The Dutchy of Montferrat sometimes the patrimony of the house of the Paleologi is at this time in the hands of the Duke of Mantua There stands Cazal of St. Vaast the so much disputed place The small Common-wealth of Luca in Toscana between the two States of Florence and Genoa Besides these two estates are attributed to Italy though far from it the one is the Common-wealth of Ragousa in Slavonia upon the Golph in old time called Epidaurus It is soveraign yet payeth to the Turk her next neighbour a tribute of fifteen thousand Sequins yearly The other Estate is Malta with the next Iland Goza possest by the Religion of Saint John of Jerusalem But that Prince hath but the shade of a Soveraigne being as for his person a Religious depending of the Pope and punishable by the Pope and the Iland of Malta acknowleding the King of Spain as a dependance of Sicily In all these States of Italy there is no exercise of any Religion but the Roman Although all these Princes will be acknowledged Soveraign there is none properly so but the Pope the Venetians and the Common-wealth of Genoa All the others are either Imperial Lands as Mantua Milan Montferrat Piemont Modena Mirandula Florence or depend of the Pope as Naples Sicily Parma and Placentia Paragraphe VI. In the end of the Golph of Venice Eastward lyeth Greece possest by the Turk who holds all that was comprehended in the names of Peloponnesus Achaea Epirus Macedonia Thracia with the great City of Constantinople Nearer to the River of Danubius and above the mountaines of Thracia he hold Bulgaria and Servia which were the ancient Misiae Bossena great part of Hungary as farre as Gran or Strigonium near the Towne of Commorra and part of Slavonia and Dalmatia By those more Occidentall Countries he toucheth the Lands of the Venetians and the the House of Austria Beyond Danubius he is acknowledged by the three Vaivodes or Princes of Transylvania Moldavia and Walachia The Turk holds also all the Ilands of the Mediterranean Sea from Candia to Pontus Euxinus Beyond the mouth of Danubius and the coast of Pont Euxin he holds as farre as the River Tyrus or Niestra And higher in Taurica Chersonesus the Town of Cafa in old time Theodosia His Dominion on that side buts upon the River Tanais where his Frontier is the Town of Assou taken about ten years ago upon the Muscovite In all that Tract though the Turk and the Mahometan Religion govern most part of his People profess the Religion of Christ under he Patriarch of Constantinople Yet thereare many of the Roman Religion in Hungary Bossena and Servia Transylvania is Protestant Paragraphe VII Above Pont Euxin towards Meotides Paludes there is a great extent of Countries bordering upon Podolia and Muscovia And within that Sea is that Peninsula sometimes called Taurica Chersonesus now Precops All that Tract is called Tartaria Precopensis or the Crim Tartar or about four hundred years ago a Herd for Army of Tartars invaded that Country It is now one of the considerable States of Europe possest by a Mahumetan Prince named Cantemiro It bordereth upon the Turks towards Pont Euxin and is in league with them Westward it joyns with Poland Northwards with Muscovia and hath War almost continually with these two Nations Paragraphe VIII Beyond the dominions of Poland there is a River called Danambra in old time Borysthenes which severeth Sarmatia now called Poland from the old Scythia Europea which comprehends that large tract of Land between Borysthenes and Tanais and Northward ward unto the frozen Sea This is that great Estate of Muscovia denominated from the Capitall City Mosko The Prince the great Duke of Moscovia besides that part of Enrope stretcheth his Dominion very far into great Asia He that reigned when the Author writ this Book which was in the year 1644. was Michael Fedorowitz who was elected in the year 1612. in the confusion of Civil Wars after the extinction of the antitient Royall Family That People is Christian but of the rudest sort acknowledging the Patriarch of Constantinople Westward they join with Poland Southward with the Crim Tartar and with each of them have alwaies some war Paragraphe IX All the Country from the River of Odera in Germanie or at least from the River of Vistula or Weissell as far as Borysthenes and Northward as far as the point of the Baltique Sea above Livonia All that Country I say called antiently Sarmatia containeth now the Kingdom of Poland consisting of the greater and lesser Poland Russia alba the Country of the Cossacks Podolia and other Provinces with the great Dutchy of Lituania near Borysthenes That State of Poland whose capital City is Cracovia joyneth Southward with the Lands of the Empire and Hungary sâ— much as belongs to the House of Austria and with Transylvania and Moldavia East ward it joines with the Tartar and Moscovitâ— The Court of Poland hath been of the Romaâ— Religion hitherto What it will be hereafteâ— the successe of the present Warrs will shew That State tolerates all sorts of Religions Livonia or Liefland in the Baltick Sea is accounted as an appurtenance of