be disputed since the consent of the whole Province did intervene and that in all publique businesses all private rights must bow and yield to the publique good Salus populi suprema lex esto 3. Besides ever since John of Montford by the battell of Auray An. 1364. remained Master of the Dutchy and excluded Jane his Gosen-German Wife to Charles de Blois objecting that she was a woman and that women vvere not capable Heirs of Estates of that nature Since that time I say it may be affirmed that Females were excluded from the succession of Britain And that if Anne Wife to the two Kings Charles the VII and Lewis the XII was admitted to it it was by toleration For by right after the death of Francis the last Duke the Dutchy was devolved to the Crown And truly Francis the last Duke by his great revolts had given sufficient cause to the Kings of France his Soveraigns to deprive him of his Estate 4. The French also may here set up the right of Aubeine which excludeth strangers admitted none but regnicolae inhabitants of the Kingdom to successions Which must especially be observed in great Estates and most of all in those that owe a liedge homage For whereas the Duke of Britain did owe personal service to the King how can a woman born in Spain tyed with blood and interesse unto a house alwaies jealous and often declared Enemy of the State of France perform that part of her duty to the Crown a duty absolutely necessary for the preservation of the body of the State unto which the establishing of all Fees must have regard 6. The French may deale besides with the house of Austria by right of represals For since that house withholds so many Dutchies and Counties from the Crown of France without any recompence or satisfaction they think not themselves bound to give ear to their pretences upon so little ground Second Point Of the third Chapter The pretences of the house of France upon that of Austria A Book was publisht An. 1634. intituled Inquisition of the rights of the King and Crown of France upon the Kingdoms Dutchies Countries Towns and Countries usurped by forraign Princes upon the most Christian Kings composed by Cassan the Kings Advocate in the Presidial of Beziers wherein all that we have to say of this matter is fully and curiously set down Which though we will but summarily relate yet we hope to adde somthing to it both for order and matter Wee will stand here only upon those rights which are disputed against the house of Austria and the Empire both because it is our present businesse and because all other claims are stale and of small importance All the pretences of the French upon the possessions of the house of Austria are either antient and almost worn out as the pretences upon Castilia Portugal Arragon Catalonia or later and important upon Dominions to which they maintaine their rights and claim them from time to time to hinder a prescription joyning to their claim active prosecution by armes Though I might omit those first pretences as too stale yet I will here set them down among the rest for the information of curious Readers All the pretences either new or old of the French upon the Spaniard are either within or without Spain In that Peninsula called Spain inclosed within the great Ocean the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenees since the invasion of the Saracens an 713. there hath been a great number of petty States under the Title of Kingdomes Dutchies Counties c. into which that great Province was divided either by the Moores when they conquered the Land or by the Christians when they reconquered it and it is but a hundred and fifty yeares since there was yet five remarkable distinct soveraignties in Spain Castilia Arragon Navarra Portugal and Granada four of which Castilia Arragon Navarra and Granads were united by Ferdinand the Catholique Portugal came to the House of Austria an 1580. under Philip the II. for here I speake not yet of the revolt of the Portugais and Catalans which hath cut off two considerable limbs of that great body of which we will say more before we have done This is not a fit place to examine how these severall States were founded and how united as they are now We consider onely that there be six pieces within Spain upon which the French have pretences Castilia Portugal Navarra Arragon Catalonia and the County of Roussillon And out of Spain they claim a right to the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily the Dutchie of Milan the Common-wealth of Genoa and the Counties of Flanders and Artois Paragraphe I. Of the Kingdome of Castilia The Saracens Moores having invaded Spain an 713 were manfully opposed by two Catholique Princes Inigo Imenes surnamed Arista Count of Bigorre who conquered upon them part of the Pyrenees and founded the little Kingdom of Suprarba called afterward Navarra The other Prince was Don Pelagus Uncle or Cousin to King Rodriguez dispossest before by the Saracens This Prince founded a Kingdom towards Asturia called Gallicia or Leon or the Kingdom of Oviedo He and his Descendants and people stretching themselves towards the plains recovered the Country as farre as the Strait of Gibralter and built many Castles upon their Frontier to keepe out the Saracens Whence the Country was called Gastilia which remained under the subjection of the Kings of Oviedo till the year 896. when the Castilians incensed against their King Frocla who had usurped the State of his Nephews cantonned themselves and chose two soveraign Judges The two first were Nugno Rasuro and Flavio Galvo But about 40 years after an 939. Sanchez King of Oviedo and Leon made himselfe Master of Castilia and reunited it unto the Kingdom of Oviedo where it remained till Dom Sanchez surnamed the Great King of Navarra who had Castilia by his Wife made that famous partage between his three Sons giving Navarra to Garcias his eldest Son to Ferdinando Castilia and Leon and to Ramires his bastard Arragon That partage was about the yeare 1036. which is the date of the birth and distinction of those three States in Spain From that Ferdinand King of Castilia descended long after Alphonsus the IX the Father of three Children one Son called Henry and two Daughters Blanch and Berengera Henry reigned after his Father and dyed without issue Blanch was married to Lewis the VIII King of Frances and was mother of St Lewis Berengerae was married to Alphonsus the IX King of Leon After the death of Henry Blanch as the eldest was the undoubted Heir of Castilia and Beringera had no right to it being the yongest Yet because Beringera was within the Country and Blanch lived in France very sarre she seized upon the state and with it invested her Son Ferdinand although many of the Grandees opposed it standing for the right of Blanch which caused great troubles till St. Lewis to whom Castilia belonged after his
of which he had Children One of them and his successour was Denis Alphonsus being dead an 1279. From that Denis are descended all the Kings of Portugal to this day Some of the French Historians affirme that Mahaut had two Sons by Alphonsus in France the one that dyed young the other Robert from whom the whole House of the Counts of Bullen is descended which fell to Magdalen de la Cour wife to Laurens of Medicis by whom came Katherine de Medicis mother of the three late French King Francis the II. Charles the IX and Henry the III after whose death by the substitution set downe before in the contract betweene her and Henry the II the inheritance of Katherine came to her Daughter Queen Margaret first Wife to Henry the IV. That Queen made the Dolphin of France her Heir who since was Lewis the XIII When the dispute for the succession of Portugal was open after the death of Henry the Cardinal King an 1530 Katherine Queen of France among other pretenders to that Crown set forth her claim by Belloy Advocate Generall in the Parliament of Toulouse who pleaded that from the marriage of Alphonsus and Mahaut a Son was born called Robert and had succeeded in all his rights that Beatrix was the Concubine not the wile of Alphonsus and that the Pope could not legitimate Denis born of adultery to the prejudice of Robert the true Heir of Alphonsus Also that all the Kings that had reigned since Denis for three hundred years made no prescription because there can be no prescription for the right of Kingdoms That right being propounded to the