Overview

The death of Carlos II in 1700 and the rise of Felipe V to the Spanish throne sparked a global war-and in New Spain, a cultural and political upheaval. As Bourbon loyalists staged elaborate ceremonies and circulated propaganda to legitimize the new dynasty, priests, artists, and local elites reimagined sacred kingship through vivid metaphors of death, rebirth, and regeneration. Sermons, rituals, devotional images, and unofficial texts anchored the new monarchy in familiar religious frameworks, linking the king's body to Christ's and reinforcing loyalty to both Church and Crown. In this contested public sphere, municipalities, religious orders, and colonial officials vied to display their allegiance and shape a renewed vision of empire. Frances L. Ramos's The Rebirth of the Spanish Empire offers a compelling and deeply researched account of how ritual, visual culture, and oratory redefined imperial identity in early eighteenth-century Mexico-illuminating the politics of loyalty and legitimacy during a time of dynastic change.

Full Product Details

9781009648448

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Reviews

'The Rebirth of the Spanish Empire should be required reading for any scholar or student interested in understanding how the new Bourbon dynasty managed to impose its authority over the immense Spanish American Empire and secure its survival for more than a hundred years, at a time when it seemed likely that its sovereignty could be easily overturned by its many competitors and enemies.' Alejandro Cañeque, University of Maryland 'This well written and deeply researched study is a timely analysis of the crucial transition between Habsburg and Bourbon rule in the viceroyalty of New Spain. It's a must read for anyone interested in the workings of empire and its permanence and in the consequences of political reinvention in moments of great geopolitical conflict and uncertainty.' Alejandra B. Osorio, Wellesley College 'Frances Ramos has conjured up a profoundly researched and marvelously written cultural history on the soft power of oratory, sermons, and imagery. Clergy, artisans, and pamphleteers sell the Bourbon succession in Mexico. Youthful, vigorous, and fecund Philip V replaces child and hapless Charles II at the helm. A must read for anyone interested in imperial Spanish history.' Christoph Rosenmüller, author of Viceroy Güemes's Mexico: Rituals, Religion, and Revenue

Author Information

Frances L. Ramos is Associate Professor of History at the University of South Florida. She is author of the award-winning Identity, Ritual, and Power in Colonial Puebla (2012).

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