1st Edition
Early Modern Dynastic Marriages and Cultural Transfer
Toward the end of the fifteenth century, the Habsburg family began to rely on dynastic marriage to unite an array of territories, eventually creating an empire as had not been seen in Europe since the Romans. Other European rulers followed the Habsburgs' lead in forging ties through dynastic marriages. Because of these marriages, many more aristocrats (especially women) left their homelands to reside elsewhere. Until now, historians have viewed these unions from a primarily political viewpoint and have paid scant attention to the personal dimensions of these relocations. Separated from their family and thrust into a strange new land in which language, attire, religion, food, and cultural practices were often different, these young aristocrats were forced to conform to new customs or adapt their own customs to a new cultural setting. Early Modern Dynastic Marriages and Cultural Transfer examines these marriages as important agents of cultural transfer, emphasizing how marriages could lead to the creation of a cosmopolitan culture, common to the elites of Europe. These essays focus on the personal and domestic dimensions of early modern European court life, examining such areas as women's devotional practices, fashion, patronage, and culinary traditions.
Contents
List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Notes on Contributors
Acknowledgments
Introduction:
Bargaining Chips: Strategic Marriages and Cultural Circulation in Early Modern Europe
Joan-Lluís Palos
PART I: PRINCESSES ACROSS BORDERS
1 Catalina Micaela (1567–97), Duchess of Savoy
"She Grows Careless": The Infanta Catalina and Spanish Etiquette at the Court of Savoy
Magdalena S. Sánchez
2 María Teresa (1638–83), Queen of France
The Queen of France and the Capital of Cultural Heritage
Mark de Vitis
3 Elisabetta Farnese (1692–1766), Queen of Spain
A Queen between Three Worlds: Italy, Spain, and France
María de los Ángeles Pérez Samper
PART II: MALE CONSORTS
4 Philip the Handsome (1478–1506), Duke of Burgundy and King of Castile
Voyages from Burgundy to Castile: Cultural Conflict and Dynastic Transitions, 1502–06
Bethany Aram
5 Philip II (1527–98), King of Spain and England
"Great Faith is Necessary to Drink from this Chalice": Philip II in the Court of Mary Tudor, 1554–58
Anna Santamaría López
6 João Soares de Alarcão (d. 1546) and His Family
The Marriage of João de Alarcão and Margarida Soares and the Creation of a Transnational Portuguese-Spanish Nobility
Mafalda Soares da Cunha
PART III: Women’s Contribution to a Cosmopolitan Nobility
7 Eleonora Álvarez de Toledo (1522–62)
"A Spanish Barbarian and an Enemy of Her Husband’s Homeland": The Duchess of Florence and Her Spanish Entourage
Joan-Lluís Palos
8 Maria Mancini (1639–1715)
Paintings, Fans, and Scented Gloves: A Witness to Cultural Exchanges at the Courts in Paris, Rome, and Madrid
Leticia de Frutos
9 Johanna Theresia Lamberg (1639–1716)
The Countess of Harrach and the Cultivation of the Body between Madrid and Vienna
Laura Oliván Santaliestra
Epilogue:
Aristocratic Women across Borders, Cultural Transfers, and Something More. Why Should We Care?
Bartolomé Yun Casalilla
Index
Biography
Joan-LluÃs Palos is Professor of Early Modern European History at the University of Barcelona, Spain. Magdalena S. Sánchez is Professor of History at Gettysburg College, USA.
"This volume is an invaluable resource for both early career and established scholares interested in innovative cross-disciplinary sans frontières research not always encountered in English language publications."
-Zita Eva Rohr, Macquarie University, Australia
