of the Lombards who persecuted the Pope But his Son Charlemagne raised the State of France more then any For he conquered great part of Lalie upon the Lombards and quite destroyed them An. 774. overcame the Saxons and other Nations of Germany conquered pâ—â—t of Spain upon the Saracens and made himselfe master of most part of the old Empire of the West and so was crowned Emperour of the West An. 800. And three years after limits were set in Italy between the two Empires of East and West Nicephorus being then Emperour of the Eâ—â— And the bounds were the Rivers of Lyris now Garigliano and Ausidus now Lofanto both in the Kingdome of Naples So that excepting the farthest part of Italy part of Spain and the Brittanique Ilands divided between many petty Kings he was possest of the whole Empire of the West 6. These first Kings were very liberall to the See of Rome Pepin and Charlemagne gave them the Exarchat of Ravenna and other Lands which the Popes pretended to have been taken away from them by the Lombards Lewis the Meek whâ— succeeded his Father Charlemagne confirmed and amplified that gâ—fâ— An. 817. the Charter whereof Baronius hath published taken from the Vatican as he affirmeth Lemis the Meek dying An. 840. left the State of France in a great height possest of the Gaules Germany Italy and part of Spain All other Princes compared to the French Kings were mean fellowes 7. Lewis the Meek left three Sons Lothaire and Lewis by his first wife â—nd Charles the Bald from Judith his second wife These three Brothers for three years contended about their partage thâ—â—aw of the eldest being not then in use among them till that cruel battel of Fontenay near Auxerre was fought where above a hundred thousand men were slaine and especially much Nobility and Gentry whereby the State was weakned and the Brothers were forced to come to an arbitrement That Lothary the eldest should have all the Lands beyond the Rivers of Scaldis and Mosa as far as the Rhine namely the Provinces of the Low Countries Liege Treues Juliers Luxemburg Lorrain Alsatia and others Also that which lyeth beyond Saxony and Rhosne namely Franch County Savoy Daulphine Provence Also as much of Italy as was left to the Emperour of the West by the pâ—rtage with the Emperour of the East This was the share of Lothary the eldest who took with it the Title of Emperour Lewis the second Brother had all that their Father held in Germany and there was called Germanicus To the third Charles the Bald France was left much about as it is at this day inclosed within the narrow Seas of England Scaldis Mosa Saone Rhosne the coasts of Languedoc and the Pyrenees That partage of the three Sons of Lewis the Meek An. 843. is the most remarkable date of the French History Then was that great Monarchy cut in shreds and the greatness of France humbled the name of which remained onely to the proportion of a third part And from that time the French State thus clipt hath remained with little alteration Onely we have lost Flanders and Artois and many times the borders of the Kingdome have been changed towards Mosa and Scaldis But in recompence we have got Daulphine and Provence beyond the ancient bounds 8. As by this partage the State of France remained very much diminisht so the French Kings lost the name of Emperours which neverthelesse Charles the Bald took since But his Descent being sallen to idlenesse as the first Race the State of France thus shortned lingered among many civill broyles and misfortunes till the year 987. when that race ended having subsisted about 235 yeares 9 Hugh Capet head of the third Race was descended as it is thought from an ancient House of Saxony planted in France by Wittikind the Saxon of the race of that other Wittikind a Saxon Prince who so long made head against Charlemagne This third race began to raigne in the year 987. It is that which this day subsisteth and besides her ancient Nobility before she was Soveraign hath now held the soveraignty above 660 yeares and besides innumerable victories obtained over her neighbours made great Wars against the Infidels in the East and in Spain and against Heretiques in all the Provinces of Europe keeping still a great respect to the See of Rome All these wayes she hath maintained her selfe in the prerogative of precedence and glory above all others And although he that beares now the quality of Emperour go before the French Kings because he retaines the name and place of those great Monarchs of all the West yet he hath neither right nor pretence over the Kings of France yea Mr. de Breves in the Appendix of the Negotiation of the East added to the History of his voyage saith That in Henry the 4ths time he had the precedence before the Ambassadors of the Emperour Rudolphus at the Porta of the great Turk who judged that the precedences of Christian Princes in relation to the Church of Rome and the Popes were of no consideration at his Porta where the strongest and the most couragious finds most favour Also whereas the King of France was then in War with the House of Austria he would not give his enemy any advantage orver him Neither do the Turks acknowledge the Emperour but as King of Vienna but have a great esteem for the French Kings But without insisting upon the History of their third Race now reigning or making Panegyricks of their glory we will say that next to the precedence which they give to the Emperour lawfully elected they have it over all the Soveraigns of Christendom Paragraphe II. Now to understand the Origine progresses and rising of the house of Austria we must observe 1. That the Empire which was left as we said unto Lothary the eldest Son of Lewis the Meeke subsisted though weakly in the house of Charlemagne till about the year 912. when Lewis the last of that race being dead there was a great contention betweene the German and Italian Princes whereby the Empire was in confusion above fifty years untill Otho the Great Duke of Saxony invested himselfe of that quality made himselfe Master of Germany and Italy the onely remaining pieces of the Empire in the year 963. and ruined all his competitors This Otho I. was Father of Otho II. and he of Otho III. after whose death the Germans assisted by Pope Gregory the V. who himselfe was a German took upon themselves the right of creating Emperours And from that time all that have peaceably reigned have been Germans because the Popes having made themselves Masters of a great part of Italy have done their utmost to expell the Emperours out of it and confine them to Germany 2. As in France by the idlenesse of the last Kings of the 2d Race the Governours of Provinces made themselves Masters of them and became Dukes and Earles Likewise the idlenesse of the successors of Charlemagne in
their Estates Lewis maintained himself against his fulminations both by an Assembly of his Prelates at Tours who cleared the obligations of the Kings conscience as his History speaks and especially by armes whereby he represt all the invaders of his State and put them to the defence of their own But John d' Albret and Catherine of Navarra were expelled from their State by Ferdinand the Catholique who making a shew to passe into Guienne to join with the English and seize upon the Kingdom of France by vertue of the Papall interdict suddenly turned upon Navarra and took it An. 1512. both because John d' Albret was united with the French King who was a rebell against the Church and an Enemy to the English with whom Ferdinand had alliance also because the Spaniards hold that there was a tacit agreement between the Kings of Spain not to suffer that any of the Spanish Crowns should fall into forrain hands or into houses not soveraign as those of Foix and Albret As the reason and pretence of that invasion was leight and groundlesse the French stand to their right to this day against that manifest invasion and hinder the prescription by arms Treaties and Protestations Paragraphe IV. Of the Kingdome of Arragon Cassan in his Book of the rights of the Crown of France with more zeal than judgement will ground those rights upon conquests 800. years old and antient expeditions of the French Kings into Spain where they took some Towns of Navarra Arragon and Catalonia not considering the many changes of successions in so many years The Conquests of Catalonia and Arragon by Charlemagne give to the French no more right there in these times than those of Caesar in France to the now Emperours The rights of the French over Arragon Catalonia Roussillon which have some ground may be reduced to two heads The first is how Charles Count of Anjou Brother to Saint Lewis was invested with the Kingdome of the two Sicilies against the children of the Emperour Friderick the II. Peter King of Arragon who had married Constance daughter to Manfred bastard of Frederick claiming that Kingdome from his wife made those bloody Sicilian Vespers An. 1281. An action which did incense the whole Christendome against that Peter well surnamed the cruell Pope Martin the IV. especially a Frenchman by Birth and affection who excommunicated Peter and put his Kingdome in interdict Not only by the general maxime of the Popes that in certain cases they have power over the temporals of Kings but because Arragon hath been of great antiquity a Fee of the Church of Rome So the Pope dealt with that perfidious King as Soveraign of Arragon To that purpose he sent a Legat into France which offered the Kingdome of Arragon to King Philip le Hardy for his Son Charles Count of Valois Whereupon Philip assembled the States Generall at Paris accepted the Popes gift and undertook the War against Peter took Arragon Gatalonia Valentia and invested his Son Charles with these Kingdomes paying five hundred Livers yearly to the See of Rome It is true that after these Conquests King Philip as he returned into France dyed at Perpignan and the French soon after lost all that Country Yet their right if they had any by the donation of the Pope remained as good as before But the Spaniards contradict that right saying that in the time of the greatest confusions about that quarrel a marriage was made between that Charles de Valois pretended King of Arragon and Margaret daughter to Charles the II King of Naples To which Margaret the Counties of Anjou and Maine were given for her portion which had been in the possession of Charles brother to St Lewis and by him united to the Kingdome of Naples with this proviso That though Margaret should die without issue Charles should possess these Counties yeelding all his right and claim to the Kingdome of Arragon which Charles did and so that great difference was ended The second head whence the claim of the French upon Arragon doth arise regards the second House of Anjou The second Son of King John of France was Lewis who was invested with the Dutchy of Anjou A Prince well known in Histories as he that was made regent of France in the Minority of Charles the VI. and after invested with the Kingdome of Naples by Queen Jane the first a right which he prosecuted and perisht in the prosecution But he left the title to his Children His Son Lewis the II married Yoland daughter to John the I. King of Arragon and of Yoland of Bar his wife The eldest sister of that Yoland wife to Lewis the II of Anjou which was Jane Countess of Foix being dead without issue and no childe remaining of John of Arragon but that Yoland Dutchess of Anjou she was the undoubted Heir of that State but her Uucle Martin Duke of Montblant seized upon it Lewis sent the Bishop of Couserans to represent his right And when after the death of Martin he would dispute his right by the sword he was perswaded to put the businesse to an arbitrement for the Peers and people of the Kingdome of Arragon had chosen arbitrators to umpire the businesse between Lewis and Martin and examine the claimes of other pretenders And though the Umpires were almost all Arragones they would not pronounce any thing so that quarrel remained undecided And after the death of two Martins Father and Son the Arbitration being renewed nine Arbitrators deferred the Kingdome to Ferdinand Brother to Henry the III. King of Castilia That sentence was confirmed by the Anti-pope Benedict the XIII who being forsaken almost by all the world had taken sanctuary in Arragon Against the nullity of that sentence the Children of Yoland Lewis the III of Anjou and René did protest Yea the Children of René make War in Arragon to recover it in the time of Lewis the XI of France but they were constrained to forsake all and Arragon remained with the usurpers unto this day Yet I see not that the French urge much that claim being somewhat too old to be now revived Paragraphe V. Of Catalonia The like may be said of Catalonia which is a great Province of Spain bounded on the East and South with the Mediterranean Sea and on the other sides with Valentia Arragon and Roussillon It was both before the Romans and under them part of Hispania Tarraconensis as Arragon and other Countries near the River of Ebro Since which time being conquered by the Gotths and Alans together it was called by them Gottalania which name was since corrupted to Catalaunia It was under the Kings of the Gotths till the invasion of the Saracens an 713. who made themselves Masters of it as of most part of Spain But Charlemagne took it from them and all the Country near the River of Ebro about the year 800. expelling Zaron the Moore out of Barcellona and put a French Garrison in it not long after he
