Part 4

Upon the death of Henry IV., a faction supporting his daughter, Juana (who is said to have been born here), seized the Alcázar, and held it for several weeks against the Duque del Infantado. Isabella, however, bore the town no grudge, and during her brilliant reign its prosperity increased by leaps and bounds. It remained loyal to the crown during the Comuneros rising, and was rewarded by a visit from Charles V. in 1524. He had taken a fever, and at the advice of his physicians, came to Madrid to regain health in this elevated, bracing region of Castile. A year after, he was in conflict with Francis I. of France, and the French king was a captive in Madrid. Attended by a few members of his Court, Francis occupied a room in the old palace, then known as the Alcázar. There is no doubt that he suffered keen humiliation during this detention, and that he was harassed by fears for the future. His gaoler was Alarcon, the valorous commander of the Spanish infantry, who appears to have treated his royal prisoner with courteous consideration.

When Francis heard that the Emperor desired that he should relinquish all claim to Italy and yield Burgundy, he seized his dagger, and swore that he would rather die than consent to the terms. And although Alarcon restrained him from plunging the dagger into his body, the King avowed that he would sooner suffer lifelong imprisonment than bear the disgrace of gaining freedom by the loss of power and dignity.

Lying on his bed, surrounded by counsellors, the French sovereign sank into a condition of fever and extreme depression. At length he declared his willingness to yield.

By the famous Treaty of Madrid, which was signed in 1526, Francis I. abandoned his rights over parts of Italy and certain portions of Holland and Belgium. The compact was solemnly celebrated at a religious service, and the French and Spanish monarchs passed a few days together before Francis crossed the frontier of Spain.

No sooner had he passed over the Bidassoa than Francis cried: “I am yet a king!” Never had he intended to keep to the terms of the Treaty of Madrid. His breach of faith alarmed Charles, who sent Lannoy and Alarcon to France as his emissaries. Their errand was unavailing; Francis offered a sum of money to the Emperor, but refused to cede Burgundy. And so the bitter feud between Charles and Francis was continued.

Charles V. was a singular example of weakness, of obstinacy, and of reason, with a bias for right and justice. He delighted in the quietude of Aranjuez, and was fond of directing the work of the gardeners. The emperor was athletic in his early manhood, and addicted to field sports. He loved the sights and sounds of wild nature, and took pleasure in roaming the forests. During his visits to Italy, he went to see many famous pictures, and paid homage to Titian. His versatility was also exhibited in his great taste for music and his knowledge of the technique of the art.

He it was who first conceived the project of elevating Madrid to the rank of capital. It was left, however, to his son to promulgate the decree declaring the town to be _unica Corte_. The document, dated 1561, has unfortunately been lost. Madrid had this advantage over Toledo, Valladolid, and the other old capitals, that it was not identified with any one in particular of the kingdoms that made up Spain, but with Spain in general.

Philip II. held his Court at Madrid in 1561, but he preferred the solitude of his palace of the Escorial. Under this monarch’s rule the city was enlarged, the streets widened, and several squares built. At this time a number of the surrounding forests were felled in order to raise money for the royal exchequer. Don John of Austria, the natural son of Philip IV. by the beautiful actress Calderona, lived in the Buen Retiro. In “The Lady’s Travels into Spain,” written in 1679, we read that it was against the custom to permit the illegitimate sons of royalty to enter Madrid. Don John was therefore confined in the Buen Retiro, “which is the Royal Seat at one of the farthest Parts of Madrid, a little without the Gate.” Here the prince led a secluded existence. “And he shew’d himself so little that he was never seen at any publick Feast during the Life of the late King: but since, Times have changed, and his Fortune stands on a different bottom.”

