Elizabeth’s Correspondence with the Protestant Princes of the Empire, 1558–86

Abstract

As Queen of England, Elizabeth I wrote several hundred letters to the protestant princes of the Holy Roman Empire, and over the years her correspondence with a wide variety of personalities covered a broad range of subjects. 1 She and the princes discussed concerns of practical politics such as commercial interests, births and deaths among ruling elites, and English as well as imperial affairs. They exchanged letters so regularly that they even tended on occasion to send gifts like birds for hunting. Anglo-German relations during the period, however, cannot be characterized only by the mundane minutiae of piracy complaints, babies, and hawks. 2 Indeed, written (and spoken) messages between Elizabeth and the princes more often concerned comparatively grave matters of religious solidarity and protestant security. The wars of religion in France and the Netherlands necessitated some degree of Anglo-German collaboration, and the implicit common confessional bond of anti-Catholicism became the foundation for an increasingly significant relationship. This chapter surveys the correspondence up to 1586 to show Elizabeth's activity and engagement with the German princes during the very years some historians have considered a period of relative inactivity and withdrawal from mainland Europe. 3 Scholars have not entirely neglected Elizabeth's relations with the princes, but most have either considered too narrow a body of sources or have largely dismissed religious sincerity in favor of secular interests. In some respects, the sources readily at the disposal of historians in England are limited relative to those for the Netherlands, France, and Spain.Considering the state papers in The National Archives in London is illustrative enough.

Notions of Privacy at Early Modern European Courts

“…At its core, the court consisted of the ruler's household, or the "environments of sovereign rulers" and their entourages. 26 Of course, the court was more than such environments. As is well recognised in court studies scholarship, the court was complex, multifunctional, transitional, and permutational throughout the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries.…”

“…111 Derks and Raeymaekers, in particular, have emphasised that the regulation and practices of access were responses to increased interactions Princely Courts of Europe, 1500-1750, ed. John Adamson (London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 1999The Regulation of Private Spaces: The Codification of the Royal Chamber of the Spanish Monarchy in the Seventeenth Century", The Court Historian 28:1 (2023): [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]Vienna and Versailles,11. 107 Duindam,Vienna and Versailles,287.…”

“…25 As Simon Thurley points out, rails were erected around certain parts of the palace for this reason-to create a perimeter that kept the public away from the windows. 26 Like tapestries and curtains, rails were useful tools in the negotiation of privacy at the early modern court. Similarly to the peephole, the rails suggest that besides the need for security, privacy was about remaining unseen when one was not supposed to be seen.…”

“…25 These families ensured the continuation of the well-established tradition of having young women educated at court, in the vicinity of the princely family. 26 The Hofstaat of an electress-her official entourage-had a narrow scope because only a few adequate court offices existed for noblewomen. The lack of open positions even generated a waiting list, as young ladies vied for one 22 Fabian Persson, Women at the Early Modern Swedish Court: Power, Risk, and Opportunity (Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2021), 33.…”

Zones of Privacy in Letters Between Women of Power: Elizabeth I of England and Anna of Saxony

“…41 The Queen maintained consistent communication with the German princes and Protestant rulers, including Anna's brother Frederick II of Denmark (1534-1588), through "several hundred" letters seeking and forging Protestant unity. 42 At the same time, as Elizabeth's reign evolved, William Burghley (1520-1598), Rogers, and other courtiers in England, as well as key princes of Germany and Protestant allies, shaped and influenced the shift in Elizabeth's optimism for a pan-Protestant alliance with the Elector of Saxony at the centre. However, this early optimistic cooperation had quickly faded and began to unravel by 1570 as August, the leading Protestant power among the German princes and within the Holy Roman Empire, remained hesitant to join the League and continued to be staunchly committed to establishing religious uniformity.…”