Back in England

Sacarcely two years later after his return to England, in March 1625, Charles Stuart became King Charles I. In June that same year, he married the daughter of the King of France and in October, he declared war on Philip IV of Spain. Of course, this restart of inimical relations between Spain and England can only be accounted for by complex political reasons, unrelated to the jornada reconstructed here.

Yet, it would be interesting to know what impression the prince had made of the people in the plains and mountains of Castile, a land repeatedly emptied out by plagues, droughts and the occasional foreign (mis)encounter. If one is to trust the Spanish courtly writers, the Castilians for their part always welcomed the prince's progress "with many blessings."

Reading the printed relaciones and archival material here exhibited certaintly yields a sharp contrast, that between the splendour of the receptions and gift exchanging which the press chose to highlight and the stressful and rather miserable conditions in which this unusual encounter between the English prince and Old Castile took place in reality.