Meanwhile Brandenburg and Neuburg both hold grip of Cleve in that
manner, with a mutually menacing inquiring expression of countenance;
each grasps it (so to speak) convulsively with the one hand, and has
with the other hand his sword by the hilt, ready to fly out. But to
understand this Brandenburg-Neuburg phenomenon and the then significance
of the Cleve-Julich Controversy, we must take the following bits
of Chronology along with us. For the German Empire, with Protestant
complaints, and Papist usurpations and severities, was at this time
all a continent of sour thick smoke, already breaking out into dull-red
flashes here and there,--symptoms of the universal conflagration of a
Thirty-Years War, which followed. SYMPTON FIRST is that of Donauworth,
and dates above a year back.
FIRST SYMPTOM; DONAUWORTH, 1608.
Donauworth, a Protestant Imperial Free-town, in the Bavarian regions,
had been, for some fault on the part of the populace against a flaring
Mass-procession which had no business to be there, put under Ban of the
Empire; had been seized accordingly (December, 1607), and much cuffed,
and shaken about, by Duke Maximilian of Bavaria, as executor of the
said Ban; [Michaeelis, ii. 216; Buddaei LEXICON, i. 853.]--who, what was
still worse, would by no means give up the Town when he had done with
it; Town being handy to him, and the man being stout and violently
Papist. Hence the "Evangelical Union" which we saw,--which has not taken
Donauworth yet. Nor ever will! Donauworth never was retaken; but is
Bavarian at this hour, A Town namable in History ever since. Not to say
withal, that it is where Marlborough, did "the Lines of Schellenberg"
long after: Schellenberg ("Jingle-Hill," so to render it) looks down
across the Danube or Donau River, upon Donauworth,--its "Lines," and
other histories, now much abolished, and quiet under grass.
But now all Protestantism sounding everywhere, in angry mournful tone,
"Donauwarth! Give up Donauworth!"--and an "Evangelical Union," with
moneys, with theoretic contingents of force, being on foot for that and
the like objects;--we can fancy what a scramble this of Cleve-Julich
was like to be; and especially what effect this duelling attitude
of Brandenburg and Neuburg had on the Protestant mind. Protestant
neighbors, Landgraf Moritz of Hessen-Cassel at their head, intervene
in tremulous haste, in the Cleve-Julich affair: "Peace, O friends! Some
bargain; peaceable joint-possession; any temporary bargain, till we see!
Can two Protestants fall to slashing one another, in such an aspect of
the Reich and its Jesuitries?"--And they did agree (Dortmund, 10th May,
1609) the first of their innumerable "agreements," to some temporary
joint-possession;--the thrice-thankful Country doing homage to both,
"with oath to the one that SHALL be found genuine." And they did
endeavor to govern jointly, and to keep the peace on those terms, though
it was not easy.
For the Kaiser had already said (or his Aulic Council and Spanish
Cousin, poor Kaiser Rodolf caring too little about these things,
[Rodolf II. (Kepler's too insolvent "Patron"), 1576-1612; then Matthias,
Rodolf's Brother, 1612-1619, rather tolerant to Protestants;--then
Ferdinand II. his Uncle's Son, 1619-1637, much the reverse of tolerant,
by whom mainly came the Thirty-Years War,--were the Kaisers of this
Period. Ferdinand III., Son of II: (1637-1657), who finished out the
Thirty-Years War, partly by fighting of his own in young days (Battle of
Nordlingen his grandest feat), was Father of Kaiser Leopold
(1658- 1705),--whose Two Sons were Kaiser Joseph (1705-1711) and Kaiser
Karl VI. (1711-1740), Maria Theresa's Father.] had already said), Cleve
must absolutely not go into wrong hands. For which what safe method is
there, but that the Kaiser himself become proprietor? A Letter is yet
extant, from the Aulic Council to their Vice-Chancellor, who had been
sent to negotiate this matter with the parties; Letter to the effect,
That such result was the only good one; that it must be achieved; "that
he must devise all manner of quirks _(alle Spitzfindigkeiten auffordern
sollte),"_ and achieve it. [Pauli, iii. 5055.] This curious Letter of a
sublime Aulic Council, or Imperial HOF-RATH, to its VICE-KANZLER, still
exists.