Estates of Portugal was found too old and stale and injurious to all their Kings neither did they make any account of it Besides the Spanish Historians affirm that Alphonsus had no issue by Mahaut and that among the protestations which Mahaut made in Portugal against Alphonsus there is not one word of the injury which he did to her children which she would not have forgot if she had had any Yet that right may be defended by the testimony of the French Historians and by this true allegation that neither a bastard nor his Descent can prescribe against the lawfull Heirs Paragraphe III. Of the Kingdom of Navarra An. 713. when the Saracens invaded Spain Inigo Ximenes Arista Count of Bigorre gave a beginning to the little Kingdome of Suprarba within the Pyrenees which a while after having spread into the vales tooke the name of Navarra or Navierras which in old Spanish signifieth plain grounds It is certain that two generous Princes and great Catholiques resisted the Saracens in the very beginning of their invasion Pelagius towards the Astures which are Leon and Gallicia and this Ximenes Arista towards the Pyrenees though the date of the Conquests of this Ximenes be not so certain some Historians make him latter Upon which one may read the History of Navarra written by Favin 2. These Kings of Navarra in their beginings made many Conquests over the Saracens and that Family continued to Sanches the great who about the year 1035. shared all his Estates among his three Sons of whom the eldest Garcias had Navarra to whom many Kings succeeded till that State fell to the house of France by the marriage of Philip le Bel with Jane Inheritrix of Navarra Countesse of Campagn and Brie to whom Lewis Hutin King of France and Navarra succeeded in her Estates But he having no child but a daughter called Jane which could not be Queen of France he left her Navarra and so that State was soon separated from that of France That Jane married Philip of the Royall branch of Eureux 3. By that marriage the house of Navarro became a Royall French house but the nature of that Crown being to fall to women as the other States of Spain it passed not long after into the Family of Arragon by marriage and so again into the Family of Castilia and again into the Family of Foix after this manner 4. Charles the III. King of Navarre Grandchild to that Jane daughter to Lewis Hutin had one onely daughter called Blanch married to John Prince and afterwards King of Arragon From that marriage came Charles Prince of Viana who got a great but an ill renown in the Histories of Spain for making War to his Father and maintaining himself against him in his State after his mothers death That Prince of great learning and courage died a batchelour The two other children of John of Arragon and Blanch of Navarra were two daughters The eldest Blanch of Arragon who having been married with Henry the IV. King of Castilia surnamed the Impotent was separated from him by reason of his impotency and died without issue The other was Eleanor wife to Gaston the IV. Count of Foix who after the death of her Father Mother Brother and Sister succeeded to the Kingdom of Navarra and united it to the house of Foix. She enjoyed it but two months and a half and died An. 1469. Her eldest Son Gaston Prince of Viana being already dead and having left by his wife Magdalen daughter to Charles the VII of France two children Francis Phoebus who succeeded his Grandfather in the Kingdome of Navarra but enjoyed it but four years and died unmarried and Catherine de Foix who succeded him and married John d' Albret Son to Alen d' Abret a man of great note in Gascony but not of a soveraign house yet descended from that Amani d' Albret who in the time of Charles the V. of France married Magaret of Bourbon Sister to Jane Queen of France and raised his house to a great splendour by that royal alliance advanced much the party of the French against the English 5. John of Albret and Catherine de Foix had a Son called Henry who was King of Navarra and married Margaret Sister to Francis the first of France by whom he had Jane Inheritrix of Navarra Jane being married to Antony of Bourbon was by him Mother of Henry the IV. of France Father to Lewis the XIII and Grandfather to Lewis the XIV Thus that house of Navarra was united with two great houses in France yet not Royal that of Foix and that of Albret and after to the Royal house of Bourbon and became so powerfull in France that her possessions from these three houses much exceeded the Kingdome of Navarra Hence it is manifest how the last Kings of Navarra by the interesse of their Alliance and Estate were obliged to follow the party of France Now it hapned An. 1510. after that Lewis the XII had humbled the Venetians by the victory of Aignadel and brought terrour among all the Princes of Italy that Pope Julius the II. fell out with Lewis and prosecuted the quarrell with such animosity Lewis on the other side being as fierce as he that the contention grew almost into a Schism Julius excommunicated all that took part with Lewis and put an interdict as they call it upon
of Chasteau in Cambresis an 1559. was confirmed with the restitution of places on both sides And the frontiers between the two States setled as they have been kept till the rupture of the year 1635. There upon the dispute for precedence of Embassadours the Legat devised this expedient Hee sitting under a Canopy at the boards end set the Popes Nuntio at his right hand and after him the Embassadours of Spain John Richardot President of the Councell of State in Flanders John Baptista Taxis a Knight of the Order of Saint Jago and Lewis Verriken first Secretary of State in Flanders At his left hand were the French Embassadours Monsieur de Belliure and Monsieur de Sillery of whom the first was over against the Nuntio and so preceded by one degree the first of the Spaniards CHAP. V. The Affaires between the two Crownes from the Treaty of Vervins till now THat space of time wee will subdivide into three 1. From the Treaty of Vervins to the death of Henry the IV. 2. From that death to the rupture between the two States 3. From that rupture till now Paragraphe I. From the Treaty of Vervins to the death of Henry the IV. After the Treaty of Vervins the two States kept reasonable good intelligence Philip the II. died in the time of the Treaty The first difference between Henry and Philip the III King of Spain was about the Marquesat of Saluces which Henry redemanded of the Duke of Savoy who did nothing but by the order of the Councell of Spain And the Spaniard would not suffer the French to possesse any thing in Italy An exchange then was made of Bresse for the Marquesat Herein Philip did nothing against the alliance For the Duke having broken his word with Henry Philip refused to assist him and to be a favourer of his perfidiousnesse although the Count of Fuentes raised great forces to assist him In the year 1602. was the conspiracy of the Duke of Biron It was believed that the King of Spain had a share in his designes But the depositions of the witnesses against him speak only of Treaties and Intelligences with the Duke of Savoy and of the sharing of the State of France among the conspiratours Yet they said that Biron should have had the Dutchy of Burgundy Franch County and Bresse under the protection of the King of Spain Fontanelles a Gentleman of Britain who was convicted to have been one of the conspiratours for which he was put to death was accused to have treated with the Spaniard to deliver the I le of Tristan in Britain into his hands But Henry who had no mind to break with Spaniard would take no notice of that treachery The Spaniards pretence for these secret plots against France was that Henry assisted the Rebells of Holland with men and money Which the Spanish Embassadour having complained of he answered that the money which he sent to the Hollanders was to pay his debts for monies lent to him during the civil Wars As for the French Souldiers that served the Hollanders he could not hinder his subjects to take party where they listed and that some of them also served the Archiduke Howsoever that assistance was so resented by the Spaniards that they lost no occasion to stir disorders in France Many things hapned in the yeares 1605. and 1606. which shewed the enmity of the Spaniard against France As the Treason of Loste Secretary