Reason of State and universal history

In the XC Ragguaglio of the II Centuria of Ragguagli di Parnaso (Advertisments from Parnassus), Traiano Boccalini discusses the Reason of State and the issue of conquests. The writing reveals a very strong anti-Hispanism while nevertheless offering a longer and wider perspective. The issue of the conquest of the New World has been present in European political reflection since the middle of the sixteenth century. Boccalini's need to reflect on this issue is more understandable if we take into account the contribution of a contemporary of his, the political writer and former Jesuit Giovanni Botero. Botero felt there was a need to deepen the reflection on The Reason of State and, in the same way, his Universal Relations dealt with the problem of the expansion of European nations and the building of overseas empires. The transition from The Reason of State to Relations allowed Botero to widen his outlook, where the perspective of Reason of State was not abandoned. This chapter aims to demonstrate how Boccalini engaged in a discussion in his Ragguagli precisely with this view in mind.