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The Growth of the Fear of France in the Reign of Charles Ii

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The Growth of the Fear of France in the Reign of Charles Ii BOYER, Hugh Eiserihart, 1939- THE GROWTH OF THE FEAR OF FRANCE IN THE REIGN OF CHARLES II. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1969 History, modern University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan Q Copyright by Aigh Eisenhart Boyer |1970{ THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED THE GROWTH OF THE FEAR OF FRANCE IN THE REIGN OF CHARLES II DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Hugh Eisenhart Boyer, A.B., M.A. ****** The Ohio State University 1969 Approved by dvlser Department of History TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................ iii VITA................................................ iv PREFACE............................................. v Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION................................ 1 II. ENGLISH SECURITY............................ 13 III. ANGLO-FRENCH TRADE RIVALRY.................... 58 IV. POPERY...................................... 71 V. ARBITRARY GOVERNMENT............. 90 VI. CONCLUSION.................. 100 BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................ 104 il ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank all those who were so helpful in making the completion of this dissertation possible. First and foremost, 1 wish to thank Prof. Clayton Roberts for his direction and assistance. Professor John C. Rule and Professor Wallace Maurer also made helpful suggestions. In addition I wish to thank the staffs of the Ohio State University Library, the University of Minnesota Li­ brary, the Columbia University Library and the New York Public Library for their help in obtaining research material. Finally, 1 wish to thank Mrs. Carol Scherer of Mount Pleasant, Michigan and Mrs. Sandra Dicks of Columbus, Ohio for their help in typing the manuscript. H.E.B. Columbus, Ohio August 18, 1969 iii VITA February 6, 1939.... Born— New York, New York I960.............. A.B., Columbia University, New York, New York 1962.............. Grading Assistant, Department of Classics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1962.............. M.A., The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1964-66........... Teaching Assistant, Department of History, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. 1967-68........... Teaching Associate, Department of History, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. PUBLICATIONS "The Persian Empire: Its Administration, 550-500 B.C.," Argo. VI (1966), 22-46. FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: History Studies in Tudor and Stuart England, Professor Clayton Roberts Studies in Greek and Ancient Near Eastern History, Professor William F. McDonald Studies in Roman History, Professor William F. McDonald iv PREFACE The problem of the growth of the fear of France in the reign of Charles II has never been adequately dealt with by historians. The time during which English opinion turned definitely against France is in dispute. Maurice Lee^ traces hatred for France back to the late spring or summer of 1667, 2 3 during the War of Devolution. Arthur Bryant, David Ogg, and Leopold von Ranke^ place the beginning of hatred for France in the period immediately after the Triple Alliance (January, 1668). Andrew Browning^ would probably place it later, in October, 1670, for by then the Triple Alliance had become extremely popular with Parliament. Sir George Clarkf ^•Maurice Lee, The Cabal (Urbana; University of Illinois Press, 1965), pp. 87-88. 2 Arthur Bryant, King Charles II (London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1931), p. 198. ^David Ogg, England in the Reign of Charles II, I (Oxford; Clarendon" press, 1934), p. 3377 ^Leopold von Ranke, History of England, III (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1875), p. 4/9. ^Andrew Browning, Thomas Osborne. Earl of Danby. I (Glasgow: Jackson, Son, and Co., 1951), p. 57. ^Sir George Clark, The Later Stuarts, 1660-1714 (Oxford, Clarendon Press), p. 81. v vi Sir Keith Felling,7 K.H.D. Haley,8 and 6.M. Trevelyan9 date fear of the greatness of France in the months between March and October, 1673. Gerald B. Hertz10 puts it in 1674. The reasons for this fear have also been neglected. Fear of French military power, fear of French trade, fear of Catholicism, and fear of arbitrary government have all been mentioned as possible factors, but no attempt has been made to assess the importance of each. Moreover, the identity and backgrounds of those opposing France have not been consi­ dered in any great detail. The purpose of this dissertation is to discover who the men were who feared France, when they came to fear France and why they feared France. 7Sir Keith Felling, A History of the Tory Party« 1640- 1714 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 192477 P* ISO. 8K. H. D. Haley, William of Orange and the English Opposition. 