to Mr. de Villeroy who had intelligence with the Ministers of Spain and let them know all the secrets of the Cabinet Councell He was discovered by one Rassis a Frenchman that had taken Sanctuary in Spain Loste ran away and in his flight was drowned in the River of Marne so no more could be known of that Treason Then the Lady Marquesse of Vernuiel ill satisfied of King Henry whom she accused to have broken his promise to her treates with the Spaniard and inveigleth into her treason her Father d' Antragues and her brother the Count of Auvergne since Duke of Angoulesm Their design was to retire to the Spaniard and to make one day that Ladies Son a stone of scandall unto France Being discovered all three were convicted and condemned to death But the King gave them their grace In the year 1605. the reliques of Birons conspiracy appeared in the Provinces of Perigort Limousin and Quercy All was done under the name of the Duke of Bovillon Whether the Spaniard had a hand in it or no it was not known At the same time Mairargues a Gentleman of Provence treated with the Spaniard to yeild Marseille unto him He was discovered and taken conferring with the Secretary of the Spanish Embassadour and put to death This passage was near to have caused a breach between the two Crowns for the Embassadour of Spain expostulated with the French King because against the Law of Nations his Secretary had been taken and committed to prison The King justified the fact saying that he was found monopolizing against his State Nevertheless all was suddenly appeased Although at the same time another Treason was discovered a plot upon Laucate by two brothers Luquisses who had been won by the Governour of Perpignan In the year 1608. Henry the IV. mediated a truce between the King of Spain and the Hollanders At the same time the Morisco's of Spain secretly implored his aide against the oppression of the Spaniards But he sent them back saying that he would not be the first that should break peace but that if he was compelled to make War he might make use of their proffers Paragraphe II. From the death of Henry the IV. to the rupture betweene the two Crownes an 1635. A yeere before the Kings death an 1609. John William Duke of Cleves and Juilliers being dead without issue left his succession disputable betweene the Emperour Rodolphus who said it was devolved to the Empire and the children of foure sisters of that Duke married in the houses of Brandenburg Newburg Deuxponts and Burgan It was thought that the great Army which Henry had prepared a little before his death was intended to assist these Princes against the Emperour It seemes the Queene Regent knew so much for when the Archiduke Leopold had seized upon Juilliers after the Kings death She sent Marshall de la Castre to assist these Princes to whom he caused Iuilliers to be surrendred There the French had to doe with the house of Austria of the German branch In the year 1612. the two Crownes were allied by the marriages of Lewis the XIII with Anne daughter to Philip the III and of Philip Prince of Spaine who is now Philip the IV with Elizabeth eldest daughter of Henry the IV. And in the yeare 1615. these marriages were accomplisht at Bourdeaux The world was full of hope that this double alliance would strengthen the peace betweene the two Crownes An. 1616 the Dukes of Savoy and Mantua being in War one against another about Montferrat the Kings of France
for the maintaining of the Saliqu◠Law to which the wisest of the League yielded Philip the II. of Spain in that Assembl◠of the States set up his Daughters Title an◠presented her to be Queen But presently perceiving the weaknesse of that Title and th◠aversion of the French from the Government of a woman he offered to marry her either with a Prince of the house of Austria or with one of the House of Lorraine Whos◠imaginary rights were at the same tim◠pleaded And to strengthen all these rights he said that the Election by the State would supply all defects in the Right o◠succession It appeared that Philip acknowledged th◠weaknesse of his Daughters right since h◠presented her to be elected The Salique Law is fundamentall in France wisely instituted and observed twelve hundred years together As for Philips allegation that Princes are not to be tied by municipall Laws but by th◠Laws of Nature it is utterly false For in th◠discussion of the rights of all Soveraigns the municipall Lawes are alwaies examined and none can have right to an Estate from which he is excluded by the Law of the Land The decision of all suits for Estate is taken out of the customes of the Land where the Estate lyeth but where those customes written or unwritten are wanting the case is to be decided by reason onely The French think they have both Law and Reason on their side Howsoever that Isabella in whose favour that Right was set up dyed childlesse an 1633. Whose right if she had any should be devolved since to the Children of her second sister Katherine wife to Charles Emanuel Duke of Savoy from whom all the House of Savoy that now is is descended 4. Besides these imaginary Rights to the whole Kingdom the Empire hath a weake pretended right to some parts of it Whereupon we must observe That by the partage between the Sons of Lewis the Meek 843. all the Countries that lye between the Rivers of Rhosne and Saone and the Alpes viz. Provence Daulphine Savoy and Franch County remained Imperial Lands And the French Kings in the second Race yea and very far in the third Race pretended nothing to them till Daulphine came to them in the time of Philip de Valois and Provence in the time of Lewis the XI And that part of the Empire being held by Lothary the eldest Son of Lewis the Meek and after him by his Son Lewis the Young who dyed without Heirs Male a State was erected in favour of his Daughter Hermengard between these two Rivers and the Alpes which was called the Kingdom of Arles or the second Kingdome of Burgundy which continued under its proper Kings whose pedegree was fully described by the Historian Du Chesne unto the death of Rodolphus the last King who dying without issue an 1036. left his Estate to the Emperour Conrad the II surnamed the Salique who had married his sister Grisel or as some say was his Nephew by her By that gift besides the antient pretence of the Empire upon that Kingdome at least for the soveraignty the Emperours became Masters of the same both by soveraignty and propriety and annext it to the Empire At which time the Arch-bishop of Treves tooke the name of Chancellor per regnum Arelatense But the Authority of the Emperours coming to a great decay out of Germany especially during the Warres betweene the Emperour Henry the IV. and the Popes four Principalities were framed in that Kingdom of Arles of the Counts of Provence the Dolphins of Viennois the Counts of Moriurre called since Dukes of Savoy and the Counts of Burgundy which without question depended from the Empire as long as there was any vigour in it But time hath worne out that title and prescription is past upon it not to be broken and the old title revived unless the Emperour will together question most part of the Principalities of Italy and the East and North Gaules Of these four Principalities that of Savoy subsisteth to this day Franch County is fallen to the House of Flanders and so to the house of Austria Daulphiné was given to Philip de Valois by Imbert Dolphin about the yeare 1343. And Provence to Lewis the XI an 1482. by Charles Count of Maine Heir to René King of Naples and Duke of Anjou All these changes and gifts as for the propriety only the Soveraignty being still pretended by the Emperours which they may well be accounted to have lost by weaknesse desertion and by prescription as many other Principalities at this side of the Rhine Besides the French Histories relate that in the year 1377. the Emperour Charles the IV being come into France to visit King Charles the V gave to his God-son Charles who since was Charles the VI the right which the Emperours pretended in Daulphiné which was no great gift And Theodorick à Niem an Historian of that age saith That the same Emperour being come to Avignon to visit the Pope gave to Lewis Duke of Anjou brother to Charles the V. of France the whole Kingdome of Arles which had been under the jurisdiction of the Empire in recompence of the magnificent entertainment which the said