Richard Kagan is professor of history at Johns Hopkins University. He specializes in the history of early modern Europe particularly Habsburg Spain and its overseas empire. He is visiting professor at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, École de Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, and Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique. Kagan is the author of several books, including Students and Society in Early Modern Spain and Lawsuits and Litigants in Castile.