And accordingly quirks did not prove undevisable on behalf of the
Kaiser. "Since you cannot agree," said the Kaiser, "and there are so
many of you who claim (we having privately stirred up several of you
to the feat), there will be nothing for it, but the Kaiser must put
the Country under sequestration, and take possession of it with his
own troops, till a decision be arrived at,--which probably will not be
soon!"
SECOND SYMPTOM; SEIZURE OF JULICH BY THE KAISER, AND SIEGE AND RECAPTURE
OF IT BY THE PROTESTANT PARTIES, 1610. WHEREUPON WHEREUPON "CATHOLIC
LEAGUE," TO BALANCEE "EVANGELICAL UNION."
And the Kaiser forthwith did as he had said; sent Archduke Leopold with
troops, who forcibly took the Castle of Julich; commanding all other
castles and places to surrender and sequestrate themselves, in like
fashion; threatening Brandenburg and Neuburg, in a dreadful manner, with
REICHS-ACHT (Ban of the Empire), if they presumed to show contumacy.
Upon which Brandenburg and Neuburg, ranking themselves together, showed
decided contumacy; "tore down the Kaiser's Proclamation," [Ib. iii.
524. Emperor's Proclamation, in Dusseldorf, 23d July, 1609,--taken down
solemnly, 1st August, 1609,] having good help at their back.
And accordingly, "on the 4th of September, 1610," after a two-months'
siege, they, or the Dutch, French, and Evangelical Union Troops
bombarding along with them, and "many English volunteers" to help,
retook Julich, and packed Leopold away again. [Ib. iii. 527.] The Dutch
and the French were especially anxious about this Cleve business,--poor
Henri IV. was just putting those French troops in motion towards Julich,
when Ravaillac, the distracted Devil's-Jesuit, did his stroke upon him;
so that another than Henri had to lead in that expedition. The actual
Captain at the Siege was Prince Christian of Anhalt, by repute the first
soldier of Germany at that period: he had a horse shot under him, the
business being very hot and furious;--he had still worse fortune in the
course of years. There were "many English volunteers" at this Siege;
English nation hugely interested in it, though their King would not
act except diplomatically. It was the talk of all the then world,--the
evening song and the morning prayer of Protestants especially,--till it
was got ended in this manner. It deserves to rank as SYMPTON SECOND
in this business; far bigger flare of dull red in the universal
smoke-continent, than that of Donauworth had been. Are there no
memorials left of those "English volunteers," then? [In Carlyle's _
Miscellanies_ (vi.? "Two Hundred and Fifty Years ago: a Fragment about
Duels") is one small scene belonging to them.] Alas, they might get
edited as Bromley's _Royal Letters_ are;--and had better lie quiet!
"Evangelical Union," formed some two years before, with what cause we
saw, has Kur-Pfalz [Winter-King's Father; died 9th September, 1610, few
days after this recapture of Julich.] at the head of it: but its troops
or operations were never of a very forcible character. Kur-Brandenburg
now joined it formally, as did many more; Kur-Sachsen, anxious to
make himself convenient in other quarters, never would. Add to these
phenomena, the now decisive appearance of a "Catholic LIGA" (League of
Catholic Princes), which, by way of counterpoise to the "Union," had
been got up by Duke Maximilian of Bavaria several months ago; and which
now, under the same guidance, in these bad circumstances, took a great
expansion of figure. Duke Maximilian, "DONAUWORTH Max," finding the
Evangelical Union go so very high, and his own Kaiser like to be good
for little in such business (poor hypochondriac Kaiser Rodolf II., more
taken up with turning-looms and blow-pipes than with matters political,
who accordingly is swept out of Julich in such summary way),--Donauworth
Max has seen this a necessary institution in the present aspect.--Both
"Union" and "League" rapidly waxed under the sound of the Julich cannon,
as was natural.