Lewis gave him at Villeneufue near Avignon So all these Rights of the Empire are lost either by prescription or donation These are all the rights that can be imagined to be pretended by the Emperours and the House of Austria upon the Soveraignty of France Paragraphe II. Of the Rights pretended upon Provence Let us now examine some pretences of the House of Austria upon some Dutchies and other Dominions in France beginning at Provence 1. I shewed before how Provence before the partage betweene the Sons of Lewis the Meek a fundamental and famous Date in our History was part of the Kingdome of France And when it was divided into Tetrarchies it was a member of the Kingdom of Mets Austrasia or Burgundy But when before that famous division all France was reunited in the second Race under these two great Princes Pepin and Charlemagne Provence was a part of it 2. By the partage betweene the Sonnes of Lewis the Meek Provence with all that was beyond the Rivers of Rhosne and Saone was cut off from the portion given to Charles the Bald and was since called the Kingdome of Arles All these pieces given to Lothary the eldest brother were called the Empire and Imperial grounds and to this day the Lands beyond the Rhone towards Italy are called Terres d' Empire Lands of the Empire and the Lands at this side Terres de France French Lands Since that partage the Emperours have alwayes pretended a Soveraignty to those Countries a right strengthened by the donation made of the propriety of it to the Emperour Conrad the Salique by his Uncle or Brother in law Rodolphus the last King of Burgundy 3. Lewis the II. Emperour Son to that Lothary left but one Daughter called Hermengarda which being incapable of the Title of
that race held it But the last of them Robert was divested of them by his Nephew King Robert Son to Hugh Capet and it was re-united to the Crown All that was before the two Families of Burgundy of which we are to speak to discusse the right which the Spaniards pretend upon that piece of the French State 3. So then from the beginning of the first Race two Royall Families have possest the Dutchy of Burgundy The first began by Robert younger brother to King Henry the First and Son to King Robert To him his brother Henry gave that Dutchy in the year 1032. That Family continued from Male to Male without any interruption of Female succession untill the death of the last Duke Philip dead without issue An. 1362. Then King John at that time reigning in France seizd-upon that piece as an apanage so the French call the Portions of the Sons of France which are to return to the Crown when Heirs Male fail That apanage then being returned to the Crown King John bestowed it in the same nature upon his fourth Son Philip. This was the head of the second house of Burgundy which had four Dukes only successively This Philip called le Hardy invested by his Father then Iohn the third Philip le Bon the last Charles killed before Nancy An. 1477. who left his Daughter Mary his universall Heir She was married to Maximilian of Austria since Emperour and so carried all her estate into the house of Austria From that marriage came Philip Archduke married with Jane Inheritrix of all Spain and by her had two Sons Charles the V. and Ferdinand Emperours founders of the two Families of Austria that now reign 4. After the death of Charles killed before Nancy Lewis the XI seized upon the Dutchy of Burgundy as an apanage of France returning to the Crown Although Mary and her Husband Maximilian alleaged that the Dutchy had been given to Philip the Hardy by his Father King John as an absolute gift without any restriction of masculine descent That question though agitated on both sides will alwaies remain undecided The French Kings maintaining themselves in that possession Charles the V. Grandchild to that Mary grounding himself upon that right which we will declare afterwards required by the Treaty of Madrid that the Dutchy of Burgundy should be restored to him as his by his Grandmothers right and taken from her by Lewis the XI But after the return of Francis the I that Treaty was declared void as being contrary to all right of Nations which disannull Treaties made in Prison and extorted by violence contrary to the Municilpal Laws of the State of France which constitute the Kings to be alwaies Minors that is uncapable of absolute disposition as for the alienation of their Dominions So the Article of that Treatise concerning the restitution of Burgundy remained null though signed by the King Besides the States Generall of the Kingdom protested to the King that it was never in his power to alienate any Province of his State without their consent Which last opposition was of such force that since neither in the Treaty of Cambray nor in that of Crespy in Valois in which severall pieces were yielded unto the house of Austria any mention was made of Burgundy Yet the Kings of Spain take still the Title of Dukes of Burgundy So much for the Fact We will now examine the right 5. It must be acknowledged that the severity of Apanages for the Males onely to the exclusion of Females is not in use among the French but since the time of Philip de Valois who began to reign An. 1328 for remounting higher to Hugh Capet we find not that exclusion of Females from successions saving the ordinary preference of the Males before them And the Females were admitted Heirs in all kinds of estates whether given by the King or by others Yea many times the houses of the Sons of France have ended in Females that have transported their Estates to other Families as it appears in that of Dreux of Vermandois of Courtenay and of others But since the time of Philip de Valois no Son of France had any apanage but upon that condition Which is evident in that all the apanages are returned to the Crown by the extinction of Males to the exclusion of Females as those of Anjou Berry Alanson and others Yea although that first house of Burgundy be much antienter and hath begun almost with the third race yet as it was the first and most important apanage we have in the History thereof an example of the exclusion of Females and setling the inheritance in the Males Hugh the IV. of that name Duke of Burgundy had three Sons Eudes his eldest John Lord of Charrolois and Robert the II. Duke of Burgundy Eudes was married in his Fathers life time died before him and left three Daughters Joland Margaret and Alice or Alix John the second Son was married and died likewise before his Father leaving a Daughter Beatrix of Burgundy Lady of Bourbon This was the Lady who being married with Robert Son to Saint Lewis gave a beginning to the house of Bourbon When Eudes the IV. died it seemed that the Daughters of the First or Second of his Sons should have inherited by the right of representation of their Father but they were excluded from it by their Uncle Robert who enjoyed it and his Heirs Male peaceably though these four Daughters had been married in great and potent houses 6. Philip the last Duke of that Race being dead King John took the Dutchy in his Possession yet did not reunite it to the Crown but presently gave it to his fourth Son Philip le Hardy whom he especially loved because he had saved his life in the battell of Poitiers though he was then very young He gave it him by a long Charter which indeed contains not in expresse termes the exception of Female Heirs but conferrs it upon him with the same rights by which himself came by it and by which he possesseth it Termes which have caused difficulty because John could be said to succeed to it by two rights the one as King the other as the next Heir-male of the last Duke If he succeeded to it as King the Dutchy being an apanage returning to the Crown in defect of Heir-Male then without doubt it was setled upon his Son Philip as a masculine apanage both because his Father gave it him with the same right by wh ch himself had got it And because the severe Law of Apanages was already in use from Philip de Valois Father to John and never was interrupted since 7. But King John say the Spaniards inherited of the last Duke as the next of blood and his Heir ab intestato because it appeareth in the Genealogy of that first Race of Burgundy that Robert the II he that had excluded his four Neeces was Father to Hugh the V. who dyed without issue and of Eudes the IV. both
