Spain : the Centre of the World 1519-1682 / Robert Goodwin.

Gold. The Age of Chivalry : Charles V. Realms of gold ; Holy Roman Emperor ; Isabella of Portugal ; Arms and letters : Garcilaso and Alba ; rule of law ; Death of the emperor -- The Age of Bureaucracy : Philip II. El Escorial and El Greco ; St Teresa, mystic poets, and the Inquisition ; The Netherlands : "the Great Bog of Europe" ; Portugal and the Duke of Alba ; Pirates, criminals, and tax collecting ; The Great Armada, 1588 -- Glitter. The Age of Peace : Philip III and the Duke of Lerma. The first modern novel, Don Quixote ; Moriscos and Catalans ; Holy Week : art and illusion ; Velázquez and Zurbarán ; Politics and poetry : Góngora and Quevedo -- The Age of Decline : Philip IV and the Count-Duke of Olivares. Drama : Olivares and Don Juan ; The Prince of Wales in Madrid ; Triumph and disaster ; Death and defeat.

"The Golden Age of the Spanish Empire would establish five centuries of Western supremacy across the globe and usher in an era of transatlantic exploration that eventually gave rise to the modern world. It was a time of discovery and adventure, of great political and social change--it was a time when Spain learned to rule the world. Assembling a spectacular cast of legendary characters like the Duke of Alba, El Greco, Miguel de Cervantes, and Diego Velázquez, Robert Goodwin brings the Spanish Golden Age to life with the vivid clarity and gripping narrative of an epic novel. From scholars and playwrights, to poets and soldiers, Goodwin is in complete command of the history of this tumultuous and exciting period. But the superstars alone will not tell the whole tale--Goodwin delves deep to find previously unrecorded sources and accounts of how Spain's Golden Age would unfold, and ultimately, unravel. Spain is a sweeping and revealing portrait of Spain at the height of its power and a world at the dawn of the modern age" -- Publisher's description.