JAMES I essay plans

Was James' foreign policy successful? - summary

Intro: varies in success across reign

1. 1604-13: successful foreign policy

2. 1614-21: Thirty Years War makes foreign policy strained

3. 1621-25: end of reign worst period and sets up Charles' strained relationship with Parliament

Was James' foreign policy successful? - intro

• Varies in success across reign

• Deteriorates over the course of his reign

• 'rex pacificus' role in Europe refreshing at start of rule, Parliament became exasperated with James' inaction and failed plans

• 1604-13: successful foreign policy

• 1614-21: Thirty Years War makes foreign policy success strained

• 1621-25: worst period and sets up Charles' strained relationship with Parliament

Was James' foreign policy successful? - paragraph 1: 1604-13

• Treaty of London 1604: ends war with Spanish, eliminates some financial problems (inherited debt of £400,000 from Elizabeth), provided opportunity for Spanish trade

• Elizabeth and Frederick of the Palatinate marriage 1613: Frederick was Protestant, successful because pleased Parliament after Gunpowder Plot, proved James' Calvinism against growing Arminianism

• Also makes some progress in desire for union with Scotland in early period - discussed in Parliament 1606

Was James foreign policy successful? - paragraph 2: 1614-21

• Cockayne Scheme 1614: initiative to sell Dutch unfinished cloth fails miserably because they buy cloth elsewhere - unsuccessful because showed Parliament James' financial incompetence and coincided with crown debt peaking at £522,000 in same year

• Outbreak of Thirty Years war 1618: religion as a foreign policy issue, Parliament anticipated James would send aid to Protestant allies but only sends 6,000 troops which angers Parliament - worsened by James' lack of aid when Frederick's lands are taken in Bohemia

• So less successful compared to earlier period because shows growing problem of James' desire to remain neutral compared to Parliament's wish for action

Was James' foreign policy successful? - paragraph 3: 1621-25

• End of reign least successful

• Groundwork for Charles' strained relationship with Parliament

• Failure of Spanish Match (trip in 1623): opening of talks between Charles and Infanta then subsequent infamous trip to Spain. Trip fails logistically with Buckingham and Charles held in Spain for several months

• Ignites fears of Catholicism within Parliament, building on fears discussed 1614-21

• So deterioration of James' peaceful foreign policy becomes clear because attempt to balance Protestantism and Catholicism fail

• Mansfeld Expedition 1625: miserable failure wasted £600,000 lent from Parliament - strengthens view of James untrustworthy with finances even end of reign and strained foreign policy relationship between Charles and Parliament

• Least successful period and plays into parliamentary fears of Catholic toleration and perception he cannot be trusted with money

Was James' foreign policy successful? - conclusion

• Clear James was successful early period of reign but deteriorated throughout

• Overall, unsuccessful foreign policy

• Although successful at the beginning, simply cannot be argued this is the case between 1614-25 or from 1621 until death

• Because effect it had on relationship with Parliament and growing fears of Catholicism

• Even though he wanted to keep peace, James faced increasingly anti-Catholic public who wanted him to be a Protestant ally in Europe

• Foreign policy in later part of reign especially with regard to religion and relationship with Parliament made him unsuccessful overall

Assess the reasons why the Spanish Match caused problems between James I and his parliaments. - summary

Intro: Spanish Match 1623. Spanish Match was a major cause of conflict between James I and his parliaments. Charles' trip to Spain with Buckingham in 1623 was greatly problematic in reigniting issues of religion, royal prerogative and foreign policy.

1. Spanish Match caused problems because of religion.

2. Spanish Match caused problems because of royal prerogative.

3. Spanish Match caused problems because of disagreements over foreign policy.

Assess the reasons why the Spanish Match caused problems between James I and his parliaments - paragraph 1

• Spanish Match caused religious problems

• Problematic because Parliament is Protestant and Spain is extremely Catholics

• After Gunpowder Plot 1605 where the threat of Catholicism was prevalent in Parliament

• Confirmed fears of Catholicism and popery

• Wanted Charles to marry a Protestant

• Fear of James' leniency towards Catholics during negotiations reinforced suspicions - relaxation of recusancy laws, Catholic heir, toleration of Catholics

• IJ: Spanish Match significant in causing problems because led to Parliament and James having a conflict over opposing religious objectives which fuelled distrust between them

Assess the reasons why the Spanish Match caused problems between James I and his parliaments. - paragraph 2

• Spanish Match caused problems because of disputes over the balance between royal prerogative and parliamentary privilege

• Parliament should get a say in future King's wife - potential Catholic heir

• Touchy subject because of previous issues with parliamentary privilege - James tearing up Protestation (IJ: Most important because James' action clearly shows royal prerogative was a large area of disagreement)

• Buckingham and Charles doing what they want - expedition 1623

• Secrecy and refusal to consult Parliament undermined trust

Assess the reasons why the Spanish Match caused problems between James I and his parliaments. - disagreements over foreign policy/diplomacy

• Spanish Match caused problems because of clashing opinions over foreign policy

• Parliament wanted war with Spain

• James pursued a pro-Spanish diplomatic strategy (peaceful negotiation over conflict)

