Defending the Spanish Match in early Stuart England

Abstract

Abstract This article broadens our understanding of the Spanish Match crisis of the early 1620s by analysing pro-marriage contributions to the public debate. It argues that anti-popery was a key feature of the language of pro-match literature, but that, crucially, supporters of the match dissociated Spain from the wider threat of popish tyranny. The article provides a detailed, contextualized reading of three pamphlets. It considers the complex ways that religious and political views interacted to form subtle anti-papal rhetorical strategies, which challenged the dominant anti-papal narrative aligning Spain with Rome. It thus significantly adds to the literature on early Stuart anti-popery.