ABSTRACT
The clearest indication that Charles was becoming a force to be reckoned with in politics came when he and Buckingham returned from Madrid and quite unexpectedly launched the so-called 'Blessed Revolution'. Historians have long debated the reasoning behind Charles and Buckingham's dramatic trip to Spain in February 1623. Charles was certainly greatly attracted by the prospect of marrying Dona Maria and wanted to speed things up as much as possible; but equally he seems to have been determined to secure a breakthrough over the Palatinate. The Madrid trip had three important political consequences. First of all it firmly cemented the relationship between Buckingham and Charles. Second, it made Charles into a more mature politician. Third, it opened the way for the about-turn in English foreign policy. Over the summer months of 1624, the 'patriot coalition' carried all before it and the political reputations of Charles and Buckingham reached their apogee.
