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UNIVERSITY DISTINGUISHED LECTURE

Messianic Imperialism
in
Sixteenth-Century
Europe

by Geoffrey Parker
Andreas Dorpalen Designated Professorship
in European History
The Ohio State University

Abstract

Both Catholic and Protestant rulers in early modern Europe believed that God intervened daily and directly in human affairs. In the words of Oliver Cromwell's schoolteacher: "Nothing in this world comes to pass by chance or adventure, but only and always by the prescription of [God's] will." After the destruction of the Spanish Armada in 1588, a Dutch commemorative medal boasted, "God blew and they were scattered." Spain's rulers espoused similar messianic views with unusual passion. Philip II (1556-98), who left copious records of his intimate feelings, once told a dispirited subordinate to pull himself together because "You are engaged in God's service and in mine Ð which is the same thing."

The conviction that God would always fight for Spain influenced every aspect of Philip II's government. On the one hand, it dictated many of his foreign and domestic policies; on the other, it encouraged him to pursue his goals with little regard to available resources because he expected that (if necessary) God would perform a miracle to achieve them. Although most of the lecture will examine how the king sought to ascertain God's purpose (consulting his confessor or special committees of theologians on specific issues) and how he rode roughshod over all who saw things differently (especially the pope), it will also compare his vision with that of some "messianic" twentieth-century Western leaders.