Editing Spanish match (section)

==James I's policy==
At the beginning of 1618 James I and VI was in a strong diplomatic position. His efforts against wars in Europe had been largely effective, and his own status as a Protestant ruler who was on good terms with Catholic powers was high. Success in reducing the religious factor in international relations then deteriorated for James, in parallel with the failure of the Spanish match, with the onset of the [[Thirty Years' War]].<ref>{{cite book|author=W. B. Patterson|title=King James VI and I and the Reunion of Christendom|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zYK_Czpa1WwC&pg=PA294|date=14 September 2000|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-79385-8|pages=294–6}}</ref> In 1618 he was still concerned with detailed moves to improve his relationship with Spain, such as the translation of the anti-Calvinist Bishop [[Lancelot Andrewes]],<ref>{{cite ODNB|id=520|title=Andrewes, Lancelot|first=P. E.|last=McCullough}}</ref> and the execution of the buccaneering Sir [[Walter Raleigh]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Derek Hirst |author-link=Derek Hirst |title=England in Conflict 1603–1660|year=1999|publisher=Arnold|isbn=0-340-62501-5|page=103}}</ref>

On the domestic front, the prospect of a Spanish dowry from a marriage between his heir Charles, Prince of Wales from 1616, and Infanta [[Maria Anna of Spain]], was a potential source of income for James, who sought ways to rule without depending on the Commons for subsidies.<ref>Willson, p 357.</ref> The policy of the Spanish match was supported by the [[Howard family|Howards]] and other Catholic-leaning ministers and diplomats—together known as the "Spanish Party"—but deeply distrusted by some Protestant groups in England. Sentiment was voiced vociferously in the Commons when James called his [[3rd Parliament of James I|first parliament for seven years]] in 1621 to raise funds for a military expedition in support of [[Frederick V, Elector Palatine]], his son-in-law.

There was in fact no chance that [[Pope Paul V]] would have issued the required dispensation for the Infanta to marry a Protestant. This fact was known to the Spanish king, but apparently Gondomar was kept in ignorance of the correspondence.<ref name="Redworth2003">{{cite book|author=Glyn Redworth|title=The Prince and the Infanta: The Cultural Politics of the Spanish Match|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A-Kz4SwmZkAC&pg=PA16|date=1 January 2003|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-10198-0|page=16}}</ref> Paul V died early in 1621, and his successor [[Pope Gregory XV]] was thought amenable to the idea of the match. James sent [[George Gage (diplomat)|George Gage]] to Rome to lobby, putting the case on behalf of English Catholics.<ref>{{cite book|author=W. B. Patterson|title=King James VI and I and the Reunion of Christendom|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zYK_Czpa1WwC&pg=PA318|date=14 September 2000|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-79385-8|page=318}}</ref> The matter was passed to a small group of cardinals, who emphasised that improved treatment for English Catholics was a prerequisite.<ref>{{cite ODNB|id=10270|title=Gage, George|first=A. J.|last=Loomie}}</ref>