Reason of state and constitutional thought in the crown of Aragon, 1580–1640
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8956378 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Joan‐pau Rubiés (0000-0002-8644-0204, University of Reading, corresponding author), Joan-Pau Rubiés |
| Year | 1995 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 1-28 |
| Publication date | 1995-03-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Historical Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0018-246X • E-ISSN: 1469-5103 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0018246x00016265 |
| OpenAlex | W1984721814 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 17 |
The political significance of Spanish reason-of-state literature has been studied almost exclusively from the perspective of imperial institutions, in particular the monarchy. This article argues that there was a distinctive political perspective in the crown of Aragon, based on its constitutional traditions, which inspired a particular kind of ‘reason of state’. Focusing on the works of a Catalan nobleman, Don Francisco Gilabert, the argument goes on to show that this constitutional thought was able to articulate a project of reform alternative to that of the minister of Philip IV, the count-duke of Olivares, and that therefore it cannot be merely analysed (as it often has been) as an anachronistic form of aristocratic self-seeking. On the contrary, by denying the king the power of absolute sovereignty, and by insisting on the idea of a mixed constitution, Gilabert's approach was able to articulate republican ideals, even though at the cost of some fundamental ambiguities concerning the idea of empire. It is suggested that the recognition of this distinctive intellectual tradition has important implications for the overall interpretation of the course of Spanish history in the seventeenth century, before and after the Catalan revolt of 1640
Absolute monarchy · Anachronism · Argument (complex analysis · Catalan · Constitution · Empire · Humanities · Interpretation (philosophy · Monarchy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Sovereignty · State (computer science · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Classics · Historical Studies in Latin America · Historical Studies on Spain · History · Law · Philosophy
The Foundations of Modern Political Thought
Richelieu and Reason of State
Preconditions of Revolution in Early Modern Europe
Absolutism in Seventeenth-Century Europe
Spain and Its World, 1500-1700
The Struggle for Stability in Early Modern Europe
The Count-Duke of Olivares
The Phoenix and the Flame
The Revolt of the Catalans
If Not, Not. The Oath of the Aragonese and the Legendary Laws of Sobrarbe
A Europe of Composite Monarchies
Reason of State and Statecraft in Spanish Political Thought, 1595-1640
| Citations per year | 0.27 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2015 - 2026 (12) |
| Highly cited | No |