Kur-Sachsen, for standing so well aloof from the Union, got from the
thankful Kaiser written Titles for these Duchies of Cleve and Julich;
Imperial parchments and infestments of due extent; but never any
Territory in those parts. He never offered fight for his pretensions;
and Brandenburg and Neuburg--Neuburg especially--always answered him,
"No!" with sword half-drawn. So Kur-Sachsen faded out again, and took
only parchments by the adventure. Practically there was no private
Competitor of moment to Brandenburg, except this Wolfgang Wilhelm of
Pfalz-Neuburg; he alone having clutched hold.--But we hasten to SYMPTOM
THIRD, which particularly concerns us, and will be intelligible now at
last.
SYMPTOM THIRD: A DINNER-SCENE AT DUSSELDORF, 1613: SPANIARDS AND DUTCH
SHOULDER ARMS IN CLEVE.
Brandenburg and Neuburg stood together against third parties; but their
joint-government was apt to fall in two, when left to itself, and the
pressure of danger withdrawn. "They governed by the RATHS and STANDE of
the Country;" old methods and old official men: each of the two had
his own Vice-Regent (STATTHALTER) present on the ground, who jointly
presided as they could. Jarrings were unavoidable; but how mend it?
Settle the litigated Territory itself, and end their big lawsuit, they
could not; often as they tried it, with the whole world encouraging and
urging them. [Old Sir Henry Wotton, Provost of Eton in his old days,
remembers how he went Ambassador on this errand,--as on many others
equally bootless;--and writes himself "Legatus," not only "thrice to
Venice, twice to" &c. &c., but also "once to Holland in the Juliers
matter _(semel in Juliacensi negotio):"_ see _Reliquiae Wottonianae_
(London, 1672), Preface. It was "in 1614," say the Biographies vaguely.
His Despatches, are they in the Paper-Office still? His good old
Book deserves new editing, his good old genially pious life a proper
elucidation, by some faithful man.] The meetings they had, and the
treaties and temporary bargains they made, and kept, and could not keep,
in these and in the following years and generations, pass our power of
recording.
In 1613 the Brandenburg STATTHALTER was Ernst, the Elector's younger
Brother, Wolfgang Wilhelm in person, for his Father, or rather for
himself as heir of his Mother, represented Pfalz-Neuburg. Ernst of
Brandenburg had adopted Calvinism as his creed; a thing hateful and
horrible to the Lutheran mind (of which sort was Wolfgang Wilhelm), to
a degree now altogether inconceivable. Discord arose in consequence
between the STATTHALTERS, as to official appointments, sacred and
secular: "You are for promoting Calvinists!"--"And you, I see, are
for promoting Lutherans!"--Johann Sigismund himself had to intervene:
Wolfgang Wilhelm and he had their meetings, friendly colloquies:--the
final celloquy of which is still memorable; and issues in SYMPTOM THIRD.
We said, a strong flame of choler burnt in all these Hohenzollerns,
though they held it well down. Johann Sigismund, an excellent man of
business, knew how essential a mild tone is: nevertheless he found, as
this colloquy went on, that human patience might at length get too much.
The scene, after some examination, is conceivable in this wise: Place
Dusseldorf, Elector's apartment in the Schloss there; time late in the
Year 1613, Day not discoverable by me. The two sat at dinner, after
much colloquy all morning: Johann Sigismund, a middle-aged, big-headed,
stern-faced, honest-looking man; hair cropped, I observe; and eyelids
slightly contracted, as if for sharper vision into matters: Wolfgang
Wilhelm, of features fallen dim to me; an airy gentleman, well out of
his teens, but, I doubt, not of wisdom sufficient; evidently very high
and stiff in his ways.
