Fernand Braudel investigates how the Mediterranean environment, economy, and social structures shaped the geopolitical landscape of the sixteenth century during the reign of Philip II. Braudel, a central figure of the Annales school, utilizes a vast array of archival data, trade records, and demographic statistics to argue that historical change is driven more by long-term environmental and economic cycles than by the actions of individual monarchs. His framework prioritizes the 'longue duree,' examining the slow-moving forces of geography and material life alongside the more rapid events of political history.

This work is widely regarded as a foundational text in modern historiography, noted for its immense scale and innovative methodological approach to total history. The density of its research and its focus on structural forces over traditional narrative history make it a standard reference for scholars of the early modern period.