room in this short Introduction On the other side the Spaniards answer That even setting aside the Renunciation the Daughter can pretend no Title to succeed in the Countries in question so long as there is an Heir-male living 1. Because the Right of Devolution hath nothing to do with the succession of Soveraignâ—â—s as being meerly a municipal Law for private Estates which descend in these Countries in the same manner as they do in all other parts of Christendom wherein the Male by the second Marriage succeeds before the Female by the first and for that there are some express Laws made by several Princes of these Countries which declare That Women shall then only be admitted to the succession of them Masculis non extantibus when there are no Heirs-males living 2. Because no Example can be produc'd in any Age of such an irregular succession in Brabant c. that a Woman hath been preferr'd before a Man in the same degree in the publick Government But on the contrary there are not wanting Examples where the Right of Devolution hath been neglected in the succession of the same Dutchy 3. They alledge that Renunciations are valid though no Portion be paid because the end of them is the preservation of the Grandeur of Families And 4. That by the Contract of Marriage the Infanta was in lieu of all pretences whatsoever to rest satisfi'd with 500000. Crowns of Gold the non-payment whereof doth not invalidate the Renunciation because the Equity of Law corrects such severity and allows another day as also because the Law saith That Filia non per numerationem Dotis sed per conventionem excluditur 5. And lastly That by the Edict of Charles the fifth confirm'd by the Estates of Brabant and the other Provinces of the Netherlands these Countries are declared inseparable from the Crown of Spain To all which perhaps it will not seem superfluous to add here a Letter or two of the French Kings concerning this affair and likewise the Queen of Spains Answer to him together with one of the Marquis de Castel Rodrigo then Governour of the Spanish Provinces The French King's Letter to the States General of the United Provinces MOst dear Friends Allies and Confederates We dispatch this Currier expresly to the Count d' Estrades our Extraordinary Ambassadour with you to order him to let you know from us as being our good and true Friends and Allies the Resolution which after a long and manifest denial of all Justice our Honour and our Interest hath forced us to take for maintenance of the Rights of the Qâ—een our dearest Wife and our dearest Son the Dauphin to this end we command our said Ambassadour to communicate to you a Writing which we caused to be composed and publisht to inform all Christendom of the evidence of our Reasons with a Copy of the Letter which we writ this day to our dearest Sister the Queen of Spain In the former Piece you will see the undisputable grounds of our proceedings and that without desiring the breach of Peace or pretending to or desiring the Estates of another all our thoughts only aim at the delivery of our selves from oppression by the force of our Armes or by a reasonable accommodation to which we shall be alwayes ready to hearken Thus leaving the rest to be delivered to you by our said Ambassadour we pray God to have you in his holy protection and keeping most dear great Friends Allies and Confederates Your good Friend Ally and Confederate LEWIS The French Kings Letter to the Queen of Spain bearing date May 8 1667. MOst High Illustrious and Mighty Princess our most dear and loving Sister The sincere Inclination we have alwayes had for the procuring and maintaining of Peace which was sufficiently testified to the World by the Treaties of Westphalia and the Pyrenaeans induced us about the close of the year 1665. by an obliging Prevention though it was not so taken at Madrid to find out some way of providing that nothing might be able to alter the good Vnderstanding and Amity between us and your Majesty and our Crowns which was so happily establisht by our august Marriage This was the late Queen our Mothers intention when she desired the Marquis De Fuentes to write to your Majesty in her name That having sufficiently informed her self of the Right of the Queen our dearest Wife to several Estates in the Netherlands and finding the Grounds to be solid just and undeniable she earnestly conjured your Majesty by the tender affection you bear to her that she would also inform her self of these Rights and take particular cognisance thereof to the end that viewing the justice of them as she her self had done the equity thereof might induce you to do us reason by a good accommodation which might take away all occasions of misunderstanding between our Monarchies that she sufficiently knew our intentions so as to be able