According to this very entertaining authoress, Don John was of middle height, handsome, with “a most manly countenance.” His address was polished and kindly, and he was reputed to be well learned in the arts and sciences. He “took a great pleasure in the Mathematicks.” Madrid at this time was renowned for the purity of its air and water. The water was “so good and so light that the Cardinal Infante would drink no other when he was in Flanders; and he caus’d it to be brought by Sea in Earthen Jars well stop’d.” The streets of the city were poorly paved, so that the horses often sank up to their knees and the coaches to the butts of the wheels. There were no fortifications to Madrid at this period, and the gates were not defended. Still, even at this time, there were long and wide streets and many great houses. Eating houses abounded, where the chief dishes were beans, garlic, leeks, and broth. There was very little drunkenness. Men drank less than half a pint of wine during the day, and the majority of women abstained altogether.

At this date it was the fashion to retain a large number of domestic servants. The Duchess of Osuna kept about eight hundred attendants, and every room seemed full of them. Only titled persons were allowed to drive teams of four mules. If a commoner dared to appear on the streets with such an equipage, he was liable to a fine, and the traces of his carriage would be cut. The king’s team consisted of six mules.

The daughters of high families in Madrid were often placed in a sort of service to friends of their relatives, who employed them in embroidery and other needlework, for if the young women remained at home they spent their time in idle chatter. The farthingale was worn, and it was often of a huge size, and exceedingly troublesome to the wearers and to other persons. Some women of fashion wore as many as a dozen skirts and petticoats, except in the hot months, when they contented themselves with seven or eight, some being of satin and others of velvet. As the dresses were cut low, it was the custom to rouge the shoulders as well as the cheeks.

The ladies of Madrid society used at this time to sit upon the floor, with their legs crossed in the oriental fashion. They played ombre, took but little outdoor exercise, toyed with their needles, and read very little. At Mass the women carried enormous muffs, and each one had a fan, which was used both in hot and cold weather.

The author who records these impressions of Madrid was the Countess d’Aulnoy. It is the opinion of some modern Spanish chroniclers that her accounts of the manners and customs of that period are over-coloured and often incorrect.

It was in the reign of Philip III. that the first part of Cervantes’ “Don Quixote” was printed in a house in the Calle de Atocha, by Juan de la Cuesta, and the great satire was published in 1605. Philip III. removed the Court to Valladolid, where it was maintained for about four years and then reinstated at Madrid. During the rule of Philip, the Plaza Mayor was built.

The reign of his successor was inaugurated by the public execution of the unfortunate Calderon, whose fall has been the theme of many romances.

The marriage of the Infanta Maria, sister of Philip IV., to Charles of England was arranged to be celebrated in Madrid, in March 1623. Charles stayed in the Convent of San Jeronimo, and afterwards at the Royal Palace, where he remained for five months, and was entertained with bull-fights, _fêtes_, and balls. The English prince was, however, prevented from marrying the Princess Maria through hindrances of a political nature.

Philip IV. built the Palace of the Buen Retiro at Madrid, inspired by the example of Fontainebleau. In this new royal residence many balls were held, and much money expended upon festivities of a very luxurious character. Meantime, the scaffolds of Madrid flowed with noble blood, as a result of the abortive conspiracy to place the House of Braganza on the throne of Spain and the Duke of Medina Sidonia on that of Andalusia.

Madrid suffered from the general distress which spread over Spain at this period. In the surrounding villages the people were at the point of starvation, and the food supply in the city was seriously threatened. The outlook was so menacing that, in 1664, the President of Castile was sent with a military force to compel the farmers to send their produce to Madrid. In 1680 there was much destitution and suffering in the city, and the people rose and formed bands for the purpose of pillage. Beggars swarmed in Madrid, and desperate gangs of robbers prowled in the surrounding country.

