James I and foreign Policy

[Sabz-92]

I want to know more about James I foreign policy, and whether it was a success or a failure and why.
Why was James I foreign policy unpopular?

[Aaralyn]

In 1612 Henry, Prince of Wales, paragon of Protestant patriots, lauded as virtuous, intelligent and handsome, died. To compensate for the death, the auspicious marriage between James' daughter, Princess Elizabeth to Frederick, prince-elector of the Rhineland Palatinate was lavishly celebrated in 1613. The marriage rocked the whole of Britain and James had unwittingly put his entire reputation as the King of peace in terrible jeopardy. In 1618, the Protestant Estates rejected the Catholic nominee for their crown (the archduke who would become the Emperor Ferdinand) and made their point by “throwing the envoys sent from Emperor Matthias out of the windows of the Hradčany Castle in Prague onto a… dung heap below.” Invitations went out to eligible Protestant candidates, and to his father-in-law’s consternation, Frederick accepted the throne in August 1619.

In November 1620, he suffered a disastrous defeat at the hands of the Catholic Holy Roman Emperor and at the same time, the Spanish invaded his Rhineland home territory of the palatinate. Frederick and Elizabeth, the winter King and Queen became the most famous and fashionable refugees of their age, finally settling in The Hague.

In England, there was outrage and many wanted war with Spain. But James’ reluctance to turn warrior king was not only due to pacifism, it had also to do with the advice of Lionel Cranfield, his Treasurer since 1622, that it would bankrupt the realm. James felt personally betrayed by Spain since from before 1620 he had been making overtures to Madrid for a marriage alliance between Charles and the Infanta. In return for these sincere marriage overtures, James was promised by Phillip III of Spain that he need not worry about the Palatinate itself. Even after the occupation, the Spanish disingenuously claimed that their presence in the Rhineland was only pressure to dislodge Frederick from Bohemia.

So great was James’ aversion to conflict that he accepted this transparent lie. He was abetted in this pathetic self-deception by his new favourite, George Villiers whose star had risen to such exalted heights that he became the Duke of Buckingham.

With James’ permission “Steenie” (George Villiers) and “babie Charles” (James' son, the new Prince of Wales and later Charles I) travelled incognito as “Tom and Jack Smith” to woo the Infanta. The Spanish were hugely amused that “Smith and Smith” had so easily fallen into their hands as hostages when they believed so naively that they were hastening a conclusion.

Now, not only would there be a royally protected Catholic church created for the Infanta, but Charles would have to take instruction from her chaplain. This would have been completely unacceptable to the English who were largely protestant. Amazingly, James accepted, but the Spanish now pushed him one step too far: Charles was to undergo a one year long probation period in Spain. Affronted, Charles pretended to go along with the treaty in order to escape, only to make it clear even before landing in England that he would repudiate it.

Instead of a wedding there would be war: Charles had become a protestant hero. It was to be James’ last great campaign, but in March 1625, the King, stricken with gout, died.