to answer for us that we should be very moderate in the condition of the said accommodation and that finding her self drawing towards her end next to her Salvation she desired nothing more in the world nor with so much zeal as the satisfaction of having a union and amity firmly settled between our two Houses which this Difference might soon disturb All these Particulars cannot but be remembred by your Majesty and the Councels of Spain cannot also forget the Quality of the Answers which they obliged your Majesty to make so little conformable to the Piety and Vtility of the Queen Mothers Instances and so contrary without doubt to the Inclination your Majesty hath for the conservation of the publick Peace This Answer was That your Majesty could not in any manner nor upon any consideration whatsoever enter into the discussion of this Affair nor agree or treat upon those Rights which you knew had no foundation And presently after your Majesty sent Order to the Governour of Flanders to cause the Oath of Fidelity to be administred to all the Estates and People of the Country which till then had been neglected since the decease of the late King our Father-in-law This absolute refusal of doing us Justice and this last Resolution of binding those people by Oath to your Majesty which are truly our Subjects in right of the Queen our Wife having reduced us to the unpleasing and undispensable necessity either to be wanting in that which we owe to our Honour to our Self to the Queen and to the Dauphin our Son or to endeavour by the force of our Armes to obtain that Reason which hath been denied us We have chosen the latter as that which both Justice and Honour obliges us to And by an express Currier which we dispatch to the Arch-bishop of Ambrun our Ambassadour we order him to let your Majesty know our Resolution which we have taken to march in person towards the end of this moneth at the head of our Army to endeavour to put our selves into possession of that which belongs to
encouragement to make a long defence they presently surrendred both Town and Castle The same fortune also ran Besterans with with the Castle of Rochfort and some other small Forts The Government of Bisanzan was soon after conferred on the Marquis de Villers and a Swiss Garrison placed therein and that of Saliâ—s on Monesiur de Maupean On the eleventh of the same month the Prince of Condy came with his Army before Dole which had been reinforced a little before with an Army of 3 or 4000 Forces of the Militia of the Country and about two dayes after the King in person arrived at the Leaguer from Dijon upon whose coming Two of the half-moons belonging to the Town fell down of themselves and one of their Bastions cleft which somewhat disheartened the defendants who nevertheless refused to returne an answer to the summons sent to them whereupon his Majesty ordered a Battery of thirty Guns to be raised against the Town The Artillery having made a considerable breach in the works on the west side of the Town order was given to assault the Counterscarpe on the 25th of February at eight in the Evening in three places viz. by the Guards Commanded by the Duke de Roquelour by the Regiments of S. Vallier and de la Ferte Commanded by the Count de Guadagne and the Lions Regiment Commanded by the Count de Chamilly who after a stout resistance made themselves masters that night of the Outworks lodging themselves upon the Counterscarpe and gaining some half-moons in one of which the Marquis de Villeroy particularly shewed eminent proofs of his Valour himself siezing one of his Enemies Ensignes In this attaque were slain the Marquis de Fourilles Captain of the Guards with the Lieutenant Colonel of the Regiment of Villeroy and some other inferiour Officers the Count de S. Mesme the Sieur Bonvise and some others hurt The next day his Majesty sent the Marquis de Grammont to invite them again to a surrender and he so effectually prevailed upon them by representing to them thâ— small probability they had of making a long defence the great dangers they might run by their further opposition and the assurance his Majesty gave them for the preservation of their Priviledges upon their surrender that they presently agreed upon Tearms and his Majesty entered the Town the next day causing Te Deum to be sung for their happy success and confirming the Government upon the Count de Guadagne The next day the Army appeared before Gray and within two dayes began to open their Trenches but by the mediation of the Marquis de Yennes formerly Governour of Franche Comte for the Spaniard the City was soon prevailed upon to open the Gates His Majesty conferred the Government of this Place upon the Sieur de Bissy Camp-Master and Commander of a Brigade of Horse About the same time Joux a considerable