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> The Englishman in 1700 saw the Spaniard as being just as foreign as a Swede sees a Muslim today

Um, no. The reconquista and various crusades were pan-european wars against muslims way before 1700. Englishmen died driving the Moors from Spain. There has definitely long been a European identity.

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(1) England and Spain were at war around that time (The Spanish Armada sailed in 1588 so maybe change the date to 1600).

(2) England was protestant, Spain was Catholic.

(3) Because of the language difference probably most English couldn't communicate with most Spanish.

I am also taking into account the average modern Swede is probably fairly well educated and relatively liberal.

Of course I may have pushed things a bit to make a rhetorical point ;-)

On3. Educated people would have communicated effectively in Latin.

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