Poland Yet because three Estates meet there Poland oâ— the South Muscovia on the East and North and Sweden on the West it is al waies disputed between these three Crowns and is thâ— occasion of great Warrs which were appeased in some part by the peace between Polanâ— and Sweden An. 1635. but newly revived Paragraphe X. By an arm of the great Ocean that Mediterranean Sea of the North is formed which is called the Baltique Sea There the Dominions of Sweden and Denmark are seated two considerable States The Kingdom of Sweden comprehendâ— great part of the antient Gotthia the Towâ— and Dutchy of Stockholm the great Dutchy of Finland and Northward Botnia Scrifinia and other unknown Countries The presenâ— King is Carolus Gustavus by the cession of hiâ— Cosen German Christina Daughter to the famous Gustavus Adolphus The whole Kingdom of Sweden is Lutheran Yet in the North there â—s some remnant of the antient Idolatry of Pagans The other State is that of Denmark composed of the Hanse Teutonique called antientâ—y Cimbrica-Chersonesus which is a corner of great Germany containing the Dutchy of Holstein Juitland and Schleswick A second part of that Estate lyeth in Ilands the chiefe of them Zeland where Coppenhagen is seated â—he Capitall City of the Kingdom The third part is in the Peninsula of the Baltique Sea â—nd herein the Kingdom of Norway and Finmarch To that State also belong the Ilands of Friesland and Island far in the North. They are all Lutherans The strength and wealth of that Kingdom lieth in the passage of the Sund which makes it considerable to all that â—raffick to or from the Baltique Sea Paragraphe XI From thence sailing Westward one comes â—o the great Brittanique Ilands of which we â—hat inhabit them know more then this Auâ—hor and therefore leave that little
fly and shut their Gates against the Duke of Savoy But indeed that Towne and all the other States were pieces depending from the Empire But the Emperours power being by succession of time confined within Germany onely retain almost nothing out of it but the shade of their ancient authority 4. In the Celtique Gaule Franch County belongs to the King of Spain 5. The City of Besancon inclosed within Franch County is an imperial City 6. Then many little soveraign Princes the chiefe of them the thirteen Cantons of the Suitzers inclosed within the Alpes between Franch County and the Rhine Of them four are Protestants Berne which alone is almost as large as all the others Basel Zurick and Schaffouse which is a Town beyond the Rhine Seven Catholique as they style themselves two greater Friburg and Soleurre and the five little Cantons Uri Switz Underwall Lucerne and Zough and two halfe Catholick half Protestants Glaris and Appenzel All these Common-wealths making one body of State have their Associates the Abbot of Saint Gall the commonalties of Valley and the Bishop of Sion with some other Towns and beyond the Rhine the three Leagues of the Grisons 7. To these adde many pieces about the Rhine which are held to be parts of Germany as the County of Montbeliard which the Kings of France have bought of late years of the Dukes of Wirtinberg Alsatia beyond the Rhine which did belong to the House of Austria and consisteth of imperial Towns and other Towns which the King of France now holds Then the Palatinate on this side of the Rhine which is now partly in the hands of the Spaniards partly in that of the King of France and the Protestants 8. The Dutchy of Lorrain which before acknowledged the Duke is now almost altogether in the King of Frances his hands 9. The principality of Liege is depending from the Bishoprick thereof 10. The Dutchy of Juliers and great part of the Dutchy of Cleves now divided between the Dukes of Newburg and the Marquess of Brandenburg 11. The Arch-bishoprick of Treues on both sides of the River of Mosella 12. The seventeen Provinces of Netherland four of which are Dutchies Brabant Luxembourg Limbourg and Guelderland They belong to the Spaniard part of Guelderland excepted and some Towns of Brabant the Marquisat of the holy Empire which is the Town of Antwerp Seven Counties Namur Hainault Artois Flanders These four are in the hands of the Spaniard excepting that which the French hold in Artois and Hainault and the sluce and other places which the Hollanders hold in Flanders The three other Counties are Zeland Holland and Zutphen There are five Lordships more Mechlen which the Spaniard holds and Utrecht Overissell West-Friesland and Groning which are possest by the Hollanders All these are commonly called the seventeen Provinces of Netherlands and the Belgique Gaule although some of them be out of the extent of Gaule and beyond the Rhine as Overissel Friesland Groning and part of Guelderland All these estates containâ—ed within the extent of Gaule are of no great importance neither are they able to resist the French excepting those that are in the hand of the Spaniard or protected by the Empire To these Cambray must be added an Imperiaâ— and Archi-episcopal Town held by the Spaniard Paragraphe V. Here let us