Introduction; Part I. Castile in the 16th Century: Markets, Banks and Credit: 1. Castilian cities, Habsburgs, and bankers; 2. The fairs of Medina del Campo; 3. The public banks of Castile; 4. The administration of the royal finances; 5. Royal revenues in Castile; 6. The long-term debt: the juros; 7.

Crecimientos: reducing the yields of juros; 8. A model for the public finances in Castile; Part II. The First Years: Triumphant Battles with the Pope, France, the Bankers and the Cortes: 9. The young prince and the financial weapon; 10. First test: the 1557 debt restructuring and the war; 11. The 1560 Cortes: a new relationship; Part III. The Sixties: Turning to the South While the North was Brewing: 12. The bull of the crusade; 13.

Taxation in the low countries; 14. The short-term debt: the asientos before 1575; 15. Financing the construction of the Escorial with factorias; Part IV. The Main Confrontation with the Cities and the Crisis of 1575-77: 16. Obstruction in the Cortes (1572-1575); 17. Acceleration towards the crisis: 1575; 18. The Decreto of 1575; 19. The crisis in the credit market; 20.

War of attrition between the crown and the cities (1576-77); 21. Resolution; Part V. The Latter Part of the Reign: 22. Financing in Flanders; 23. Exploiting the Armada's disaster: the millones; 24. The Fiesco asiento: from fountains in Castile to streams in Flanders; 25. Mesadas with an option to refinance in juros: the maluenda asiento; 26. The renewal of the service of millones and the decree of 1596; 27.

The resolution of the last crisis; Acknowledgments ; Archives; Bibliography; Index.