THE SPANISH CENTURIES

by Alan Lloyd ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 5, 1968

Lloyd, relying upon the primary research of others, has written a staunchly interesting account of Spain's triumphs, abasements and the lasting legacy that arises out of five centuries of nationhood and the preceding era when Christian princes began their reconquest of the Iberian peninsula from that Islamic foe--a conflict that was to endure for almost eight hundred years. While one might question his distribution of space and attention--nineteenth century Cuba and the present Franco regime do not get their due--one can admire his revisionary interpretations of Ferdinand and Isabella, a parvenu, Columbus and a resourceful Cortez, and the mixed virtues of Simon Bolivar. Lloyd (The Making of the King--1066 appeared in 1966) is a better than popular historian and often deals with the countryside as an active determinant of a people's fate. Here also the tragedy of Spain emerges through its failure to deal with the domination of the Church and a neurasthenic monarchic tradition and with its concomitant contempt for the pragmatic energies which have moved other western nations into the modern world more than a century ago.

Pub Date: April 5, 1968

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1968

Categories: NONFICTION