The Search for Allies 179Germany and one of the few princes of the day with ready cash rather
than debts, is indicative. After the death of Matthias the hard-pressed
Ferdinand approached Maximilian seeking a loan, but he grudgingly
agreed to advance only half of the amount requested, which was more-
over to be secured by giving him possession of the fortress of Kufstein,
on the border between Bavaria and Austria. This was a valuable potential
acquisition for Maximilian in the event of non-repayment of the loan,
which was all too likely in view of the extent of Imperial debts, so that
Ferdinand declined the offer.^1
On the Bohemian side, the support received from the duke of Savoy
and the Palatinate through Mansfeld’s army, and from the alliance with
Bethlen Gabor, were sufficient to save them from early defeat, but not
enough to secure victory before Ferdinand finally mustered a coali-
tion against them. When they set up their directorate they expected
widespread support from their co-religionists, not only from the other
lands of the Bohemian crown, together with Austria and Hungary, but
also from the Protestant Union in the Empire, the United Provinces,
England, Sweden and Denmark, as well perhaps as from Catholic but
anti-Habsburg France. In the following two years most of these hopes
proved illusory.
The contribution from the other Habsburg lands was confined mainly
to the modest contingent from Silesia, together with Moravia’s slightly
larger forces after Thurn had enforced their participation. Upper and
Lower Austria only began to recruit in earnest after the formation of
the Bohemian Confederation in mid-1619, so that their participation
was too little and too late, while practical support from the Dutch in
the form of money and a few troops was likewise limited in extent.
Mansfeld’s army arrived at a vital moment, but it was not large, and
moreover Mansfeld was notoriously inclined to pursue his own strategy,
usually one of limiting his risk, rather than following the orders of his
employers. A little help also came in the form of small regiments raised
by minor co-religionist sympathisers, most of which joined Mansfeld’s
army campaigning in western Bohemia.^2
Bethlen Gabor was the Bohemians’ most important ally, bringing in a
substantial army and engaging in joint operations against the common
enemy, but even here there was good reason to worry about his reliabil-
ity, while his Ottoman links were a definite political disadvantage in the
search for other support. His forces, although often large, were mainly
light cavalry, irregulars who reported for service only after bringing in
the harvest, so that he rarely appeared in the field before late summer
and his men were ready to go home by the onset of winter. At other