Spain and the Protestant Reformation: The Spanish Inquisition and the War for Europe

The Protestant Reformation posed a significant threat to the Catholic Habsburg monarchy of the sixteenth century, leading to a war for the future of Europe. The Spanish Inquisition was the most effective weapon in this war, but Spain remained Catholic, and its enemies embraced Protestantism. This war was ultimately a triumph for Spain, but it faced military, political, and economic defeats in Europe and the broader world.

Format: Hardback
Length: 188 pages
Publication date: 11 November 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

For Charles V and Philip II, both of whom anticipated extending the Reconquista's momentum into a war against Islam, the theological and political achievements of Martin Luther and John Calvin posed a threat not only to the possibility of a universal empire but also to the survival of the Habsburg monarchy. Furthermore, the Protestant Reformation sparked changes within Spain and other Habsburg domains, revitalizing the Spanish Inquisition against new enemies, reinforcing Catholic orthodoxy, and limiting the reach of the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution.

This book contends that the Protestant Reformation posed an existential threat to the Catholic Habsburg monarchy of the sixteenth century and represented the greatest danger to its political and religious authority in Europe and the world. Spain's war on the Reformation was a battle for the future of Europe, with the Spanish Inquisition serving as the most effective weapon. This war, led by Charles V and Philip II, ultimately proved to be a resounding failure: Spain remained Catholic, but its enemies embraced Protestantism in a lasting way, even as Spain's vision for a global monarchy faced military, political, and economic defeats in Europe and the broader world.

Spain and the Protestant Reformation will appeal to researchers and students interested in the history and society of Early Modern Spain.

Weight: 560g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032054735