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Home The First Two Stuarts and their Foreign Policy The First Two Stuarts and their Foreign Policy; Part 3 |
The First Two Stuarts and their Foreign Policy; Part 3We need not concern ourselves with James I's policy in the years previous to 1618. Until his death, in 1612, Lord Salisbury, James I's minister, had the/controlling influence, and a cautious policy of peace was pursued. After Lord Salisbury's death, James designed marriages for two of his children. One, Elizabeth, later known from her great beauty as the "Queen of Hearts", married, in 1613, the Elector Palatine of the Rhine, the grandson of William of Orange and the leader of the Calvinistic party in Germany. On the other hand, for his son Charles, James designed a marriage with the daughter of the King of Spain, the great champion of the Papacy. With this object he opened negotiations in 1617, negotiations which, though they ended in failure, were regarded with great suspicion and disfavour by James's subjects.In 1618 there broke out in Germany the war known as "the Thirty Years War" (The actual war did not break out till 1619) The war developed into a gigantic European struggle, which gradually drew in all the chief states in Europe, and it was destined to have vast consequences. To understand the war, and the part Great Britain played in it, something must first be said as to the condition of Germany at this period. Germany, in the seventeenth century, consisted of some three hundred states bound together in a confederation called the Holy Roman Empire, at its head being an Elected Emperor who held office for life. There was a good deal of friction between the rulers of the various states as to the constitution of Germany, some wanting to tighten the bonds of the Confederation and to exalt the powers of the emperor, and others holding contrary opinions. But, of course, the great line of division in Germany at that time was between the Protestants and Roman Catholics, the former being on the whole predominant in the north and the latter in the south of Germany. In 1619 an event occurred which brought on a crisis The most important person in Germany was the head of the House of Hapsburg, and he was always elected Emperor Not only did he govern large Austrian dominions, but he ruled Hungary as well. In addition to this, he was King of Bohemia. But the crown of Bohemia was, like that of Hungary, in theory elective, and the House of Hapsburg was staunchly Catholic, whilst the nobles in Bohemia were mainly Protestant Consequently the nobles of Bohemia took advantage, in 1619, of the death of the Emperor to make a change of dynasty, and offered the crown to a Protestant, Frederick, the Elector Palatine, who was, as stated above, James's son-in-law. Frederick asked James's advice as to whether he should accept it but James was slow,n making up his mind, and Frederick accepted the throne before James had come to any decision. |
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