hope, which everybody but himself saw to be chimerical, of marrying his daughter to the youthful Leopold. Frederick William of Brandenburg, was also in favour of Leopold. Political motives connected with the invasion of Poland by Charles X. of Sweden, and his own views on the duchy of Prussia, had now induced the far-seeing Elector of Brandenburg to renounce the Swedish alliance, and consequently that of France, for a league with the House of Austria and the Poles, as will be explained in the following chapter. Leopold himself, as hereditary King of Bohemia, the crown of which country, as well as that of Hungary, he had received during his father's lifetime, possessed the Bohemian Electorate; but being a minor, his vote was not yet valid. The eighth and last elector, Ferdinand Maria of Bavaria, was hesitating and undecided.

It was not without great opposition that the French ambassadors were admitted into the Electoral Diet, and they soon perceived that Louis's chance was hopeless. The Elector of Mentz, however, was as desirous as the French Court itself to divert the Austrian succession. At his suggestion, Gramont proceeded to Munich, urged the young Elector to become a candidate for the imperial crown, and offered him a yearly pension of a million crowns from France in support of that dignity. Ferdinand Maria, who then held the Bavarian Electorate, was timid, quiet, and devout; and though urged by his consort, a princess of the energetic and everaspiring House of Savoy, to seize the glittering prize, he listened in preference to his confessor, and to his mother, an Austrian archduchess, who dissuaded him from the attempt. The Elector of Mentz now made another effort to separate the empire from its immediate connexion with the Austrian monarchy, by proposing that Leopold's uncle, the Archduke Leopold William, the former governor of the Spanish Netherlands, should assume the imperial crown; but this also was declined, and Leopold requested that the votes destined for himself should be transferred to his nephew.

As it was now plain that the empire must fall into the hands of Ferdinand's son, the French Court directed all its endeavours to cripple his power, by imposing on him a rigorous capitulation through the German princes, who were indeed themselves desirous to restrain the imperial authority. At his election, which took place July 18th 1658, he engaged, among many other articles which regarded Germany, not to furnish the enemies of France with arms, money, troops, provisions, or other commodities; not to afford lodgings, winter quarters, or passage to any troops intended to act against any power comprised in the treaties of Osnabrück

30

THE RHENISH LEAGUE.

[Book V. and Münster; nor to interfere in any way in the war then going on in Italy and the circle of Burgundy.38

Leopold I. received the imperial crown, July 31st, after an interregnum of about sixteen months. He had now completed his eighteenth year, and was therefore, according to the Golden Bull, no longer a minor. As a younger son, he had been destined for the Church, and his education had been intrusted to the Jesuits; so that when his destination was changed by the death of his brother, there was not perhaps a more learned sovereign in Europe. He had displayed from his youth a remarkable piety, and his only amusements as a boy were to build altars, keep church, and dress out images of saints. He appears to have been a well-meaning prince, but of narrow mind and little spirit, the slave of forms and ceremonies, which he willingly adopted to avoid contact with the outer world, and he was glad to let his Lord Chamberlain rule in his stead.

The imperial capitulation would have been of little service to France without some material guarantees for its observance; and these Mazarine provided by converting the two German Leagues already mentioned into one, styled the RHENISH LEAGUE. Within a month of the imperial coronation, this union, purporting to be for the maintenance of the Peace of Westphalia, was signed by the three Spiritual Electors, the Bishop of Münster, the Count Palatine of Neuburg, the Dukes of Brunswick, the Landgrave of Hesse Cassel, and the King of Sweden on the one part, and by the King of France on the other. The Confederates pledged themselves, without regard to difference of religion, to stand truly by one another, and to unite in case of an attack; and with this view to keep continually on foot an army of 2,300 horse and 4,900 foot. Louis XIV. on his side engaged to hold in readiness 800 horse and 1,600 foot, and five guns, whenever they should be required. These forces were styled "the Army of his Most Christian Majesty and of the allied Electors and Princes."39 A Directory of the League was established at Frankfort, under the presidency of the Elector of Mentz, to watch over the common interests. The Rhenish League was the culminating point of French policy with regard to Germany. Its immediate object was to prevent the Emperor from interfering in the war in Flanders and Italy; and hence the French ambassadors regarded it as a complete compensation for their failure with regard to the imperial crown-indeed, as a triumph. The accession to it of so many Catholic prelates and 38 The capitulation is in Dumont, t. vi. Londorp, Acta Publ., Th. viii. p. 417 pt. ii. p. 226 sq. sq., ap. Menzel, B. iv. S. 309.

39

princes, much to the vexation of Pope Alexander VII. and the Court of Rome, showed that the old spirit of intolerance was dying out, and that the traces of the religious war of Germany were obliterated, never more to be revived. The League was renewed for three years in August 1660, and went on a long while extending and consolidating itself, but at the expense of France, which not only paid the princes belonging to it, but also their ministers and mistresses. Leopold returned no answer to the ambassadors of the Confederates sent to acquaint him with the establishment of the League; yet he subsequently gave it a sort of tacit recognition, by demanding from Louis XIV., as a member of it, a contingent of troops to act against the Turks. Louis sent double the number demanded, and it was indeed the French who, in the Turkish campaign of 1664, carried away the chief honour.

