ARHIVELE OLTENIEI - Universitatea din Craiova

36Oana Andreia SâmbrianBut Lope did not only witness important historic and cultural events, butwas also a part of them. In 1583, we find Lope on the lists of volunteers whowere about to leave for the Azore Islands, under the command of the marquis ofSanta Cruz, don Álvaro de Bazán, in order to pacify the last island that did notrecognize king’s Philip authority. In 1588, Lope took part at the war againstEngland, along with the Invincible Armada.In 1598, king Philip II died and with his successor, Philip III (1598-1621), 23 years of minor politics were to come. In 1600, Philip III moved thecourt for short time at Valladolid 11 .In 1609, the Moorish were expelled from Spain and in 1621, Lope got toknow the third Spanish king in his life, Philip IV. In 1623, Charles I of Englandcame to Spain, together with the duke of Buckingham, looking for a wife. In1640, Portugal separated from Spain.In his works, Lope did not only talk about the historic deeds thatincluded him directly or not, but also about the popular feasts, the way how thepeople of Madrid enjoyed bullfights and religious fiestas. One of the centercharacters of Lope was the city of Madrid, whose buildings and churches, theauthor described, along side with the Retiro palace.Lope de Vega, also known of “El Fénix”, is not only the author of morethan 426 comedies, but also of a big number of poems which try to recreatescenes of day to day life.Among them, there I one which requires a special attention, as it refersto the visit of Charles I in Spain in the year 1623.The verses reveal the following:“Carlo Estuardo soyQue, siendo Amor mi guía,Al cielo de España voy,Por ver mi estrella, María” 12 .(“I am Charles Stuart andGuided by my loveI came to the sky of SpainTo see my star, Maria”).This quatrain is extremely well known among the English and Spanishhistorians, who studied the visit of Charles I in Spain. The reason why the versesare so popular among the English is that they appear in James Howell’schronicle, from the 17 th century, entitled “Family Letters”. Finding himself byaccident in Madrid in the spring of 1623, Howell attended the demand of theEnglish ambassador to accompany Charles in his visit.11 Alonso Zamora Vicente, Lope de Vega: su vida y obra, inhttp://www.cervantesvirtual.com/FichaObra.html?Ref=708212 Lope de Vega. Edición crítica de Rafael Iglesias, Brnedictine University, Lisle,Illinois, 2001, p. 85.