The change from the Austrian to the Bourbon rule proved the salvation of Madrid. Charles III. was an enlightened sovereign, honest in his convictions, and vigorous in his measures of reform. He improved the army, and raised the position of Spain to a first-rate power. His policy in regard to the American colonies was liberal and conciliatory. Charles repealed unjust taxes, stood champion to the poor man, and advocated humane principles of government. He encouraged the sciences, art, and letters of Spain, he protected the press, and gave printers immunity from military service. During the rule of Charles III. schools and colleges were founded. He improved and adorned Madrid, though at one time he entertained the idea of transferring the seat of government to Seville; and caused parks and promenades to be laid out. Under the direction of this monarch, canals were constructed, roads made, waste lands reclaimed, and industries stimulated.

The people of Madrid have every reason to respect Charles III. To his initiation they owe the fine Customs’ House, the Prado Gallery, the General Hospital, the Alcalá Gateway, the Observatory, the Botanical Gardens, and the Natural History Library. These and other institutions and public buildings were established and erected during the reign of this excellent king.

The history of Madrid becomes merged in that of the kingdom. The lead taken on the “Dos de Mayo,” 1808, when the Puerta del Sol and the adjoining streets were held with dauntless but futile courage by the people of Madrid against the French, was the signal for the uprising of the whole country against the intruder. The capital had well deserved its headship by its vindication of the nation’s dignity and independence. Every episode in its troubled history since that memorable day has been described vividly and inimitably by the great epic novelist, Galdós. Throughout the nineteenth century, the city had its full share in the vicissitudes and discord, which so happily terminated with the accession of King Alfonso XII. and the establishment of the strongest and most enlightened government Spain had known for centuries.

The Chevalier de Bourgoanne, who recounted his “Travels in Spain” in 1789, said that Madrid contained at that time eighteen parishes, thirty-five monasteries, thirty-one convents, thirty-nine colleges, fifteen gates, and about 140,000 inhabitants. The number of inhabitants now approaches 600,000. Since the eighteenth century Madrid has extended its confines on all sides, and grown into a modern city of the first rank.

The walls, never a very formidable defence, were taken down in 1868 to enlarge Madrid. At this time the new Plaza de Toros was erected, the Puerta del Sol widened, and the viaduct built across the Calle de Segovia. The streets are now well paved with stone or asphalte, and illuminated with gas and electric light. The chief market is in the Plaza de la Cebada, built in 1870.

In several of the squares and promenades there are fountains, statues, and monuments. One of the finest of the monuments is that erected in memory of the heroes of the Dos de Mayo (the Second of May). It is of granite, in the shape of an obelisk, surrounded by symbolical figures. This monument was designed by Isidro Velazquez. A marble group in front of one of the façades of the Museo del Prado represents Daoiz and Velarde, the gallant artillery officers who fell on that occasion in defence of the throne and country.

Madrid has always been a city of craftworkers and small traders, and even to-day there are very few large industries or factories. There are many small employers of labour and many persons trading with their own plant and stock, and finding employment for their own families. The number of well-appointed shops is steadily increasing, and there is an effort to compete with the large shops of Paris and London, as will be seen during a stroll through the chief thoroughfares radiating from the Puerta del Sol.

The arms of the city are a tree in leaf, with a bear climbing up the stem, and the escutcheon is surmounted by a crown. Madrid bears the title, “Imperial y coronada, muy noble y muy leal y muy heroica.”

III

THE COURT AND SOCIETY IN MADRID

Since the reign of Philip II. Madrid has been the _unica Corte_, or seat of the Court of Spain. Before the twelfth century, a Moorish Alcázar stood on the site of the present royal palace, which was built by Henry IV., added to by succeeding monarchs, and considerably enlarged by Philip III. The original architects were Herrera, Toledo, and other famous designers of the day; but this structure was burned down, and, in 1738, Giovanni Sachetti planned a still larger palace, which is said to have cost £3,000,000 in the building and embellishment.

The modern Palacio Real is rectangular, and stands on an eminence commanding a wide view of the undulating tableland and the distant mountains of Castile. It is built of granite and has wide wings. The chief façade is on the south side. The Princes’ Entrance is one of the several doorways of the fine façade. On the north is another portal of admirable design, leading to the great _patio_ or inner court. The court is surrounded by a piazza on thirty-six arches with the same number of arches above, forming a gallery; and in the square are statues of the Roman Emperors who ruled in Spain.