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
of Naples And Lewis the XII Grandchild of Valentina comeing to the Crown an 1498 had no more in the Dutchy but the County of Ast the rest being held by Ludovick Sforza Son to the invader Francis and himself invader of the State of his Nephews But Lewis following his right comes to Milan takes it and expells Ludovic who returning not long after enters into Milan but there being suddenly invested by Lewis he is taken carried into France where he dieth a Prisoner Lewis remaining Master of the Dutchy But because Ludovic had two Sons protected in Germany by the Emperour Maximilian I. Lewis to strengthen his right made meanes to win the Emperours favour of whom in the end he obtained two investitures of that Dutchy The one An. 1506 for Lewis and his children and lawfull Heirs and Lewis for the acknowledgement of this investiture paid him sixty thousand livers and promist to give him every year a pair of golden spurrs at Christmas Also in that investiture the exclusion of Sforza is precisely exprest and a marriage concluded betweene Charles the Grandchild of Maximilian who since was the Emperour Charles the V. and Claude the eldest daughter of Lewis the XII which also was comprehended in that investiture The other was an 1509. wherby the same Emperour confirms the former investiture with a condition of the marriage between Charles and Claude which indeed was not effected but that hinders not the validity of the investiture which was absolute the first at least By vertue of that right Lewis remained possest of that Dutchy but towards the end of his reigne Maximilian Sforza was put in possession of that Dutchy by the Switzers by the consent of the Emperour Maximilian who was displeased that Claude promised to Charls his Grandchild had been married to Francis who after was Francis the first King of France which he took for an affront and this was the first seed of the jealousies between the two houses of France and Austria Francis the first having regained the Dutchy and taken Maximilian neglected to do homage to the Emperour and a while after Charles having succeeded his Grandfather in the Empire the animosities grew to a great height betwixt these two Princes and they became implacable fighting with great might about Milan till that by the Treaty of Madrid Francis the first yielded his right as we will relate in the next Chapter To sum up the pretences of the French upon Milan They are grounded 1. Upon the contract of marriage of Valentina who is substituted Heir of the Dutchy the lawfull Heires male failing and the contract is valid as confirmed by the Pope in the vacancy of the Empire 2. The investiture given by the Emperour Maximilian in favour of Lewis the XII and his Heirs yea of Claude and her children 3. The second investiture an 1509. 4. Francis the I. having yielded all his rights by the Treaties of Madrid Cambray and Crespy as we shall see afterwards one may say that besides the nullity of that cession by the right of the Kingdom Francis may have quitted the right that came to him by his great Grandmother Valentina but that hee hath not quitted that which came to his children by Claude his wife who being daughter of Lewis the XII had for her and her issue the right of investiture both of 1505. and 1509. which her Husband could not take from her And Francis made use of this reason among the nullities which he objected against the treatie of Madrid In what time these cessions were made and of what strength they are the next Chapter will shew The Commonwealth of Genoa had also some dependance from the Kings of France That City with the Country depending from it having shaken the yoke of the Emperours as the other Commonwealths of Italie while the Italian and German Princes were contending for the Empire form'd it self into a most flourishing State In the Wars of the East and Conquests of the Holy Land Genoa was very considerable no lesse than the Venetians and Pisans possest many Countries in the Levant the I le of Chio the Town of Capha upon Mar Major in Taurica Chersonesus and others But the Commonwealth being weakned by the jealousies of two potent Families the Fregosi and the Adorni the State submitted it self unto Charles the VI of France an 1390. who taking them under his Protection sent to them the Marshall of Boulicaut who received their Oath of fidelity But great confusions being risen in France by reason of the weaknesse of Charles the VI. for 29. years by the invasion of the English and by the extremity that Charles the VII was brought to that right over Genoa was neglected But in the year 1458. the same Genoese being opprest with their own divisions sent Peter Fregosa into France to Charles the VII who received them under his protection and sent them John Duke of Lorrain eldest Son to the Duke of Anjou And after Charles the VII having again given themselvs to Lewis the VI some Historians say that he neglected that Conquest so that they were forced to submit themselves to John Galeas Duke of Milan Others say that Lewis the XI invested that Galeas in the Lordship of Genoa upon condition of doing homage for it to the Crown of France And Charles the VIII passing to the Conquest of Naples invested against Ludovick Sforza in the same by the Treaty of Vercel an 1494 he paying thirty thousand ducats of entry in consideration of the auxiliary forces which Ludovick promist unto Charles for the Conquest of Naples After Charles the City of Genoa remained subject to the Kings of France as Dukes of Milan and Lewis the XII made a triumphant entry into it and received of them all the honours and deferences of Subjects to a Soveraign an 1502. and gave them a Governour John of Cleves his Kinsman But an 1527. while Charles the V and Francis the I were in the heat of their quarrell the City of Naples being besieged by Monsieur de Lautree Andrew Doria of Genoa subject to the French King and Generall of his Fleet being ill satisfied of Francis the I revolted from him turned to the Emperour and was the cause of the losse of Naples The Emperour to win him to his service offered him la carte blanche that is what conditions soever he would have The first demand of Andrew was the liberty of his City which he obtained and it was freed from all subjection to the Dukes of Milan But if the French have any right in the Dutchy of Milan they have the like in Genoa for Charles the V. could not cut off that limbe from it since it did not belong to him Paragraphe IX Of the Counties of Flanders and Artois These two Counties were antiently before the conquest of the Romans parts of Gallia Belgica and so under that Empire and under the first and second race of the French Kings till that famous partage of the children of Lewis
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
presently the War of the league begins in Italy at Milan at Rome and at Naples At Milan the Duke of Bourbon Generall of the imperial Army besieged Francis Sforza whom the league had taken in her protection Sforza is constrained to surrender the Castle and retire into the Army of the league the Generall whereof was Francesco Maria Duke of Urbin The Duke of Bourbon having taken Milan goeth straight to Rome takes it and is killed in the assault The Cardinalls are imprisoned and ransomed At the same time Lautree was at Naples with an Army and laid a strait siege to it by Land And Andrew Doria with the Gallies of France besieged it by Sea Yea he won a battel by Sea in which Moncado Viceroy of Naples was staine But being ill satisfied of King Francis who denyed him the ransome of Prisoners and used him with contempt he turned to the Emperour and relieved Naples with victualls by Sea And Lautree presently after happening to die the French lost all in Italy and the Emperour settled himselfe in it with more power He restored the Dutchy of Milan to Sforza and made him marry his neece Christina daughter to the King of Denmark Yet he cut off from that Dutchy the Common wealth of Genoa which was made Soveraign at the request of Andrew Doria He confirmed also Parma and Placentia to the Popes 4. While this War was in Italy King Francis made a league with Henry the VIII of England and both declared War against the Emperour who having said to the Herald of France that his Master was not in a condition to declare Warre against him till he had disingaged his faith and fulfilled his promises which if he repented of that he should return into prison to make a new Treaty King Francis exasperated with these words declared in presence of all the Court that he would satisfie the Emperour by a Duel and sent him a challenge saying that the Emperour lied if he said that he had broken his word The Emperour though he made a shew to answer the challenge kept himself still to his answer that King Francis was not in a condition to require satisfaction of him till he had discharged his promise So all these threatnings vanisht into smoak 5. While these Princes were thus contending two great Princesses Lovise the Kings Mother and Margaret the Emperours Aunt were labouring for an accommodation By their meanes the Treaty of Cambray was made which therefore was called the Treaty of Ladies it was in the year 1529. By that Treaty a marriage was concluded between King Francis and Eleanor the Emperours sister widow to the King of Portugal and it was agreed that King Francis should pay two millions of Gold for the ransome of his Sons And that he should disclaim all his rights to the Counties of Flanders and Artois and to the Dutchy of Milan and as some adde to whole Italy which is like enough since the Treaty of Cambray changed nothing in that of Madrid but that there was no mention of the Dutchy of Burgundy Paragraphe V. From the Treaty of Cambray an 1529. to that of Crespy an 1544. By the Treaty of Cambray War ceased between these two Princes but not the jealousies and hatred Yet they kept peace till the year 1533. when Merville an Italian Gentleman the Kings servant was condemned and executed at Milan because some of his servants had killed a man But the secret and true reason was that the Emperour had complained to Duke Sforza that this Merville was at Milan as a Spy for the French which was true yea he was a secret Embassadour and Sforza had desired that he should not openly take the title of Embassadour for fear of offending the Emperour That murther of Merville broke the peace for the King taking Armes to chastise Sforza the Emperour also took arms to defend him It was at that time that King Francis instituted a new form of Militia which was called Legionary The Emperour also was incensed by the alliance which the King had made with the German Princes Protestant though perhaps that name was not yet in fashion who being persecuted by the Emperour for their Religion on had their refuge to the French King as the antient confederate of the Princes of Germany for the defence of the Rights and Liberties of the Empire These Princes were the Duke of Saxony the Palatine the Duke of Bavier the Duke of Wertenberg the Lantgrave of Hesse Yea he lent a hundred thousand Crowns to the