THE COURTSHIPS OF QUEEN ELIZABETH A HISTORY OF THE VARIOUS NEGOTIATIONS FOR HER MARRIAGE BY MARTIN A. S. HUME, F. R. HIST. S. EDITOR OF THE CALENDAR OF SPANISH STATE PAPERS OF ELIZABETH (PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE) NEW YORK: MACMILLAN & Co. LONDON: T. FISHER UNWIN MDCCCXCVI...

It has been my pleasant duty to consider carefully in chronological order a great mass of diplomatic documents of the time of Elizabeth, in which are reflected, almost from day to day, the continually shifting aspects of political affairs, and the varying attitudes of the Queen and her ministers in dealing therewith. I have been struck with the failure of most historians of the time, who have painted their pictures with a large brush, to explain or adequately account for what is so often looked

Character of Elizabeth and her contemporaries—Main object of her policy—Youth of Elizabeth—The Duke of Angoulême—Philip of Spain—Seymour and Catharine Parr—Mrs. Ashley’s and Parry’s confessions—Execution of Seymour—Proposed marriage of Elizabeth with a son of the Duke of Ferrara—With a son of Hans Frederick of Saxony—Courtney—Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy—Prince Eric of Sweden—Death of Queen Mary—The Earl of Arundel. The greatest diplomatic game ever played on the world’s chessboard was that

The Spanish policy with regard to the Austrian match—English suitors for the Queen’s hand—Arundel and Pickering—Philip II.—The Archduke Ferdinand—Lord Robert Dudley—The Prince of Sweden—Philip’s attitude towards the Austrian match—The Archduke Charles—Pickering and Dudley—The Earl of Arran—Dudley’s intrigues against the Archduke Charles’ suit—Death of Lady Robert Dudley—Prince Eric again. In the same ship that brought Arundel from Flanders came that cunning old Bishop of Aquila, who was afterwar

Dudley and the Council of Trent—The Bishop of Aquila tricked—Eric makes another attempt—Dudley again approaches the Bishop—The suitors for Mary of Scotland—Darnley—The Archduke Charles—Dudley—Melvil’s mission to Elizabeth—Hans Casimir—French approaches. When it was clear that the Archduke Charles was shelved and that Cecil and the Protestants were urging the suit of the Prince of Sweden, who evidently meant business, it behoved Dudley to make a countermove. Bishop Quadra had over and over again

Spain and the Archduke Charles—Swetkowitz’s mission—Leicester’s continued intrigues—The French suit dropped—Eric IV. again—Heneage—Renewed negotiations with the Emperor—The French patronise Leicester’s suit—Dissensions in the English Court respecting the Austrian match—Mission of Sussex to Vienna—End of the Austrian negotiations—Marriage of Charles IX. In the meanwhile Guzman was more at fault than ever, and was quite persuaded that the matter being discussed was the marriage of Mary of Scotland

Marriage with the Duke of Anjou suggested—Guido Cavalcanti and La Mothe’s negotiations—Walsingham’s description of Anjou—Anjou’s religious scruples—His objections overcome—Lord Buckhurst’s mission to Paris—Anjou’s conditions—Religious difficulties—The Ridolfi plot—Anjou obstinate again—Smith’s mission to France—Marriage with the Duke of Alençon suggested—Great disparity of age. The treaty of St. Germain between Charles IX. and the Huguenots, signed in August, 1570, brought to an end the long civ

Interview of Walsingham and Smith with Catharine de Medici respecting Alençon—Treaty between England and France—Cavalcanti’s negotiations—Montmorenci’s mission to London—Walsingham’s description of Alençon—La Mole’s visit to the Queen—The Alençon match prospers—The St. Bartholomew—Resumption of negotiations—Alençon’s first letter to the Queen—Maisonfleur’s mission—Special embassy of Castelnau de la Mauvissière—Civil war in France—Anjou elected King of Poland—Disappears as a suitor for Elizabeth’

Revival of the Alençon match—Dr. Dale’s interview with Catharine de Medici—Alençon’s letters to Elizabeth—Illness and death of Charles IX.—Imprisonment of Alençon—Huguenot plots and execution of La Mole and Coconas—Alençon kept in durance and the marriage negotiations discontinued. Dr. Valentine Dale had replaced Walsingham as English ambassador in France, and soon after the signing of the peace of Rochelle, he and his temporary colleague, Edmund Horsey, were summoned by Catharine and asked whet