place of strength upon the borders of Swisserland surrendred to a part of the French Army at the first summons and the Command thereof was given to the Sieur de Chamarante one of his Majesties Bed-Chamber so likewise did the Fort of S. Anne Thi County being thus almost intirely reduced in the short space of one month the King in favour of the Prince of Condy united the same to the Dutchy of Burgundy the Princes Government and Granted two Reversions thereof one to the Duke d' Enguyen his son and the other to the Duke de Bourbon his Grandson He likewise made the Marquis d' Yennes Lieutenant General of his Forces there allowing him the same Pension which formerly he received from Spain and giving the Command of a Regiment of Horse to the Count de S. Amour his Nephew for his good service in winning the said Marquis to a compliance whereby the nimble Conquest of this County was much facilitated This settlement being constituted there the French Forces drew off towards Luxembourg and the King returned to Paris in the latter end of February During the Winter the French and Spanish Forces in Flanders made several excursion in Parties with various success nothing considerable being atchieved by the Former but the reduction of the Castles of Winnedale and Ligny The King of great Brittain and the States of the United Netherlands having entered into a League for an efficacious Mediation of Peace between the two Crowns now in War and obtained from the Most Christian King a promise he would lay down his Arms on a condition the Spaniards would either quit to him all those places already taken by him in the last years Expedition or else transfer to him the Remainder of their right to the Dutchy of Luxembourg or to the County of Burgundy together with Cambray Cambresis Doway Ayre S. Omers Bergue S. Wynox Fuernes and Link with their dependances in which case the French werâ— to restore to the Spaniards all the places already taken In which League it was further agreed between the King of England and those States to employ force to bring the two Crowns to accept of these termes if either of them should refuse the same The French King accepted of the same and in order to an accommodation accordingly proposed a cessation of all Acts of Hostility during the months of March April and May following to which also the Marquis de Castle Rodrigo consented and nominated the Baron of Bergeyck to be sent with sufficient Powers and Instructions to Aix la Chappelle to assist at the Treaty of Peace there Notwithstanding the cessation the French forbore not to make all possible Preparations for War and Monsieur de Bellefons and Duras pretending want of notice of the cessation which they would not take from any besides their General invested Guena and in a few dayes constrained the same to be surrendered But the French King thought not fit to hold a place which had been taken during the Truce and therefore even before the Treaty gave order for the delivering of it back into the hands of the Spaniards But withall he declared that he would take the Field in the beginning of April and unless the Peace were perfectly concluded by the 25th of May next ensuing it should be free for him to pursue his Conquests yet obliging himself in case of Peace by that time to restore back to the Spaniards all such places as he should make himself master of by his Armes Monsieur Colbert was employed by his French Majesty to Aix la Chappel for negotiating the Peace and the Heer Van Beverning by the United Provinces as Sir William Temple Resident at Brussels for his Majesty of Great Brittain was likewise ordered thither for the same effect Signieur Aug. Franciotti Plenipotentiary for the Pope and three Plenipotentiaries more from the three Ecclesiasticall Electors of Germany In the mean time the French King gives command for the demolishing of the Fortifications of most of the considerable Towns which he had taken in Franche Comte and also for the building of a Citadel at Besanzon The former was accordingly executed but in regard the Peace began now to be hopefull it was thought fit to forbare the latter After many doubts concerning the issue of this Treaty at last the Plenipotentiaries signed an agreement on the second of May which being ratified by the French King and the Queen Regent of Spain was proclaimed at Brussels on the 30th of the same moneth and shortly after sworn to by both Kings The substance of this conclusion was 1. That the most Christian King should keep and effectually enjoy all Places Forts c. that he had taken or fortified by Armes during the last years Campagne viz. The fortresses of Charleroy the Towns of Binch and Atthe the the Places of Doway the Fort of Scarpe being comprised Tournay Oudenard Lille Armentieres Courtray Bergues and Fuernes