Duke of Virtenberg who engaged to him the County of Montbeliard But that engagement was simulate and Francis did very willingly assist the Enemies of Charles These were the motives and occasions of this War Of which these were the chief passages 1. Francis to passe to Milan demands of Charles Duke of Savoy passage through his Country The Duke denies it by the instigation of Beatrix of Portugal his wife sister in law to the Emperor very partial for him That deniall cost the Duke the losse of all his Lands both of Savoy and Piemont which the King took and kept them till the Treaty of Chasteau in Cambresis an 1559. The pretence of that invasion was the right which Francis pretended in these States from his Mother Lovise of Savoy A little before that invasion the Emperour seeing that thick cloud threatning Milan himself returning from Tunis with a weary and broken Army sends to the K. propositions of peace many fair words Yet he stood so stiffely upon the Treaties before very advantageous for him that the King would not hearken to him perceiving that he would only protract the time till he had recrewted his Army Besides Francis Sforza being dead without children at the same time the Emperour had seized upon the Dutchy of Milan And it was reported that he intended to bestow it upon a Sonne of Portugal his wives brother For these reasons these two Princes fall to action The King conquereth Savoy and Piemont and the Emperour fortifies himself at Milan 2. The Emperour passeth into Italy visits the Pope Paul III an 1536 and in presence of the Conclave inveighs against Francis relating all that past between them ever since they came to their States reproaching him especially for joining with the Princes of contrary Religion in Germany And offereth three conditions to the King to choose which he would The first was to give the Dutchy of Milan to the Kings third Son the Duke of Angoulesme not willing to give it either to the Dolphin or to the Duke of Orleans for fear said he of giving jealousie to the Italian Princes if persons so near the Crown grew so powerfull in Italy especially the Duke of Orleans who had lately married Catherine de Medicis which had some pretences upon Florence and Urbin If the King accepted that condition he desired to know what assistance he would give him against the Turk and the Heretiques The Emperours second offer was to fight a Duell with
the King either upon the Land or in a Boat That he left to the King the choice of the Armes That the vanquished should give all his forces to secure the sitting of a Council and to make War against the Heretiques and Infidells That the King should deposite the Dutchy of Burgundy and himself that of Milan to be the price of the Victory The third offer was that if the King refused these two conditions he declared mortall War unto him till one of the two was made the poorest gentleman of his Kingdom The King purged himself to the Pope by letters of all the Emperours accusations The War grows hot in Piemont an 1536. Many exploits are done Fâ—ssan is besieged by Antonio de Leva for the Emperour and taken The Marquis of Saluees leaves the Kings service and turns to the Emperour who enters into Provence and besiegeth Marseille but in vain being defended by the Kings presence and by the generosity of Ann de Montmorency who since was Constable of France The Emperour is beaten out of Provence At the same time the Count of Nassau makes some exploits in Picardy for the Emperour takes Guise besiegeth Peronne but is repulsed 4. Jean Capell the Kings Atturney General moveth the Parliament that a proces be made against Charles as Felon and Traitor against his Soveraign of whom he beld the Counties of Flanders Artois and Charolois in fee. The Court of Peers hereupon assembled decree that Charles should be cited with sound of Trumpet upon the frontier of his States to appear before them And he not appearing he was condemned and his Dominions depending from the Crown were confiscated Presently after the King tooke many places in Artois An. 1538. the Pope Paul the III. comes to Nice where both the Emperour and the King met also the Pope communing separately with each of them for hee could not obtaine of them that they should see one another Yet they concluded a truce for ten years That meeting being ended the King returnes into France the Emperour into Spain but seeth the King by the way at Acquesmortes They confirme the truce and are civill one to another Shortly after the City of Ghent being revolted and having killed their Magistrates Charles desireth Francis to give him passage through his Lands which the King granted him In that passage the Emperour received all the royall honours The King went to meet him at Chastelleraut In that enterview the Emperour gave the King some hope to give him satisfaction about the Dutchy of Milan 6. An. 1641. the King sent Antony Rincot a Spaniard that had taken sanctuary in France to the Turk and Caesar Fregosa to the Venetians Both were slain upon the River of Po going to Venice by Boat This murder was done by the order of the Marquess du Guast Governour of Milan who hoped thereby to get their Papers and Instructions but they had been sent to Venice another way The Marquess was accused and convicted of the fact by those that executed it who were taken at Venice Upon this the King breaks the truce of tens years The Dolphin who was since Henry the II falls upon the Roussillon besieged Perpignan but is repulsed with losse Charles Duke of Orleans seizeth upon Lutzenburg The Emperour on the other side makes a league with the King of England enters Picardie besiegeth Landrecy but Francis relieveth it and driveth the Emperour from the siege Barbaressa the Turk comes by Sea to the Kings help takes the Town of Nice wasteth those coasts of the Mediterranean sea goeth away having done little good to the French and ill satisfied of them having given a great matter of obloquy against Francis to the Christian Princes In Piemont after many exploits on both sides the famous battel of Cerisoles was fought an 1544. and won by the French the French Generall being the Duke of Anguien the Spaniard the Marquess du Guast At this time Ferdinand King of the Romans brother to Charles the Emperour being sore prest by the Turk in Hungary sends a Dominican Fryer his Confessor to Charles to exhort him to peace Charles is perswaded to it and Francis also Their Deputies meet at St. John des Vignes in the Suburbs of Soissons and begin a Treaty which soon after was concluded at Crespy in Valois of which these were the chiefe conditions That Charles Duke of Orleans the Kings second Son should marry the Emperours Daughter or that of Ferdinand King of the Romans at the Emperours choice within six yeares and for her portion that the Emperour should invest the said Duke with the Dutchy of Milan or the County of Flanders or Charolois or Franch County at the Emperours choyce likewise And that upon his investiture with one of these the King should renounce all his claim to all the rest and to the Kingdom of Naples That till there were Children born by that marriage if the Emperour had before assigned the Dutchy of Milan for the Ladies portion he should retain in his power the Castles of Milan and Cremona That the King should restore to Charles Duke of Savoy all that he had taken from him on both sides of the Alpes yet that he might retain the Citadels as long as the Emperours kept the Castles of Milan and Cremona That both the Emperour and the King should restore all that they had taken the one from the other since the truce made at Nice by the Popes mediation This Treaty beares date of Octob. 18. 1544. and was executed but the King restored many more places then the Emperour Paragraphe VI. From the Treaty of Crespy 1544 to that of Chasteau en Cambresis an 1559. Francis out-lived three years the Treaty of Crespy all which time he had no War with Charles who had retired himself to Bruxelles Francis being dead his Son Henry the II. succeeded him who also had no War with the Emperour till the year 1550. Two accidents made the old jealousie to break into open War 1. The Pope Paul the III. had invested his Bastard Peter Lewis Farnesio with the Towns of Parma and Placentia which the Emperour had yieled to the Church upon the claime of Leo the X. without much examining the Popes right onely because it had been so covenanted when the Pope and the Emperour united themselves to expell the French out of Italy an 1521. That investiture troubled Charles afterwards who pretended either that these Towns should remaine united to the patrimony of the Church or that in case of alienation they should return to the Dutchy of Milan Now this Peter Lewis Farnesio having made himselfe odious to his subjects by his cruelty and impudicity was slain by the people of Placentia who put themselves under the Emperours protection At the same time Paul the III being dead Jules the III that succeeded him maintained at the first Octavio Son to Peter Lewis in the investiture of Parma and Placentia But soon after repenting of that donation which he saw to
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
and Spain intervened to make them friends And this was done without prejudice to the peace betweene the two States Valteline is a vally seated between Germany the Venetians the Dutchy of Milan the Grisons It was in old time a part of the Dutchy of Milan or at least an appurtenance of the same And was engaged to the Grisons by Lewis the XII for foure hundred thousand pounds arrear due to them for their service in the conquest of Milan since which time it was subject to the Grisons But the differences of Religion intervening and the Grisons being turned Protestants for the most part Valtolina kept for the most part the Religion of Milan Which made them desire to shake the yoke of the Grisons and returne under the subjection of Milan invited to it by the Spaniards So that an 1619. the great revolt began and the Valtolins expell the Grisons their Masters Who had recourse to the protection of France by whom they held that Countrey King Lewis the XIII sends Monsieur de Bassompierre into Spaine to Philip the IV. for Philip the III. was lately dead who granted according to the Treaty of Madrid that all garrisons of strangers should depart out of Valtolina and that order should be taken for the maintaining of the Catholique Religion The Duke of Feria having refused to execute that command and the Valtolins unwilling to returne to the obedience of the Grisons King Lewis exhorted the Switzers and Grisons to maintaine their rights and sent them an Embassadour the Marquis de Coenures whom he made afterwards General of their army and Marshall of France known by the name of Marshall d'Estree Then did the French and the Spaniards fight yet without breaking the Treaty of Vervins because both acted for their confederates Pope Vrban the VIII having made himselfe Depositary of the principal places of Valtolina sent his nephew Cardinal Barbarini into France an 1625. who not being able to make an accommodation as pretending to deliver Valtolina from the obedience of the Grisons war began in Italie by the aliance made betweene the French and the Duke of Savoy against Genoa which was assisted by the Spaniard Thus these quarrels upon the by came very neer to an absolute rupture betweene the two Nations For at the same time some Spanish ships passing from Barcelona to Genoa and driven upon the coasts of Marseille were arrested by the Duke of Guise Of which the Genoese complained to the King of Spaine whose Councel irritated with these wars and with the taking of many places about Genoa gave order that all French ships in the havens of Spaine should be arrested and all the goods of the French trafficquing in Spaine seized upon The Councell of France to bee even with them made two Edicts the one to forbid all traffick with Spaine the other to seize upon all ships of Spain Portugal Naples and other places of the Spanish dominions yet onely by right of represalls and for restitution of the goods taken from the French War continued in Piemont all that while till the winter of that yeare 1625 when the armies retired into garrisons That winter Du Fâ—rgis the French Emassadour in Spain began a Treaty which was called the Treaty of