• Parliament (especially in 1621 and 1624 sessions) wanted war with Spain, particularly to support Protestant cause in the Thirty Years War

• MPs hoped for a marriage alliance with Protestant France of Palatinate not Catholic Spain

• Spanish Match seen as weak and appeasing - undermining England's standing in Europe

• Foreign policy divide led to heated parliamentary criticism and calls for war funding - James was furious

Why James had financial problems

Intro: Upon James' accession 1603, treasury surplus of £90,000

• Partly due to extravagance but also Tudor inherited problems and problems that arose outside of his control

• James takes a large portion of blame

Points: Extravagance, Tudor inherited problems/Elizabethan legacy, problems that arose outside of James' control

Why James had financial problems - extravagance

• Excited by new wealth ('like a poor man wandering forty years in a wilderness and barren soil, and now arrived at the land of promise' - Ante-Supper 1610: whole meal prepared and removed and discarded before real supper served cost £3,000

• Excessive spending on himself: wardrobe account averaged £36,377 first five years of reign compared to £9,535 in last four years of E's reign - stats show ridiculous expenditure so he caused his own financial difficulties

• Excessive spending on friends: £400,000 to James Hay over lifetime, £40,000 to Scots a year but £10,000 to English --> antagonism in court

• Effects of extravagance long-term had more severe effects on economy - enhanced mistrust between James and Parliament (fundamental cause of refusal to grant further taxes of Great Contract)

• If Parliament saw James solely using royal income for diplomatic reasons, less built up tension over expenditure so wouldn't have refused request for money to send army to Europe in 1621 Parliament or declare war with Spain in 1624 Parliament (economic effects of Thirty Years War, war with Spain)

• Mistrust developed throughout reign because of spending so Great Contract refused

• Great Contract by finance minister Salisbury attempted to deal with 'canker of want' and add source of permanent revenue - could've helped budget, manage expenses and cover unprecedented costs like Thirty Years War --> would've relieved main financial burdens

Why James had financial problems - extravagance counter

• BUT not all his fault

• Had to impress foreign envoys so spending partly justified (court festivities valuable political investment)

• Courtiers and office holders had low official salaries and relied on grants from crown and patronage

• Family to look after unlike Elizabeth (Anne and Henry's households, Henry's funeral 1621 and Elizabeth's wedding 1622 cost £116,000 BUT menial amount compared to expenditure on unnecessary luxuries for court and himself

• If James secured Great Contract, regular income would've supported anticipated events like Henry's death

IJ: Despite minor explanations for expenditure, extravagance was a major reason for financial problems

Why James had financial problems - Tudor inherited problems

• Inherited corrupt system of tax collection and inherited corruption of ministers: main parliamentary tax was subsidy which was inefficient and meant to be reserved for times of emergency like war and King was supposed to 'live of his own'

• Subsidy declined at end of E's reign and continued to decline under James (1558: E received £130,000 each subsidy, 1621: £72,000 each subsidy) - because corrupt commissions credited with assessing households paying tax

• Commissions often neighbours of households and didn't want local unpopularity so estates and possessions undervalued

• Inefficient system inherited so can't be credited to James

• BUT corruption increased during James' rule (Buckingham income close to £400,000 valued at £400

• INHERITED DEBT TO CROWN: E collected income inefficient and in war with Spain but only dept of £420,000 compared to James' debt left of approx £2 mil

• E's debt even less because £300,000 unpaid subsidy + £100,000 debt owed to landowners who paid forced loan in 1590s and given up expectation of loan repaid so shows inherited corrupt system not main factor in financial problems

IJ: Overall, Tudor inherited problems acknowledged as affect James throughout reign, not main reason behind financial problems

Why James had financial problems - problems that arose outside of James' control

• Thirty Years War 1618: Engulfed mainland Europe when Protestant nobility of Bohemia revolted against newly elected Habsburg Archduke Ferdinand. Frederick Palatinate offered throne and accepted. 1621: Habsburgs pushed Frederick and Elizabeth out of Bohemia and hereditary lands

• James in conflicted position (not his fault) told Frederick not to move into Bohemia: even though war pushed for by Parliament, couldn't afford huge outlay needed for large-scale intervention in Europe

• Also MPs despite pushing to recover Palatinate realised facing backlash from friends at home if agreed to higher taxes so only single subsidy

• James wouldn't break peace or put England in greater financial problems by starting war with Spain but agreed to anti-Habsburg alliance and treaty with Dutch - diplomatic solution to help fin crisis (Charles and Henrietta Maria marriage but French unhelpful)

• Diplomatic solutions failed so no choice but TYW

• Early 1625 conscripted troops for Palatinate - sig impact on England's economy

• BUT not most sig factor behind fin crisis because if James secured reg income or changed corrupt tax collection system and less lavish in expenditure, he could've been able to embrace unexpected situations like war

Why James had financial problems - conclusion

• Greatest factor was James' extravagance

• Because impact on England's economy but also effect on relationship with Parliament - if he had been more frugal, would've been able to work more effectively with Parliament to combat economic situation

• If he hadn't tried to get more out of Parliament when already resistant to giving money to 'leaky cistern' during Great Contract, could've secured debts and prepared for situations outside of control