and all their Baliwicks Castlewicks Appurtenances and dependances by what name soever called as far as ever they extend the Catholick King for himself and his Successors renouncing and disclaiming the same for ever 2. That immediately after the Publication of the Peace the French King should withdraw his Forces from the Garrisons of all Places Towns Castles and Forts of the County of Burgundy commonly called la Franche Comte and restore the same to the Catholick King 3. That the Treaty of of the Pyreneans stand good and valid without any prejudice by this present Treaty FINIS Tournay surrendred Bergue taken by Marshall d' Aumont Furnes taken Daway taken The Scarp Fort taken Courtray taken Oudenarde taken Alost taken
A RELATION Of the French Kings Late Expedition into the Spanish-Netherlands In the years 1667 and 1668. With an Introduction discoursing his Title thereunto And an account of the Peace between the two Crowns made the second of May 1668. Englished by G. H. Gent. LONDON Printed for John Starkey at the Miter in Fleetstreet near Temple Bar. 1669. THE INTRODUCTION Containing a Display of the Grounds upon which the French King layeth claim to a great part of the Spanish Netherlands THat the best Title of the French Queen to the Dutchy of Brabant and its annexes the Seignory of Malmes Antwerp Vpper Gelderland Namur Limburg and the places united on the other side the Meuse Hainault Artois Cambray the County of Burgundy and the Dutchy of Luxembourg consisted in the Sword of the King her Husband scarce seems a doubt to any but the French themselves And with what success the Cause hath been pleaded by that Weapon during the Campagne of 1667. the ensuing Narrative written by one that was present at most of the considerable Actions thereof giveth a particular and yet no immodest Account So that perhaps it is not much necessary to preface this Relation with a Display of the Grounds and Reasons of the War whose progress it exhibits accordingly the Author thought fit not to meddle therewith conceiving I suppose that the Justice of his Soveraigns Armes was sufficiently evidenc'd to all the Subjects by the Manifesto and other writings which his Majesty had publish'd immediately before his Forces enter'd Flanders Nevertheless in regard that 't is likely many into whose hands this Piece may fall have not so fully understood the Reasons whereby the French King hath endeavor'd to justifie to Forreign Princes and States his late Proceedings in the Netherlands nor those contrary ones whereby the Spaniards endeavour to maintain their own possessions and invalidate the French Pretensions I shall adventure to present the Reader with an Abstract of either Parties Allegations The French Queens Title stands thus Philip the fourth King of Spain married Elizabeth Daughter to Henry the fourth and Sister to Lewis the thirteenth Kings of France in the year 1615. on the same day whereon the last mentioned Prince espoused Anne of Austria Infanta of Spain The Portions of either side were satisfied by way of Exchange being the sum of 500000. Crowns of Gold Elizabeth some years after dies leaving behind her a Son nam'd Don Balthasar and a Daughter nam'd Donna Maria Theresa Afterwards King Philip marries another Wife by whom he hath Issue male Don Carlo who by the death of his half-Brother Don Balthasar became Heir apparent to the Catholick Crown In the year 1659. a Treaty of Peace was concluded between the two Crowns and together therewith a Marriage between Lewis the fourteenth now King of France and the above-mention'd Lady Maria Theresa for whose Portion the King her Father obliged himself to pay 500000. Crowns of Gold and pretended Salick Law debars Females from succession to the French Crown as also to the end that the two Crowns being too great and puissant to be united into one Kingdom all occasions of such a Conjunction might be avoided It was covenanted amongst other things that neither the Infanta nor her Children and Descendants in what degree soever should ever succeed in the Kingdoms Signiories or Dominions which do or shall belong to his Catholick Majesty as well within as without the Kingdom of Spain notwithstanding any Law or Custom which by this Agreement which is to continue in the full force and vigour of a Law for ever their Majesties did abolish This Renunciation the Infanta confirmed in these very Terms by her Oath in the presence of the Kings themselves the Princes of the Blood and the chief Nobility of both Kingdoms This Peace remained inviolated about six years in which time the King of Spain for the preservation thereof yielded to the King of France the Precedence which had occasion'd a fray between the Train of the Ambassadours of the two Crowns there at London But upon the death of Philip of Spain which happened