Monson in Arragon whereby without any Commission from his Master or his principall Minister of State the Cardinal de Richelieu as it was pretended he did greatly derogate to the right of the Grisons over Valtolina making the Valtolins well nigh Soveraines taking from the Grisons all power to refuse the Iudges and that forme of Government which the Valtolins would set up among themselves That Treaty was disavowed by King Lewis and the Cardinal who commanded the Embassadour to reforme it Wherein so much tedious protraction was used that Lewis was in the end constrained to take upon him the protection of the Valtolins and sent them the Duke of Rohan who there continued the war even after the rupture between the two Crownes In the yeare 1628 Vincent the II. Duke of Mantua being dead Charles Duke of Nevers the next heire male succeeded but the Emperour made some difficulty about it because he was borne in France and because he did not come personally to him to render his homage But besides his right of lapse for want of homage he set up the right of Duke Guastullo of the same house of Mantua which yet appeared at the first to be weake and of no force At the same time the Duke of Savoy renewed his rights to Montserrat So the new Duke of Mantua saw himselfe almost swallowed up by the Emperour the Spaniard and the Duke of Savoy Yea Don Gonzales de Cordova besieged Cazal the old apple of discord between the houses of Mantua and Savoy King Lewis resolved to maintaine his subject and confederate sends Bevron and Guron to defend Cazal Himselfe passeth into Italie forceth Le pas de Suze driveth the Spaniard from the siege of Cazal and compelleth the Duke of Savoy to let the Mantuan be in peace The Protestants in France being in armes Rochel besieged and their party brought low some say that the Duke of Rohan sent Clausel from Montpellier to Madrid to put the Protestant party under the protection of the King of Spain The History of Dupleix sets downe the whole Treaty betweene the King of Spain and the Duke of Rohan whereby the Spaniard promiseth to assist Rohan with men and money But Lewis returning victorious out of Italie suddenly overcame the Protestant party and forced them to receive peace The Spaniard thought he might as lawfully assist the Protestants of France as the French assisted those of Holland Whilst Lewis was busy about the pacification of his owne State the Duke of Savoy reneweth his pretence to Montserrat the Emperour sends Colalâ—o against the Duke of Mantua and the Marquesse ef Spinola besiegeth Cazal but in vaine being well defended by Toiras since Marshal of France Lewis repasseth into Italie makes himselfe Master of Savoy and Piemont The Imperial Army takes Mantua but all is pacified by the Treaty of Queyras an 1631. and the Duke of Mantua is setled in his Estate In that yeare 1631. Mary the Queene Mother of France retireth into Flanders The next yeare 1632. the Duke of Orleans her sonne doth the like Where getting some Dutch and German troopes he makes an inrode into France and in the yeare 1633. he makes a Treaty with the Spaniard to enter into France with an Army All this without absolute rupture betwixt the two Crownes Onely the Spaniard fomented the divisions of the Royal house of France Gustavus Adolphus King of Sueden after a long war against Poland comes into Germany an 1631. for the restitution of the Dukes of Meckelburg his kinsmen into their Estates out of which the Emperour had expelled them and to restore liberty to the Cities of Germanie Lewis jealous of the greatness of the house of Austria and having causes enow to ressent the wrongs offered to him
Kingdomes as we shall say in the following Chapter And these distinguisht into three general Jurisdictions of Castilia Arragon and Portugal It is true that since the late Wars the revolts of Portugal and Catalonia have clipt so much of his Domtnions and the French have taken from him the County of Roussillon 2. Upon the coasts of Spain he possesseth the two Baleares Mallorca and Minorca and the two Ilands in old time called Ophiusae now Ivica and Fromentera 3. In Italy he hath all the Kingdom of Naples which is almost the half of it and the most Easterly part from Cajeta or Fondi to the golph of Tarento and the Strait of Messina 4. In the same Italy he hath the Dutchy of Milan with the territories of Pavia Tortona Cremona c. 5. Upon the coasts of the Tuscan Sea he hath Final Piombino Porto Hercule and Orbitello Of late the Prince of Monaco hath shaken off his yoak In Toscana the great Duke of Florence doth him homage for the Common-wealth of Siena and oweth him service 6. In that Sea about Italy he hath the Isles of Sardinia and Sicily and is soveraign of the Isle of Malta which the old Geographers reckon among the African Ilands The great Master of that Iland oweth him some homage for it 7. In the Celtique Gaule he hath the Franche County or the County of Burgundy and in the Dutchy of Burgundy he hath the County of Charrolois 8. In the Belgique Gaule he hath possest till the end of the last age all that was comprehended under the name of the seventeen Provinces He keeps to this day the Dutchies of Luxemburg Limburg the Dutchy of Brabant but pared about by the losse of Maestritcht the Bose Breda and Bergupzom part of the Dutchy of Guelders the Counties of Namur Hainant Artois and Flanders all maimed with the losse of some limbs by our late Wars Also the Marquisat of the holy Empire which is Antwerp and the Principality of Mechlen The remnant of these seventeer Provinces is in the hand of the States of the united Provinces besides that which the King of France hath taken In all that large extent of Lands the Spaniard suffereth the exercise of no Religion but the Roman Though he go for a great soveraign yet many of his Lands depend from oâ— other Princes The See of Rome hath great pretences upon the soveraignty of Arragon He acknowledgerh without contradiction the soveraignty of the Church over his Kingdom of Naples Yet it is pretended that he oweth the same homage for Sicily For the Dutchy of Milan and other Lands which he holds in Italy he must acknowledge the Empire from which he hath received the investiture of the same Franche County is an imperiall fee as also the Provinces of Netherland not depending of France did owe homage to the Empire And in the year 1608. when the truce was made between Spain and Holland these two States disputing of their soveraignty in the first Article the Emperour Rodolphus framed an opposition against that Article and claimed the soveraignty as belonging to the Empire but the Treaty past without any reflection to that claim Finally although the Spaniard acknowledge our Kings no more neither for Flanders nor for Artois it is not well resolved yet by what right he hath shaken off the yoak and the French pretend that the Treaties of Madrid Cambray and Crespy in Valois which contain that cession have not been authorized by the generall States of France The King of Spain being possessor of such a great extent of Lands is a neighbor to most of the Christian Princes as will be shewed more at large in the second Chapter and hath alwaies some difference with them The now King of Spain is Phillip the IV. of the Roman Religion Paragraphe III. Here we will look upon the King of France whose state is comprehended in the old Gally Narbonensis Aquitanica Celtica and Belgica yet doth he not possess them all the whole Narbonensis belongs to him excepting Avignon Nice Savoy Geneva and Orenge The whole Aquitanica is his since the small principality of Bearn which with small reason hath been pretended to be soveraign in her Rights and Customs hath been united to the Crown and began to have the same Prince by the coming of Henry the fourth to the Crown The whole Celtica belongs likewise to the King of France excepting onely the Franch County and the imperial Town oâ— Besancon Of the Belgica the King of France hath the least part The I le of France Pays de Caux Boulonnois Picardi Beau-voisis Champagne Brie And by good or bad title the Towns of Mets Thoul and Verdun of which in the first invasion he declared himselfe Protector onely By the late Wars he hath made himself Master of most part of Lorrain of the Town of Brisach and of other Towns of Alsatia beyond the Rhine The subjects of the King of France are commonly Roman Catholiques yet Protestants are tolerared in the State The King of France is neighbouring upon Spain by the Pyrencan hills On that side the French and the Spaniards have not much troubled one another but of late yeares in which the French have unfortunately attempted Spain about Fontarabie but fortunately about Roussillon and Catalonia But about the Low Countries and Franche County which lie open to both the Nations there hath been much stir and action On the side of Provence and Daulphine the Duke of Savoy is neighbour to France for Savoy and Piemont joyn to the foresaid Provinces The County of Avignon belonging to the Pope is inclosed within Provence By Daulphine the French touch the Common-wealth of Geneva By the Country of Bresse and the Bailliages of Gez and Verromey they enter within Switzerland into the Canton of Berne By Champagne they have the Duke of Lorraine for their neighbour but now they are possest of his Country So all their neighbours are weak the King of Spain excepted The present King of France is Lewis the XIV of the Roman profession Paragraphe IV. In this Paragraphe we will set downe all the Princes contained within the ancient Gaules besides the King of France 1. In Gallia Narbonensis the Duke of Savoy holds the Dutchie of Savoy the Countries of Chablais and Tarantaise and the Towne of Chambery and upon the Sea coast neare the River of Var the Town and County of Nice which was sometimes a member of Provence and being upon the River of Var it is partly in France partly in Italy 2. The Pope holds the County of Venaissyn or Avignon an ancient member of Provence with the four Bishopricks belonging to it Avignon Carpentras Cavaillon and Vezon There also is Orenge belonging to the House of Nassau 3. The City of Geneva with her Territory made her selfe a soveraign Common-wealth about the year 1535. when the Duke of Savoy the Bishop of Geneva and the City being in contention about their right the Citizens changed Religion forced the Bishop to
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
successively Dukes of Burgundy This last was Grandfather to Philip the last Duke who ended the masuline line But that Robert the II. had three Daughters besides Margaret wife to King Lewis Hutin whence came the house of Navarra Jane wife to King Philip de Valois and mother to King John and Mary wife to Edward Count of Bar. They say then that after the death of Philip the last Duke King John took that Dutchy by the right of his mother Jane which right he transported to his Son Philip le Hardy without any mention of masculine apanage wherby they will have it evident that femals may inherit it 8. Against that pretended right which was very much disputed in the Treaty of Madrid the French have strong exceptions The first is That from the time of Philip de Valois within which that gift was made no Son of France had any great Apanage but with that restriction against which whatsoever King John may have said or done and he was a very imprudent and rash man he could do no valuable deed to the detriment of the State or against the fundamental Lawes The second Reason is That since we see by the example of Hugh the IV. that females are excluded from that succession we must acknowledge that John did not succeed by right of his mother but as King receiving an apanage devolved unto him The third Reason is That King John was not the next Heir in blood for by proximity of blood the children of the eldest Daughter which was Margaret wife to King Lewis Hutin should have succeeded not King John who was Son to the second Now that succession fell when that wicked man Charles King of Navarra Grandchild to that Margaret was in his strength who if there had beene any life in that title would not have failed to have set it up for Burgundy was better then all his Navarra and the rest of his estate And yet that stirring man did not stirre that point or it was so slightly that he left off presently but hotly pursued a