Did Spain fall into decline or flourish in the seventeenth century?

Did Spain fall into decline or flourish in the seventeenth century?

This edited collection looks at perceptions and representations of Philip IV, Spain's 'Planet King', and his government against the backdrop of the seventeenth-century General Crisis in Europe, wars, revolutions and a sovereign debt crisis. Scholars often associate Philip's reign (1621-1665) with decline, decadence, crisis, stagnation and adversity (as did many contemporaries); yet the glittering cultural and artistic achievements (enhanced by his patronage) of the period led it to be dubbed 'the' Golden Age. The book analyses these contradictions, examining Philip's own understanding of kingship and how he and his courtiers used art and ceremony to project an image of strength, tradition, culture and prestige, while, at the same time, the empire grappled with revolts in Europe and falling trade with its New World colonies.

An Historiographical Introduction to the World of Philip IV - Alexander Samson
PART I: BEHIND THE SCENES
'Perceptions of Kingship: Governing with and without a valido' - Alistair Malcolm
'Spain's Seventeenth-Century Crisis Seen from the Perspective of the New World' - Guillermo Mira Delli-Zotti
'Naples versus the Neapolitans: The Political Role of the Viceroy during the Crisis of the Viceregal System (1637-1647)' - Marina Perruca Gracia
'St Rose of Lima as Exemplar of the Political Health of Philip IV's Kingdoms (1630s-1660s)' - Stephen M. Hart
Two 'Prophets' and One Confessor: Philip IV's Spiritual Stage in 1643-1644 - Gianfranco Armando and Alberto Pérez Camarma
'Smugglers, Thieves and Fraudsters: Francisco de León and the Seville Revolt of 1652' - Fred Carnegy-Arbuthnott
PART II: ON THE WORLD STAGE
'Staging the Planet King: Apotheosis and Glory' - Julio Vélez Sainz
'Do You Paint, or Give Life? The Power of Diego Velázquez's Lifelike Portraits of Philip IV' - R.T.C. Goodwin
'Heroic Virtue: The Cardinal Infante Don Ferdinand of Austria, in Hunting Dress, Prince of the Celestial Habsburg Army' - Isabel-María Lloret-Sos
'The Portrayal of Mariana of Austria as Archduchess and Spanish Queen' - Mercedes Llorente
'The King, the Palace and the Cabinet: Knowledge on Display' - Virginia Ghelarducci
'Between the Picaresque and the Picturesque: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617-1682) Visualising Spain in an Age of Decline?' - Alexander Samson