Gondomar and the Stage: Diego Sarmiento de Acuña and the Lost Theatrical Connection

Don Diego Sarmiento de Acuña, first Count of Gondomar (1567–1626), was twice appointed by the King of Spain to the delicate embassy in the court of James I in London, where he played a decisive role in Anglo-Spanish relations in the aftermath of the treaty of peace between the two monarchies signed in London in 1604. Beyond his uncontested political significance, Gondomar was also Spain’s premier bibliophile. His famous library comprised over 6000 volumes in nine languages, including a surprisingly large collection of plays. His interests in drama as an art form and in the theatre as a profession are well attested in his vast correspondence and the sizeable body of documents that have survived. While these interests have been noted, this is the first study that has attempted to analyse this body of evidence in a systematic way to suggest a closer connection to drama and the professional theatre of England and Spain. In particular, this study aims to shed some light on the untraced connections between Gondomar and the English playwrights and actors active in London during his time as ambassador. Gondomar’s library in London contained a number of recent and relatively rare works whose presence in the English metropolis at the right time might help to explain some cases of early adaptation of Spanish contemporary literature to the English drama of the period.