he chapters in this volume correspond to the presentations of the Autumn Lecture Series organized by the Simancas University Institute of History of the University of Valladolid, between November 7 and 11, 2016. This series, which we have held uninterruptedly for several decades, has produced the collection of books to which this one is now available. It has become an academic tradition that has been carefully maintained by successive management teams at our Institute. Allow me to use this text as a tribute to all of them and, in particular, to Dr. María Isabel del Val and Dr. Hilario Casado, under whose responsibility as Director and Secretary, respectively, the 2016 series was held.

The chapters in this volume correspond to the presentations of the Autumn Lecture Series organized by the Simancas University Institute of History of the University of Valladolid, between November 7 and 11, 2016. This series, which we have held uninterruptedly for several decades, has produced the collection of books to which this one is now available. It has become an academic tradition that has been carefully maintained by successive management teams at our Institute. Allow me to use this text as a tribute to all of them and, in particular, to Dr. María Isabel del Val and Dr. Hilario Casado, under whose responsibility as Director and Secretary, respectively, the 2016 series was held.