His proposal, by way of final settlement, and end to all these brabbles,
was this, and he insisted on it: "Give me your eldest Princess to wife;
let her dowry be your whole claim on Cleve-Julich; I will marry her on
that condition, and we shall be friends!" Here evidently is a gentleman
that does not want for conceit in himself:--consider too, in Johann
Sigismund's opinion, he had no right to a square inch of these
Territories, though for peace' sake a joint share had been allowed him
for the time! "On that condition, jackanapes?" thought Johann Sigismund:
"My girl is not a monster; nor at a loss for husbands fully better than
you, I should hope!" This he thought, and could not help thinking;
but endeavored to say nothing of it. The young jackanapes went on,
insisting. Nature at last prevailed; Johann Sigismund lifted his hand
(princely etiquettes melting all into smoke on the sudden), and gave the
young jackanapes a slap over the face. Veritable slap; which opened in
a dreadful manner the eyes of young Pfalz-Neuburg to his real situation;
and sent him off high-flaming, vowing never-imagined vengeance. A
remarkable slap; well testified to,--though the old Histories, struck
blank with terror, reverence and astonishment, can for most part only
symbol it in dumb-show; [Pufendorf _(Rer. Brandenb._ lib. iv.? 16, p.
213), and many others, are in this case. Tobias Pfanner _(Historia
Pacis Westphalicae,_ lib. i.? 9, p. 26) is explicit: _"Neque, ut infida
regnandi societas est, Brandenburgio et Neoburgio diu conveniebat;
eorumque jurgia, cum matrimonii faedere pacari posse propinqui ipsorum
credidissent, acrius ezarsere; inter epulas, quibus futurum generum
Septemvir_ (the "Sevensman," or Elector, "One of The Seven")
_excipiebat, hujus enim filia Wolfgango sperabatur, ob nescio quos
sermones eo inter utrumque altercalione provecta, ut Elector irae
impotestior, nulla dignitatis, hospitii, cognationis, affinitatisve
verecundia cohibitus, intenderit Neoburgio manus, et contra tendentis
os verberaverit. Ita, quae apud concordes vincula caritatis, incitamenta
irarum apud infensos erant."_ (Cited in Kohler, _Munzbelustiqungen,_
xxi. 341; who refers also to Levassor, _Histoire de Louis XII.)_--Pauli
(iii. 542) bedomes qnite vaporous.] a slap that had important
consequences in this world.
For now Wolfgang Wilhelm, flaming off in never-imagined vengeance,
posted straight to Munchen, to Max of Bavaria there; declared himself
convinced, or nearly so, of the Roman-Catholic Religion; wooed, and in
a few weeks (10th November, 1613) wedded Max's younger Sister; and soon
after, at Dusseldorf, pompously professed such his blessed change
of Belief,--with immense flourish of trumpeting, and jubilant
pamphleteering, from Holy Church. [Kohler, ubi supra.] His poor old
Father, the devoutest of Protestants, wailed aloud his "Ichabod!
the glory is departed!"--holding "weekly fast and humiliation" ever
after,--and died in few months of a broken heart. The Catholic League
has now a new Member on those terms.
And on the other hand, Johann Sigismund, nearly with the like haste
(25th December, 1613), declared himself convinced of Calvinism, his
younger Brother's creed; [Pauli, iii. 546.]--which continues ever since
the Brandenburg Court-creed, that of the People being mostly Lutheran.
Men said, it was to please the Dutch, to please the Julichers, most of
whom are Calvinist. Apologetic Pauli is elaborate, but inconclusive.
It was very ill taken at Berlin, where even popular riot arose on the
matter. In Prussia too it had its drawbacks. [Ib. iii. 544; Michaelis,
i. 349.]
And now, all being full of mutation, rearrangement and infinite rumor,
there marched next year (1614), on slight pretext, resting on great
suspicions, Spanish troops into the Julich-Cleve country, and,
countenanced by Neuburg, began seizing garrisons there. Whereupon Dutch
troops likewise marched, countenanced by Brandenburg, and occupied other
fortresses and garrisons: and so, in every strong-place, these were
either Papist-Spaniards or Calvinist-Dutch; who stood there, fronting
one another, and could not by treatying be got out again;--like clouds
positively electric VERSUS clouds negatively. As indeed was getting
to be the case of Germany in general; case fatally visible in every
Province, Principality and Parish there: till a thunder-storm, and
succession of thunder-storms, of Thirty Years' continuance, broke
out. Of which these huge rumors and mutations, and menacings of war,
springing out of that final colloquy and slap in the face, are to
be taken as the THIRD premonitory Symptom. Spaniards and Dutch stand
electrically fronting one another in Cleve for seven years, till their
Truce is out, before they clash together; Germany does not wait so long
by a couple of years.
