Under Xxxxx X. The accession of Xxxxx X (r. 1603-1625) to the throne of England almost entirely downplayed the diplomatic relationship that Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx had established before him with the Ottoman Empire. That Jacobean king displayed less interest about developing England’s diplomatic and commercial relationships with the Muslims. Xxxxxx accounts that Xxxxx’ hatred towards the Turks and Islam begun in the late 1580s, while still king of Scotland, when he considered the possibility of forming a “common corps of Christendom with the Danish government that would consist of Scotland, Denmark, and various German Protestant states. Invitations to the alliance were also to be extended to Spain, France, and England but, should any of these polities refuse to join, a counter-league would be formed against them.” Xxxxxx adds that, in 1601, two years before his accession to the throne, Xxxxx had already contacted the Safavid xxxx, Xxxxx X (r. 1517-1629), “complimenting [him] on his military success against the Turk and hinting at assistance at the earliest opportunity.” Unlike, the Tudor Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx X, Xxxxx X sought a diplomatic alliance with Spain. Consequently, he ended formally England’s alliance with Morocco and altered the way English merchants traded in the Mediterranean (43-45). Furthermore, Xxxxx X was hesitant to grant royal patronage to the Levant Company. In 1604, the Venetian ambassador to England Xxxxxx Xxxxx declared that “Xxxxx had no wish to continue friendly relations with the Turk, if the company found an Ambassador necessary for their own interests they must pay for him themselves” which apparently caused an “uproar and commotion” from Levant Company agents and representatives. However, Xxxxx X ended up keeping the Company’s Consul at Constantinople and expanded its field of operations to Italy. He also promised to contribute 6,000 English and Scottish troops to fight the Ottomans in Hungary on the condition that the other Christian Sovereigns would act cooperatively towards the destruction of their common foe. The expansion and growth of the Levant Company, however, outweighed Xxxxx’s sentiments. In the first decade of the 17th century, the Company acquired powerful domestic allies including many Members of Parliament as the Company’s trade had “become crucial to the development of English exports and power” (Xxx). Because of his hostility to Islam, England’s diplomatic relations with the Muslim world witnessed a dramatic downfall: The king was antitheti...
