Sublime
An inspiration engine for ideas
There was no imperial ‘grand strategy’ to make Spain the centre of a world economy: indeed, such a plan would have been futile. Instead, Philip II devoted the ‘royal fifth’ – the monarchy’s share of the silver stream – to the struggle to uphold Spain’s pre-eminence in Europe against rivals and rebels.
John Darwin • After Tamerlane: The Rise and Fall of Global Empires, 1400-2000
Pedro Girón Acuña Pacheco.
He was a powerful noble and the Grand Master of the Order of Calatrava, one of the most influential military orders in Castile. In 1466, Isabella’s half-brother, King Henry IV, arranged her betrothal to Pedro Girón as a political move to secure loyalty from the powerful Girón family.
However, just days after the betrothal a
... See moreThe reconquest of Spain from Muslim rulers by the mid thirteenth century had encouraged the opening of a regular sea route between the Mediterranean and the ports of the English Channel and the North Sea. Lisbon, Seville and later Cadiz became the connecting links between the Atlantic and Mediterranean systems. Long before Columbus, Atlantic Iberia
... See moreJohn Darwin • After Tamerlane: The Rise and Fall of Global Empires, 1400-2000