Henry III. King of France—Escape of Alençon—Rising of the Huguenots—Revival of the marriage negotiations—Suggested marriage of Queen Elizabeth and Don John of Austria—Efforts of Henry III. and Catharine to provide for Alençon abroad—Alençon’s negotiations with the Flemings—Flight of Alençon from Paris—Elizabeth’s distrust of French interference in Flanders—Her negotiations with Alençon on the subject—De Bacqueville and De Quincy’s mission to England—L’Aubespine and Rambouillet sent by the King—S

An account of Simier—His mission to the Queen—Her strange relations with him—Leicester’s jealousy—Simier’s negotiations on behalf of Alençon—Rochetaillé’s mission—Leicester’s attempts to have Simier murdered—Alençon’s first visit to England—Elizabeth’s infatuation for him—His departure and letters to the Queen—Exhaustive discussion of the marriage negotiations by the English Council—The Queen announces her determination to marry Alençon—Philip Sidney’s remonstrance. Jean de Simier, Alençon’s Mas

Simier’s departure with the draft agreement—The Queen suddenly cools towards the match—Her perplexity—Her efforts to temporise—Suggestions for an alliance with France—Simier’s letters pleading Alençon’s cause—Alençon’s plans in Flanders—Signature of the Peace of Fleix—Queen Margaret’s intrigues against the Alençon match—Simier’s disgrace—Catholic intrigues to gain Alençon—Alençon’s new envoys to England—Clausse de Marchaumont’s negotiations—His favour with the Queen—“La belle jarretière.” On the

Great French embassy to England to settle the Alençon match—Elizabeth’s efforts to gain her objects without marriage—Alençon’s determination to relieve Cambrai—Henry III. strenuously opposes his brother’s plans in Flanders—Alleged flying visit of Alençon to England—Catharine’s efforts to divert Alençon from his plans in Flanders—Elizabeth attempts to draw France into war with Spain without her marriage with Alençon. At length, after endless bickering about the rank of the proposed ambassadors an

Walsingham’s mission to France—His alarm of the consequences of the Queen’s fickleness—Alençon enters Flanders—Relief of Cambrai—Alençon entreats Elizabeth’s aid—Walsingham’s remonstrance to the Queen for her penuriousness—Alençon again visits England—Elizabeth’s severity to the Catholics during his stay—Leicester’s continued intrigues—The Queen’s solemn pledge to marry Alençon—Dismay of Leicester and his friends—The Queen’s recantation—Arrival of Secretary Pinart—Elizabeth’s plan to evade the m

Simier and his former master—Alençon’s altercation with the Queen—The Queen appeals to Sussex—Unpopularity of the match in England—Catharine de Medici plays Elizabeth with her own game—Cecil suggests a loophole of escape—Elizabeth demands French strongholds as security—Alençon undeceived—Vows vengeance against Elizabeth and his brother for the failure of his suit—Collapse of his resolution—Pinart threatens Elizabeth—Alençon’s departure for Flushing—Extraordinary demonstration on the part of Eliz

Arrival of Alençon in the Netherlands—His investure as Duke of Brabant—Leicester’s suspicion and intrigues—Alençon’s ceaseless demands for money—Henry III. refuses aid to his brother—The Queen’s attempts to revive the marriage negotiations—Universal distrust of her—Attempted assassination of William of Orange—Danger of Alençon—-Elizabeth’s fear of a French and Spanish understanding—To prevent it she again declares she will marry Alençon—Her renewed efforts to pledge the King of France before the

Elizabeth temporises with Alençon pending the King’s reply—Alençon’s joy at the false news of his brother’s yielding—Elizabeth throws upon Henry III. the blame for the failure of the match—Fall of Oudenarde—Alençon’s ultimatum to Elizabeth—Salcedo’s plot—Henry III. more pliable—Alençon again hopeful—New exigencies of Elizabeth—She again declares she will marry Alençon—Is generally disbelieved—La Mothe’s interview with her—Alençon’s treacherous attempt to seize the garrisons—Elizabeth’s jealousy