Includes bibliographical references (pages 299-349) and index.
Rethinking the Hispanic monarchy in the first global age -- John II's controversial reward -- The Catholic monarchs and the legacy of John II -- Rebellion against crown administration as a defense of absolute royal authority -- Pursuing justice : due process, procedure, and the adjudication of a major lawsuit in the absence of coercive muscle -- Making judgments : Letrado theories and interpretive schemes -- Philip II, the great fear, and the new authoritarianism -- The paradox of absolute royal authority