THE CURIAL MARKET (SECOND EDITION). BULLS AND BUSINESS BETWEEN ROME AND THE IBERIAN WORLD IN THE MODERN AGE

2021 NATIONAL SPANISH HISTORY PRIZE: This book has received the 2021 National Spanish History Prize, awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Culture.

Professor Antonio J. Díaz Rodríguez splendidly addresses this complex curial business of the Iberian world in the Modern Age. A topic that is very little researched in historiography, where it is only discussed when studying the professional careers of ecclesiastics or the case of certain important historical figures. This is, therefore, a book that combines the economic history of papal credit and taxation with the history of the Church, institutions, social mobility, political discourses and moral criticism, Golden Age literature, analysis of family strategies, the aspirations of converts to advancement and integration, and more. As the author points out, it is impossible to interpret the reality of southern Europe without taking into account the multiple and varied interests involved in the curial market, from the wealthy peasant and the parish priest to the nobility's strategies for maintaining power, including the king's favorite. All participate in some way in the commodification of papal grace. In conclusion, this is a work that opens new avenues for historical research.