ABSTRACT |
Prince
Charles and Buckingham’s secret arrival in Madrid on 17th
March1623 was a motive of wonder and astonishment for the English
ambassador Lord Bristol as well as for Count Olivares and the Spanish
king himself. The negotiations for the match between the Prince of Wales
and Infanta María had become the main concern for the Anglo-Spanish
diplomacy since 1618 when the Bohemian conflict began. James’s position
had not been easy. On one hand, he was demanded to support his son in
law Frederic, who had accepted the Bohemian crown after the Protestant
estates rebelled against their Habsburg king. On the other, the
Palatinate question had become a serious obstacle in his relations with
Spain, which was resolute to support the Habsburg Empire. Besides, the
Spanish Monarchy’s attitude to the match was not clear either. The
religious matter and the Palatine problem remained the two main
handicaps to overcome and the Spaniards did not seem to rely much on
English effectiveness in doing so. The delay in the negotiations may
have encouraged Charles to travel to Spain as a last and desperate way
to accelerate the process.
This
paper analyses several Spanish contemporary accounts of the Prince of
Wales’s visit. There also references to certain reports by Englishmen
who witnessed the event and offered their own viewpoint. If we take into
account that many of the noblemen who attended the Prince were Catholic
or moderate Protestants, we may understand why both the Spanish and
English descriptions seem to share the same tone and approach, in
contrast with the radical anti-Spanish pamphlet and sermon literature
increasingly popular in contemporary London. The texts analysed show
several diplomatic strategies used by the Spanish side in the
negotiations and already reveal some of the problems that would finally
ruin the match project.
|