the Counts of Catalonia How and in what time precisely I find not Onely I find that in the time of St Lewis Alphonsus his Brother Count of Toulouse and the King of Arragon being in suit about the County of Roussillon St Lewis was chosen Umpire as bearing himselfe for Soveraign of both who therefore ought to be their Judge and he did adjudge it to the King of Arragon against his own Brother It seems that holy King acknowledged the justice of their possession For as that County was united with that of Barcelonia it was held also by the same right Since the union of these with the Crown of Arragon it ran the same fortune with Arragon and was conquered by Philip le Hardy by vertue of the Interdict of Pope Martin the IV. Philip died at Perpignan and soon after all was lost and quited by Charles de Valois his second Son But of that right all the pretences of the house of Anjou upon Roussillon as upon Arragon and Catalonia the French themselves make no great account But upon Roussillon the French have a Title altogether singular John King of Arragon that lived in the time of Lewis the XI of France being in War with his subjects of Arragon and Catalonia as maintainers of his Son Charles Prince of Vienna and the true Heir of Navarra against him and finding his Subjects too hard for him as assisted by Henry King of Castilia desired Lewis the XI to assist him which he did with great might having sent him a good Army under the conduct of Charles d' Armagnao Duke of Nemours who confirmed the Crown to John and composed the difference between him and his Subjects At which time John engaged the County of Roussillon and the Town of Perpignan unto Lewis the XI for three hundred thousand Crownes which he borrowed of him Lewis notwithstanding many treacheries and attempts of the Arrogenese maintained himself in that Country and Charles the VIII his Son after him untill the design of the Conquest of Naples It was in the year 1492. that Charles the VIII began the enterprise of Naples And fearing least Ferdinand King of Arragon Son to that John would assist the house of Naples which was a branch of that of Arragon or should enter into France in his absence he returned unto him that County of Roussillon gratis not quitting but not demanding the three hundred thousand Crowns the King of Arragon having promist and sworn upon the holy Crosse and upon the Gospels that hee would serve the King against all his Enemies in that expedition of Italy The Governour of Perpignan did not yield but after many iterated commands seeing the importance of that restitution and fearing the infidelity of Arragon The French Historians blame James Maillert a Franciscan Frier Confessour to Charles the VIII saying he was won by Ferdinand to perswade the King to that restitution But Ferdinand instead of helping Charles in his expedition of Italy helped his Enemies in Italy and disturbed his enterprise of Naples Since which time the French have often redemanded that County as not redeemed with the three hundred thousand Crownes and represented that they were circumvented by Ferdinand but in vain till finally the sword hath done what reason and justice could not Perpignan being besieged and taken by Lewis the XIII of late years Thus of those six rights which the French pretend within the limits of Spain Those of Castilia Portugal and Arragon are old and stale That of Navarra is in its full force by their ordinary protestations That of Catalonia and Roussillon are no more pretended rights the French having the real possession of them Paragraphe VII Of the Kingdom of Naples Out of the limits of Spain the French have three great pretences upon the house of Austria 1. Upon the Kingdom of Naples 2. Upon the Dutchy of Milan and the Common-wealth of Genoa 3. Upon the Counties of Flanders Artois Because they pretend that these rights are in their full force they must be exactly examined Wee will begin at Naples 1. That part of Italie which is beyond Capagna de Roma and comprehends these antient Provinces Samnium Appulia Hydruntum Magna Graecia Campania Calabria and others all these I say which is well nigh one half of Italie make up the Kingdome of Naples Compania now Terra di Lavoro the River of Aufidus now Ofanto in Puglia and the River of Liris now Cantigliano near Capua were made the limits between the Empires of the East and West An. 803. Nicephorus then being the Emperour of the East and Charlemagne of the West So that part of the Kingdom of Naples and all that is on this side of the two Rivers remained with the Empire of the West The part beyond them with the Iland of Sicily remained with the Emperour of the East Not long after the Saracens invaded Italie The height of their fury was about the year 850. and in the parts about Sicily and Sicily it self where they setled themselves And for many Ages those Countries were the sad stage where the Latins on the one side and the Greekes on the other and the Saracens enemies to both acted a bloody Tragedy 2. About the year 1000 forty Norman Gentlemen returning from the Pilgrimage of the Holy Land gave a powerfull assistance to the Christians of the Kingdome of Naples against the Saracens and being returned home undertook not long after an expedition to Naples with more might under the conduct of Tristan Cistel a Norman These gave the beginning to the State of Naples partly by conquest partly by marriage under the names of the Counts of the Crosse of Puglia and Dukes of Calabria and in time advancing their conquests as far as Sicily they were crowned Kings of the same To that Family of Normans succeeded that of the Germans in the persons of Henry the VI. and Friderick the II Emperours and Kings of Naples That Friderick being fallen into the hatred of the See of Rome which is Soveraign of that Fee he was deprived of that State After his death his Son Conrard and his bastard Manfred and Conradin Son of Conrard having laboured to maintain himself in it finally the house of France was called to it after this manner about the year 1262. 3. By the falling out of all these Princes with the Popes great confusions happened in Italie The Pope Innocent the IV weary of the German race presented the Kingdome to Saint Lewis for his brother Charles Count of Anjou and Provence who was reputed a great Warriour And two years after Vrban the IV invested them with it An. 1264. That Country which he held from the Church contained the Kingdom of Naples and the great I le of Sicily and was called Sicilia ultra extra Farum because of the Far or Streight of Messina which separates the I le from the Continent But that Country was so given him by the Pope that he was first to conquer it before he could
enjoy the gift Great Wars he had against Manfred bastard of Friderick the II. Emperour and against Conradin the Emperours Grandchild whom he took in battel and beheaded him A bloody execution which caused much animosity and Wars between that house of France and the reliques of the house of Suaben which was Constantia daughter to Manfred wife to Peter King of Arragon who to avenge the death of that King Conradin his wives Cosin to repress the insolence of the French was the Author of the bloody Sicilian Vespers whereby the French were utterly expelled from Sicily An. 1261. and Sicily remained in the power of the house of Arragon and since although many Wars and Treaties have intervened to reunite these two States they have alwaies been separated till the house of Arragon hath got the Dominion of Naples Wherefore we will speak no more of Sicily which the French lost in effect in that massacre and since quitted their right to it by severall Treaties 4. But as for the Kingdom of Naples that French Family of Charles d' Anjou was setled in it from the year 1264 untill the death of Jane the II An. 1435. in all 171. yeares We intend not to relate that History but only to observe these things which concern our present purpose First that Charles the Lame the second King and Son to that first Charles married Mary inheritrice of Hungary and so these two Kingdomes were united Of their Children the eldest Charles surnamed Martel had Hungary for his portion and from him some Princes of Hungary are descended The second Son was Lewis who would be a Franciscan Fryer and was Bishop of Toulouse The third Sonne Robert inherited the Kingdome of Naples There were more brothers who had severall apanages But it was not this Robert that continued