The grand staircase is of white and black marble, with an allegorical ceiling painting by the Italian Giacinto. In the sumptuous Throne-Room the appointments and decorations are resplendent, and on the ceiling is a picture representing the Majesty of Spain, painted by Tiepolo. Gasparini designed the beautiful hall that bears his name, where the ceiling is of porcelain, and the walls decked with satin upon which flowers are worked. The State Dining-Room of marble contains fresco paintings. The Royal Chapel has columns of marble, and above the altar is a painting by Mengs. Near the Sacristy are stored the holy relics; and in the Tapiceria there is a very fine collection of tapestries after Dutch artists. Attached to the Royal Palace are the Armoury, of which something will be said later, the Royal Stables, excellently appointed, and the sequestered and beautiful gardens.

Such is the principal residence of King Alfonso of Spain. The royal ceremonial is under the direction of the Master of the Household and the Lord High Steward. These officers are always persons of high birth, who are invested with the honours of the Order of Charles III. and the Golden Fleece. The Chief Equerry of the royal household takes the position of Master of the Palace when that functionary is absent, and controls the King’s hunt, and directs several minor officials of the Court.

The Chief Chaplain to the King is the Archbishop of Toledo. One of the principal members of the household is the Keeper of the Queen’s Wardrobe. Then come the Lords of the Bedchamber, Maids of Honour, and the Mayordomos de Semana (of the Week). The military officer in command is the General of the Royal Halberdier Guards, and this functionary presides over the ceremony of opening the palace doors at six in the morning and closing them at eleven at night. In Spain the royal residences are regarded as fortresses, and protected by troops.

The Intendant-General of the Royal House and Patrimony holds a responsible post, and administers the King’s estates and incomes. Other officials are the Private Secretaries, the Director of the Royal Stables, the Chief Physician, the Chief Chemist, the Chief Architect, the Secretary of the Signet, the Secretary of the High Chamber, Keeper of the Archives, the Chief Librarian, the Director of the Royal Armoury, and the Chief of the Tapestry Collection. The gentlemen of the Royal Household wear a badge of office in the form of a silver key, and are clad in special uniforms for various occasions.

Pomp and ceremony attend the movements of the Spanish sovereign, and there is an elaborate “Court Guide” embodying all the ordinances and regulations governing the life at the palace. The rigidity of etiquette in the Court of Spain has, however, been exaggerated in the accounts written by strangers since the time of the Countess d’Aulnoy, for a modern Spanish writer asserts that the Court is “more democratic than most European Courts.”

This writer says: “Almost all the points of etiquette observed at present by the persons who have access to the King and Queen and members of their family are merely formulas of pure courtesy, with which those who are aware of them comply, but which are not imposed at the Palace, nor even mentioned to those who do not know them. Taking the glove off the right hand in order to shake hands with the King; treating him as is his due; rising when he rises and not speaking to him except in reply to his questions; these are the chief points to be observed, and which courtiers themselves sometimes forget without any notice being taken.”

Religious services and festivals are strictly observed in the Palace of His Catholic Majesty, and attended by all members of his Court. The chief solemnities are the Festival of the Immaculate Conception and Nativity, Epiphany and Purification, Ash Wednesday, Annunciation and Incarnation, Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Ascension Day, Whit Sunday, Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi, All Saints, and the Patronage of our Lady. The public are admitted to the galleries of the Royal Chapel during the celebration of these festivals and services.

Uniform or court dress is worn by the King at these religious celebrations, the Queen always wearing a black or white _mantilla_, and a long train to her dress, which is borne by pages. The sovereign sits under a canopy, and the princes and princesses are on either side of the throne. Each grandee of the Court has his allotted seat.