1672-74 (Oxford: CTarendon Press), ppT 105, 115. ^G. M. Trevelyan, England Under the Stuarts (London: Methuen and Sons, 1926), pp. 377-78. ^Gerald B. Hertz, English Public Opinion After the Restoration (London: T. Fisher Onwin, 1902), pp. 93, 97. CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Oliver Cromwell, in a speech delivered to Parliament on September 17, 1656, sought to justify war with Spain. "Why truly, your great Enemy is the Spaniard.... He is a natural enemy...by reason of that enmity which is in him against whatever is of God." Peace was not possible, because "that Peace is to be kept so long as the Pope saith Amen to it. He (the Spaniard] hath espoused Charles Stuart"** as well. The Protector here appeals to a long tradition of anti- Spanish feeling; but this Hispanophobia had not always ex­ isted. In the period from before the beginning of the Hundred Year's War in 1337 until the Spanish marriage of Mary Tudor in 1554 France was the traditional foe of England. Several factors accounted for Anglo-French hostility in these earlier years. One of them was the position of the English king from Henry II's reign (1152) to Henry VI1s (1453): during those years they were vassals of the king of France. French kings constantly tried to gain greater rights over this territory, eventually seeking sovereign rights. ^S. C. Lomas, ed., Letters and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell (London: Methuen and Co., 1904), II, pp. 5ll, 51 5, ~5 H . 2 France meanwhile interested herself in the affairs of Scotland. The English king Edward 1 (1272-1307) was deter­ mined to gain control of Scotland. He tried to rule through John Balliol whom he regarded as his vassal. John was forced by public opinion to ally with France and revolt against Edward (1295). Balliol was beaten, but in an en­ suing struggle for power England supported his son Edward while France supported Robert Bruce (1332). The Scots con­ tinued to ally with France against England until the early part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The English claim to the French crown was another source of difficulty. By the Treaty of Troyes, Henry V had been named heir to the French throne (1420). This claim added another motive for hostility between the two countries. Economic factors also contributed to hostility. One of the chief causes of the Hundred Years War was France's attempt to take control of Flanders. Since English wool was sent to Flanders to be woven into cloth, England resisted France's efforts to seize this important market for English wool. During the first third of the Fourteenth Century both England and France took sides in a Flemish civil war. Eng­ land supported the townspeople of the cities against the pro-French Court of Flanders. These causes for hostility toward France gradually disappeared but the traditional enmity remained long after Spain had begun to replace France as the leading foe of 3 England. The position of the king of England as one of the largest landowners In France was ended by French victory In the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). This meant that a constant Irritant In Anglo-French relations was gone, but It did leave a legacy of bitterness in England and led to several attempts to regain territory in France. The ability of France to intervene in English domestic affairs was nearly eliminated by the ending of the Wars of the Roses and this too tended to improve relations between the two coun­ tries. A third factor in the eventual decline of hostility toward France was the defeat of French efforts to control Flanders and its wool trade. Instead the Duke of Burgundy incorporated the area into his dominions. The Franco-Scottish alliance, however, remained a source of trouble, as did England's refusal to accept the loss of her French lands. These factors, and the rise of Protestantism, helped to complicate Anglo-French relations. When Henry VII became king he was grateful to France for helping to finance the expedition which had led to his winning the crown, but other factors outweighed gratitude in shaping his policy. Since Henry had gained the throne in battle, he was eager to gain acceptance by the royal houses of Europe as their equal. A marriage alliance was the best 4 means to accomplish this. Of the available countries, Burgundy and the Empire were allied by marriage, and the ruling house of Burgundy was also Yorkish in background. Henry Vll finally settled on Spain. Like England, Spain had grievances against France. Louis XI had taken the Pyrenean provinces of Cerdagne and Roussillon from Spain, who was anxious to regain them. In return for the alliance with Spain Henry agreed to support Brittany against French attack, thus enabling Spain to attack Cerdagne and Roussil­ lon. The marriage of Catherine of Aragon to Henry's son Arthur cemented the alliance. Spanish control of the Netherlands after 1506 added an economic motive for friendship with that country. This may have been a factor in convincing Henry VIII to renew the alliance by marrying Catherine after his brother Arthur had died. Thomas Wolsey added a new dimension to English policy by insisting in 1511 that the papal foreign policy be followed. This meant war with France in 1511 and 1523.
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