and accussed were and who really went to be burned at the stake.

However, the book does fall short it its attempts to be for the general reader. Where Kamen's research excels, his writting seems to suffer as information is not as well organized as it should be and some information is repeated quite often when it shouldn't. This makes it hard to trudge through and leaves it to be a wonderful resourse for professional historians, not for the everyday reader.

However, if one is daring to learn more about what really happened during this time, this is a wonderful book to start with. Just a rule of advice: Follow the rule of the historian and view things objectively and don't apply todays moral standards to yesterdays events. To many other readers (as can be seen in the reviews) try to do this and come up with a very negative opinion of the book. One has to realize that the time period being looked at differed greatly from ours today and that disciplining was much harsher than it is now (This was a period where one could be executed for running in the street naked). With this in mind, enjoy.