The Prince and the Infanta; The Cultural Politics of the Spanish Match

by Glyn Redworth

• ISBN13: 9780300101980
• ISBN10: 0300101988
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2003-12-11
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

On the night of March 7, 1623, the prince of Wales and the duke of Buckingham knocked on the door of the British embassy in Madrid. Their unsolicited arrival began one of the most bizarre episodes in British history, as the Protestant heir to the Stuart throne struggled to win the Spanish Infanta as his bride. The prince's visit marked the end of a decade of high-level negotiation to secure a marriage between the leading Protestant and Catholic royal families and heal Europe's century-old division into warring Christian camps. The effort was a diplomatic disaster. It split political and religious opinion in Britain, alienated much of Italy and Germany, confused the Spaniards (who thought that the English crown was about to convert), and failed to secure a marriage or to resolve the Thirty Years' War. Drawing on archival material from five countries, Glyn Redworth provides the definitive explanation of this pivotal moment and tells a fascinating story of early modern politicking, cultural misunderstanding, and religious confusion.

Author Biography

Glyn Redworth teaches history at the University of Manchester.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	ix
Chronology in Old Style	xi
Acknowledgements	xiii
Prologue	1	(6)
A Spanish Bride	7	(12)
Prague	19	(8)
Westminster	27	(12)
Father, Son and Favourite	39	(12)
Post Haste!	51	(10)
Wind, Metaphysics and the Court of Spain	61	(12)
Dear Venturous Knights	73	(15)
Cat and Mouse	88	(12)
Dispute, Censures and Conclusions	100	(12)
Solely to his Own Courtesy	112	(8)
Stricken Dead	120	(14)
Epilogue - The Codpiece Point?	134	(7)
Note on Sources	141	(4)
Abbreviations	145	(2)
Notes	147	(47)
Appendices
1. Gondomar to Buckingham, September 1622	171	(3)
2. The Religious Agreements of 3 December 1622 and 25 July 1623	174	(10)
3. The Prince of Wales to the Earl of Bristol Revoking the Proxy, September 1623	184	(2)
4. Charles's Entourage in Spain	186	(3)
5. The Farewell Inscription of La columna del adios	189	(3)
6. The Exchange of Letters between James and the Infanta, April and August 1623	192	(2)
Index	194