William D. Phillips, Jr. is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Minnesota. His previous publications include The Worlds of Christopher Columbus (with Carla Rahn Phillips, 1992), which received the 'Spain in America [Second] Prize', awarded by the Spanish government. He has also written extensively on the history of slavery, including Slavery in Medieval and Early Modern Iberia (2013). Carla Rahn Phillips is Union Pacific Professor Emerita at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Her research focuses on the history, society, and economy of Spain, 1500 to 1800. She has received awards from the American Historical Association, the American Association of Publishers, and the government of Spain, most recently the Premio de Historia de Órdenes Españolas, presented by King Felipe VI in 2024.

'A welcome update of a book that has become a classic as well as a necessity with regard to Spanish history. Concise, yet comprehensive. The authors emphasize ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity without neglecting the dramatic ups and down of the Spanish state, the peculiarities of its rulers, and the rise and fall of the first global empire.' Paul Freedman, Yale University

• Preface; 1. The land and its constraints; 2. Ancient legacies; 3. Diversity in medieval Spain; 4. The rise of Spain to international prominence; 5. Spain's composite monarchy: the first global empire; 6. Towards modernity: politics from the Napoleonic invasion to Alfonso XIII; 7. The struggle for the Spanish soul: republic, civil war, and dictatorship; 8. New Spain, new Spaniards: European, democratic, and multicultural; Timeline; Guide to further information. Index.

William D. Phillips, Jr. is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Minnesota. His previous publications include The Worlds of Christopher Columbus (with Carla Rahn Phillips, 1992), which received the 'Spain in America [Second] Prize', awarded by the Spanish government. He has also written extensively on the history of slavery, including Slavery in Medieval and Early Modern Iberia (2013). Carla Rahn Phillips is Union Pacific Professor Emerita at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Her research focuses on the history, society, and economy of Spain, 1500 to 1800. She has received awards from the American Historical Association, the American Association of Publishers, and the government of Spain, most recently the Premio de Historia de Órdenes Españolas, presented by King Felipe VI in 2024.

'A welcome update of a book that has become a classic as well as a necessity with regard to Spanish history. Concise, yet comprehensive. The authors emphasize ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity without neglecting the dramatic ups and down of the Spanish state, the peculiarities of its rulers, and the rise and fall of the first global empire.' Paul Freedman, Yale University

• Preface; 1. The land and its constraints; 2. Ancient legacies; 3. Diversity in medieval Spain; 4. The rise of Spain to international prominence; 5. Spain's composite monarchy: the first global empire; 6. Towards modernity: politics from the Napoleonic invasion to Alfonso XIII; 7. The struggle for the Spanish soul: republic, civil war, and dictatorship; 8. New Spain, new Spaniards: European, democratic, and multicultural; Timeline; Guide to further information. Index.