the line of the Kings of Naples He was Father to Prince Charles who dying before his Father left a Daughter that famous or rather infamous Queen Jane the First that ruled that State almost forty years Next it must be known that this wicked Jane lascivious and cruel so farre as to strangle her Husband Andrew a young Prince of that other Branch of Hungary filled her Kingdome with great troubles by her wickednesse Towards the end of her reigne an 1378. hapned the great Schisme of the Church when Urban the VI being made Pope by violence many Cardinals elected in his stead Robert Cardinall of Geneva who took the name of Clement the VII Queen Jane being an enemy to Urban who was born her subject declared her self for Clement Her crim whereby she had put her Husband to death had been long covered by an accomodation made by Clement the VI who appeased Lewis the great King of Hungary Brother to Andrew whom Jane had strangled But Pope Urban the VI to be avenged of Jane stirred again the House of Hungary against her and a Prince of that House named Charles de Duras came and besieged her in Castello del Ovo at Naples took her and strangled her an 1382. in the same place as some say where she had strangled her first husband 3. But the same Princess seeing that Urban invited the house of Hungary to the conquest of Naples called to her help King Charles the VI of France an 1380. by the advice of Pope Clement And by his leave for he bore himselfe for her Soveraign she adopted Lewis Duke of Anjou brother to Charles the V of France and head of the second house of Anjou He was at that time Regent of France in the minority of King Charles the VI. From that adoption the French fetch their right in the Kingdome of Naples for from the off-spring of that Lewis the French Kings have inherited 4. Charles de Duras after he had strangled Queen Jane seized upon the Kingdome and reigned in her stead and after him his two Children first Ladislaus whom the French Historians call Lancelot and Jane the Second They three held the State 53. yeares from the yeare 1382. till the yeare 1436. But because Jane the first a little afore her death had adopted Lewi Duke of Anjou that house of Duras had continuall War with the house of Anjou Lewis the I. came to Naples and there dyed Lewis the II his Son had great Wars with Ladislaus and for a time was Master of the Kingdome That Ladislaus being dead without issue an 1414. his sister Queen Jane the Second succeeded him as bad a woman as the first Jane for impudicity and extravagancy She being degraded by the Pope Martin the V. and Lewis the III Grandchild of the first Lewis of Anjou named by him to reign in her place she adopted Alphonsus King of Arragon and Sicily for her Son with whom that Lewis the III had great Warres and had sometimes the better sometimes the worst But Jane being of an inconstant spirit despised Alphonsus being altogether governed by her favorite John Carraciolo which Alphonsus not able to beare made himselfe Master of the City of Naples Upon which she cancelled her will made in favour of Alphonsus and instead of him adopted Lewis the IV. of Anjou who before was her enemy That adoption made an 1422. is the second ground of the claime of the French to Naples and the seed of so many Wars and Calamities and of the greatest divisions between the Houses of France and Spain The Spaniards maintaining the first adoption as valid because Alphonsus though accused by Jane of ungratefulnesse upon which she grounded the disanulling of his adoption did nothing as they say against the respect due to his adoptive Mother but onely went about to represse the extravagancies of that light-brained woman to have that part in her affaires which by right belonged to him and especially curb the insolency of Carraciolo who kept a scandalous familiarity with that woman The French say that the second adoption is of more validity That the cause of ungratefulnesse is sufficient to break an adoption That Alphonsus misused his adoptive Mother seized upon the City of Naples besieged her and kept her shut up and did all acts of Soveraign to her contempt and disgrace 5. This Lewis the IV. Duke of Anjou having recovered Naples enjoyed it with some peace together with Jane but dyed before her an 1434. Because he left no issue she adopted his Brother René Duke of Anjou and her selfe soon after dyed But René being then kept prisoner by the Duke of Burgundy he could not go to receive his inheritance His wife Elizabeth went but too late though at the first she got some advantage In the end Alphonsus remained Master and the party of Anjou was quite expelled out of the Land Onely René kept the possession of Provence which was an appurtenance of that State for since the first adoption of Lewis the I Duke of Anjou by Queen Jane the I. that second house of Anjou had kept the possession of Provence Neither did Charles de Duras nor his Children nor
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
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
and Bohemia slain by the Turks in the battel of Mohats An. 1526. He dying without Children the Crowne fell to his sister Anne whom Charles the V. her brother in law presently caused to be married to his brother Ferdinand So the two Kingdoms of Bohemia and Hungary entred into the House of Austria To Bohemia were annext also Moravia Silesia and the two Lusatia's Under the name of Hungary was contained also Transylvania with part of Bulgaris Croatia Slavonia Dalmatia But the greatest part of these is now in the hand of the Turks 6. The State of Portugal began about the year 1090. in the person of Henry a French Prince of the House of Burgundy and continued among many changes to the death of King Sebastian An. 1579. after whom in the raign of his great Uncle Cardinal Henry there was a dispute between many contenders for the succession But Philip the II. King of Spain got it by Arms An. 1580. claiming right to it by his Mother Isabella Daughter to King Emanuel for the reasons which we shal speak of in the next Chapter From that Kingdom depends that of Algarba the Towns of Ceuta Tanger and Marsagan in Africa An infinite number of Ilands and Caps from the Cap of good Hope the Kingdoms of Congo Angola Bresia And beyond the Cap of good Hope an infinite number of Towns Isles Countries and Forts as far as China and the extremity of the East All that is comprehended under the name of East-Indies discovered at severall times since Vasco Gamma a Gentleman of Portugal past the Cap of good Hope An. 1497. under Emanuel King of Portugal It is then by the right of Isabella wife to the Emperour Charles the V. that the great Estate of Portugal was devolved to the House of Austria To which Estate they have since added several pieces by conquest or otherwise Charles the V. got the Lordship of Utrecht from the Bishop as we said before The soveraignty of Flanders and Artois was appropriated to them as they pretend by the Treaties of Madrid An. 1525. Of Cambray An. 1529. Of Crespy An. 1544. The same Charles got the Town of Mastricht An. 1530. although the Bishop of Liege pretended the halfe of it to belong to his jurisdiction In the year 1530. he invested Ludovic Sforza with the Dutchy of Milan upon condition that if he dyed childlesse Philip the II. King of Spain should succeed him which happened five years after An. 1536. he got the Dutchy of Guelders the County of Zutsen and the Lordship of Groning by a Treaty with Charles the Duk of Guelders who dyed an 1538. An. 1543. he made himselfe Master of the Town of Cambra as Protector of that Imperiall Town which being since got by the French and lost again was confirmed to the Spaniards by the Treaty of Vervins An. 1538. the same Charles having got the Town of Siena gave it to Cosmo Duke of Florence to be an homage for it to the King of Spain paying six thousand Ducats of entry at every change of Duke Philip the II. King of Spain took from the Turks an 1554. the Fort of Pignon Veles and Gomera in Africa An. 1571. he wrested the Marquisat of Final from the House of Carreto Philip the III. took from the Moores in Africa the Townes of Arrach and Mamora These are the principal pieces of that great State of vast extent And I think one may truly say that the House of Austria holds more ground then ever any Prince did But these pieces being scattered that State is not strong glorious and