enumerate all the Princes contained in that great Peninsula called Italy between the golph of Venice the coasts of Genoa Toscana Naples the golph of Tarento the Jonique Sea and the Alpes Within that extent there are many Princes the most considerable are six 1. The King of Spain holds the Kingdome of Naples the Dutchy of Milan with some places upon the Sea coast and the soveraignty of the Town of Siena 2. The Pope with the Church of Rome besides the soveraignty over Naples and Parma holds in proper dominion above three hundred miles in length and a hundred in breadth beginning from Caieta to Ferrara and to the Country of the Venetians He possesseth the whole Latium commonly call'd Campagna di Roma where the City of Rome stands part of Toscana with the Territory of St Peter the Towns of Perousa Viterbo Orvietta the Dutchy of Spoleto where Marca d' Ancona is seated the Dutchy of Urbin lately devolved to the See of Rome by the extinction of the family of the Roveros which held it in fee the Towns of Bolonia and Ravenna the Dutchy of Ferrara returned to the Church under Pope Clement the VIII an 1598. by the extinction of the lawfull males of the family of Est Also in the Kingdom of Naples the Dutchy and Towne of Renevent In these Countries there is above fifty Bishopricks and above a million and a halfe of inhabitants 3. The Common-wealth of Venice possesseth besides the city of Venice seated within the Marshes of the Mediterranean Sea within the continent of Italy Histria a Peninsula the Countries of Friuli called in old time Forum Julii Padua Vicenza Verona Brixia Bergumo and out of Italy from Histria to the Common-wealth of Ragousa almost all that is on that coast of the golph of Venice where the Towns of Zara Sebennico Spalato Cataro And every were Venice bordereth upon the House of Austria and shareth with it the Countries of Dalmatia and Slavonia In the Mediterranean sea Venice holds the Iles of Corfou Zante Cephalenia Cerigo and the great Iland of Candy now disputed to them by the Turk and even before the Turks invasion Candy called it self a soveraign Common-wealth acknowledging for their head Francisco Erizzo of an ancient family In the year 1470. one of his Ancestors being Governour of the Isle of Negrepont was taken by the Turks and sawed in two contrary to the faith given to him 8. The great Duke of Toscana is possest with the estate of three ancient Commonwealths Pisa Florence and Siena his Territories run along the coasts of the Toscan Sea where he hath also the Isle of Elva The now Duke is Ferdinand II. 9. The Common-wealth of Genoa possesseth almost all that which is comprehended under the name of Riviera di Genoa and Liguria They hold also the Iland of Corsica 6. The Prince of Piemont is the same as the Duke of Savoy He holds in Italy Valdosta Vercellois Piemont the Marquisat of Salluces The now Duke is Charles Emanuel Besides these six considerable Princes there are some of a lower forme The Duke of Mantua whose Country is compast by the Venetians on the one side and the Dutchy of Malan and the River of Po on the other The Duke of Modena and Rhegio which is an imperial Fee held by the remnants of the family of Est or Atestini The Duke of Parma and Placentia who besides that Fee of which he was invested by Pope Paul the III. hath or claimeth as a proper inheritance of the house Farnesi the Dutchy of Castro in Toscana near Rome out of which he was lately expelled by the Pope The County of Mirandola held by the family of Pici.
the Empire and the confusions risen in Germany after there extinction of that Race gave a beginning to so many Fees both Secular and Ecclesiasticall which are now in Germany the Governours having made themselves Lords and laid the foundation of the great Houses now in being Which neverthelesse have gone through many changes some families being extinct and some Fees sold transported or confiscated Among these families one of the chiefe and indeed the most remarkable at this time is that of Austria 3. The French Kings of the first Race possessing a Kingdom of vast extent which they divided into Ostrick and Westrick Ostrick which by corruption and French termination was called Austrasie was the Eastern part and comprehended the Countries towards the River Msa and beyond the Rhine and as far as Hungarie Westrick which by corruption was called Neustria comprehended the Western part from Mosa towards Britain These names were long preserved even to the age of Charlemagne and being lost by the new partage between the Children of Lewis the meek yet the name of Neustria stuck long to the Western part which is now called Normandie for Brittain was a State by it selfe The name of Ostrick being lost by the same partage remain'd nevertheless to the most Eastern part and the next to Hungary and is that which we call Austria a word corrupted from Ostricke and Ostenrick and is that Province seated upon Danubius where the Capitall City of Vienna stands 4. In that Country Otho the III. about the year 1000 establisht Leopold a Marquis that is a keeper of those Marches against