The institutions of Spain are described in detail in two admirable works: J. M. Antequera, Historia de la Legislacion Espanola (1874); and F. M. Marina, Ensayo Historico-critico sobre la Antigua Legislacion … de Leon y Castilla (1834). There is a short but systematic and valuable account of Spanish institutions in The Cambridge Modern History (I., chap, xi., by H. B. Clarke). The most satisfactory general description of the changes in Spanish institutions during the reign of the Catholic sovereigns is J. H. Mariejol, L'Espagne sous Ferdinand et Isabelle: le Gouvernement, les Institutions, et les Moeurs (1892). William H. Prescott, The Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic (various editions), is less uncritical in character, and consequently more trustworthy, than the other works of this author. An important study of the personal character of Isabella is Clemencin, Elogio de la Reina Catolica, in Real Academia de la Historia, Memorias, IV. An important and suggestive study of this period is W. Maurenbrecher, Spanien unter den Katholischen Konigen: Studien und Skizzen zur Geschichte der Reformationszeit (1857). Of somewhat similar character is W. Havemann, Darstellungen aus der inneren Geschichte Spaniens wahrend des XV., XVI. und XVII. Jahrhunderts (1850). The more purely political history is best given in M. Danvilla y Collado, El Poder Civil en Espana (6 vols., 1885-1887). The expulsion of the Jews is described in the third volume of J. Amador de los Rios, Los Judios de Espana y Portugal (3 vols., 1875-1876); that of the Moriscos in H. C. Lea, The Moriscos of Spain, their Conversion and Expulsion (1901). Much valuable description of this period is also given in H. C. Lea, Chapters from the Religious History of Spain (1890). Mr. Lea has also an important article, "The Policy of Spain towards the Indies" (Yale Review, August, 1899). The military history of Ferdinand's reign is given in P. Boissonade, Reunion de la Navarre a la Castille (1893), and in the large general histories of Spain, such as A. Canovas del Castillo, Historia General de Espana (1894), and Vicente de la Fuente, Historia General de Espana (30 vols., 1850-1867).
The organization of the Casa da Contractacion is fully described in Primeras Ordenanzas … de la Contractacion de las Indias, by J. de Veitia Linage (1672, "made English" by Captain John Stevens, under the title The Spanish Rule of Trade to the West Indies, 1702). It is also described in Richard Hakluyt, Principal Navigations, IV. Economic conditions are further described in two books by K. Habler, Geschichte der Fugger'schen Handlung in Spanien (1897); Die Wirtschaftliche Blute Spaniens im XVI. Jahrhundert und ihr Verfall (1888).
FRANCE IN THE SIXTEENTH AND SEVENTEENTH CENTURIES
The great mass of contemporary writings for this period is published partly in the great Collection de Documents Inedits (about 280 vols., 1835-), partly in other collections, such as that of Michaud et Poujoulat, Correspondance D'Orient, 1830-1831 (7 vols., 1835), and partly as individual publications. The royal enactments down to 1514 are best edited in Ordonnances des Roys de France (21 vols., 1723- 1849). The Recueil General des Anciennes Lois Francaises, edited by Isambert and Taillandier (29 vols., 1822-1833), extends later in time but is inferior in fulness and accuracy.
A short general history of France during this period is A. J. Grant,
The French Monarchy, 1483-1789 (2 vols., 1900). Of the excellent work,
Lavisse, Histoire de France, the latest section to appear is V., pt.
i., by H. Lemonnier, which covers the period 1492-1547.
For the commercial history of France valuable works are H. Pigeonneau,
Histoire du Commerce de la France (2 vols., 1887-1889); Pierre Clement,
Histoire de la Vie et de L'Administration de Colbert (2 vols., 1846);
G. Fagniez, "Le Commerce de la France sous Henri IV.," in Revue
Historique, May-June, 1881; and F. Bourquelot, Etude sur les Foires de
Champagne (Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres de L'Institut de
France, series II., vol. V., 1865). For the commercial companies in
Canada, see H. P. Biggar, Early Trading Companies of New France (1901).
THE NETHERLANDS AND GERMANY IN THE SIXTEENTH AND SEVENTEENTH CENTURIES
The best history of the Netherlands is P. J. Blok, History of the People of the Netherlands (1892, in part translated by Ruth Putnam, 3 vols., 1898-1900); J. L. Motley, Rise of the Dutch Republic (many editions), still has value and much interest, but the work is uncritical and based on inadequate study of the sources. C. M. Davies, History of Holland and the Dutch Nation (3 vols., 1851), is of special value for its attention to the internal organization of the Dutch nation. Robert Fruin, Geschiedniss der Staatsinstellingen in Nederland (edited by H. T. Colenbrander, 1901), is a much more detailed and modern work, the first two books of which refer to the period of this volume. In it are to be found abundant references to the sources of Dutch institutions. Douglas Campbell, The Puritan in Holland, England, and America (2 vols., 1892), is a vivacious work including much description of conditions in Holland and England during this period. It is, however, written in a spirit of controversial exaggeration which reduces its historical value to small proportions. The long and valuable paper "William Usselinx," by J. P. Jameson (American Historical Society, Papers, II., 1888), contains much information concerning political and commercial conditions in the Netherlands. There is a short description of the municipal organization of Holland in an article by J. F. Jameson in the Magazine of American History, VIII., 315-330. The charter of the Dutch West India Company is in E. B. O'Callaghan, History of New Netherland, I., App. A (1855); and in Samuel Hazard, State Papers, I.
The general history of Germany for this period can be Studied from the following volumes of the series entitled Allgemeine Geschichte in Einzeldarstellungen—viz., F. von Bezold, Geschichte der deutschen Reformation (1890); G. Droysen, Geschichte der Gegenreformation (1893); G. Winter, Der dreissigjahrigen Krieges (1893); B. Erdmannsdorfer, Deutsche Geschichte von westfalischen Frieden bis Friedrichs der Grossen (2 vols., 1892). The last work contains in its first book a valuable resume of the results of the Thirty Years' War and the condition of Germany at the time. E. Armstrong, The Emperor Charles V. (2 vols., 1902), is an excellent account of Germany during the middle years of the sixteenth century. Anton Gindely, The Thirty Years' War (English translation, 2 vols., 1884), is a standard work on the Thirty Years' War.
The religious changes of the time are described in a scholarly but extremely dry fashion in W. Moeller, History of the Christian Church, III. (English translation, 1900). L. von Ranke, Deutsche Geschichte im Zeitalter der Reformation, translated into English (3 vols., 1845- 1847), is a well-known work. More detailed accounts of the Anabaptists are given in H. W. Erbkam, Geschichte der Protestantischen Sekten in Zeitalter der Reformation (1848); L. Keller, Geschichte der Wiedertaufer (1880); and Max Goebel, Geschichte des Christlichen Leben in der rheinschwestphdlischen evangelischen Kirche (3 vols., 1849- 1860).