SYMPTOM FOURTH, AND CATASTROPHE UPON THE HEELS OF IT.
Five years more (1618), and there will have come a FOURTH Symptom,
biggest of all, rapidly consummating the process;--Symptom still famed,
of the following external figure: Three Official Gentlemen descending
from a window in the Castle of Prag: hurled out by impatient Bohemian
Protestantism, a depth of seventy feet,--happily only into dung, and
without loss of life. From which follows a "King of Bohemia" elected
there, King not unknown to us;--"thunder-clouds" all in one huge clash,
and the "continent of sour smoke" blazing all into a continent
of thunderous fire: THIRTY-YEARS WAR, as they now call it! Such a
conflagration as poor Germany never saw before or since.
These were the FOUR preliminary SYMPTOMS of that dismal business. "As to
the primary CAUSES of it," says one of my Authorities, "these lie deep,
deep almost as those of Original Sin. But the proximate causes seem
to me to have been these two: FIRST, That the Jesuit-Priests and
Principalities had vowed and resolved to have, by God's help and by the
Devil's (this was the peculiarity of it), Europe made Orthodox again:
and then SECONDLY, The fact that a Max of Bavaria existed at that time,
whose fiery character, cunning but rash head, and fanatically Papist
heart disposed him to attempt that enterprise, him with such resources
and capacities, under their bad guidance."
Johann Sigismund did many swift decisive strokes of business in his
time, businesses of extensive and important nature; but this of the slap
to Neuburg has stuck best in the idle memory of mankind. Dusseldorf,
Year 1613: it was precisely in the time when that same Friedrioh, not
yet by any means "King of Bohemia," but already Kur-Pfalz (Cousin
of this Neuburg, and head man of the Protestants), was over here in
England, on a fine errand;--namely, had married the fair Elizabeth (14th
February, 1613), James the First's Princess; "Goody Palsgrave," as her
Mother floutingly called her, not liking the connection. What kind of a
"King of Bohemia" this Friedrich made, five or six years after, and what
sea of troubles he and his entered into, we know; the "WINTER-KONIG"
(Winter-King, fallen in times of FROST, or built of mere frost, a
SNOW-king altogether soluble again) is the name he gets in German
Histories. But here is another hook to hang Chronology upon.
This brief Bohemian Kingship had not yet exploded on the Weissenberg
of Prag, [Battle there, Sunday 8th November, 1620.] when old Sir Henry
Wotton being sent as Ambassador "to LIE abroad" (as he wittily called
it, to his cost) in that Business, saw, in the City of Lintz in the
picturesque green country by the shores of the Donau there, an ingenious
person, who is now recognizable as one of the remarkablest of mankind,
Mr. John Kepler, namely: Keplar as Wotton writes him; addressing the
great Lord Bacon (unhappily without strict date of any kind) on that
among other subjects. Mr. John's now ever-memorable watching of those
_ Motions of the Star Mars,_ [_De Motibus Stellae Martis;_ Prag, 1609.]
with "calculations repeated seventy times," and also with Discovery of
the Planetary Laws of this Universe, some, ten years ago, appears to be
unknown to Wotton and Bacon; but there is something else of Mr. John's
devising [It seems, Baptista Porta (of Naples, dead some years before)
must have given him the essential hint,--of whom, or whose hint,
Mr. John does not happen to inform his Excellency at present.] which
deserves attention from an Instaurator of Philosophy:--
"He hath a little black Tent (of what stuff is not much importing),"
says the Ambassador, "which he can suddenly set up where he will in
a Field; and it is convertible (like a windmill) to all quarters at
pleasure; capable of not much more than one man, as I conceive, and
perhaps at no great ease; exactly close and dark,--save at one hole,
about an inch and a half in the diameter, to which he applies a long
perspective Trunk, with the convex glass fitted to the said hole, and
the concave taken out at the other end, which extendeth to about the
middle of this erected Tent: through which the visible radiations of
all the Objects without are intromitted, falling upon a Paper, which
is accommodated to receive them; and so he traceth them with his pen in
their natural appearance; turning his little Tent round by degrees, till
he hath designed the whole Aspect of the Field." [_Reliqui Wottonianae,_
(london 1672), p. 300.]--In fact he hath a CAMERA OBSCURA, and is
exhibiting the same for the delectation of Imperial gentlemen lounging
that way. Mr. John invents such toys, writes almanacs, practises
medicine, for good reasons; his encouragement from the Holy Roman Empire
and mankind being only a pension of 18 pounds a year, and that hardly
ever paid. An ingenious person, truly, if there ever was one among
Adam's Posterity. Just turned of fifty and ill off for cash. This
glimpse of him, in his little black tent with perspective glasses, while
the Thirty-Years War blazes out, is welcome as a date.