recompence for the Counties of Champagne and Brie which by right belonged to his mother Jane Daughter to Lewis Hutin Sonne to Jane Countess of Champagne and Brie Queen of Navarra wife to Philip le Bel. By all this it is evident that the Dutchy of Burgundy was setled upon Phillip le Hardy his Son in the nature of a true masculine apanage Paragraphe IV. Of the Towns of Metz Thoul and Verdun By the partage so famous among the Sons of Lewis the Meek an 843. it is certaine that all that was beyond the River Mosa towards Germany was cut off from that which retained the name of Kingdome of France and that these three Towns remained Imperiall But Mosa being the bound of these two States the Empire and the Kingdome yet by an infinity of Warres Usurpations and Treaties that bound and other limits between the two States were often changed In the time of the weakness and declination of the House of Charlemagne most part of the Cities and Lordships of the Empire did canton themselves and made themselves particular Dominions under the protection of the Empire and some remained free others were subjected to especial Lords some Lay some Ecclesiastical All these make up now the great body of the Empire Of that nature were these three Towns Metz Thoul and Verdun upon which the French Kings pretended no right till the time of Henry the II. An. 1550. the Protestants of Germany called Henry the II. to their help against the Emperour Charles the V. Henry sent them great Auxiliary forces by Ann de Montmorency Constable of France who in his way seized upon Thoul and Verdun put Garrisons into them to assure the passage of the French Forces into Germany The Government of Thoul was given to Monsieur d'Esclavoles Lieutenant of the company of the Duke of Guise And Charles Cardinall of Lorrain was restored to his Lordship annext to the Bishoprick of Verdun the King retaining the soveraignty for himselfe which he thought he could lawfully doe because the Lord of it was his subject and had an estate in France and because the Emperour was his declared enemy whose Estate he might invade In the same expedition the Constable seized on the City of Metz which the Emperour Charles the V. besieged towards the end of the yeare 1551. but in vain since which time the French have enjoyed these three Cities yet finding their right somewhat weak they used it at the first with great moderation calling themselves only Guardians and Protectors of the same till Lewis the XIII caused them to be altogether incorporated with France and in them hath establisht a soveraign Court of Parliament Indeed these three Townes have of long continuance been Imperial and being got by subtilty upon pretence of the surety of the passage the right of the French Kings in them should be much more disputable then in many other places as themselves have confest in many of their instructions for the generall Treaties Yet it may be said for the French that Henry the II. took them as his enemies estate when he made War against the Emperour That the Emperour never made since any stipulation for the restitution of them in any Treaty That the rights of the Empire on this side of Rhine are so vanisht and lost that the Countries seem now to be primum occupanti That Holland also Lorraine Switzerland Savoy Franch County Daulphinée Provence were Imperiall Lands and yet all these are slipt from the Empire by a prescription grounded upon the weakness and neglect of the old Soveraigne Also that the French Kings at the first declared themselves onely Protectors and Guardians of these Towns which if afterwards they have incorporated to their State it was by the consent of the people seeing themselves deserted and neglected by the Empire Finally in that point the French think they may use the right of Represals And that if the Emperour and the House of Austria should do them right about all their pretences there would be some reason why the Emperour should be contented about these Towns Paragraphe V. Of the Towns on the River of Somme and other contained in the Treaty of Arras The four Dukes of the last House of Burgundy were Philip le Hardy John Philip le Bon and Charles John after the death of his Father Philip le Hardy an 1404. caused great troubles in the State of France and caused his Cousin German Lewis Duke of Orleans to be slain an 1407. whence sprung those great Divisions and Wars between those two Houses of which the Histories are full That John was slain at Montereau foult-Ronne by the command of Charles the Dolphin an 1419. His Son Philip de Bon pursued with great power and eagernesse the vengeance of that death made league with the English and distressed very much the Kingdom of France In the end seeing himself ill used by the English he grew weary of their
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
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
the Meek an 843. when the River of Scaldis being set as a limit of that which belonged to Lothary the Emperour on the one side and Charles le Chauve on the other that Country remained within the partage of the last who was King of France and containes a great extent of Land beyond the River of Somme near the Rivers of Scaldis and Lis butting upon the Ocean And because all that Country was full of Wood which made it be called Sylva Carbonaria Charlemagne about the yeare 771. placed there a Governour whom he called the great Forester of Flanders So also were his successors called and were not very considerable The first that erected this Country into a County was Charles le Chauve an 850. or thereabouts The first Count was Baldwin surnamed Bras de fer or Iron-arm for his great exploits against the Normans then barbarous and infidels who coming from the North infested those coasts both by Sea and Land This Baldwin stole away Iudith Daughter to Charles le Chauve and widow to an English King which action at the first moved Charles to a great wrath and hatred against him But Iudith having appeased her Father and Baldwin being very necessary for the defence of those Countries against the Normans he recovered the Kings Grace and it was upon that reconciliation that he was made Count of Flanders So that Baldwin is the head of that house of Flanders and Artois which then were but one Province 1. All that Country remained thus united in one County till the year 1180. when Philip August King of France married Isabella Daughter of Baldwin the IV. Count of Hainaut and Namur and of Margaret of Flanders For Philip of Alsatia Count of Flanders uncle to Margaret to shew his joy for that high alliance gave her the Country of Artois consisting in the Towns of Arras Bapaume Saint Omer Aire Hesdin and some others which Philip August enjoyed and his Sons after him till Lewis the VIII gave the Country of Artois to his third Son Robert for whose sake his brother St Lewis erected the same into a County of which this Robert did him homage and that house of Artois was a Royal house for a long time after Thus Flanders and Artois had their severall Counts and Lords as most of the other seventeen Provinces of Netherlands 2. King Iohn of France having given to his fourth Son Philip the Dutchy of Burgundy because he loved him dearly he procured a great marriage for him matching him with Margaret of Flanders only Daughter of Lewis the III. Count of Flanders and of Margaret of Brahant That Princess was held the richest march of Europe for she was Heir not onely of the Counties of Flanders Burgundy Artois Nevers Retel and other great Lordships but was also apparent Heir from her great Aunt by her Mothers side of the Dutchies of Brabant Lothier Limburg and the Marquesat of Antwerp That alliance made an 1356. was the beginning of the greatness of the house of Burgundy For that Philip and his three successors Iohn Philip and Charles united all these great States which afterwards fell into the House of Austria by marriage as we have represented before 3. Although the propriety of those two Provinces Flanders and Artois came to the House of Austria by the match of Mary of Burgundy with Maximilian the pretences of the Crowne of France upon that propriety being quitted by the reddition of the Towne of Arras an 1435. Yet the soveraignty thereof hath remained with the French Kings untill the Cessions by them made of the same by severall Treaties of which the first was that of Madrid That soveraignty is proved by seven Reasons The first is The homages which the Counts have alwaies payed to the Kings of France for these Counties and the investitures which they have taken from them of the same The second That the Kings of France have judged of the Counts of Flanders as Soveraigns and given them Lawes The third That they decided of peace and war in Flanders even against the will of the Counts The fourth That they have given grace to Flemmings as their Soveraigns and punisht them of their rebellions The fifth That it was especially promis'd and agreed that the Flemmings should resort to the Parliament of Paris The sixth That the Kings of France have protected as Soveraignes the Counts of Flanders The seventh That they have confiscated the County for Felony Briefly the Kings of France have exercised all Acts of Soveraignty in Flanders and Artois a thing never brought in question or denyed before Charles the V. who being promoted to the Empire and fallen to great Wars against Francis the I. was delinquent in that duty and obtained the cession of that right by divers Treaties 4. It is then a known truth that Flanders and Artois did belong to the Soveraignty of France and that the question is onely whether the cession made at Madrid was just and valid Upon which the French say 1. That Charles the V being born a subject of France at Gant in the County of Flanders committed the crime of Felony by his Wars against his Soveraign whom also he took and kept prisoner which was often upbraided to him yea a sentence of the Parliment of Paris intervened against him whereby he is deprived of his Lordships depending of the Crown of France for crime of Felony so that being a Felon against his Soveraigne he had no right either to treat with him when he kept him prisoner nor any way oblige him 2. The cession made by the Treaty of Madrid was invalid by the Law of Nations as done by a man kept in prison 3. That cession made at Madrid and in other Treaties is null by the fundamentall Laws of France which prohibit the alienation of the Soveraign rights of the Crown especially without the consent of the States Generall who never ratified all those Treaties And in effect the Parliaments by their sentences the Peers of the Kingdom by their Votes and all the learned and judicious by their discourses have condemned those Treaties And to this day the Flemmings and Artesians are accounted Regnicolae and have no need of letters of Naturalization CHAP. IV. Wars Agreements Treaties between the houses of France and Austria about their pretences from the Treaty of Arras to that of Vervins WE have seen how by the History and by Reason the two Houses of France and Austria will ground their several pretences As the differences between private persons beget suits in Law which end in the sentence of a Court so the jealousies between these two great houses have begot Wars which haue ended in Treaties Yet so that the Wars have begun afresh after These Wars have been many especially since the promotion of Charles the V to the Empire an 1519. For the Kings of France who without contradiction had the precedence before all Christian Monarches were grieved to see a Count of Flanders and an Heir of the house
