Chapter 87
What seemed like a fair deal to the Queen of England was viewed entirely differently by the French.
In the eyes of the French, the port of Calais was bought back at great expense after they conceded many benefits at the beginning of Elizabeth I's reign, and there was absolutely no way they would give it back to Britain for nothing.
Moreover, the port of Calais is geographically extremely important, being the shortest route from France to Britain. If it were handed over to Britain, who knows if they would use this route to launch a surprise attack on France in the event of war.
Britain and France have completely opposite bottom lines, making it impossible to reach an agreement under these circumstances.
On the Dutch border, after a month of patience, arguments, sarcasm, and dredging up old grievances, the British and French negotiating teams were forced to send letters to their respective mistresses reporting the unsuccessful negotiations.
In a letter to the Queen of England, Walsingham wrote in elegant, slanted cursive script: “These days, I have been following your orders and negotiating with the French with a sincere desire to maintain peace, trying to achieve a result that satisfies both countries. But the shamelessness, greed, and despicable behavior of the French in this regard... truly terrify me.”
"Your Majesty, they are unwilling to pay any price, refuse to give up an inch of land in Normandy, ignore the demands of Britain, and repeatedly make unreasonable demands for possession of Antwerp, like a greedy vulture eyeing carrion, it will not fly away until it is full."
“I tried to persuade them for a long time, but the French insisted on buying a large tract of land in the southern Netherlands. It was ridiculous. Even ten years' worth of the French treasury’s revenue wouldn’t be as valuable as that land, let alone the fact that they were only asking for a paltry 3 million livres.”
"The French troops stationed on the border were not at ease. They were very active, practicing their weapons in their camps every day. Under the pretext of military exercises, they would probe the hillsides and city walls with artillery. Whenever I sat in the tent negotiating with the French, the sound of artillery booming could be heard outside, which put great psychological pressure on me and the others in the delegation. In order not to let the British show weakness in this regard, I ordered the British troops to conduct the same exercises and to have the soldiers patrol the city... The French methods worked and didn't work. I was not intimidated by them, but I already knew that the French were very eager to go to war."
In Whitehall, after reading Walsingham's letter, Mary closed her eyes and fell into deep thought.
France's determination to acquire the Netherlands is truly unexpected.
If France were to actually go to war for the Netherlands, should it fight or not?
If war were to break out, it would be fine if they won, but if they lost, Mary was very worried that the Netherlands, which had only been under English control for a few years and whose people were still unstable, would take the opportunity to turn against them. At that time, not only would Antwerp be lost, but Amsterdam, with its large Protestant population, might also try to declare itself a republic under German instigation and then start to rebel against Britain.
Unlike Ireland, whose geographical location was so unfavorable that only by aligning itself with the Netherlands could it have a future, other countries would likely welcome the Netherlands whether it aligned itself with France, the Holy Roman Empire, or formed an alliance with Denmark and Sweden further north to counter the pressure from other major powers.
Even though Britain had been recognized as the suzerain state, winning the hearts and minds of the people was one of the most unpredictable things in the world, often requiring a generation or even several generations to accomplish. This could not be solved simply by implementing a more tolerant and wiser policy than that of Spain.
What if we don't fight?
Are we really going to hand over half of the Netherlands to France for nothing?
Mary briefly entertained the thought, but quickly dismissed it.
Of course not, there's no reason to spit out meat that's already in your mouth...
After a while, the Queen of England made a decision.
“It seems I need to make preliminary preparations for war. Emma, go and summon the Minister of State Cecil, the Minister of Finance Gresham, and the Duke of Somerset to the palace…”
An army marches on its stomach.
If war were to break out, the sooner the soldiers were prepared with food and weapons, the better. Fortunately, the weather in Britain had been good in recent years, with bumper harvests every year, and the national treasury had accumulated a lot of money and food.
With her long hair piled up behind her head and dressed in a simple and understated dress, Emma responded and then went out to inform the Queen of her summons.
...
Unbeknownst to Mary, at that very moment, Queen Catherine the Queen Mother was also reading the letter from the negotiating team and making a decision that was almost identical to that of the British.
"Your Majesty the Queen Mother, I regret to inform you that the wolfish ambitions of England have been clearly revealed in recent days."
"They are willing to cede Antwerp and large swathes of the south, but the price France has to pay is Normandy and the entire port of Calais. This is utterly shameless and ridiculous. If Normandy were given to England, the distance between England and Paris would be only a few hundred miles. What difference is there between that and putting a dagger to France's neck?"
"To deter the British ambitions and make them understand that the French are not to be trifled with, the Duke of Montmorency and I, after discussing it, conducted some military exercises when the British envoys returned, hoping to make them hesitate. But things didn't go as planned. The British quickly retaliated with similar military exercises, and Walsingham even declared at the next negotiating table that their Queen Mary was never afraid of war and, with the help of many wise ministers, was invincible..."
After reading the message from the negotiating team, Queen Mother Catherine sighed deeply.
"It seems that war is inevitable," Queen Catherine the Queen Mother said to herself.
She had to write a letter to the Lutheran community in Germany, telling them that if Britain and France went to war in Antwerp, it would be a good opportunity for Amsterdam to regain its independence and embrace Protestantism.
...
Unlike previous wars that were quick and decisive, this war between Britain and France was like being stuck in a swamp—sticky and protracted.
Beginning in March, British and French troops clashed intermittently on the border of the Netherlands. There were no large-scale, brutal battles, but the fighting never ceased.
Those with foresight say this will be the beginning of another Hundred Years' War between England and France.
Just as the Queen of England was hoping, as before, to gain righteous support in the name of Catholicism and to make Christians see France as the party that deliberately provoked war and wanted to invade the legitimate territory of England, bad news came from Rome.
Pope Pius V, a man of integrity and simplicity who was ruthless towards heretics and a close ally of the Queen of England, died in the Sistine Chapel at the age of 68.
This means that Rome will inevitably be in turmoil due to the upcoming struggle for the papacy, leaving it no time to focus on the struggles in other parts of the European continent. It also means that German Protestantism, which has been suppressed in recent years, will seize the opportunity to rise again.
And in June, another important figure in France also died.
Joanna III, the spiritual and political leader of the Huguenots, Queen of Navarre, and mother of the future Henry IV of the Bourbon dynasty, died of fever in Paris.
In an effort to alleviate the somber mood brought by the news, Queen Catherine the Queen Mother made a swift decision to hold a wedding in August for the new King Henry IV of Navarre and his youngest daughter, Margaret de Valois.
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