the ordinary excursions of the Hungarians That Leopold is the head of the first House of Marquisses since Dukes of Austria which continued till a certain Friderick who went to the War of Naples against Charles brother of St. Lewis and being taken with Conradin a competitor of that Kingdom was beheaded with him By his death without Children Austria returned to the Empire But Wenceslaus King of Bohemia sought to joyne it to his State and sent thither his Sonne Ottocarus who having conspired against the Empire with the Hungarians was degraded and put to death by the Emperour Rudolphus of whom we are now to speak 5. By the death of the Emperour Friderick the Second the great enemy of Popes which was about the year 1231. the factions were so great about a new election that there was an Anarchy of twenty years and above under these titular Emperours William Earl of Holland Richard of England and Alphonsus of Spain In the end after many assemblies and contentions the Electors gave their Votes to Rudolphus Earl of Habsburg who was acknowledged by the whole Empire That Election was in the year 1255. five years after the death of St. Lewis Philip le Hardy then raigning in France 6. Between Basel and Soleurre Cantons of Switzerland there is Triestein Castle the Lords whereof had the Title of Counts and by the women inherited the County of Habsburg and took the Title of the same Of that House was this Rodolphus before whom there is no certainty of the History of their House who by his virtue was elected Emperour An. 1275. and dyed in the 1291. The Dutchy of Austria being then vacant and Ottocarus the Bohemian having invaded it and made a league with the Hungarians against the Empire Rodolphus divested him of it and slew him and An. 1282. invested his Son Alber in the same In that Albert we must take the birth of the house of Austria And although that Albert was also Emperour from the year 1298. till 1308 yet his descent returned not to that quality but 130. years after and went for Princes of the Empire as other Imperial Families Onely in the time of Pope John 22. there was a great contention for the Empire between Friderick of Austria and Lewis of Bavié The whole Pedegree of thaâ— house is to be seen in the Tables of Bertius from the Creation of Rudolphus of Habsburg An. 1275. to the year 1438. when the Empire entred so into that hause that it did not come out since Paragraphe III. So much is known then that the house of Austria by the death of Albert the first lost the Empire and fell back into the State of a private principality and that lesse considerable then the houses of Saxonie Bavieres and Luxemburg which furnished many Emperours and so it continued till the Emperour Albert the II. Sigismond the Emperour of the house of Luxemburg was Son to Charles the IV. Emperour and Grand-child to John King of Bohemia And that Charles the IV. was he that made the golden Bull and establisht a certain â—orm of Imperial elections This Charles was Grand-child to the Emperour Henry the VII head of the house of Luxemburg Sigismond â—ad no male issue and gave his onely Daughâ—er Elizabeth to Albert of Austria who after he death of his Father in law was elected Emperour An. 1438. and this house hath ever since kept the Empire From that year these Emperours reigned Albert the II. who reigned two years Frideâ—ick the III. his Cozin who reigned 53 years Maximilian Son of Friderick who reigned 26 years Charles the V. who reigned 36 years Ferdinand I. brother to Charles who â—eigned 9 years Maximilian Son of Ferlinand who reigned 12 years Rodolphus II. Son of Maximilian who reigned 36 years Matthias rother to Adolphus who reigned 7 years Ferdinand II. Cozin to the two precedent Emperours who reigned 19 years To him sucâ—eeded his Son Ferdinand III. who is the â—enth of that house from the year 1438. To which if you adde the Three of antient date â—here have been thirteen Emperours of the â—ouse and name of Austria That house may be considered either in her Patrimonial estate which she held in Germany before her greatnesse Or in her grerising which sprung out of three heads 1. The mariage of Maximilian with Maâ—â— the Inheritrix of the seventeen Provinces 〈◊〉 Netherlands Franche County and the goodâ— not masculine of the house of Burgundy 2. The mariage of Philip Son of Maximiliaâ— and Mary of Burgundy with Jane the Inhertrix of Spain and by consequent of Sicily Nâ—ples and the West Indies and soon after of Poâ—tugal and the East Indies 3. The mariage of Ferdinand brother 〈◊〉 Charles the V. with Anne the Inheritrix 〈◊〉 the Kingdomes of Bohemia and Hungari The great estate of that house being accrewed to them by these waies We will speaâ— here of the Patrimonial Dominions of thâ— house of Austria reserving the rest for thâ— following Paragraphes The Patrimony of the house of Austrâ—â— wholly seated in Germany and upon the Râ—ver Danubius hath on the South the Mountains of Tirolis and towards the Rhinâ— Alsatia Bounded Eastward with Hungar and Poland Southward by the Venetians Westward by the Switzers and Northwarâ— by many Princes of Germany That Estate composed with many pieces which were united in one body as it followeth 1. The Emperour Rodolphus of Habsburg having overcome and
