'Not to Fall Short of the Memory of My Forebears'. Notes for a Political Biography of Gaspar de Haro y Guzmán, Marquis of Carpio

Abstract

On the basis of accounts dating from his lifetime or from shortly after his death in 1687, the article aims to present a first attempt at sketching some traits of the political personality of Gaspar de Haro. Sources come from within (and without) the various territories comprising the Spanish Monarchy at the time. Attention is paid to the Marquis’s own words in order to gauge the extent to which his self-perception and, accordingly, his self-representation were shaped by a self-awareness of his “political roots” as son of Luis de Haro and great-nephew of the Count-Duke of Olivares. Carpio favoured regalist policies as Charles II’s ambassador to Innocent XI (1677-1682) and later on as viceroy of Naples (1683-1687) –and, indeed, his admiration for Louis XIV’s assertive Gallicanism throws light on his insistent rejection of “soft measures”.