Rating: 
Summary: Erudite revisionism on a massive scale
Review: Henry Kamen, a well-known expert on Spanish history, gives us a new look at how the Spanish Empire was created and maintained. He makes a good case that Spain (particularly Castile) could not have kept this enterprise going without help. Influential people from other European nations had an interest -- particularly an economic interest -- in maintaining the Empire. They supplied much of the money through loans and most of the military personnel as well. Kamen assembles extensive supporting evidence for his revisionist theory. His description of the Empire as the first example of globalization is intriguing, though that globalization was of a different sort from what we see today. The more than five hundred pages of text may discourage non-academic readers. The book includes some fine color plates.
Rating:
Summary: Finally: an Honest history of Spain's "Empire"
Review: I cut off one star only because of the overlapping shingle writing style of the Author. Kamen should take some lessons from Garrette Mattingly (Armada) on how to communicate. I had difficulty following how each chapter jumped back in time from where the previous chapter left off. What the book amounts to is more a series of essays rather than a single work.However, after years of the politically correct propaganda which universally condemns Spain as one of the leading criminal enterprises in history, Kamen tells of honest attempts by Spain to promote Christianity in the new world points out that the Spanish Empire was not so inhearently evil as some would have us believe. Even so, Kamen is quick to point out that the result of Spain's rule was often catastrophic for her subjects. Kamen details horriffic battles against Protestants in the Netherlands, and Rampant Slavery in the New World. He also details the "Help" Spain had in maintaining her empire from all participants, primarily the Portugese, Dutch, Italians, but including even the English and Natives! Spain's role as the pipeline for European Wealth over 250 years seemed to be understood, according to Kamen, by most of the ruling class. I found the work mostly difficult to read due to style, but Kamen's matter of fact voice is refreshing in its honesty.
Rating:
Summary: Finally: an Honest history of Spain's "Empire"
Review: I cut off one star only because of the overlapping shingle writing style of the Author. Kamen should take some lessons from Garrette Mattingly (Armada) on how to communicate. I had difficulty following how each chapter jumped back in time from where the previous chapter left off. What the book amounts to is more a series of essays rather than a single work. However, after years of the politically correct propaganda which universally condemns Spain as one of the leading criminal enterprises in history, Kamen tells of honest attempts by Spain to promote Christianity in the new world points out that the Spanish Empire was not so inhearently evil as some would have us believe. Even so, Kamen is quick to point out that the result of Spain's rule was often catastrophic for her subjects. Kamen details horriffic battles against Protestants in the Netherlands, and Rampant Slavery in the New World. He also details the "Help" Spain had in maintaining her empire from all participants, primarily the Portugese, Dutch, Italians, but including even the English and Natives! Spain's role as the pipeline for European Wealth over 250 years seemed to be understood, according to Kamen, by most of the ruling class. I found the work mostly difficult to read due to style, but Kamen's matter of fact voice is refreshing in its honesty.
Rating: 
Summary: It's a shame!
Review: I only read half the book before I returned it to the bookstore. Being a graduate student in Spanish History I must say this book is full of false allegations and wrong conclusions. I spend 4 years in Salamanca too, and let me tell you, this book isn't worthy. Off course this my opinion...just like Kamen's opinion. Too bad, History should be objective, not subjective!!.
I recommend Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Diaz.
Rating: 
Summary: The Journal Article That Grew
Review: Mr Kamen has been working on Euorpean history during the sixteenth century for more than 30 years, and he knows quite a bit; this book is a sort of overgrown article for a learned journal, which somehow escaped its author's original intentions and grew too large for an article. The Spanish empire was the dynastic product of a variety of European territories and populations--prove it in 30 pages and it's publishable. But why repeat yourself five times over and extend it long past the era of the establishment of the empire, in a manuscript of 600 pages? I don't know. The thesis is proved, all right; and reproved, and reproved, and reproved. You cannot read this book without assenting, that a wide variety of territories and peoples collaborated in the growth and development of the Spanish Empire. You won't learn much about the economic, social, religious, or political motives for the empire; Mr Kamen is out to prove his thesis and not much else. Nor does he give a lot of attention simply to narrating what happened--the Dutch revolt goes unmentioned (unless you count "fighting in the Netherlands"); again, that detracts from The Thesis. My suggestion is, believe the thesis and skip reading the book, which proves it beyond, way beyond, any possible cavil.
