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pathies and obliged to flee the country.
Living abroad for 10 years (and supporting
himself by his skill as a painter) he
embraced the literary romanticism then
flourishing in most of Europe. At home
again in 1834 and now duque de Rivas, he
composed the drama
Don Álvaro; o, La
fuerza del sino
(
Don Álvaro, or the Force of
Fate
), which was premiered in 1835 to tre-
mendous enthusiasm. The play quickly
became known throughout the Continent
and, among other works, inspired the plot
of Verdi's opera
La forza del destino.
Within a few years of his success with
Don Álvaro
Rivas was forced into exile
again because of his political opinions,
although by this time he had become a
conservative, now the unfashionable point
of view. After his second period of exile
Rivas settled down to an extended period
of public honors and respect, holding sev-
eral ambassadorships, as well as the presi-
dency of the legislature and the Council of
State. At the time of his death he was pres-
ident of the Spanish Royal Academy.
Although none of the other plays or poems
of Rivas possessed the intrinsic merit of
Don
Álvaro
or earned the vast applause that it
gained, he is regarded as the virtual founder
of Spanish romanticism. His
Romances históri-
cos
(Historic ballads, 1841) and
Leyendas
(Leg-
ends, 1826-1847) retold many medieval tales
and legends in modern literary form. His
El
moro expósito
(The foundling Moor, 1834) is a
particularly notable rendition of a story grow-
ing out of the famous epic of the seven infan-
tes de Lara.
hostilities with France. The Spanish
H
ABSBURG
dynasty provided increasingly
aggressive support to its Austrian kinsmen
and by 1643 seemed to be gaining the
advantage. In the spring of that year the
governor of the Spanish Netherlands
(present-day Belgium) ordered a large-
scale attack on northern France. The gov-
ernor himself, Francisco de Melo (a
Portuguese noble in the service of Spain),
laid siege to the fortified town of Rocroi, a
key defensive position. By late May 1643
more than 20,000 troops were confront-
ing the small garrison of Rocroi. A French
force of about equal size advanced under
the young duc d'Enghien, moved to the
relief of the fortress, and confronted the
besiegers across a broad plain flanked by
wooded ground that provided cover for
flanking attacks. Over several days the
Spaniards attempted to hold the French at
bay until a major reinforcement could
arrive to tip the balance in their favor.
Each side scored partial victories, but the
deciding moment came when Enghien
personally led a daring cavalry maneuver
around the flank of the Spanish center,
taking the T
ERCIOS
in the rear and forcing
them to endure attacks from front and
rear simultaneously. The greater part of
Spain's troops were killed or captured,
including some notable commanders. De
Melo escaped to find refuge with the
belated reinforcement column but ordered
a general retreat.
Although the Franco-Spanish war would
continue for several more years, historians
generally agree that France's decisive vic-
tory at Rocroi marks the end of Spain's long
military dominance in Europe and the shift
in political mastery of the Continent from
Spain to France.
Rocroi, Battle of
(1643)
In 1635 the Thirty Years' War (1618-48)
had entered its final phase as Spain opened
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