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Published: 25th July 2002This book reveals the workings of a culture that cherished death, and invested its resources in the pursuit of heaven. This is the first full-length study of Spanish attitudes toward death and the afterlife in the peak years of the Counter-Reformation. It contains an analysis of the death rituals requested in hundreds of sixteenth-century Madrid testaments, as well as a detailed account of the ways in which the "good" deaths of King Philip II and Saint Teresa of Avila were interpreted by contemporaries.
'This is a finely researched, lucidly written and carefully nuanced study.' Henry Kamen, The Times Literary Supplement
| Prologue: death and the sun | |
| Eager for Heaven: Death and Testamentary Discourse in Madrid, 1520-1599 | |
| Wills and the history of death in Madrid | |
| Approaching the divine tribunal | |
| Relinquishing one's body | |
| Impressing God and neighbor | |
| Planning for the soul's journey | |
| Aiding the needy, aiding oneself | |
| Conclusion | |
| The King's Dissolving Body: Philip II and the Royal Paradigm of Death | |
| King Philip and his palace of death | |
| The king's many requiems | |
| Drawing lessons from the king's death | |
| Defending the faith through ritual | |
| Death, the Spanish monarchy, and the myth of sacredness | |
| Conclusion | |
| The Saint's Heavenly Corpse: Teresa of Avila and the Ultimate Paradigm of Death | |
| From Alba to Heaven | |
| Come sweet death, come swift dying | |
| Imperishable flesh, incomparable wonder | |
| Earthbound no longer | |
| Saint Teresa's apparitions | |
| Conclusion | |
| Epilogue: in death as in life: from the daily rounds of Hell to the vestibule of Heaven | |
| Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved. |
ISBN: 9780521460187
ISBN-10: 0521460182
Series: Cambridge Studies in Early Modern History
Audience:
Professional
Format:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 588
Published: 30th June 1995
Publisher: CAMBRIDGE UNIV PR
Country of Publication: GB
Dimensions (cm): 23.72 x 16.33
x 3.86
Weight (kg): 0.95
