Óscar Alfredo Ruiz Fernández. England and Spain in the Early Modern Era: Royal Love, Diplomacy, Trade and Naval Relations, 1604–25.

Abstract

Óscar Alfredo Ruiz Fernández’s England and Spain in the Early Modern Era examines diplomatic relations between Spain and England during the first quarter of the seventeenth century. The influence of Spanish diplomacy in English international politics is explored through the activity of the Spanish ambassadors ­living in London between 1604 and 1625, years of peace between the two countries. Spanish diplomacy with England is summarized by “neutrality, tolerance, and control” (171) vis-à-vis the English host since, as the author vindicates, Spain used “a seduction game” to maintain its position of power in England. The highlight of this work is the sizeable amount of Spanish and English archival sources. The author investigates “Spanish diplomatic machinery” through centralized and transversal communication (170). The crux of the sources is the correspondence from ­­diplomats, officers, secret audiences, and bookkeepers added to the personal stories of couriers, soldiers, ­­officers, shipwreck survivors, pirates, monks, confidants, and...