nemy within his capital. But at this
juncture the death of Matthias changed the face of affairs. Ferdinand
became master of the whole Austrian heritage in Germany, and he offered
himself as candidate for the vacant Imperial crown. Union among the
Protestants might have hindered his accession, and with it the terrible
strife which he was to bring upon the Empire. But an insane quarrel
between Lutherans and Calvinists paralyzed their efforts; and in August
1619 Ferdinand became Emperor. Bohemia knew that its strength was
insufficient to check a foe such as this; and two days before his formal
election to the Empire its nobles declared the realm vacant, and chose
Frederick, the young Elector-Palatine, as their king.

[Sidenote: Outbreak of the Thirty Years War.]

Frederick accepted the crown; but he was no sooner enthroned at Prague
than the Bohemians saw themselves foiled in the hopes which had
dictated their choice. They had trusted that Frederick's election would
secure them support from the Calvinist Union, of which he was the
leading member, and from James, whose daughter was his wife. But support
from the Union was cut off by the jealousy of the French Government,
which saw with suspicion the upgrowth of a great Calvinistic power,
stretching from Bohemia to its own frontier, and pushing its influence
through its relations with the Huguenot party into the very heart of
France. James on the other hand was bitterly angered at Frederick's
action. He could not recognize the right of subjects to depose a prince,
or support Bohemia in what he looked on as revolt, or Frederick in what
he believed to be the usurpation of a crown. By envoy after envoy he
called on his son-in-law to lay down his new royalty, and to return to
the Palatinate. His refusal of aid to the Protestant Union helped the
pressure of France in paralyzing its action, while he threatened war
against Holland, the one power which was earnest in the Palatine's
cause. It was in vain that in England both court and people were
unanimous in a cry for war, or that Archbishop Abbot from his sick-bed
implored James to strike one blow for Protestantism. James still called
on Frederick to withdraw from Bohemia, and relied in such a case on the
joint efforts of England and Spain for a re-establishment of peace. But
no consent to his plans could be wrung from Frederick; and the spring of
1620 saw Spain ready to throw aside the mask. The time had come for
securing her roa