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In this article the conflicts and alliances between different Dukes of Pastrana, lords of a Grandee household, and their relatives are analysed from two viewpoints. The first perspective shows how litigation between early-modern aristocratic siblings for family inheritance was a very common phenomenon. Secondly, litigious kin were allies in the political and social arena. With these features in mind, this paper provides an explanation of aristocratic behaviour as the consequence of the composite nature of aristocratic identity and the two juridical bodies used by the elites. According to this juridical theory, sovereigns were juridically composed of two bodies. The first one was political, representing eternal royalty. The second one was natural, meaning the physical person of each king. As will be stated in the article, this royal conception of the two bodies was adopted by the nobility and played an important role in aristocratic family conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this joint paper Laura Muñoz Pérez and Trevor Dadson will examine the possibilities women had when participating in the cultural life at court, showing the relationships of patronage between noblewomen, women writers and other writers, and how this was also a way of promotion. Tied in with this will be an examination of the role of noblewomen in society at large, in particular the fact that they had more power and influence than is usually ascribed to them, especially but not solely if they were widows, when they often ended up running vast estates in the name of their eldest son (if they had one). Also, as ladies at court (‘damas de la reina’) these noblewomen had another form of influence, as they often acted as the eyes and ears of their fathers, brothers and husbands. The largely female court established around the Empress María of Austria in the Descalzas Reales in the early seventeenth century has been the subject of study, but the royal court under Philip III and Philip IV and the powerful women there still requires attention. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses efforts of King Philip II of Spain for promotion of royal sites, starting with the construction of Casa del Bosque in Valsaín, Segovia. Topics discussed include connections between Flanders, Italy and Spain in the context of the gardens as a cultural interlinks of the Habsburg empire; renovation of the house and its garden in Casa del Campo, Spain; and view of the Casa del Campo in the Félix Castello painting.

The article focuses on the historiography of Juzgado General de Indios's institutionalization and indigenous justice by Spain's King Philip II. Various topics discussed include petition written by Mexican lieutenant Bustamante de Andrada in April 1587 over the tripartite relationship between Americans, access of Spain's Royal Courts by indigenous people and reformation of the justice in 1581.

El Escorial, a magnificent palace-monastery in central Spain, was the setting in 1990 for a meeting of ALS experts who developed a consensus document called the El Escorial ALS Diagnostic Criteria. El Escorial was originally conceived by the Spanish Habsburg monarch, Philip II (1527–1598), as an elaborate burial place for his parents, Emperor Charles V and Isabella. It soon became a symbol of the Spanish empire and Philip’s Catholic leadership of the Counter-Reformation. El Escorial included a monastery, palace, basilica, mausoleum, seminary, library, and hospital. Nothing was spared by Philip in obtaining the finest examples of religious art, architec- ture, music, and books. Philip, as absolute monarch, inherited a vast empire which stretched over Europe, Asia, North Africa, and the New World. His style of personal micro-management and poor economic planning hampered his ability to manage both national and foreign affairs. Philip had a special interest in medicine, including royal hospitals, improved government standards for physicians, medicinal plants, and the health benefits of alchemy and sacred relics. El Escorial’s grand scale has generated both illustrious praise and critical condemnation over the last four centuries. Its place in Spanish and world history is assured. (Amyot Lat Scler 1999; 1:55–62). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]