toward the latter end of the year 1665. and had been lookt for the year before by his good Neighbour who from the latter end of 1664. had laid up great Magazines of Corn at Amiens and other places on the way towards Flanders discourses began to be spread abroad through France of a Title which the Queen and her Son the Dauphin had to certain Provinces of the Netherlands Nevertheless his French Majesty thought not fit to make discovery of his Designs till he saw what would be the Issue of the War which in great measure by his practices was broken out between the King of Great Brittain and the States of the Vnited Provinces whose Quarrel upon a pretended League made two years before he espoused In the mean time he set forth a considerable Navy at Sea which yet never engaged in any Action against the English and likewise made great Levies and warlike Preparations at Land without manifesting how he intended to imploy the same At length about the middle of May when his Neighbours the English and United Provinces being weary of the War had set on foot a Treaty of Peace at Breda wherein himself was also included he thought it a fit opportunity to publish a Manifesto of his Claim to part of the Spanish Netherlands which he likewise sent to several Princes of Christendom and shortly after seconded by falling into those Countries with a powerful Army the performances whereof are recorded in the following Narrative In the said Manifesto it is set forth 1. That by the customary Law of Brabant the Children by the first Marriage go away with the whole Inheritance of their Father the Children of the same Father by a second Marriage being excluded which Law is called Jus Devolutionis or the Right of Devolution and consequently that the Infanta now Queen of France being the sole surviving Issue of Philip the fourth by his first Marriage is Heir of all those Countries wherein the said Law doth obtain and so excludeth her Brother of the half-blood by a second Marriage 2. That by the Laws of Spain she is likewise Heir to her Mother of all her Marriage-portion and the Jewels left behind her at her death amounting with interest to the sum of 1100000. Crowns of Gold 3. That the Renunciation made by the Infanta at her Marriage is void and null First because that a Renunciation is only of an Estate in expectancy not of an Estate already fallen as these Countries are pretended to have been upon the death of the Spanish Queen Secondly because a Renunciation supposes a Portion actually paid but the Infanta never received any and that if the 500000. Crowns of Gold promised in the Contract of Marriage had been actually paid it had still been no Portion in regard 1100000. were due to her To all which some other specious reasons are added which would take up too much
serve him in some other place Insomuch as the Marquis d' Humieres had his Command and he the Marquis of Humieres's which was Charleroy and all the Country between the Sambre and the Meuse The Count of Duras had under him all the Troops in Tournay Oudenarde and At h The Comte de Passage was dispatcht towards the Sea side with his Troops for securing Bruges and Furnes The Government of Bergue was given to Casaux and that of Furnes to the Baron de le Garde Courtray was given to Pertuis Captain of the Guards to Monsieur Turenne Genlis had Armentieres Le Brett Doway and Rochefort and Oudenarde who had been Governour there before in the former Wars They put men also into Orchies S. Amand and such other places as he believed might facilitate their Contribution The Marquis of Crequy with the most part of the Forces he had commanded this Campagnia was sent back into Luxembourg and he had with him for Officers Podwits and de Espence the Count de Vivonne stayed at Lille with the Marquis of Hunieres In short all the Officers General which had served in this Campania except Pradelle and the Marquis of Peguilin had Commands during the Winter Many people admire that the King broke the course of his Conquest so suddenly seeing he was absolute Master of the Field and that after defeat of Marcin the terrour was so great all over the Low Countries he seemed to have no more to do then to take his choise which Town was the next he would take in but it ought to be considered that the â—ear being far gone and the â—oot much lessened it was no easie matter to undertake great enterprises for as much as those places that remained to be taken were very strong and well provided with all things necessary for a long siege or else of so small importance they were not worth the paines of thinking of them Besides the great Towns we had taken as Lille Tournay Doway and Courtray were very hard to be kept and leaving sufficient Garrisons there we had not men enough to attempt any thing against Cambray Valenciennes