SILVIA Z. MITCHELL

I am a historian of early modern European history with a focus on the history of the Spanish Monarchy in the later seventeenth century (1665–1700) from national and international perspectives. I also study women of the royal House of Habsburg from political, cultural, and dynastic perspectives. I am fascinated by queenship as a history of female political power and the influence of royal courts on political, cultural, and diplomatic history. My goal is to place women as key agents of change in diplomatic, international, and national histories.

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, I completed all my academic training in the U.S., first at Florida International University and then at the University of Miami, where I received my Ph.D. I’ve been on the faculty at Purdue University since 2013. I am currently on research leave in Spain (2023-2024) in residence with the research group CINTER (Court, Image, Nobility, and Territory) at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid. Another of my defining qualities: I spend a lot of time in archives. My book Queen, Mother, and Stateswoman is the first in-depth study of the regency and exile of Queen Mariana of Austria (1665–1679), which I analyze as a distinct period within the reign of her son, Carlos II (1665–1700), who inherited the throne when he was just three years old. I highlight the active role Spain played in European international politics and Mariana’s part in reversing Spain’s financial and political difficulties during a period of uncertainty—by helping redefine the military and diplomatic blocs of Europe in Spain’s favor. The Spanish translation, Reina, madre y estadista. Mariana de Austria y el gobierno de España, has been published by the CEEH in an extended and lavishly illustrated edition.

Graduate students interested in working with me on early modern Spanish history, should email me expressing interest and specifying experience, potential topic of research, and language skills.