ABSTRACT
In premodern times, the lands of Atlantic Europe had the potential to form a complementary economic system. That system was almost never able to function properly, because of frequent disruptions. Many of the other chapters in this volume deal with specific aspects of what happened in a particularly acute phase of hostility, in the second half of the sixteenth century and the early years of the seventeenth, when war, politics, dynastic struggles, and religious differences were all at play and reinforcing one another. The events at the time of Philip II and Elizabeth I are striking and dramatic, highlighted by the Dutch Revolt, Philip’s attempted invasion of England, and the defeat of the Great Armada. It is necessary to remember that these events had long historic antecedents that were at least two centuries old by then. Scholars have addressed some of those features, but larger parts remain to be worked by future scholars.
