The Spanish Seaborne EmpireThe Spanish empire in America was the first of the great seaborne empires of western Europe; it was for long the richest and the most formidable, the focus of envy, fear, and hatred. Its haphazard beginning dates from 1492; it was to last more than three hundred years before breaking up in the early nineteenth century in civil wars between rival generals and "liberators." Available now for the first time in paperback is J. H. Parry's classic assessment of the impact of Spain on the Americas. Parry presents a broad picture of the conquests of Cortès and Pizarro and of the economic and social consequences in Spain of the effort to maintain control of vast holdings. He probes the complex administration of the empire, its economy, social structure, the influence of the Church, the destruction of the Indian cultures and the effect of their decline on Spanish policy. As we approach the quincentenary of Columbus's arrival in the Americas, Parry provides the historical basis for a new consideration of the former Spanish colonies of Latin America and the transformation of pre-Columbian cultures to colonial states. |
Contents
Introduction by J H Plumb | 13 |
PROLOGUE The tradition of conquest | 27 |
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF EMPIRE I Islands and mainland in the Ocean | 39 |
Seville and the Caribbean | 53 |
The kingdoms of the sun ུ ྂ ཧྨ 4 The conquerors | 83 |
The society of conquest | 99 |
The maritime lifeline | 117 |
THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF EMPIRE 7 Rights and duties | 137 |
THE COST OF EMPIRE II Demographic catastrophe | 213 |
Economic dependence | 229 |
Peril by sea | 251 |
THE ENDURANCE OF EMPIRE 14 Decline and recovery | 273 |
Caribbean conflicts | 292 |
Growth and reorganisation | 307 |
THE DISINTEGRATION OF EMPIRE | 327 |
The Creole revolt | 344 |
The spreading of the Faith | 152 |
The ordering of society | 173 |
The enforcement of law | 192 |
CONCLUSION The aftermath of empire | 361 |
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Common terms and phrases
administrative Andalusia army Atlantic audiencia authority Aztecs became Buenos Aires cabildo Cadiz Caribbean Carrera Cartagena Casas Castile centres Christian Church civilised coast colonial conquest conquistadores Cortés Council Creole Cruz Cuzco decline Diego Colón Dutch duties early economic effective eighteenth century empire encomenderos encomienda English Europe European export fleet flotas force France French friars governors Granada guarda-costas harbours Havana Hispaniola important Inca independence Indians Indies trade industry islands King kingdoms labour land legislation Lima Madrid maize Maya ment merchants mestizos Mexico military mines mission monopoly native naturally naval officials organisation peninsular Peru Philip Pizarro Plata political population ports Portuguese production provinces repartimiento Río royal rulers sailed settlement settlers seventeenth century Seville ships silver sixteenth century slaves social society South Spain Spaniards Spanish America Spanish Crown Spanish Empire Spanish government tion towns tribute Vera Cruz viceregal viceroy viceroyalty vols