James' foreign policy: James' priorities and the Thirty Years War

James' priorities
By the beginning of James' reign, England had been at war with Spain for 15 years

• Both sides wanted peace, and the Treaty of London was signed in 1604, ending the war
• For the next 5 years, James focused on securing control over England and there was little participation in foreign affairs

James wanted to be known as a peacemaker King and tried to use the marriages of the his children to achieve this

• In 1613, his daughter Elizabeth was married to Frederick Elector Palatine, whose family was already connected to many of the leading Protestant figures
• To balance this,  James sought to promote a Catholic marriage for his son, Charles, despite knowing how unpopular this would be in England; specifically, he wanted him to marry Maria, the Spanish Infanta, and this plan became known as the Spanish Match

By 1613, James appeared to have the backing to secure…