WHAT BECAME OF THE CLEVE-JULICH HERITAGE, AND OF THE PREUSSEN ONE.
In the Cleve Duchies joint government had now become more difficult than
ever: but it had to be persisted in,--under mutual offences, suspicions
and outbreaks hardly repressed;--no final Bargain of Settlement proving
by any method possible. Treaties enough, and conferences and pleadings,
manifestoings:--Could not some painful German collector of Statistics
try to give us the approximate quantity of impracticable treaties,
futile conferences, manifestoes correspondences; in brief, some
authentical cipher (say in round millions) of idle Words spoken by
official human creatures and approximately (in square miles) the extent
of Law Stationery and other Paper written, first and last, about this
Controversy of the Cleve Duchies? In that form it might have a momentary
interest.
When the Winter-King's explosion took place, [Crowned at Prag, 4th
November N.S. 1619; beaten to ruin there, and obliged to gallop
(almost before dinner done), Sunday, 8th November, 1620.] and his
own unfortunate Pfalz (Palatinate) became the theatre of war (Tilly,
Spinola, VERSUS Pfalzers, English, Dutch), involving all the neighboring
regions, Cleve-Julich did not escape its fate. The Spaniards and the
Dutch, who had long sat in gloomy armed-truce, occupying with obstinate
precaution the main Fortresses of these Julich-Cleve countries, did now
straightway, their Twelve-Years' truce being out (1621), [Pauli, vi.
578-580.] fall to fighting and besieging one another there; the huge
War, which proved of Thirty Years, being now all ablaze. What the
country suffered in the interim may be imagined.
In 1624, in pity to all parties, some attempt at practical Division
of the Territory was again made: Neuburg to have Berg and Julich,
Brandenburg to have Cleve, Mark, Ravensburg and the minor appurtenances:
and Treaty to that effect was got signed (11th May, 1624). But it was
not well kept, nor could be; and the statistic cipher of new treaties,
manifestoes, conferences, and approximate written area of Law-Paper goes
on increasing.
It was not till forty-two years after, in 1666, as will be more minutely
noticeable by and by, that an effective partition could be practically
brought about. Nor in this state was the Lawsuit by any means ended,--as
we shall wearisomely see, in times long following that. In fact there
never was, in the German Chanceries or out of them, such a Lawsuit,
Armed or Wigged, as this of the Cleve Duchies first and last. And the
sentence was not practically given, till the Congress of Vienna (1815)
in our own day gave it; and the thing Johann Sigismund had claimed
legally in 1609 was actually handed over to Johann Sigismund's
Descendant in the seventh generation, after two hundred and six years.
Handed over to him then,--and a liberal rate of interest allowed. These
litigated Duchies are now the Prussian Province Julich-Berg-Cleve, and
the nucleus of Prussia's possessions in the Rhine country.
A year before Johann Sigismund's death, Albert Friedrich, the poor
eclipsed Duke of Prussia, died (8th August, 1618): upon which our swift
Kurfurst, not without need of his dexterities there too, got peaceable
possession of Prussia;--nor has his Family lost hold of that, up to the
present time. Next year (23d December, 1619), he himself closed a swift
busy life (labor enough in it for him perhaps, though only an age
of forty-nine); and sank to his long rest, his works following
him,--unalterable thenceforth, not unfruitful some of them.