Cloths of gold. Valladolid-Flanders: weaving history

The intricate web of relationships that developed between the city of Valladolid and the so-called Northern Provinces, or Flanders, during the 16th and 17th centuries, in both directions, is the focus of this work. Through a historical text that uses the metaphor of tapestry weaving, an original approach to the history of Valladolid is offered, allowing the reader to immerse themselves in the city's Flemish heritage, as well as its contributions to the sociocultural development of those provinces. What has been called "The Spirit of Europe" has been woven throughout the centuries with industry and commerce, but also with art and culture, and above all, with thought. And in this European tapestry, cities have played, and continue to play, a prominent role. "Golden Cloths" is a work that aims to reveal the historical, artistic, and human richness that Valladolid possesses, using as its point of reference the relationships that existed between it and Flanders when both were part of the Spanish Monarchy. The encounter between Iberian and Flemish cultures, here in Valladolid (capital of that monarchy for six years) and there in the Netherlands, gave rise to a whole network of social, cultural, and artistic contributions that have shaped the beautiful Hispano-Flemish tapestry that this book seeks to weave. About the author: Luis Torrecilla Hernández is from Zamora, born in Cañizal and residing in Valladolid. He graduated in Philosophy and Educational Sciences, developing his teaching career in the city on the Pisuerga River, where he has published “Childhood and Punishment: A History of School Punishment” (1998) and “School and Prison: School Discipline in the Context of the Prison System in 19th-Century Spain” (2008), both published by the University of Valladolid. As a great connoisseur of Valladolid's history, he has dedicated five of his books to the city: Valladolid, Riddles and Poems to Discover Your City in a Fun and Different Way (1999); Valladolid, If I Could Tell You! (2001); Valladolid, Feminine Singular: Portraits in the Fog (2004); Valladolid, the French Influence: Routes for Dialogue (2007); and Valladolid, Italian Fantasy: Discovering Worlds (2011). He is also the author of the essays Cañizal: Notes for a History (1991) and Lawsuits for Local History: Cañizal, a Village in Valdeguareña (2007). In the field of narrative, he has published four novels: Point of View (2014), The Emperor's Spy (2017), The Engineer of the Sea (2020), and The Conspiracy of La Rinconada (2023).