Echoes of a Regicide: The Reception of the English Revolution and its Political Ideas in Spain (1640-1660)

Authors

  • Mateo Ballester Rodríguez

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18042/cepc/rep.170.03

Keywords:

First English Revolution, national sovereignty, royal sovereignty, Spanish monarchy, censorship

Abstract

In the two middle decades of the 17th century a new concept of sovereignty was established in England, grounded on the nation and represented by the Parliament, by means of which king Charles I was executed and a Commonwealth was put in place. The rulers of the Spanish Monarchy showed great interest and concern about these developments, which were probably increased due to the situation of intense conflict within the Monarchy. However, references in Spanish publications to the changes in England were remarkably scarce. This article argues that official censorship and self-censorship were decisive in this sense, keeping Spanish society largely unaware of these changes.