Alphonsus possess any thing in it 6. René dying an 1480. although his Daughter Yoland Dutchesse of Lorraine had left children he left the inheritance of the County of Provence and of his Rights upon Naples Charles Count du Maine Son to his brother of the same name and title And Charles dying likewise without issue left Lewis the XI his Heir in all his states and the Kings of France successours to Lewis Lewis neglecting to go to Naples held by Ferdinand bastard of that Alphonsus and by his Children contented himselfe to hold Provence But his Sonne Charles the VIII undertook the conquest of Naples an 1493. and after him Lewis the XII and Francis the I. In the next Chapter we shall see the severall Wars Partages and Treaties between these two Houses for that Kingdom So all the Rights of the House of France to the Kingdome of Naples are reduced to these heads 1. The investiture by Urban the IV. in favour of Charles brother to St Lewis A weak Right if it were alone the French Kings having not succeeded to that family by kindred for all that belongs to any branch of the House of France doth not therefore belong to France 2. The Adoption of Lewis the first of the second house of Anjou by Queen Jane the I. by the counsell and leave of Clement the VII who was acknowledged by France for a true Pope By that adoption the right of Naples fel to the house of Anjou of which the French Kings have inherited 3. The two adoptions made by Queen Jane the II. first of Lewis the III. Duke of Anjou and after him of his Brother René 4. The will of Charles Count du Maine who named Lewis the XI his heir both of Provence and of his right to the Kingdome of Naples and his successors Kings of France after him Paragraphe VIII Of the Dutchy of Milan After the wrack of the Roman Empire an 400. all the Countries about the River of Po towards the Alpes were taken by Theodorick Goth and kept by his children till about the year 550. that they were recovered by Belisarius and Narses two Captaines of the Emperour Justinian But soon after the same Countries were won by the Ostrogoths Kings of Italy and again by the Lombards who setled a great State there and maintained it till the time of Charlemagne who destroyed it an 774. After which time all the Towns of those parts were Imperial belonging to whosoever had the Empire of the West The house of Charlemagne being degenerated and having lost the Empire after the yeare 900. the Empire was disputed between the Italian and the German Princes for 50 yeares In the end the Germans having prevailed in the person of Otho the I the Emperors his successours having chosen the seat of their Empire in Germany and being at odds many times with the Popes their power sensibly decayed in Italy and great part of the Towns of Lombardy slipt out of their Dominion and chose to themselves Italian Lords the Emperours retaining the shadow only of Soveraignty Many also chose liberty a Popular State as Siena Pisa Florence Genoa and others In these confusions the City of Milan was usurped by the Viscounts of Angleria a small place in the Dutchy of Milan who maintained themselvs about six hundred years under that name and quality of Vicounts untill the year 1497. that the Emperour Wenceslaus not Friderick as Gassan saith erected Milan into a Dutchy The first Duke was Galeas the III. who had married Isabella daughter to John King of France That Galeas had three Sons John Maria that succeeded him and died without issue Philip Maria that succeeded his brother who likewise died without issue leaving a bastard daughter named Bona married to Francis Sforza a Souldier of Fortune but a gallant man That first Duke Galeas besides these two Sons had a daughter called Valentina married to Lewis Duke of Orleans Son to Charles the V. King of France an 1398. Her Father gave her the County of Ast for her portion with a Million of Livers wherewith the County of Blois was bought Chasteauduro Soissons and other Lordships And by the contract of Matrimony it was declared that if the masculine line of Galeas should fail Valentina and her children should succeed in the Dutchy It is true that this clause had this great defect that the Dutchy beeing establisht a masculine Fee Galeas could not make it feminine without the Emperours leave which was not demanded because the Empire was then vacant by the degradation of Wenceslaus whom the Electors deposed for his idlenesse But it is pretended that the Pope Benedict the XIII who then had his See at Avignon approved that contract for that right the Popes challenge in the vacancy of the Empire Howsoever John Maria and Philip Maria being dead without lawfull issue none had more right to that succession then the children of Valentina But that succession fel in the heat of the confusions of France under Charles the VII when the two Sons of Valentina Charls Duke of Orleans John Count of Angoulesme were Prisoners in