formidable according to its extent That House of Austria was divided into two branches the Spanish and the German between Charles and Ferdinand brothers and successively Emperours Sons to Archiduke Philip and Jane of Spain Charles was the head of the Spanish branch which holds in Europa and out of it all that we said before Ferdinand brother of Charles was the head of the German branch which now holds the Empire To him Charles yeelded the ancient patrimonial Estate of the House of Austria within the limits of Germany The same Ferdinand by his marriage with Anne inheritrix of Hungary and Bohemia united those two Crowns to his States These two Branches at this present hold these Estates saving that which Gustavus the King of Sweden hath taken from them and what the French have got in these Warres from the Spaniard In the Low Countries Hesdin Arras Bapaume Landrecy Thionville Quesnoy c. Towards Spain the County of Roussillon and Penpignan Then the Catalonians have revolted and given themselves to the French Portugal also hath shaken the yoak and chosen a King of the House of Braganza Of elder date part of the Low-Countries have cantonned themselves and are now Soveraigns The Turk hath got the most part of Hungary and Transylvania acknowledgeth no more the House Austria CHAP. III. A discussing of the Rights now in dispute betweene the Houses of France and Austria THe contentions between these two Families these 150 yeares and of the Nations subject unto them especially the French and the Spaniards comes not onely out of naturall antipathy and contrary inclinations but chiefly out of the pretences that the one house hath upon the other For as between private persons so among Princes the neighbourhood of grounds breeds quarrells And these severall pretences yet undecided ought to be examined to know the ground of all the late and present Wars Of these large volumes of Histories and Polemical writings might be and have been written but here I undertake no more but faithfully to set down the grounds of pretences on both sides Which though I will do briefly and summarily yet will I omit nothing essential and fit to decide the differences To do this orderly we will divide this Chapter into two points The first of the pretences of the house of Austria upon France The second of the pretences of France upon the house of Austria First Point The pretences of the house of Austria upon that of France AL though the house of Austria both the Spanish and the German have pretences different from that of the Empire which they hold only by Election and upon Condition of yielding and depositing it again in the hands of the Electours after the death of each Emperour Yet their interesses are now so united that the Imperial rights and those of the house of Austria can hardly be separated Wherefore we will examine them together All the pretences of that Family are either upon the Soveraignty of the Kingdom of France or part thereof especially upon the propriety of Province the Dutchy of Burgundy the Towns of Mets Thoul and Verdun the Towns upon the River of Somme and the Dutchy of Britain These must be examined Paragraphe I. The pretended Rights of the Empire upon the Soveraignty of France Concerning that Right now stale and indeed ridiculous four things are to be considered 1. The Roman Empire which began in Julius Caesar or Augustus
dieth an 1467. Charles succeeds him 6. This new Duke of Burgundy is much considered in France by reason of his great Lands and turbulent spirit All his time hee was in Wars with the King and brought the English into France The King also did raise him Enemies which his own rashnesse did multiply He was defeated by the Switzers at Granson and Morat and killed before Nancy an 1477. 7. After his death Lewis took the Dutchy of Burgundy and Provinces annext to it given by Charles the VII to Philip le Bon as a masculin apanage with the Towns upon the River of Somme which Charles was to hold all his life not leave it to his heirs He seized also upon the Town of Arras upon which he pretended a right He did his utmost to catch Mary the inheritrix of Charles and desired the people of Gant to deliver her into his hand or make her marry Charles the Dolphin but they protected her and soon after Maximilian of Austria married her 8. In Spain after the enterview of the two King Lewis of France and Henry of Castilia and the sale or pawning of the Country of Roussillon King John of Arragon seeing that Lewis had arbitrated in favour of the Castilian and had sent John Duke of Calabria for the conquest of Arragon took his time when the leagues in France were strongest against the King to make Perpignan revolt against the French The Garrison retired into the Citadel and made it good till the Town was besieged by Lewis and constrained to return to his obedience Paragraphe II. From the marriage of Maximilian with Mary unto his death This period of forty yeares comprehends four reigns of the French Kings the end of Lewis the XI Charles the VIII Lewis the XII and the beginning of Francis the I in which space the greatnesse of the House of Austria was founded by her union with that of Burgundy and then with Castilia and Arragon Vnder Lewis the XI Since the death of Duke Charles three remarkable things hapned under Lewis the XI Mary inheritrix of Burgundy whom her Father had promist to many Princes in the end was married to Maximilian of Austria an 1478. Lewis would have her for Charles the Dâ—lphin but he was but six years old and she above fifteen yeares elder then he That preferring of Maximilian before Charles was the cause of many evils to France 1. The loss of all that Mary possest which might have been united with France 2. The increase of the house of Austria which began then to be jealous of France which she was very far from before that alliance 3. Great Wars and endlesse envy by the neighborhood of these two great Houses That marriage lasted but four yeares Mary dying of a fall from her Horse as she was hunting She left two children Philip Archduke of Austria Father to Charles the V. and Margaret 2. By the jealousie risen between France and Austria by that marriage and incensed by the revolt of the Prince of Orenge a great Lord of Franch County they broke into open War and the battel of Guinegast was fought of which the event was so uncertain that both parties ascribed to themselves the victory 3. Mary of Burgundy being dead the Flemmings especially the Gantois alwayes mutinous would expell Maximilian and dispose of Mary's Children They married Margaret to Charles the Dolphin and appointed for her portion the County of Artois Franch County and other Lands Margaret was then but two yeares old and Charles twelve But Charles being married since with Anne Dutchesse of Britain Margaret was sent back to her Father Maximilian which was a new cause of jealousie betweene these two families This Margaret being seperated from Charles was married to John Son of Ferdinand of Arragon and Isabella of Castilia whom she never saw Then she was for the third time married with Philibert the II Duke of Savoy They say of her that she was three times married and dyed a Virgin Under Charles the VIII 1. Charles the VIII had civil Wars against Lewis Duke of Orleans the Duke of Britain and others which ended by the battel of St. Aubin after which Charles married Anne the inheritrix of Brittain whereby he offered two affronts unto Maximilian the one that he sent him back his Daughter Margaret with whom he had bin married seven or eight yeares the other that he married her with whom Maximilian was married by Proxie for in Britaine all the Proclamations were then made in the name of the Dutchess and of the Arch-duke of Austria Upon which Maximilian made War against Charles and took the Towns of Arras St Omer and other places which the French held as yet in Artois But a Peace was made an 1493. by which Charles was within four years to restore the Franch County and some Towns which he held in Artois unto Philip the Heir of Netherlands Son to Maximilian An. 1494. Charles restored to Ferdinand King of Arragon Perpignan and the County of Roussillon though he received not the three hundred thousand Crowns which it was pawnned for The reason why Charles did so we have declared before 3. The same year was the expedition of Charles the VIII into Naples against the house of Arragon To that