The Revolt Defeated 211Emperor Rudolf II onwards. The estates were mainly Lutheran, but the
leading personality was nevertheless the Calvinist Tschernembl, while
the Catholics were only a small minority. Upper and Lower Austria
were both parties to the treaty linking them to the confederation of the
lands of the Bohemian crown made in August 1619, and both refused
to take the oath of allegiance to Ferdinand as their prince, arguing that
Archduke Albrecht, not he, was Matthias’s legitimate heir, and that any
transfer of the provinces from the one to the other required their assent.
In the late autumn of 1619 Upper Austria also joined in the military
action against Ferdinand’s forces, albeit on a limited scale, but Bethlen’s
withdrawal from the siege of Vienna and Thurn’s subsequent retreat
back into Bohemia caused many to reappraise the wisdom of this course
of action.
Their apprehensions were increased when a regiment of Spanish
troops en routefrom Italy to join Bucquoy in Bohemia arrived in
the neighbouring bishopric of Passau, where they made their winter
quarters, and although there was relief when they marched on north-
wards in the spring the scare concentrated minds. Contacts were made
with Vienna to explore a possible settlement, but although the Upper
Austrians indicated a willingness to take the oath of allegiance their con-
ditions in respect of prior guarantees for their privileges and religious
freedoms were not acceptable to Ferdinand, who was by this time con-
fident that Maximilian’s army would soon settle the issue in his favour.
Instead he attempted to bring the matter to a head by fixing a date
for the homage ceremony, but the Upper Austrian Estates ignored the
move. Events in Lower Austria initially followed a similar course, but in
that province there was a significant Catholic element among the nobil-
ity, and this group, together with the more cautious of the Protestants,
seized a last-minute opportunity to take the oath in mid-July, by which
time Maximilian was already on the march.^21
Arguably there were sound military reasons for moving into Austria
first rather than heading directly for Bohemia. The route via Upper
Austria and Budweis was certainly easier for the army, as it mainly
follows river valleys, whereas the much shorter direct route towards
Prague goes through the hilly forested area on the border between
Bavaria and Bohemia.^22 Dealing with the recalcitrant provinces one
by one would also be relatively easy, thereby preventing them from
despatching assistance to the Bohemians later in the campaign, as well
as avoiding leaving unsecured territory in the rear as the League army
marched northwards. Furthermore there was logic in joining forces with
Bucquoy’s Imperial army in Lower Austria before making a joint advance