England where the eldest remained five and twenty years and the second well nigh thirty In that long time it was easie for Francis Sforza who had married Bona the bastard daughter of Duke Philip Maria to make himself Master of Milan of which he procured and obtained the investiture from the Emperour Friderick the IV. This Francis Sforza had two Sons whom he left to the tuition of his brother Ludovick Sforza so famous in the History of Milan who having made away his pupills seized upon the State of Milan and was expelled out of it by Lewis the XII King of France and since was taken carried to Loches where he died in Prison He left two Sons Maximilian who was restored by the Switzers and since taken by Francis the I. and died in France His other Son was Francis Sforza the second who died without issue 1534. So that house of Sforza's maintained the usurpation of Mi. an well nigh a hundred years among many wars and divisions the lawfull right remaining still in the house of Orleans with the possession of the County of Ast which is part of that Dutchy But that right could not be prosecuted 1. In the desolation of the house of Orleans and the great divisions between that house and the house of Burgundy 2. In the long inprisonment of the two Princes of Orleans 3. In the great troubles of the State of France almost all the reign of Charles the VII 4. Besides Lewis the XI had many other businesses all his time Neither did he love the house of Orleans and the Princes of his blood And of all things he hated the Wars of Italie whither he would never go neither for the conquest of Naples nor for the receiving the City of Genoa that gave her self to him 5. All the time of Charles the VIII was spent in Civill Wars or in the Conquest
be displeasing to the Colledge of Cardinals joyned with the Emperour for the dispossessing of Octavio who put himself in Henry the II his protection and that King powerfully assisted him both against the Pope and the Emperour and was at such odds with the Pope as to prohibit the bringing of any money out of France to Rome At which the Pope amazed desired peace of the King and desisted to oppose Octavio yea and caused the Emperour to restore Placentia to Octavio since which time Octavio and his successours have enjoyed Parma and Placentia At the same time the King protected also the Prince of Mirandola whom the Pope would oppresse Before that time an 1545. the Emperour got a great victory over the Protestant Princes of Germany Their two chiefe men Friderick Elector of Saxony and Philip Lantgrave of Hâ—sse were taken prisoners Whereby the Protestant party was so humbled that in the year 1550. they implored the help of Henry the II of France who past into Germany to relieve them The Constable of Montmorency in his way seized upon the Townes of Metz Toul and Verdus upon the Rights which we have set down in the third Chapter That enterprize of Henry in favour of the Protestants made the Emperour conclude a peace with them in haste So that the King being come to Strasburg was desired by them to return because they were agreed with the Emperour Returning from Germany he took many Towns in Lutzenburg Rochemars Danvilliers Ivoy Bovillon And the Emperour towards the end of the year 1551. besiegeth Metz so well defended by Francis Duke of Guise that the siege was raised the first day of the year 1552 Terrovenne is taken and razed by the Emperour The people of Siena fearing lest that Cosmo de Medicis Duke of Florence should make himself Master of their Commonwealth had put themselves into the Emperours hands hoping that he would bring them in their liberty But seeing that he would bring them under the subjection of Cosmo they called Henry the II to their help who gave them Blaise de Montlue for their Governour who since was Marshal of France in his Commentaries he hath described how that City was besieged But in the end they were forced to submit to the Florentine In the year 1555. the Emperour Charles resigned the Imperial Crown to his brother Ferdinand and all his other Estates to his Son Philip the II. A Treaty of Peace betweene Henry and Philip was moved near Ardres and perfected near Cambray an 1556. for ten yeares and sworne by the two Kings Feb. 6. But presently after the death of Jule the III. and the Pontificat of Marcel the II. which lasted but two and twenty dayes the peace was broken upon the Election of Paul the IV. a Neapolitan of the house of Caraffa allied to that of Melpha which had alwayes been of the French faction and was odious to the Spaniards who used all their power to hinder his election And when in spite of them he was elected they raised two powerfull Families of Rome against him the Columna's and the Vitelli's who revolted against the Pope being assisted by Philip. The King sends help to the Pope so the Truce is broken Many exploits of Arms were done about Rome But Octob. 14. 