The royal infants are baptized from a font in which St Dominic, the immortal founder of the Friars Preachers, was christened. In the Royal Chapel of the Palace the weddings of the princes and princesses are celebrated, but the Kings are married in the Church of the Atocha.

Foreign ministers are received in the Ante-chamber. There is an annual banquet for all the Diplomatic Corps. One of the court ceremonies is the conferring of the title of Grandee in the Ante-chamber.

Every night the Spanish monarch is guarded in his slumbers by the ancient corps of Monteros de Espinosa. These officers are bound to watch the King nightly, and after his death, until his body is sent to the Royal Panteon at the Palace of the Escorial.

The changing of the royal guard takes place every morning in the grounds of the palace, and is an interesting military spectacle, which attracts a large number of the natives of Madrid as well as visitors to the city. It dates from the time of Charles III. A regimental band plays during the ceremony under the windows of the palace.

The Queen Mother of King Alfonso XIII. is possessed of strong religious fervour, and is a pattern to Madrid society in the observance of the rules of the Church and the practice of charity. But piety is not one of the Madrileño’s conspicuous traits, and there is a notable want of restraint in his language! yet Valentin Gómez writes: “Religion is charity, love, and it cannot be denied that, in this respect, although the crust be hard and unsightly, the heart of Madrid is religious, and great and good work has sprung from its practical religion.”

Ecclesiastical festivals form an essential part of the life of Madrid. The Forty Hours is celebrated at thirty churches of the city. During Holy Week there are impressive services and solemn processions in the streets. Every one walks garbed in black; diversions of every sort and all except indispensable business is suspended. A solemn hush reigns over the feverish city. Traffic in the thoroughfares is forbidden on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, and the tramcars do not run during certain hours. On Maundy Thursday the King washes the feet of twelve indigent men and women in the palace, and the public attend the ceremony. Good Friday is a day of grace, when the King, at his discretion, exercises clemency towards criminals accused of capital charges.

A _romeria_ or pilgrimage is celebrated in the morning of Good Friday, when crowds visit the Cara de Dios, and afterwards promenade the streets. Imposing processions also take place on Good Friday, which are sometimes attended by the King and the Court dignitaries.

The Corpus Christi festivals are very important. A splendid procession is formed by the chief clergy, members of the court, and military officers. During these celebrations, fairs are held in the outskirts of the city. There is a curious ceremony in memory of St John during June. On the evening of June 23, the populace assemble in the Plaza de Madrid, and at the stroke of midnight the devout dip their hands in the fountain of Cybele, and scatter the water over the bystanders who are unable to reach the basin.

Advent is commemorated by the proclamation of an ecclesiastical decree in the streets of the city. This Bull refers to the Crusades, and is read by a dignitary of the Church, who is attended by guards and trumpeters. Upon Christmas Eve there is midnight Mass at many of the churches, followed by rejoicings in the streets, when the people sing, and beat drums, and make lively din with various instruments.

Madrid is an important military command, and members of the service are amongst the most fashionable sets in the city, as in other parts of Europe. In Spain, however, the uniform does not of itself confer social distinction, and officers continue to frequent the circles from which they were drawn. Military arrogance is not a characteristic of the Spaniard. Uniforms add to the brightness of the crowds in Madrid, and there is often the sound of regimental bands in the streets. At Caravanchel, eleven kilometres from the city, is a large camp and exercise-ground for the troops, where important reviews are held in the summer, attended by the King and his suite.

The Captain-General of the First Army Corps lives in Madrid, and directs two divisions of this body. Light infantry, cavalry, and artillery are quartered in or near the city. The chief barracks are the Montaña and the Queen Maria Cristina. The barracks of San Francisco are an old convent now utilised for military purposes.

The War Office is in Madrid at the Buena Vista Palace. The artillery and the engineers have their museums and laboratories, and there is a military casino, or club, in the city, containing a gymnasium, baths, fencing-room, and dining-hall.