or Monts or any other strong Town in the Country Wherefore the safest Councel was followed which was to keep what we had got till we should see what party would side with the house of Austria and its Allies And perchance also his Majesty would not take away all hopes of an accommodation from the people all his Neighbours having interposed and principally the English Swede and Hollander who offered upon a cessation of Arms to see his Majesty should have reason done The Pope also had put in and sent a Nuntio on purpose to Cologne where all the Deputies of the Princes of Europe were to meet in oder to find out some expedient for a Peace Here ends the Narrative of the French Writers Vnto which for the Readers satisfaction I shall subjoyn the proceedings of the French in Franche Comte the beginning of the next years Campagne and those few Occurrences in the Netherlands between the French and Spaniards which hapned between the end of the Campagne and the conclusion of the Peace THe French Army being retired into their Winter Quarters Prisoners were excâ—ang'd on both sides and the first action of their new Dominion was to oblige the Towns lately conquer'd to contribute towards their maintenance The Tax was so high that 50000 Livres were imposed upon Lille alone which Place and divers other French Garrisons became shortly after much infested with sicknesses to which great numbers of the Conquerours themselves were forced to yield without quarter Now although the tearms on which the Towns abovesaid had resigned themselves into the French hands were fair and easie enough yet such is the humour of that Nation that they are by all the world observed to govern their good fortune with little moderation as accordingly they did at Lille insomuch that soon after there hapned a great Tumult in this City by a quarrel arising between the Citizens and Souldiers which came to that hight that one of the Captains of the Guard and about twenty Souldiers were killed This accident occasioned an additional supply of three thousand Souldiers more to be added to that Garrison besides the Kings Regiment of Guards formerly designed to take up their quarter there And for terrour to the City for the future ten or a dozen of the Citizens were hanged as the principall causes of this fray and the whole City disarmed The French King though retired to Paris where and at Versailles he made most magnificent Entertainments for his whole Court as Triumphs for his Conquests yet had his eye still towards the Low Countries and accordingly designed an Army of twenty thousand men to be sent into Alsatia as soon as the next season should open the Campagne under the Command of the Prince of Condy intending also to send another of fifteen thousand into Catalonia of which his brother the Duke of Orleance was designed General But the Diet of Ratisbone refusing to undertake the Protection of the Low-Countries as part of the Roman Empire in a Warlike manner till milder courses should be tried agreed to endeavour to procure a Treaty between the two Crowns and accordingly several of the Electors sent Agents to the Courts of both Kings A suspension of Arms was proposed by the King of France but not accepted by the Governour of the Spanish-Netherlands who about the Middle of Winter had a Successor designed him and by particular Commission from the Queen of Spain he was constituted Sole Plenipotentiary for Negotiating a Peace whereof the Pope was likewise nominated by her to be Sole Mediator and the place Aix la Chappelle Some moneths passed before it was believed that these Overtures would come to any thing during which the French King imployed all possible diligence in making preparations to invade Franche Comte with an Army under the Prince of Condy and leaving Paris put himself upon the way to go thither in person where he arrived about the beginning of February On the first of which moneth the Prince of Condy with his Army invested the City of Besanzon sending a summons for its surrender from whence he was answered that they were ready to receive his Majesty as into an Imperial City But it being replied that their City ceased to be so by the Treaty of Munster and offers being made to them that upon the giving up their City they should not have their Priviledges in the least infringed they thought fit to surrender without any resistance In the mean time the Duke of Luxemburg with a Regiment of Orleance and a body of Horse Commanded by the Monsieur de Bligny with some few other Musquetiers appeared before Salines immedialy entering the Suburbs where some opposition was made the defendâ—nts sâ—tting fire to some houses and discharging in several great and small shot killing onely one French Souldier and wounding about eight of the Light-horsemen but finding little