1557 the Pope and the Spaniard agreed and Henry called his Army back But at the same time Philip having married Queen Mary of England made his wife declare War to Henry by a Heralt of Arms who spoke to the King himself at Reims whence followed many various effects of war in Picardie and Champagne till the memorable battell of Saint Guintin lost by the French an 1557. where the Constable was taken But Francis Duke of Guise newly returned from Italy revived the sad condition of France by the taking of Calais Guines the Land of Oye and the Town of Thionville The two Armies of these two Princes being both in sight one of another in Picardy near the River of Somme the Constable of France and the Marshall Saint Andrew both Prisoners of the Spaniard the Popes Nuntio and Christina Dowager of Lorrain Cosen-german to Philip manage a peace which was concluded at Chasteau in Cambresis in February 1559. By the first Article of that Treaty the French King was to execute religiously all the Treaties made between Charles the V and Francis the I. whereby they understood the cessions made of Naples Milan Flanders and Artois unlesse the present Treaty did contradict it but that Treaty mentioned onely the restitutions of the Towns taken on both sides and the rendition of the States of Savoy and Piemont to Philibert Emanuel Duke of Savoy Also by that Treaty a marriage was agreed on between Philip then newly a Widower by the death of Queen Mary of England and Elizabeth daughter to Henry the II. which for that reason was called the Queen of Peace In the celebration of that marriage Henry the II was slain Paragraphe VII From the peace of Chasteau in Cambresis 1559. to the death of the Duke of Alenson 1584. There was no open war between the two Crownes all that time which comprehends the reign of Francis the II Charles the IX and great part of that of Henry the III. But by the vertue of that Queen of peace the Union was so great that the troubles of Religion being risen in France Philip assisted the French Kings with his Armes Under Francis the II. In this reign of ninteen months the History observeth two notable things which are much for our purpose 1. The State of France being in trouble at the entry of this reign by the great favour of the Guises Unkles to Queen Mary of Scotland wife to Francis the II and by the Queen-mother Catherine de Medicis who took the Regency of the Kingdome to the prejudice of Antony of Bourbon King of Navarra and first Prince of the blood of France after the Kings brothers who being kept low and all the house of Bourbon with him seemed to threaten France of a Civil War Philip the II considering that State of France sent to Francis the II a letter which was read in the Councell whereby he said that he had heard how some great men of France being ill satisfied of the Government establisht by him his brother in law Francis threatned his State of a Civill War That he Philip was ready to imploy all his Forces and his life to make him obeyed as his good confederate and neighbour remembring the good instructions and the holy education which his Father Charles the V had received from Lewis the XII his Guardian 2. The house of Bourbon being degraded from the rank it ought to have had in the Court Antony King of Navarra retired into Bearn and when the Cardinal of Bourbon and the Prince de la Roche sur Yon conducted the Queen of Spain to her husband he bore them company Now because by the Treaty of marriage that Princesse was to be delivered to Philip upon the
frontiers of Spain the Duke de l' Infantasqua and the Cardinall of Burgos came to receive her in the Abbey of Roncevaux which was in Navarra There King Antony protested that the Queen was not delivered upon the frontires of Spain but in the heart of his own Kingdom that none should believe hereafter that Roncevaux did belong to the King of Spain Under Charles the IX All this reign past among civill confusions about Religion and scarce any dispute was between the two Crowns Yea Philip furnisht Charles many times with Forces to subdue his Protestant subjects Only these things are to be remembred for our purpose 1. After the first peace with the Protestants an 1564 Charles made a progress about his Kingdom and saw his sister Elizabeth Queen of Spain at Bayonne There the Queen-mother had an earnest and secret conference with the Duke of Alba. It is thought they agreed about a mutuall assistance between the two Crowns against the Protestants of France and Netherlands for in that year 1565. they began to stir in those Dominions of the Spaniard Philip assisted Charles with some Troops which kindness Charles could not return the fire being kindled in all the parts of his Kingdom 2. An. 1566. two things were near to have made a breach between the two States Bertrand de Montlue whom his Father in his Commentaries calleth Captaine Peyrot seeing peace in France undertakes to make some conquest upon the Sea comes to the Isle of Madera subject to Portugal and desiring to take water is repulsed with Canon-shot upon which he makes a descent into the Iland with strong hand besiegeth the Town takes it but is slain in that exploit A complaint is made of this to Philip as Uncle to the King of Portugal as an infraction of the Treaty in