The interregnum in the German Empire, the subsequent capitulation of the new Emperor, the Rhenish League, and the alliance of the House of Austria with John Casimir of Poland, and its consequent share in the war against the Swedes, were all circumstances that precluded the Spaniards from the hope of any further assistance from Germany; and this circumstance, coupled with the losses and reverses already mentioned, made them anxious for a peace. On the other hand, these events were encouraging to France, and might well have induced her to prolong the war and complete the conquest of Flanders. But France herself was exhausted, and her finances in disorder; Mazarine, with increasing years, was become more desirous of peace; and Anne of Austria, who wished not to see her native country too much abased, was incessant in her entreaties that he should put an end to the war. The Queen-Mother had also another motive; she wished to marry Louis to the Spanish Infanta. An obstacle which had stood in the way of this union during the negociations of 1656 was now removed. At that time, Maria Theresa was sole heiress of the Spanish crown; and for this reason a marriage between her and the King of France was of course distasteful to the Spaniards. But in 1657, Philip IV. had had a son born to him, afterwards Charles II., and the objection mentioned had consequently in a great measure disappeared, though the chances of the Spanish succession were still strong enough to be alluring to the French Cabinet. Such a succession would be far more than equivalent to any advantages that might be expected from continuing the war; especially as it was held that in any event the Spanish Netherlands would, according to the customs of those countries, fall to the Infanta, as Philip's child by his first consort.

32

AFFAIR OF LOUIS XIV.'S MARRIAGE.

[Book V. Under these circumstances, negociations were renewed between the French and Spanish Courts in 1658. The dilatoriness of Philip IV. was hastened by a stratagem. Mazarine entered into negociations with the Duke of Savoy for a marriage between Margaret, daughter of that prince, and Louis XIV.; and the Courts of France and Turin met at Lyon in November 1658. The fear that this union would be accomplished, and that France would then carry on the war to extremities, induced Philip IV. to send Don Antonio Pimentel, as his ambassador to Lyon, to offer the Infanta's hand to the French King. The Piedmontese princess, whose feelings had thus been trifled with, was now dismissed with a promise of marriage in case the negociations should fail; 40 the preliminaries of a peace were discussed with Pimentel at Lyon, and subsequently arranged at Paris, and in May 1659, a suspension of arms was concluded. But now another obstacle arose where it might have been least expected. Louis XIV. had fallen desperately in love with Mazarine's niece, Mary Mancini, a young lady of no great beauty, but clever, forward, ardent, fond of poetry and literature. Louis flatly proposed a marriage-a severe trial to the Cardinal! It was no doubt the Queen-Mother who put an end to this unsuitable amour; yet, whatever may have been Mazarine's real feelings, his letters to the young King on this subject. display the soundest sense conveyed in the noblest language. He sent off Mary Mancini to La Rochelle on June 21st,42 and on the following day he himself left Paris for the frontiers to negociate the peace. He and the Spanish minister, Don Louis de Haro, held their conferences in the Isle of Pheasants in the Bidassoa, near Andaye, which was neutral ground; for Haro would not yield precedence by going to the Cardinal at St. John de Luz. Mazarine displayed at these conferences a regal splendour which quite threw the Spanish minister into the shade. At the first interview the Cardinal appeared with twenty-seven court carriages, each drawn by six horses and filled with French nobles; while he was attended by a splendid retinue of pages, guards, and livery

servants.

The question respecting the Prince of Condé formed a difficult point in the negociations. Spain, in her treaty with that prince, had engaged to effect his restoration to all his honours and governments. After Condé's treasons, this was a hard morsel for the French Court to digest; Mazarine, moreover, owed the Prince

40 Mem. de Gramont, t. ii. p. 184. 41 See particularly his letter of August 28th 1659. Lettres de Mazarin, t. i. p. 303 sqq. (ed. Amst. 1745.)

42 It was on this occasion that she addressed to Louis the well-known words: "Vous êtes Roi, vous pleurez, et je pars!" Mém. de Montglat, p. 351.

a grudge for his personal insults. The Cardinal, however, receded so far from the preliminaries as to promise that Condé should have the Government of Burgundy, and his son the place of Lord High Chamberlain; but in return for these concessions he exacted the towns of Avesnes, Philippeville, and Marienburg in the Netherlands, and the county of Conflans in the Pyrenees. When the negociations had made some progress, Gramont went in state to Madrid to demand the hand of the Infanta for his royal master. Louis had a rival in the young Emperor Leopold, who, in spite of his capitulation, had offered to declare war against France in return for the Infanta's hand. But peace had now become a necessity for Spain, and the offer of Louis was accepted.

The TREATY OF THE PYRENEES, which restored peace to France and Spain, was signed November 7th 1659. The conditions were almost entirely in favour of France. Spain ceded in the north all Artois, except St. Omer and Aire, and several towns in Flanders, Hainault and Luxembourg, together with Marienburg, Philippeville, and Avesnes between the Sambre and Meuse; in the south she abandoned Rousillon and Conflans, except the places on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees, and that part of Cerdagne lying on the French side of the same mountains. On the other hand, Spain recovered what she had lost in Italy. Louis engaged not to assist the Portuguese; and this had been a great allurement to the Spaniards to conclude the treaty, who were in hopes to subdue Portugal after the peace. Spain in a great degree abandoned her ally, the Duke of Lorraine; for though Charles IV. was restored to his dominions, a considerable part of them, namely, Moyenvic, the Duchy of Bar, and the county of Clermont, was incorporated with France.13 The Duke had attended the conferences in the vain hope of procuring better terms. Charles II. of England had also appeared on the Bidassoa. Cromwell was now dead; his son Richard had resigned the Protectorate, and the English Government was again in the hands of the Parliament. Don Louis de Haro wished to draw Mazarine into an alliance for Charles's restoration; but though the Cardinal dreaded the permanent establishment of the English Republic, he was not prepared to oppose it by entering into a war.

The Treaty of the Pyrenees was followed by a marriage contract between Louis and the Infanta. In this instrument, Maria Theresa made that famous renunciation of all her prospective rights to the Spanish Crown which afterwards led to the war of the Spanish Succession. It is probable that even the Spanish 43 Dumont, t. vi. pt. ii. p. 264.