COMUNICACIÓN

The director general for European Affairs and External Action of the Regional Government of Extremadura, Pablo Hurtado, opened the third and final Campus Yuste course, entitled “Marriage, Empire and Diplomacy: The Dynastic Policy of the Habsburgs (15th–17th Centuries)”, organised by the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation as part of the 27th International Summer/Autumn Courses of the University of Extremadura. (15/07/2026)

For the past ten years, Campus Yuste has devoted one of its courses to exploring the life and era of the Emperor, with the aim of bringing participants closer to this historical figure and to a crucial period for understanding the political, cultural, and social construction of contemporary Europe. On this occasion, “we are turning our attention to marriage policy, one of the most effective instruments of its time because it operated quietly”, the director general stated.

In his view, this form of power transformed dynastic marriages “into instruments of government, diplomacy, and the building of alliances between States”. He added that, in today’s terms, it can be understood as “a genuine form of soft power, quiet, yet extraordinarily effective”.

To conclude, Hurtado expressed his appreciation to the course directors and speakers, while also acknowledging the students, whom he described as “the true driving force behind Campus Yuste”.

Also speaking at the opening ceremony was the director of the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation, Fernando Pizarro, who highlighted the outstanding faculty participating in Campus Yuste and the students’ enthusiasm for sharing, debating, and reflecting “on reason and truth”.

Rosa María Martínez de Codes, professor of American History at the Complutense University of Madrid and co-director of the course, also praised the courses devoted to Charles V, describing them as highly successful in terms of “their scope, international reach, and academic quality”.

Finally, Jesús Conde, deputy vice-rector for University Extension at the University of Extremadura, emphasised the international profile of both the speakers and the students as one of Campus Yuste’s greatest strengths, noting that it “makes it possible to connect ideas and share different ways of seeing the world”.

A total of 125 participants from Germany, Argentina, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Spain, the United States, Guatemala, Mexico, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Portugal, and the Czech Republic have enrolled in the course.

The course is held with the support of the Regional Government of Extremadura; the Cooperation Network of the European Routes of Emperor Charles V – Cultural Route of the Council of Europe; the European Heritage Label; Patrimonio Nacional; the Provincial Councils of Cáceres and Badajoz; and Mafresa.