Rating: 
Summary: The Reign Explained
Review: Mr. Kamen begins his book with the following lines of Bertolt Brecht: "The young Alexander conquered India. All by himself? Caesar beat the Gauls. Didn't he even have a cook with him?" The answers are obvious. Mr. Kamen asks a different question: Who built the Spanish Empire? The answer to that question seems obvious, also....the Spanish, right? But Mr. Kamen spends the next 500 pages showing us that the obvious answer, in this case, is the wrong answer. In a dazzling display of erudition, covering events in Granada, North Africa, Italy, the Spanish Netherlands, the Caribbean, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, etc., the author reveals that the Spanish Empire was built and maintained with the help of the people of many nations- that it was a true "multinational enterprise." Mr. Kamen also shows that rather than the Empire being created by Spain, Spain was created by the Empire- for, at the starting point of the book, 1492, there really was no such entity as Spain. Like several European countries of the time, such as Italy and Germany, Spain consisted of many geographical units- each with its own language and/or culture, and people felt a loyalty to that particular area rather than to the larger abstraction called Spain. Only after the Empire developed and the language of the largest geographical area, Castile, became the language of Empire did people start to think of themselves as belonging to something bigger than the particular region they lived in. Mr. Kamen also points out that the population of Spain (which was much less than that of France or England) was never great enough to provide the quantity of soldiers needed to support the far-flung Empire. Where did this Empire come from, though? When Ferdinand of Aragon died in 1516 the thrones of Castile and Aragon passed to his grandson, the archduke Charles of Habsburg (known to us as Charles V). Charles was born in Ghent and raised in the Netherlands. In 1520 he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor. Besides Spain, his responsibilities included (from his Burgundian inheritance) the Netherlands and (from his Habsburg inheritance) also Austria, Hungary, Naples, Sicily and the continent of America. So, the Empire started by inheritance rather than by conquest. But, to maintain what already existed and to, later on, "branch out," Charles and later rulers had access to the people and resources of these various possessions. Thus, most of the soldiers were Italians, Belgians, Germans, etc. with the addition of mercenaries, such as Swiss troops, when needed. As Castile didn't have the financial resources necessary to handle the responsibilities that went along with administering these areas, most of the financing was provided by the bankers of Milan, Genoa, Amsterdam, etc. When the Empire expanded to encompass the Caribbean, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, etc., it had to rely on native peoples, and African slaves, for manpower. The Spanish didn't have the muscle to conquer and control these vast areas and had to rely on cooperation, usually, rather than coercion. Fortunately for the conquistadors, native tribes were usually at war with one another and some of them were only too willing to form alliances with the Spanish in order to defeat powerful enemies, such as the Aztecs or Incas. Even so, the areas under Spanish control were usually not extensive, as they still didn't have enough manpower to control large regions. Tribes that were hostile to the Spanish would simply go elsewhere and the two sides would generally just stay clear of one another. These arrangements also existed in the American Southwest. In the Philippines, again, the Spanish presence was so slight that they had to depend on native Filipinos for labor and on outsiders, such as the Chinese, in order to maintain a trading network. Mr. Kamen is particularly fascinating when he helps us to follow the "money trail." The huge amounts of silver mined in Mexico and Peru went both west (to the Philippines and, ultimately, to China) to pay for trade goods and east (to the Italian and Dutch bankers, and to many places all over Europe) to pay off soldiers and loans- and to buy the goods that people in Spain desired but couldn't produce themselves. It is interesting to note that the Spanish even found it necessary to have most of their ships manufactured in other countries. So, the vast amounts of silver did not end up in the coffers of Spain, but went towards "growing" (in modern parlance) the economies of many countries. Mr. Kamen notes the irony that when the Empire started to decline in the last half of the 17th century, Spain's enemies had to be careful not to let her fall too far, lest they drag themselves down with her! I don't, however, want to make this book sound like an economics treatise. Mr. Kamen's book is intended for the general reader and although he uses statistics to support his arguments he never loses sight of the human element. He talks about the cultural aspects of the Empire- how Spain expected the other countries she dealt with to learn Castilian, while not even the Spanish diplomats (in most cases) would bother to learn the languages of the other countries; how the people of other countries were eager to read Spanish literature but how the Spanish were very insular and not much interested in other countries (again, this is generally speaking). The human touch is present in many places as Mr. Kamen gives us excerpts from the narratives of diplomats, soldiers, missionaries, etc. I found I had to read slowly, not because the book had an awkward style (quite the contrary- the prose is often elegant) but because the ideas being presented were new to me and also because the book was so wide-ranging in time, space and content. The book represents a lifetime of learning and thinking by the author and it is a very rewarding experience for the reader.
Rating:
Summary: Kamen, or how to make money being controversial
Review: The book exposes the *personal opinion of the author* about a subject that other historians have wrote about with greater impartiality and sense of historic justice. Kamen's book is an attempt of downplaying the history of Spain and offering thus a negative image of its national identity, it's language, and in general, of the part played by the Spaniards in the scenario of History. With friends like Kamen, Spain doesn't need enemies. According to the author, the participation of the Spanish in the battles of Pavia, Mühlberg, Saint Quentin, Almansa and, in general, in all the great battles was minor and irrelevant. It seems that only in the Sack of Rome do the Spanish share "in equal proportions with Germans and Italians" (page 83) the "glory".
