ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book elucidates processes of unification and centralization during the early years of Spanish imperial expansion under Charles V and Philip II, leading to the founding of a sedentary, permanent court in the new capital of Madrid. To tap into the resources of the crown, nobility that had formerly served the king from the periphery, on its ancestral lands or on the field of battle, required new skills adapted to court society. The book explains the burgeoning marketplace of conduct literature produced and consumed by the new men of the Spanish court in their efforts to survive and compete for status. It explores the map three social skills or display strategies that grew out of the need to act effectively at court. This trio of strategies fame, dissimulation, and adaptability marks a departure from medieval ideals of masculine virtue.
