Juan Rena and the Frontiers of Spanish Empire, 1500–1540

Jose M. Escribano-Páez is Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow at the Universidad Pablo de Olavide, where he also teaches modules on Early Modern History and Imperial History.

• Introduction 1. Defining the Frontier: Juan Rena’s Network and Spanish Expansion into the Maghreb 2. The Making of a Frontier: Noble Authority and Jurisdictional Pluralism Between Southern Iberia and the Maghreb 3. Political Incorporation from Below: Juan Rena and the Integration of Navarre into the Spanish Empire 4. Constructing a Maritime Frontier: Politics and Sea Power in the Mediterranean World During the Age of Charles V. Conclusion

"Escribano-Páez has delivered an important contribution to understanding the early development of Spanish administration on imperial frontiers, and it is a particularly significant next step in the advancement of the histories of Spanish-North Africa and Navarra." Yuen-Gen Liang Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan"Escribano-Páez takes us on a journey that allows us to re-evaluate the Mediterranean frontier not as an aseptic zone, but as an important laboratory of experiences, practices and norms with which to rethink the history of the empires of the early modern age through the eyes of those who acted on the ground." Francesco Caprioli Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy"From Andalusia to the Maghreb, from the Pyrenees to the Eastern Mediterranean, Rena's life story helps Escribano-Páez to show that, in contrast to certain triumphalist and outdated visions of Hispanic hegemony, the greatest challenge facing the Monarchy in the early 16th century was not so much to conquer as to develop strategies that would guarantee the maintenance of its new possessions."David Martín Marcos Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Spain