The Mediterranean & the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II

The second volume of Braudel's history of the Mediterranean region in the late sixeenth century opens with the final half of Part Two ("Collective Destinies and General Trends"), which examines political realities (empires and states), as well as social history, from landlords and nobles to bandits and slaves. Additional sections discuss culture and "civilization" (and debates the very meaning of the word), the "ubiquity" and plight of Jewish communities, and warfare and piracy. While impressionistic and necessarily sketchy, these chapters are nevertheless among the best in both volumes. Throughout his work, Braudel repeatedly warns against such easy formulas that regard eras in terms of "rise and fall," emphasizing instead the cyclical nature of history and the "inter-relationship between change and the near-permanent." The quasi-bankruptcy of a national administration may correspond to a period of cultural renaissance, and vice versa, or might be simply a small blip on the chart of progress: "The long-term trends of civilizations, their flowering in the traditional sense of the word, can still surprise and disconcert us." Part Three ("Events, Politics and People"), which concludes the volume, contains a "linear" and more "traditional' history highlighting the wars (and peace) between states regionally and between empires on either end of the Mediterranean. Braudel draws a fairly distinct line at the year 1580, the first year of a period of relative peace between the Christian West, which turned its attention from the Mediterranean to northern Europe and the Atlantic, and the Islamic (Ottoman) East, which became preoccupied with Persia and the Balkans. Quite notably--and deliberately--the author omits reference to the Spanish or English Armadas of 1588 and 1589; his focus is what radiates "outward" from (and inward to) the Mediterranean, not the various events, however important, that occur on its peripheries. Braudel makes a compelling case here, but too much of this "narrative" displays a tedious preoccupation with the number of boats each side launched (or was rumored to have launched) against the other in the ongoing naval offensives between 1550 and 1596. It's one of the few sections in Braudel's history that reads more like a specialized monograph than a survey, and, while essential to his argument, the evidence could have been more succinctly presented. Even more so than the first volume, Braudel's history is a victim of its own success, since, inspired by his more universal approach, more accurate and compelling narrative histories of the late sixteenth century have been published during the last four decades. (Indeed, Braudel assumes the reader has more than a comfortable familiarity with the events and players he describes.) "The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World" is still an unsurpassed monument of historiography, but general readers looking for a more thorough grounding in the politics, wars, and diplomacies of the period

This book is a very detailed starting point for fans of both the Renaissance & Capitalism. It was originally published in French in 1949. The book has eleven illustrations & fifty four lists of figures & is 643 pages long.It is divided into two huge parts with several chapters & sub chapters in each. Exs: Part 1, "The Role Of The Environment." Chapter1-The Peninsulas: Mountains, Plateaux, & Plains. Chapter2-The Heart Of The Mediterranean: Seas & Coasts. Chapter3-Boundaries: The Greater Mediterranean. Chapter4-The Mediterranean As A Physical Unit: Climate & History. Chapter5-The Mediterranean As A Human Unit: Communications & Cities. Part2, "Collective Destinies & General Trends." Chapter1-Economies: The Measures Of The Century. Chapter2-Economies: Precious Metals, Money, & Prices. Chapter3-Economies: Trade & Transport. Chapter4-Trade & Transport: The Sailing Ships Of The Atlantic. At its heart this is a socio-economic history of the second half of the sixteenth century Mediterranean world that we owe so much too. The authors depth & breadth of knowledge can be overwhelming at times, but never dull. The clever inclusion of the often ignored topics like climate and geographic conditions presuasively explained why prosperous Capitalism grew in some regions while others remained stagnant. Chapter 5-"The Human Unit" was the most informative. Most facets of history are here for the reader to absorb. This is the type of book we all wished we had in school.

I have been keenly interested in world history for nearly 20 years. I read, on average, 30 non-fiction historical accounts per annum. With rare exception, I have always felt up to the task of both completion and comprehension. Braudel is an entirely different animal. What Braudel has presented in the form of 16th-century Mediterranean history is formidable, innovative, and exhausting. Braudel's narrative weaves itself through overlays of historical strata that demand as much from the reader as any contemporary written history available. His is not a mere linear schedule of cause and effect, but a finely crafted history of regional parallels which render the methodology as thought provoking as the content. Fully one-fourth of the book is devoted to economics in such painstaking detail that, while the specialist may revel, the layman may grow foggy, uninterested, and, unfortunately, bored. But, this does not detract from the overall value of Braudel's effort. The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World is a singular achievement in written history which offers the reader a vantage point that I have yet to find elsewhere. 5 stars.

Braudel's text on the Mediterranean is considered one of the contemporary classics of historical writing, and I can see why. It sets out to convey a total history of the Mediterranean world in the latter half of the 16th century, but ranges over so much more territory in order to achieve this objective. Just as Jared Diamond builds a foundation on geography, climate, and local flora and fauna in _Guns, Germs , and Steel_, so does Braudel begin his history. However, he does not stop there, and moves on to cover social and economic history, and, in the second volume, deals with the more standard "history of events" typical of most historical literature. Do not skip the second volume, as the tapestry Braudel weaves is not complete without it. The text is very detailed, too detailed at points, but I believe this gives the reader confidence in the authority of the writer. Clearly Braudel has done exhaustive research. You, too, will be exhausted by the time you finish this magnum opus.

In the 1500s, billions in gold and silver poured into Spanish coffers from the new world; yet, a century later Spain was bankrupt. What happened? Fernand Braudel has woven together a fascinating tour around the Mediterranean of the 1500s, explaining the rise of the Ottoman Empire, how Egyptians made iced drinks, why Algiers became the capital of piracy, how the banking system created the first transcontinental roads, and much more. This book immerses the reader in a new world full of rich details and suprising connections. Spain? An extravagant Star-Wars size naval fleet built with timbers imported from Scandinavia; nonexistent accounting practices, the personal greed of Spanish nobility helped along by canny bankers in the Netherlands--the wealth poured out as fast as it had come.