Hans Koning - For all the gold and silver stolen and shipped to Spain did not make the Sp

For all the gold and silver stolen and shipped to Spain did not make the Spanish people richer. It gave their kings an edge in the balance of power for a time, a chance to hire more mercenary soldiers for their wars. They ended up losing those wars anyway, and all that was left was a deadly inflation, a starving population, the rich richer, the poor poorer, and a ruined peasant class

- Hans Koning

source: Hans Koning (1992). “Columbus: His Enterprise: Exploding the Myth”, p.118, NYU Press

topic: Kings, War, Class