The Spanish Match

In 1623, the young heir to the English and Scottish thrones Prince Charles slipped out of England and headed off to Madrid hoping to marry the King of Spain's daughter. Although King James had been pressing for a Spanish marriage since 1604, the policy was divisive and opposed by many in the English court. Thus when James's cautious approaches to Philip IV seemed to be getting nowhere, the impetuous Charles took matters into his own hands and departed to the continent determined to...
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In 1623, the young heir to the English and Scottish thrones Prince Charles slipped out of England and headed off to Madrid hoping to marry the King of Spain's daughter. Although King James had been pressing for a Spanish marriage since 1604, the policy was divisive and opposed by many in the English court. Thus when James's cautious approaches to Philip IV seemed to be getting nowhere, the impetuous Charles took matters into his own hands and departed to the continent determined to settle the matter in his own romantic style.That his journey to Madrid was to eventually end in failure and public humiliation, has often been cited as a major influence on the development of the young prince and many of his subsequent policies as king. Yet until now, there has been little attempt to systematically explore the ramifications of the failure of the Spanish match from differing perspectives. In this volume leading scholars from a variety of disciplines analyse the reactions and results of Charles romantic escapade and offer their insights in to the affair. In so doing many traditional assumptions about the trip are overturned, and the inadequacy of assessing it from a single discipline is revealed.