Madrid: A New Biography
The miraculous story of Madrid—how a village became a great world city
 
For centuries Madrid was an insignificant settlement on the central Iberian plateau. Under its Muslim rulers the town was fortified and enlarged, but even after the Reconquista it remained secondary to nearby Toledo. But Madrid’s fortunes dramatically shifted in the sixteenth century, becoming the centre of a vast global empire.
 
Luke Stegemann tells the surprising story of Madrid’s flourishing, and its outsize influence across the world. From Cervantes and Quevedo to Velázquez and Goya, Spain’s capital has been home to some of Europe’s most influential artists and thinkers. It formed a vital link between Europe and the Americas and became a cauldron of political dissent—not least during the Spanish Civil War, when the city was on the frontline in the fight against fascism.
 
Stegemann places Madrid and its people in global context, showing how the city—fast overtaking Barcelona as a centre of international finance and cultural tourism—has become a melting pot at the heart of Europe and the wider Hispanic world.
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Madrid: A New Biography
The miraculous story of Madrid—how a village became a great world city
 
For centuries Madrid was an insignificant settlement on the central Iberian plateau. Under its Muslim rulers the town was fortified and enlarged, but even after the Reconquista it remained secondary to nearby Toledo. But Madrid’s fortunes dramatically shifted in the sixteenth century, becoming the centre of a vast global empire.
 
Luke Stegemann tells the surprising story of Madrid’s flourishing, and its outsize influence across the world. From Cervantes and Quevedo to Velázquez and Goya, Spain’s capital has been home to some of Europe’s most influential artists and thinkers. It formed a vital link between Europe and the Americas and became a cauldron of political dissent—not least during the Spanish Civil War, when the city was on the frontline in the fight against fascism.
 
Stegemann places Madrid and its people in global context, showing how the city—fast overtaking Barcelona as a centre of international finance and cultural tourism—has become a melting pot at the heart of Europe and the wider Hispanic world.
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Madrid: A New Biography

Madrid: A New Biography

by Luke Stegemann
Madrid: A New Biography

Madrid: A New Biography

by Luke Stegemann

Paperback

$22.00 
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Overview

The miraculous story of Madrid—how a village became a great world city
 
For centuries Madrid was an insignificant settlement on the central Iberian plateau. Under its Muslim rulers the town was fortified and enlarged, but even after the Reconquista it remained secondary to nearby Toledo. But Madrid’s fortunes dramatically shifted in the sixteenth century, becoming the centre of a vast global empire.
 
Luke Stegemann tells the surprising story of Madrid’s flourishing, and its outsize influence across the world. From Cervantes and Quevedo to Velázquez and Goya, Spain’s capital has been home to some of Europe’s most influential artists and thinkers. It formed a vital link between Europe and the Americas and became a cauldron of political dissent—not least during the Spanish Civil War, when the city was on the frontline in the fight against fascism.
 
Stegemann places Madrid and its people in global context, showing how the city—fast overtaking Barcelona as a centre of international finance and cultural tourism—has become a melting pot at the heart of Europe and the wider Hispanic world.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780300286267
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication date: 09/09/2025
Pages: 480
Product dimensions: 5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Luke Stegemann is a writer and cultural historian, and an honorary Madrileño. He has written on art, politics, and history for a wide range of Spanish and Australian publications, and is the author of The Beautiful Obscure and Amnesia Road.
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