of Austria a small Province of Germany advance himself so far as to offer to step before them and as many think to affect the Empire of all Europe To understand all these Wars Truces and Treaties the History must begin at the Treaty of Arras an 1435. For although these six houses Austria Burgundy Hungary Arragon Castilia and Portugal the limbes of that great Colossus of the now house of Austria were then severall houses yet that Treaty will serve to see how the house of Burgundy is fallen into the house of Austria and how their greatnesse began Here then let us say in brief what Wars and Treaties have been between these two houses since the Treaty of Arras an 1435. to that of Vervins 1598. We will divide this into many Articles according to the most remarquable dates touching only the most principall points leaving the rest to the generall History 1. From the Treaty of Arras Ann. 1435. to the marriage of Maximilian of Austria with Mary of Burgundy 1477. 2. Thence to the death of the Emperour Maximilian 1519. 3. Thence to the Treaty of Madrid 1525. 4. Thence to the Treaty of Cambray 1529. 5. Thence to the Treaty of Crespy or Saint John des Vignes an 1544. 6. Thence to the Treaty of Chasteau in Cambresis 7. Thence to the death of the Duke of Alencon and the beginning of the League 1584. 8. Thence to the Treaty of Vervins an 1598. Paragraphe I. From the Treaty of Arras an 1435. to the marriage of Maximilian and Mary of Burgundy In all that time which was not yet the time of the greatnesse of Austria the French Kings had nothing to do with that Family which in that period of years enjoyed the Empire in the persons of Albert and Friderick the III. They had also little to do with the Kings of Castilia and Arragon which were then two severall States But much they had to do with the Dukes of Burgundy founders of that greatnesse of Austria Of which this is the summary 1. Philip le Bon after he had brought the State of France into great distresse and given it for a prey to the English to avenge the death of his Father John slain at Montereau Fautyonne an 1419 Finally being ill satisfyed with the English was forced to agree with Charls the VII who had killed his Father which he did by the Treaty of Arras an 1435. whereby Charles gave to Philip what we said before Peronne Montdidier and Roye the County of Artois the enjoying of the County of Bullen for his life also all the Towns of the River of Somme redeemable with four hundred thousand Crownes and promist to join to the Dutchy of Burgundy the Counties of Mascon Chalons Langres Bar sur Siene and Auxerre for ever reserving the resort of these jurisdictions to the Parliament of Paris This Treaty raised very much the house of Burgundy After which Philip was a loyall friend and servant unto Charles and helped him to expell the English out of France Neither did he meddle with the first falling out of Charles with his Son Lewis the Dolphin who was since Lewis the XI which division was called La Ligue de la Praguerie And all the reigne of Charles nothing considerable hapned between these two houses but that towards the end of Charles Bewis the Dolphin having withdrawn himself discontented from the Court and lived a while in Daulphiné When the King his Father would have apprehended him by the Count of Dampmartin he fled into Flanders where he was received with great honour by Duke Philip who assigned him the Town of Guenep in Brabant to keep his Court where he lived six or seaven years till the death of his Father an 1461. 2. Now comes the reign of Lewis the XI who had so much to do with the house of Burgundy but nothing with that of Austria and little with that of Arragon and Castilia Historians observe that Philip Duke of Burgundy and his Son Charles Count of Charrolois accompanied Lewis into France and were present at his coronation And that Lewis at the first was very great with the Count of Charrolois but that soon after that friendship was separated by reason of the great antipathy of their humours and because while Lewis was retired into Flanders they had been too much acquainted with one anothers conditions which brought them to a mutuall contempt Also because Charles had a suspicion that Lewis had plotted against his life and because Lewis would have brought the Gabell or impost of salt into Burgundy which the Duke did oppose Then the suddain redeeming of the Towns of the River of Somme for which Lewis payed the four hundred thousand Crowns incens'd the Count of Charolois very much These were the causes of the great hatred between these two houses which the house of Austria inherited together with the Estate Hardly indeed could these two Princes agree for Lewis the XI was malicious disobliging and dissembled and Charles Count of Charolois was peevish and arrogant and followed no Law but his own will That hatred brought forth the War of the publick good as they called it in which Charles had the better That War ended in the Treaty of Conflans whereby it was covenanted that the King should restore to Charles all the Towns of the River of Somme redeemed not long before to enjoy them all his life and that he should have the County of Guines for himself and his Heirs for ever 3. John King of Arragon was assisted by Lewis the XI and the said John sold or pawned unto him the County of Roussillon for three hundred thousand Crownes This is the ground of the claime of the French to that County 4. Henry the IV King of Castilia and John King of Arragon being in War because Henry maintained the people of Arragon against their King and about some Towns Lewis the XI was chosen Umpire and went to Bayonne where he saw the Castilian on this side of the River of Vodazo and upon the Lands of France That enterview made them despise one another for Henry was an ill favoured and ill behaved man of little wit and was altogether governed by the Count of Lodesme Lewis used a short and coorse habit and wore a little leaden Our Lady at his hat The vanity of the Count of Lodesme seemed ridiculous to the French He crost the River in a boat with a sail of golden cloath and wore pomps garnisht with precious stones Ever sinde that enter view the two Nations have despised one another 5. After the peace of Conflans the divisions were renewed between Lewis and the Count of Charolois because Lewis cozened his brother Charles gave him Normandy and presently took it from him banisht him into Guienne far from the other Princes with whom he was in League and gave him a little Country under the specious Title of Duke of Guienne This angred the Count of Charrolois and increased his jealousies Philip Duke of Burgundy
the XII had made a little before he died 2. His next work was the Conquest of the Dutchy of Milan He passeth into Italie and wins the battail of Marignan in Piemont against the Switzers who had undertaken to maintain Maximilian Sforza in his new possession of Milan which they had got for him He gets Milan Maximilian Sforza yields himself to him for a Pension of threescore thousand Crowns and retires himself into France This was the third time that the French had got Milan of the Sforzas 3. Francis and Charles being both young and ambitious it could not be expected that they should long live in peace because Charles being born a subject to France kept Navarra which the house of Albret had lost for adhering to France Then Ferdinand had expelled the French out of Naples wrongfully say they This Ferdinand died an 1516. and Charles inherited all these great States exalted to the height of greatnesse wanting nothing but the Empire and Austria which his Grandfather Maximilian left him by his death three years after In the birth of these two eminent powers which have cost so much blood and tears to the Christian world before they had conceived that great hatred which was between them after the Deputies of both sides met at Noyon and this was called the Treaty of Noyon an 1516 where it was concluded that Francis should yield all his rights in the Kingdom of Naples for a yearly pension of a hundred thousand Crowns 2. That Charls then called the Archiduke should marry Lovise the eldest daughter of Francis instead of Renee sister to the Queen Claude 3. That the Archduke should restore the Kingdome of Navarra to Henry Son to John d' Albret or in defect of it that he should otherwise content him within six months The King and the Archduke swore that Treaty and give the one to the other the order of Knighthood The King that of St. Michael the Archduke that of the Golden Fleece made an alliance for ever and to confirme it promist to have an interview at Cambray But Ferdinand being dead soon after Charles made hast to passe into Spain to take possession of his Estates and neglected the Articles of Noyon especially the restitution of Navarra 4. Yet for three years after nothing was stirred on either side because Martin Luther having alarmed all Europe with his Doctrine the Pope Leo the X procured a generall truce for five years among all Princes But Maximilian the Emperonr being dead an 1519. and Charles being increased with the inheritance of Austria and the Title of Emperour Francis the I. conceived a great indignation that a vassall of his should have been preferred before him to the Empire whcih he had been a suitour for with great earnestnesse which jealousie would never suffer these two Princes to agree 5. Each of them had a great Minister of State by their persons Francis had Artus Gouffier Sieur de Boissi Great Master of France Charles had been bred by Guillaume de Crovy Sieur de Ceures whom Lewis the XII had recommended to him These two foreseeing the misfortune which the ambition of these two Princes was drawing upon Christendom resolved to meet to make a peace and alliance for ever Montpelier was the place chosen for that meeting But as soon as Boissi was come and began to treat with Ceures he fell into a fever and died leaving that great work imperfect which no body since was able to finish Paragraphe III. From the death of Maximilian an 1519. to the Treaty of Madrid an 1525. By the death of the Emperour Maximilian Charles was made possessour of Austria and the Empire being possest before of the Inheritances of Burgundy Arragon and Castilia A greatnesse which swelled his mind and made him loose his respect to Francis Hee complained that Francis had taken Claude from him the eldest daughter of Lewis the XII which was promist to him Francis redemanded Navarra Naples and the homages for the Counties of Flanders and Artois which Charles took to be too low for the quality of an Emperour Charles also complained that the Dutchy of Burgundy the Patrimony of his Grandmother Mary was kept from him and the Dutchy of Milan belonging to the Sforzas and to the Empire The great fire of War which lasted forty years between these two houses brake our upon a very slender occasion Robert de la March Duke of Bovillon adjudgd by the Peers of his Dutchy which pretend themselves to be Soveraigns the Town of Hierges in Ardennes to the Prince of Chimay of the house of Crovi against the Lord d' Esmeries to whom the Emperour gave a writ of relief although Robert pretended the judgement of his Peeres to be Soveraign Robert incensed against the Emperour made his addresse to Francis the I and offered him his service The King received him courteously yet forbad his subjects to assist him not willing to break with the Emperour But Robert proud to have the protection of France denounceth Warre to the Emperour who was then at Wormes to pacifie the troubles rising in Germany about Luther and attempts to surprise some places in Luxemburg But the Emperour presently seizeth upon the Estate of that little Prince and constrains him to ask him pardon reproaching Francis in an odious manner for receiving his rebellious subject About the same time Francis upon the inexecution of the Treaty of Noyon Charles refusing to make restitution of Navarra to Henry d' Albret took the quarrell of that dispossessed Prince and sent Andrew de Foix Lord de Esparre brother to Monsieur de Lautre into Navarra where the French did some exploit at the first but were soon repelled by the Spaniards Charles taketh that enterprise for an infraction of the peace between the two houses though it was but a succour given to a confederate of France to prosecute his rights He makes great preparatives of war makes Leo the X break w th France joyn with him promising that after the Conquest of Milan he would give to the Church the Townes of Parma and Placentia members of that Dutchy to which the Popes had some old pretence Such was the origine of the first War between Francis and Charles an 1521. The first three or four yeares there were great exploits in Champagne in Navarra in Provence and in the Dutchy of Milan In Tierasche the Emperour took Mouzon and besieged Mezieres which Anne de Mommorency who since was Constable of France and Chevalier Bayard defended bravely And Francis took Bapaume and Landrecy from the Emperour and gave him the Chase In Navarra the French had advanced but little in the years 1519. and 1520. But in the year 1521. the Admirall of Bonnivet besieged Fontarabie and took it and made Monsieur du Lude Governour of the same who being besieged a whole year by the Spaniards defended it with great valour till la Palisse since Marshall of France made them forsake the Siege But Frauget an old Captain being
