The Search for Allies 199Difficulties and delays
By then the enterprise was already substantially overdue, and it would
be a further two months before it actually commenced. Following
their Munich agreement Ferdinand and Maximilian had contemplated
launching the invasion in March 1620, but the professional soldiers
doubtless soon told them that this was unrealistic.^37 Final mustering of a
large army was not feasible until the weather allowed the men and their
accompanying families to camp in the open, while a prudent comman-
der preferred not to move until there was enough grass in the fields to
provide some sustenance for the horses. Many other difficulties had to
be overcome before this stage was reached, as Maximilian needed men
and money, as well as support from Spain for the diversionary invasion
of the Palatinate, and all proved problematic.
The Spanish had long recognised the necessity of providing some
financial support to the emperor in response to the Bohemian revolt,
starting in the summer of 1618, when their assistance was key to the
raising of Bucquoy’s army.^38 They had also sent some troops from the
Netherlands and Italy to assist Ferdinand, but these were contingents to
serve with the Imperial army rather than a major force in its own right,
whereas Archduke Albrecht and Oñate argued strongly for more direct
military intervention. This had given rise to a heated debate in Madrid
about whether to send more men from Spanish Naples to Bohemia,
and if so how many, and how to get them there.^39 There was strong
opposition because of the desperate state of Spanish finances, but the
deterioration of Ferdinand’s military position in the summer of 1619
finally convinced the majority of the need to act, although some, includ-
ing King Philip III’s confessor, maintained their resistance. This latter
group was similarly opposed to the planned attack on the Palatinate,
so that prolonged lobbying by Archduke Albrecht’s and Maximilian’s
representatives, as well as by Ferdinand’s ambassador Khevenhüller, was
necessary before agreement and funding could be secured. The news
that Ferdinand himself was besieged in Vienna for the second time
was the final catalyst, but even then the sum initially allocated in late
December 1619 was much less than Albrecht considered necessary, and
it took until the end of April 1620 before Philip authorised the full
amount, as well as payment for the 1000 cavalry which Oñate had
promised for the League army.^40
Securing financial support from the pope proved even more difficult.
Matthias, with Spanish support, had appealed to him for help in July
1618, but although a small monthly payment was agreed this was soon