For Kamen, the Conquest of America didn't exist as such, according to him, the successes of the "supposed" conquerors were owed to the superstition and naiveté of the indian peoples. If the key discovery of Kamen is that the Spanish imperial enterprise was "choral" in nature, somebody has to suggest him that he should apply his bright discovery to other historical entities. Since Mommsen it's known that the history of the great empires is the history of a "vast system of incorporations". If that was the case with the Roman Empire, and so it's today with the USA, I don't believe that in Spain's case it should be a motive of shame. The book of Kamen has been taken apart by many historians, specialists in their field, that have disproven the outright falsehoods, mistakes, and half truths of this book. Particularly galling is the blatant ignorance and disregard in military matters. This book deserves to go to the dump along with the works of Thomas, Preston and others not worth mentioning. It's just historical "best seller" fodder, not serious academical research, for an English speaking audience that lacks cross references and only reinforces the distrust towards so-called British historians that take advantage of an inexplored field and gullibility of a public that has no access to the real stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Good history with an important Caveat
Review: The caveat is that the Spanish Empire was in many ways not Spain's. Empire reminds us that many of those working, and fighting, for Spain were non-Spaniards. This is repeated throughout the book, for the most part to good effect.
Empire is a truly academic work, in the sense that it presents us with the dark side of the Empire, without pretending that Spain of five centuries ago should be judged by modern standards. What Spain did wrong, and there is plenty, is presented as simple fact, and placed in the context of how human beings behaved in that time period.
The two minor flaws I see in the book are these: Empire reminds us, rightly, that many who worked for Spain were not Spaniards, however, too much can be made of this. The men involved thought they were working for the Spanish Empire, their successes were attributed to that Empire, and benefitted that Empire. Where Spain's soldiers were born is interesting, but not quite as important as the author believes. Still, he can be forgiven for over-emphasizing in this book something that is ignored in others.
The other flaw is a lack of consistency in applying this underlying principal to other countries in their dealings with Spain. When the Spanish Empire faces other powers, whether in the old world or the new, the troops of those powers are typically treated as homogenous masses. Surely, if Spain's men were not all Spanish, and that is important, then the makeup of the forces opposing Spain should also be investigated...
Still, the book is the very readable story of one of the greatest empires in european history. It deals with the worst aspects the Empire without either condoning them or descending into moralistic chest-thumping. If you're interested in the subject matter, you'll enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: The Black Legend Lives.
Review: This book is completely written on a massive negativity scale. I refuse to buy Henry Kamen's books on spanish history. This book is not worthy to be put in my library. I went to the local library and read it before I would buy it. I felt depressed and resentful after reading it. He only gives a partial explanation based on facts but unfortunately the way it is written it is one dimensional and one sided.
Not enough credit is given to Castille and the massive enterprise she took in creating a worldwide empire. Everything Castille did was for the glory of Spain. Other European countries faced the same problems as Spain if not worse. Spain made good sense in using all the resources at her possesion in keeping her empire in check and in which other countries also did in creating their own empires. There is hardly anything positive that the author refers in writing this book. It is his own personal opinion in injecting a negative atmosphere throughout the book. This author is not considered an "Hispanista" and it shows on his writing so subjectively on this matter.
Rating:
Summary: Highly informative but ill-organized
Review: This fact-laden book is worth reading if you have the patience. It is based on a mixed chronilogical and thematic outline, and aside from describing the rise and fall of Spain's empire, Kamen seeks to show that it was a participatory empire which at every stage depended on non-Spaniards.
This is a revisionist history, and like some other revisionist histories, it does border on the danger of emphasizing the many exceptions to the traditional understanding to the extent that it distorts the overall picture. The non-expert wonders whether Kamen might have underemphasized the role of Spaniards/Castillians in the empire.
My main criticism of this book is organizational. As one who has written a book of history myself, yet not being a specialist in European history, I cannot help but thinking that he could have organized it better, because the mass of details tend to run into a blur. For example, in describing Spain's many wars in the Netherlands, both against the Dutch and with them against the French, Kamen spreads them across virtually every chapter, mixing them in with economic history, the Pacific empire, etc., separated only by an extra space between paragraphs. It would have been much better if he had, for example, had three chapters devoted exclusively to the Netherlands, and then spaced them throughout the book in a chronilogical scheme. Having just read the book, I could only provide a wild guess as to how many different wars Spain had with the Dutch.
Also, there aren't enough chapters; Kamen should have broken this 512-page book up into more than 11 chapters. Those who already have a good knowledge of early-modern Italian, Dutch or Spanish history will have fewer problems with the organization.
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