which we have said of that quarrel this must be added Alphonsus who was adopted by Queen Jane the II. and in the end expelled the house of Anjou out of Italy left Naples to Ferdinand his bastard saying that he could lawfully doe it because it was his own conquest The house of that bastard enjoyed it after him and had four Princes Ferdinand the Bastard Alphonsus his Son Ferdinand his Grandchild and after him Friderick uncle to this last Ferdinand and brother of Alphonsus Although that House of Bastards enjoyed Naples the Kings of Arragon would say that it was by their toleration becaus Alphonsus King of Arragon who had been adopted by Jane the II. had conquered Naples with the Arms the Blood and the money of Arragon that he ought not to have left it to any but his brother John King after him of Arragon Wherefore Ch. VIII fearing lest Ferdinand King of Arragon Son to John should disturb his conquest of Naples either to assist that Bastard House or to make it his own conquest restored unto him the County of Roussillon gratis upon Ferdinands promise not to disturbe him yea to help him but Ferdinand broke his word with him What was the right of Charles was shewed before Charles with great expedition past through Piemont Milan Pisa Florence Rome got the Kingdom of Naples without difficulty and governed it without prudence and instantly lost it by the ill behaviour of his Ministers which got him the hatred of the Neapolitans A league was made by the Pope the Venetians the King of Naples and the Duke of Milan not onely to stay his conquests but to stop his return and destroy him in Italy The Generall of the Army of the league
was Francesco Gonzaga Marquess of Mantua who gave battel to the King at Fornova which the King won with great glory Being returned into France he prepared to return into Italy but dyed in that preparation Whilst Charles was about the conquest of Naples Lewis Duke of Orleans who soon after was King of France stayed in his County of Ast and renewed his claim to the Dutchy of Milan possest by the usurper Ludovick Sforza the murtherer of his two nephews As long as Ludovick kept good intelligence with the King Lewis Duke of Orleans durst not attempt any thing against him But after that Ludovick had made himself one of the league against the King Lewis possest himselfe of Novaerae a Town of the Dutchy which presently was besieged by Ludovick and recovered excepting the Castle Under Lewis the XII In sixteen yeares that Lewis reigned he had Wars with Philip of Austria Ferdinand King of Arragon Ludovick Duke of Milan and the Kings of Naples of the Bastard branch of Arragon 1. An. 1499. Philip Arch-duke of Austria did homage at Arras in the hands of Guy de Rochford Chancellor of France for the Counties of Flanders Artois and Charolois a solemn action done with great pomp and many formalities 2. In the years 1499. and 1500. Lewis conquereth the Dutchy of Milan from Ludovick loseth it by the returne of Ludovick out of Germany regaines it by taking and imprisoning Ludovick and by the chase which he gave to his Sons Maximilian and Francis 3. From thence he goeth to Naples conquers it from Friderick the last King of the Bastard branch of Arragon who puts himselfe into the Kings hands The King recompenceth him with the Dutchy of Anjou a pension of thirty thousand Crowns and the first place in the Councell Ferdinand King of Arragon seeing that bastard branch falled reneweth his pretences to Naples Lewis compounds with him and they share the Kingdom The King of Arragon hath for his part Calabria Puglia the rest remains to the French But soone after upon some differences which arose between the French and the Spaniards for the confines of the Country of Abruzzo and some Salt-pits the grand Capitan Gonsalvo de Cordova takes arms and expells the French an 1503. 4. The Emperour Maximilian after the yeare 1593. seeing the house of Sforzas degraded from Milan but two Sons remaining threatneth Lewis of the Imperial Ban. Lewis appeaseth him and obtaines the investiture of the yeare 1505. and promiseth his daughter Claud to Charles Duke of Luxemburg who since was Emperour But soon after Lewis who loved dearly Francis d' Angoulesme his Cosin and first Prince of his blood made him marry Claud by the counsel of the great men of his Kingdom notwithstanding the promise made to Maximilian This angred very much Philip Father to Charles who would have taken a revenge of that wrong had he not been prevented with death an 1506. He had married Jane the great inheritrix of Spain by whom he had many children 5. Yet Philip before he dyed reconciled himselfe with Lewis yea and recommended to him the tuition of his Son Charles which Lewis accepted and gave him Antony de Ceures Lord of Crovy for his Governour a wise Knight who formed that young spirit to great businesses in which Charles excelled afterwards 6. An. 1507. the City of Genoa which had been conquered with the Dutchy of Milan and where Lewis had made a glorious entry revolted from him Lewis passeth into Italy and brings her to subjection It was at that time that Ferdinand of Arragon returning from his new conquest of Naples saw Lewis the XII at Savone a Town of the Territory of Genoa In that enterview Ferdinand who was then King of two little Kingdoms onely both depending from the See of Rome refused alwayes the honour and the precedence which Lewis would give him as it is usuall to do to strangers when one is at home even to inferiours He would salute Lewis at his rising and attended him going to Mass Lewis whensoever he gave to Ferdinand the precedence made him understand that he did it out of civi lity not out of duty Go before said he to him for if I were at your house and in your Country I would in the like case doe what you would desire of me but because you are in my Country you shall do so for it is my will and I beseech you so to doe That might be done then without prejudice when the House of Arragon was farre under the splendor of that of France and was not so arrogant as now How such another encounter should be ordered in these dayes in point of civility it is more then I can determine An. 1508. the league of Cambray was made of Pope Jule the II. the Emperour Maximilian Lewis King of France and Ferdinand King of Arragon and Naples to beat down the arrogancy of the Venetians who during the confusions of Italy had incroacht upon all their Estates the patrimony of the Church the Empire Milan and Naples Whence followed the battel of Aignadel which Lewis won of the Venetians which made him so glorious that the Popes and the Princes of Italy grew jealous of him Ferdinand leaveth the alliance of Lewis who had restored unto him all the Towns which the Venetians held in the Kingdom of Naples and made war against him Lewis wins the battel of Ravenna against the Pope and the Spaniards an 1512. 8. Pope Jule the II being declared enemy to Lewis and all his adherents among whom was John d'Albret King of Navarra Ferdinand invaded Navarra an 1512. The Switzers set on by the Pope expell the French from the Dutchy of Milan and set up Maximilian Sforza Son to Ludovic The English and Maximilian being confederate come into France and besiege Terovenne Lewis comes to helpe and gives the battel which was called of the Spurres because though the French at the first resisted manfully yet they were put to the worst and forced to make more use of their Spurres then Swords Finally although Lewis had won the battel of Ravenna an 1512. he saw himselfe expelled out of all Italy and the House of the Sforzas restored at Milan before he dyed which was an 1515. Vnder Francis the I. In the beginning of his reign he found the House of Austria in the hands of Charles then of the age of fifteen years who possest all the Low Countries by his Father Philip of Austria and the Kingdom of Castilia from his Mother Jane of Arragon Maximilian was yet living enjoying the Arch-dutchy of Austria His other Grand-father Ferdinand was King of Arragon and Naples both very old and broken Charles was their Heir apparent 1. Francis the I. comming to the Crown received the homage of the Count of Nassau in the name of Charles Count of Flanders and Artors to whom he promist Renee second daughter to Lewis the XII But that marriage was not fulfilled Hee confirmed also that peace with Ferdinand which Lewis
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