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
1589. after he had seen the revolt of most part of his Kingdome Henry the IV succeeded him and is acknowledged by the Protestants and part of the Papists The Duke du Maine who kept Paris receiveth Baptista Taxis and others for the King of Spain who raise parties for the degrading of the House of Bourbon and the advancing of the League In March 1590. Philip publisheth an Edict whereby he exhorteth all Catholique Princes to joyne with him for the deliverance of Charles the X meaning the Cardinall of Bourbon whom the League had made King to the exclusion of the rest of the House of Bourbon The same yeare 1590. King Henry besiegeth Paris Philip sends the Duke of Parma out of Flanders with a great Army who takes Lagny and raiseth the siege of Paris The next yeare after the Cardinall of Bourbon being dead the Leaguers consult about the election of a King Many of the Seize that is of the sixteen men that governed Paris affected to the Spanish party vote for Philips Daughter Clara Eugenia Isabella of which claime we have spoken before But the Duke du Maine who desired rather to have the Crown either for himselfe or for some of his house protracted that businesse and turned it over to the States Generall of the League And in the mean while sent President Jannin into Spain unto whom Philip promist all assistance to the League upon condition that his Daughter should be acknowledged Queen either alone or with such a Husband as she should chuse That President returned much offended with Philips proceeding especially because speaking of the Towns of France he would say My City of Paris My city of Orleans and ever since solicited the Duke du Maine to reconcile himselfe with the King An. 1591. King Henry the IV besiegeth and presseth Roven very sore The Duke of Parma returneth and maketh him raise the siege Before the Duke of Parma came into France he propounded two conditions to the Duke du Maine the one that he should put the Town of La Fere into his hands which he did and the Parmezan put a Garrison in it of four hundred Spaniards The other that he should press the assembly of the States of the League to declare the Infanta Queen of France Du maine promist him to move the Assembly about it and gave him hope that King Philip should be contented In January 1593. was the opening of the States of the League where the Duke of Feria extraordinary Embassador of Spain declared his Masters zeal for the defence of Religion desired them to chuse a Catholique King and to preserve unto the Infanta of Spain the right she had to the Crown of France Upon which that famous Arrest or sentence was given by the Parliament for the maintaining of the Salique Law And though afterwards the Spaniards proposed the marriage of the Infanta with the Duke of Guise or with Ernestus brother to the Emperour Rodolphus they were rebuked by the States as making a proposition contrary to the Salique Law When they prest againe that the Infanta should be acknowledged Queen with such a Prince as Philip should name within two months they were answered that when the States had chosen a Catholique Prince if he was not married they would consent that he should marry the Infanta But the hope which Henry gave at the same time to the party of the League that he would come to their Religion destroyed all these designes of the Spaniard and he was anointed King at Chartes in the beginning of the year 1594 and soon after entred into Paris whence the Duke of Feria departed with the Spanish Garrison The same year The Duke du Main having lost Paris and seeing the League falling to pieces went to Bruxelles and asked succour of Ernest of Austria Governour of the Country who sent Charles Count of Mansfeld into France Mansfeld takes la Capelle and returns into Flanders But Henry having laid the Siege to Laon Mansfeld returns and in vain endeavoureth to make him raise the siege The King takes Laon passeth to Cambray an Imperiall Town which Balagni held with the Title of Prince since the first voyage of the Duke of Alanson The King confirmeth that principality to him under the protection of France Towards the end of the year 1594. Henry having broken most part of the League declareth War to the Spaniard by the counsell of the Duke of Bovillon by reason of Philips open enmity against him and the assistance which he had given to the League and because he held from him La Fere and La Capelle That Declaration being made to the Archduke Ernest he answered that he would send word of it to King Philip and a delay of two months being granted War was proclaimed by a Herald The War begins The Duke of Bovillon hath ill successe in Lutzemburg King Henry passeth into Burgundy makes his entry into Dison notwithstanding the resistance of the Duke du Main and wins the battell of Fontaine Francoise in Burgundy against the Duke du Maine and the Constable of Castilia The Count of Fuentes takes from him Catelet Dourlans and Han and Cambray from Balagni Marshall d' Aumont opposeth the Spaniards in Britain into which they were let in by the Duke of Mercoeur Governour of Britain for the League who had delivered Blavet into their hands An. 1595. King Henry got his absolution from Pope Clement the VIII The Spaniards opposed it representing Henry to the Pope as relapsed and impenitent but Du Perron and d' Ossat since made Cardinalls overcame that party In the year 1596. Charles de Casaut and Lovis d' Aix Viguier of Marseille treat with the Spaniard to deliver the City into his hands But Peter Liberta kept it in the obedience of his Soverain Henry and killed Casaut with his own hand The same year Albert Cardinall of Austria Governour of Netherlands takes Calais and Ardres and Henry retakes la Fere. He makes alliance with Queen Elizabeth of England with the States of Holland and with the Princes of Germany In the year 1597. Ferdinand Teil a Spanish Captain surpriseth Amiens which suddenly is retaken by Henry Cardinal Albert in vain attempted to relieve it The year before the Cardinal of Medicis who since was Leo the XI being in France to procure the execution of the Articles promist by the King when he received his absolution from the Pope had been preparing his mind towards a peace with Philip the II. who seeing himself very old and drooping to the grave sought to leave his Dominions peaceable to his Son who was but weak in body and mind Henry also desired to give peace to his subjects tired and exhausted with continuall Wars forty yeares together So that Cardinall with the Generall of the Franciscans Bonaventure Calatagirona a Sicilian disposed both the parties to a Treaty The place was chosen for it at Vervins in February 1598. where a perpetuall peace was concluded between the two Crowns And the Treaty
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
by the Emperour made a Covenant with the King of Sueden for the defence of their common friends opprest the safety of the commerce upon the Sea the liberty of the States of the Empire The King of Sueden promist the assistance of his armes and his person and the King of France a million of livers per annum Hence followed the great victories of Gustavus till he was slaine at the battell of Lutzen in Novemb 1632. An. 1634. the Duke of Orleans leaveth Flanders and returnes to the King his brother III. Paragraphe From the Rupture of the peace till now These mutuall offences being accumulated in the end brake into open war It was declared by the French by a Herald in Flanders in May 1635. That declaration was grounded upon that old complaint that the Spaniard aspires to the universal Monarchy of Europe and to devoure all the Princes thereof and because the Spaniard vexed the confederates of France with wars but more particularly by reason of the imprisonment of the Archbishop of Treves who had put himselfe under the protection of King Lewis To all the complaints of the French the Spaniards have their answers and have enough on their part to complaine Howsoever this war hath produced many great exploits on both sides in Germany in Italy in Flanders in Spaine And though the fortune of war have alternative successes yet France had hitherto the advantage of that bloody game having stretcht her dominions beyond the Rhine united Lorraine to the French Crowne got many townes in Flanders and Artois Perpignan and the County of Roussillon and got a good footing in the Dutchy of Milan Besides Catalonia which hath submitted her self to the Soveraignty of France The greatest losse of the Spaniard is that of Portugal by the practices of France whereby the King of Spain hath lost Brasill and the East-Indies AN APPENDIX To the foregoing DISCOURSE Shewing the Dispute about the precedence at the Councell of Trent betweene the Embassadors of France and Spaine IT is certaine that before the formation of that great Colossus of the House of Austria about the year 1520. the Kings of France were acknowledged the first of Christendom next to the Emperours The pieces wherewith the greatnesse of Spain is made up are Provinces most of them feudatary of the Empire or of France or of the Pope all these lately gathered up But France is of an ancient entire and independent greatnesse The Embassadours of Charles the V. had the precedence every where before those of France because he was Emperour But in the year 1555. when he resigned that quality of Emperour to his Brother and his other qualities and states to his Son perceiving that his Son wanting the quality of Emperour could not keep that preheminence he used this artifice A little before his retirement from the world he recalled from Venice his Embassador Francisco de Vargas who being an Embassador of the Empire had a precedence before the French Embassador Then after the resignation of his States he sent the same Vargas to Venice again as Embassadour for himselfe and his Son joyntly although in effect Charles being devested of his dignities Vargas was Embassadour of his Son onely hoping thereby to deceive the Venetians and others by sending the same man Vargas demanded of the Senate of Venice the same precedence which he had before To which Dominique Bishop of Lodeva Embassadour of Henry the II of France made opposition representing to the Senate that Charles was no more considerable in the world that when the Embassadours of the Emperour Ferdinand should appear he would yield to them but that he would not yield to the Embassadour of Philip but in all occasions of audience ceremony visits and the like he would take the first place till the coming of the Imperial Embassadors The Senate fearing some ill issue of this dispute gave order that the two Embassadours should not present themselves at the ceremonies of the Feast of St Mark and so the matter remained undecided all the year 1557 by the irresolution of that Common-wealth and the simplicity of the French Embassadour But in the year 1558. Francis de Novailles Bishop of Acs having succeeded that of Lodeva renewed the dispute and the Embassadours of the Emperour Ferdinand being come he demanded to be maintained in his Rights and to have the first place after the Emperours Embassadour and couragiously took it before Vargas who seeing that the policy of Charles who dyed at the same time took no effect and that he was considered onely as Embassadour of Philip began to extoll his Masters greatness and number his States and Soveraignties which he possessed in farre greater number then the King of France Saying that these customs of honour and precedence must alter according to the time That his Master was the greatest King of the world farre more able to assist the Common-wealth with Arms Men and Money then the King of France The Bishop of Acs stoutly resisted him and obtained of the Senate an Order whereby the precedence was adjudged unto him above the Embassadour of Spain About which when the Spaniard expostulated very earnestly it was answered him that the Common-wealth would not undertake to examine the greatnesse of their Majesties but that they found in their Records that in all Acts both publique and private Ceremonies Visits and Audiences the Embassadours of France had preceded those of Spain and to that received custome they would keep This answer offended Philip who upon that called back his Embassadour But Micael Surriano the Venetian Embassadour in his Court defended the decree of the Senate of Venice and in some sort mitigated the displeasure of Philip who yet in all occasions renued that dispute His greatest effort was four years after in the Councill of Trent To understand the right of precedences of Ambassadours we must know that in the Councill there was three sorts of Assemblies particular Congregations generall Congregations and Sessions In the private Congregations the Doctors assisted with some Bishops examined the questions of Faith and Reformation and there no Ceremony of precedence was heeded In the general Congregation all the Prelates assembled the Legats were Presidents every one kept his place of honour It was a publique action where questions were resolved the Legates propounded that which was to be examined in the particular Congregations every Prelate had right to speak and to vote Embassadors of Princes had audience after their Commission was examined and that which was to be promulgated in the following Session was there concluded Embassadors kept their place there according to their rank The Session was the solemne day upon which after a Mass of the Holy Ghost and a Sermon of a Prelate or some eminent man upon the matter in question the Prelate officiating pronounced with a loud voyce the Decrees resolved which the Father 's approved with a Placet In these Sessions Embassadors had also their place of honour and at the Mass
