PETER PIERSON is Lee and Seymour Graff Professor of History at Santa Clara University. The history of Spain is one of his main interests and he regularly undertakes research trips to Spain. A former Fulbright fellow in Spain, he is a member of the Society for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies and author of "Philip II of Spain" (1975) and "Commander of the Armada" (1989) and numerous articles and book chapters on early modern Spanish history.