The Wheel Is Come Full Circle 127There were other parties at Regensburg. The envoys representing the
elector of Brandenburg had instructions not to participate in any moves
against Wallenstein which might increase the influence of the Catholic
party over the Imperial army, while the Saxons argued that were the
question of peace to be properly addressed then problems with the
army would become irrelevant. Paradoxically, although Wallenstein’s
view of the Spanish had become steadily more jaundiced, culminating
in his opposition to their attack on Mantua, Spain supported him
diplo matically.^8 To the Spanish, attacks on Wallenstein were attempts to
weaken the emperor and hence the Habsburg party, while without him
the Imperial army would certainly be reduced in strength and effective-
ness. Worse still, control might pass into the hands of Maximilian and
the Catholic League, which was particularly undesirable as Maximilian
was not only anti-Spanish but also prone to dangerous dalliances with
France. Conversely French diplomats worked to undermine Wallenstein,
and in this they were supported by the papal representative, whose
master’s aim was to weaken Spanish influence in Italy, hence making
him a supporter of French policy.
Nevertheless the Catholic electors were the driving force in the dis-
cussions, which for all their seriousness proceeded at a stately pace.
On 17 July the electors responded to the emperor that while the other
subjects could be discussed their priority was Wallenstein. They reiter-
ated the complaints previously made about him, laying at his door all
the evils associated with the wars and the army, and urged the emperor
to remove him forthwith. Their stipulations about a replacement left
little doubt that they had Maximilian in mind, although without
naming him. On the other side the emperor and his advisers, though
somewhat taken aback by the strength of the attack, were not prepared
to abandon their general without a fight, still less to have Maximilian
foisted upon them. It took a mere three days for them to issue a sharp
reply, only slightly softened by a generalised promise of improvements
in military discipline in the future. The Catholic electors were not to
be fobbed off, however, and they spent ten days preparing their next
missive.^9 This time they delivered it in person, all four of them placing
it in Ferdinand’s hands on 1 August and waiting while he read it. If not
new their litany was comprehensive, starting from the creation of what
they deemed an unnecessary army in 1625 and proceeding to date. The
religiously confrontational Ferdinand was less good at personal con-
frontations, so rather than the electors being sent away with a polite
flea in the ear their paper was referred to the emperor’s council.