which Portugal was comprehended Philip incenseth Charles against his own subjects about this but the Admiral appeaseth Charles shewing that it was but a mis-understanding among private persons Another businesse of that nature was that of Gourgues Dominique de Gourgues was a Captain of Gascony who in the Wars of Italy had been taken by the Spaniards and ill used in prison To be avenged of them he went to Florida in the West-Indies besieged the Fort which the Spaniards kept there takes it by force kills or hangs all the Souldiers then returnes into France Of this Philip makes high complaint unto Charles and Gourgues was in great danger of his life but he was protected by the Admirall of Chastillon a Protestant and an enemy to the Spaniards He represented unto the King that it was an Act of private revenge Also that a llttle before Melander a Spanish Captaine nad expelled out of the same Fort in Florida John Rebaut of Diepe with five hundred French-men whom he had killed or hanged every man with this inscription Not as to French-men but as to Lutherans The wisest French Historians affirm and so did Gourgues himselfe That not any private revenge but the desire to punish that horrible treachery and murther upon his Country-men made him undertake and atchieve that high enterprise An. 1570. Charles married Elizabeth daughter to the Emperour Maximilian a vertuous Princess much beloved of her Husband Shortly after Philip married another daughter of the same Emperour This double affinity did confirm the friendship betwixt the two Crowns Under Henry the III. Henry the III. returning out of Poland an 1574. passeth through Vienna where he is wel received by the Emperour Maximilian although one of his Sons had been Henries competitor for the Crown of Poland Yea the Emperour gave him wholsome counsels for settling peace in his State An. 1577. The Protestants of Netherlands being opprest by the Spaniard and little helped by Matthias brother to the Emperour Rodolphus whom both Papists and Protestants had chosen for the expulsion of the Spaniard the States of those Provinces called Francis Duke of Alanson the French Kings brother who in his way thither made himselfe Master of the City of Cambray but being ill used by the Dutch he returned home without doing any thing But in the yeare 1583. he came againe with the title of Duke of Brabant and Count of Flanders but he made no long stay there having made a malicious attempt upon Antwerp and other Towns and returning full of shame he dyed at Chasteau Thierry an 1584. These enterprises of the Duke of Alanson bred great jealousies between the two Crowns and were taken for a breach of the peace Wherfore also Philip assisted the League of France against the Royal house with great eagernesse An. 1579. Sebastian King of Portugal being dead in Africa Philip King of Spain got the Kingdom an 1580. Among his Competitors was Antony bastard of Lewis Prince Constable of Portugal but pretending himselfe a lawfull Son as legitimated by the Pope Antony expelled by Philip retired into England where finding no countenance he passeth into France agreeth with Katherine the Queen-mother who as I shewed in the third Chapter had great pretences to the Crown of Portugal and for some Lands in Portugal which he promiseth her she gives him helpe and raiseth an Army of French-men under Peter Strozzi They go to the Terceras where some Ilands hold for Antony where they had very ill success That enterprise exasperated Philip very much so that he was one of the first that signed the League Some think it began at the death of the Duke of Alanson when none remained of all the house of Valois but Henry the III who had no Children and was not like to have any and the house of Bourbon saving onely the old Cardinall of Bourbon was Protestant or favourer of Protestants This encouraged the Spaniard to trouble the State of France and the house of Guise to set up for themselves under pretence of zeal of Religion Paragraphe VIII From the death of the Duke d'Alanson 1584. to the Treaty of Vervins 1598. This date comprehends the end of Henry the III. and the beginning of Henry the IV. Under Henry the III. Without examining the severall designes of the Beague this onely we must know that after the death of the Duke of Alanson the Duke of Guise having formed the League made a Treaty with Philip the II of Spain at Joinville whereby Philip promist him a monthly pension of fifty thousand Crowns to foment the League which being not openly against the King but after the killing of the Guises at Blois and the King himselfe having entred into the League under the title of Holy league against the Heretiques the animosities and designes of the King of Spain against the State of France were not plainly detected under this raigne Under Henry the IV. Here the League did rage and civill War was in all parts of France In these troubles Philip had a great hand and Henry being once acknowledged King was eeven with him and powerfully Warred against him But these things must be seen in order Henry the III being stabbed an