Hispanic Worlds in English Renaissance Culture

In modern historiography, the cultural prestige of France and Italy in the early modern period eclipses Spain and its overseas territories. However, the confrontation between England and Spain throughout the second half of the 16th-century set a trend that influenced England, stimulating not only its colonial efforts but also the creation of new technical, scientific and even literary knowledge. Alexander Samson brings us closer to the importance of Spanish politics, culture and history in the creation of Early Modern England.

Alexander Samson is a Reader in Early Modern Studies at University College London. His research interests include the early colonial history of the Americas, Anglo-Spanish intercultural interactions and early modern English and Spanish drama. His book Mary and Philip: the Marriage of Tudor England and Habsburg Spain was published by Manchester University Press in 2020. He runs the Golden Age and Renaissance Research Seminar and is director of UCL’s Centre for Early Modern Exchanges and the Centre for Editing Lives and Letters.