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Integrating the political and governmental histories of Spain and the American colonies, this book focuses on the political and governmental history of the Viceroyalty of Peru during the ´early Bourbon´ period and provides a new interpretation of the period´s broader significance within Spanish American history.

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Introduction: The Early Bourbon Period in Spanish South America, An Interpretation 1. Imperial Hiatus: War in Spain and Crisis in Peru, 1700 to 1720s 2. Bourbon Rule and the Origins of Reform in Spain and the Colonies, 1700-1719 3. The First Cycle of Reform, 1710s to 1736: Spanish Atlantic Trade 4. The First Cycle of Reform, 1710s to 1736: Government, Treasury, Mining, and the Church 5. Reform Abated, 1736-1745 6. Reform Renewed: The Second Cycle, 1745-1763 7. Conclusions

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Adrian J. Pearce is a Lecturer in Brazilian and Spanish-American History at King s College, London, UK.

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