Content
Acknowledgments
Notes on Names
Abbreviations
Dynastic Chart
Introduction: The Historical and International Significance of Mariana’s Regency
1 A Habsburg Destiny, 1634–16652 Mariana’s Court and Political System, 1665–1667
3 Resolving Philip IV’s Legacy, 1665–1668
4 Consolidating Power at Home, 1668–1670
5 At the Pinnacle of Power, 1670 to November 5, 1675
6 The Politics of Motherhood, November 6, 1675, to 1677
7 Reconciliation, Vindication, Triumph, 1678–1679
Conclusion: Mariana’s Historical Legacy
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Silvia Z. Mitchell is Associate Professor of Early Modern European History at Purdue University.
“Contains many insights that help us to understand a very complex
series of events. This is an important book that people will want
to read. It will be invaluable for undergraduate courses on Spanish
and European history, as well as an essential point of reference
for future research into the exciting world of early modern Spanish
political and cultural history.”—Alistair Malcolm Bulletin of
Spanish Studies
“An impressive work of scholarship that adds a great deal not only
to our knowledge of late Hapsburg Spain, but also to the field of
queenship studies by increasing our understanding of both the life
of this formidable royal woman and the mechanisms and challenges of
female regency itself.”—Elena Woodacre Royal Studies Journal
“Built upon a base of impressive archival research, Mitchell has
provided an illuminating analysis of a ruler whose historical
reputation has been the victim of incomplete, stereotypical, and
even misogynist characterizations.”—Elizabeth A. Lehfeldt
Renaissance Studies
“An imaginative and wholly original account of a ruler who is
regarded as the personification of Spain’s seventeenth-century
decline as an imperial power. Mitchell revises the traditional view
of Mariana as the hapless pawn of her confessors and male courtiers
and shows her to be a fiercely independent woman capable of
decisive action in domestic and foreign affairs as well as a ruler
who successfully managed to defend the interests and reputation of
Spain’s Habsburg monarchy. This book is a valuable contribution to
the growing body of literature on early modern queenship.”—Richard
L. Kagan,author of Clio and the Crown: The Politics of History in
Medieval and Early Modern Spain
“Countering the common perception of Mariana de Austria as weak,
too young to govern, and easily manipulated, Silvia Mitchell
demonstrates that Mariana was a forceful, effective regent during
the period of her son’s minority (1665-75). Grounded solidly in
fresh archival research, Queen, Mother, and Stateswoman will
advance the historical debate on Mariana, on seventeenth-century
royal favorites, and on the court of Charles II of
Spain.”—Magdalena Sánchez,author of The Empress, the Queen, and the
Nun: Women and Power at the Court of Philip III of Spain
“Mitchell mines court archives and state records to demonstrate
that Mariana of Austria had clear and consistent diplomatic and
military strategies as queen regent, and he establishes her as part
of a long tradition of strong female leadership in early modern
European courts. This work fills a significant gap in our
understanding of the late seventeenth-century Spanish court and
supports recent arguments in favor of Spanish resilience rather
than decline under the last Habsburgs.”—Jodi Campbell,author of At
the First Table: Food and Social Identity in Early Modern Spain
“Silvia Mitchell’s work is an important revisionist study of the
regency of Mariana of Austria, mother of the last Spanish Habsburg.
Based upon wide-ranging and detailed research, it has considerable
implications for a much more positive understanding than has
prevailed hitherto not only of the last decades of Habsburg rule in
Spain but also, more broadly, of female political agency in early
modern Europe.”—Christopher Storrs,author of The Resilience of the
Spanish Monarchy, 1665–1700
“Mit der weitgehenden Revision älterer Bilder vom Handeln einer
Regentin steht Mitchells Buch zugleich in einer Reihe mit kürzeren
wie längeren Untersuchungen, die immer wieder nachweisen, wie stark
unser Blick auf dynastische Herrschaft und die Relevanz von Frauen
in diesem Kontext bis heute von Sichtweisen des 19. Jahrhunderts
bzw.”—Katrin Keller Zeitschrift für Historische
Forschung—Redaktion
“Die Untersuchung dieser Regentin am Vorabend des Spanischen
Erbfolgekrieges aber einen wichtigen Beitrag zur spanischen und
habsburgischen Geschichte und zur Geschlechtergeschichte und kann
als Ausgangpunkt für einen internationalen Vergleich dienen.”—Elena
Taddei Sehepunkte
“This book sets out to explore and answer certain questions
pertaining to regency, agency, favouritism and motherhood, and
satisfactorily delivers.”—Jonathan Spangler Journal of
Ecclesiastical History
“Silvia Mitchell’s book uses a microhistorical approach to
comprehend larger questions, such as the political and diplomatic
situation of the Spanish Monarchy during the second half of the
seventeenth century. She also employs methodology from gender
studies and queenship that allows her to shed light on new and
insightful aspects of Mariana’s regency which have not been
studied.”—Valentina Marguerite Kozák The Middle Ground Journal
“This book differs from other preexisting studies, as it
intelligently examines Mariana’s regency without focusing on the
prominence of [Nithard and Valenzuela] . . . allowing the queen
mother to be the centre figure of the research.”—Valentina
Marguerite Kozák The Middle Ground Journal
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