At its peak the Spanish empire stretched from Italy and the Netherlands to Peru and the Philippines. Its influence remains very significant to the history of Europe and the Americas. Maltby provides a concise and readable history of the empire's dramatic rise and fall, with special emphasis on the economy, institutions and intellectual movements.

WILLIAM MALTBY is Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Missouri, St Louis, USA.

Introduction
Imperial Beginnings
The Creation of an Empire in Europe
The Conquest of America
Imperial Organization Under the Habsburgs
Imperial Policy
Imperial Decline
The Bourbons
The End of the Empire
Selected Bibliography
Index.