Shortly after the Cardinal of Lorrain retired to Rome and Ferrier declaimed in a general Congregation against abuses and disorders crept into the Church and spared no body The Pope was much displeased at it and to allay that heat sent the Cardinal of Lorrain to Rome with full authority to regulate all with the Legats He was present at the 24th Session held November 11. 1563. which is of the Sacrament of marriage And having received order from France to return without delay with all the French Bishops the Legates hasted to make an end of the Councel and held the 25th Session which was the last upon the 3d. and 4th of December in which Session as in the precedent the Ambassadours kept their place Luna sate by the Secretary of the Councel In the publique Masses neither Pax nor Censer was used So the Council of Trent ended the 4th of Decem. 15 63. the Cardinal Moron at that time the first President giving his blessing to the Fathers told them Post gratias Deo actas Reverendissimi Patres Ite in pace And all answered Amen But because it was the custom at the end of the Council to make acclamations to bless the Popes that had assembled it the Fathers that had held it and the Princes that had assisted it and protected the Church the Cardinall of Lorrain took himself the care to make them and to pronounce them also Which he was blamed for as taking upon him that care which less becoming his Eminency and more fitting for Deacons Promotors Secretaries and Masters of Ceremonies Especially he was blamed because in the acclamation made for the secular Princes he forgot to name expresly the King of France which had been observed in the Bull of the Indiction as we said before and the omission whereof in the calling again of the Council by Pius the IV had caused so much discontent and expostulation Of this the Cardinal could not be ignorant nor pretend forgetfullnesse since those acclamations were meditated and written down There was two acclamations the first for the memory of the dead in which the Cardinal forgot to expresse the names of Francis the I. and Henry the II who had contributed their care and their zeal for the good of the Council The second was for the Princes living where he forgat Charles the IX who had sent his Ambassadours his Bishops to Trent So he forgot both the dead and the living That omission was objected to the Cardinal in the Kings Councel He excused himself upon the fear he had to make a division between the two Crowns King Charles being yet in minority in danger of a civil War and of the disorder which Germany was fallen into upon the quarrell of Religion Whereby the King might have need of Philip whom therefore he would not provoke or incense against France Thus that weakness which the Cardinal and the French Ambassadours shewed in the Congregations Sessions and Acclamations having not with vigour enough defended the right of their Masters was defended by them with plausible reasons but in effect they opened the gate to the pretences which the Spaniards form at every meeting of publique Assemblies Processions and Ceremonies against the French Ambassadours who hitherto have stoutly defended their right At least they have kept the two essential points of precedence which are first never to have left their place either second when the Ambassadours of the Pope and the Emperour were present or first when they were absent The other never to have suffered or done any action which may be interpreted to give an equality to the Spaniard with them As for the order of sitting which should oblige the Spaniard to sit under the French one can not take him by the hand to bring him to an Assembly when he pretends sicknesse or businesse But if he appear in a publique meeting the French suffers him not to use any action either of preference or equality Since the Councell of Trent the most famous meeting of the two Kings in the persons of their Ambassadours or rather the only was that of Vervins an 1598. where the French had the precedence as we shewed before FINIS
made Governour instead of Lude he delivered it basely to the Spaniards for which he was degraded of Nobility With this the French lost all Navarra and never came into it since For Milan Francis having given the Government of it to the Constable Charles de Bourbon he removed him and gave it to Lautree of the house of Foix a great Captain in the field but an ill Politician in a State Hee so misused the people of Milan both by himself and by his brother the Marshall de Lescun and together was so ill assisted with money from the Court that the Emperour had an easie entry into the Country Milan is taken and plundered by the league of the Pope and the Emperour and the French expelled out of the Dutchy At which they say that the Pope died for joy an 1621. Soon after the battell of la Bicoque was fought which the Freneh lost by the stubbornesse of the Switzers Lautree being returnd into France the Admiral de Bonnivet was sent to Milan where hee did no better and was forced to forsake all In that retreat Chevalier Bayard was killed an 1523. These prosperities of the Emperour were much helpt by the revolt of the Constable of Bourbon 1522 who was incensed by the little account that Francis made of him the incroaching of the Duke of Alanson and the Marshall of Bonivet upon his Office of Constable by the Kings favour the hatred of Lovise the Kings mother and the Chancellour du Prat against him and the small justice which hee expected in a suit which concerned almost his whole Estate Being turned to the Emperours party he helped him to conquer Milan and to give the chase to the Admiral of Bonivet past into Provence with the Imperiall Army besieged Marseille where he is repulsed by Renso de Cera a Roman Baron and Philip de Chabot that kept it for the King He repasseth the Alpes and the King after him who comming to Milan recovereth presently the whole Dutchy Pavia only accepted While Francis is besieging Pavia defended by Antonio de Leva Charles de Bourbon brings Troops out of Germany to relieve it The battell of Pavia is fought where the victory being already on the Kings side he would follow in person the Enemy which was retiring and had no sooner overtaken them but hee was taken by them an 1524. upon Saint Mathias day Francis having been kept a while in the Castle of Pissigitun is carried into Spain and there kept Prisoner His Kingdom labours for his deliverance for peace This brought forth the Treaty of Madrid an 1525 where Gatinara Chancellour to the Emperour and John de Selva first President of Paris who were the two learned among the Deputies disputed at severall times the rights of their Masters Selva claimed Naples Navarra and the Soverainties of Flanders and Artois Gatinara claimed the Dutchy of Burgundy and the Dutchy of Milan which the Emperour then possest In the end the Treaty of Madrid was made where among other things it was concluded Febr. 14.1525 1. That within the 20. day of the month of June next the King will put the Dutchy of Burgundy into the Emperours hands with all the appurtenances and dependances thereof and all that he holds of the Franch County 2 That he shall renounce the Soveraignty of that Dutchy and County and of the Counties of Flanders and Artois 3. That he shall renounce all his claim to the Kingdom of Naples the Dutchy of Milan Genoa Ast Doway L' Isle Tournay and Hesdin 4. That the King with all his power shal procure that Henry d' Albret forsake his claim to Navarra in the Emperours behalf or if Henry refuse it that the King shall not assist him with his forces 5. That the Emperour shall likewise disclaim all his right to the Counties of Ponthieu Bullen and Guines and to the Townes of Montdidier Roye Peronne and other Towns and Lordships of Picardy Paragraphe IV. From the Treaty of Madrid to that of Cambray That period containes but four or five years in which many considerable things did happen 1. The King is delivered out of prison giving his two Sons for Ostages the Dolphin Francis and Henry Duke of Orleans goeth to Bayonne and Bordeaux stayeth at Angoulesme and Cognac accompanied with Charles de Lanoy Viceroy of Naples to be present at the execution of the Treaty But that Viceroy saw in short time three actions repugnant unto it 1. The first that the King having caused the Articles to be read in presence of the States of his Kingdom they told him that they were unjust contrary to the fundamentall Lawes of the State and that he was not obliged to observe them although the King did protest of his willingnesse to see them observed Two things made these Articles unjust 1. The right of Nations whereby all Treaties made by one kept in prison are accounted void as extorted by violence 2. The fundamentall Lawes of the State by which the King is alwayes a Minor as for the alienation of the royal patrimony The second opposition to the Treaty in the presence of the Viceroy of Naples was that the Deputies of the Dutchy of Burgundy protested before the King that he could not alienate them without their consent and refused to submit themselves to the Emperour The third That he saw a league made at Cognac for the expelling of the Emperour out of Italy The Emperour having made himselfe formidable to all Princes to the Italians especially and going about to devest Francesco Sforza from Milan which he had conferred upon him after the battel of Pavia the Pope Clement the VII King Francis the Venetians the Switzers the Florentines make a league which was called the Sacred league to deliver Italy from oppression without naming the Emperour who also in a scorn was invited to make one in it upon condition that he should restore the two Sons of France suffer the Duke Sforza to live in peace and give over the siege of the Castle of Milan By that league the War was to be maintained with common charges And because the Italian Princes might be afraid of the power of the French in Italy no lesse then of that of the Emperour King Francis was to renounce his right to the Dutchy of Milan in favour of Sforza for a pension which should be arbitrated by the Pope and the Venetians not under fifty thousand Ducats That the County of Ast should remaine to the King with the Soveraignty of Genoa under the Government of Antonio d' Adornat with the title of Duke if he would subscribe to that league The Kingdom of Naples was to be put into the Popes hands he paying for it sixty thousand Ducats of yearly pension That league was publisht and proclaimed at Cognac in presence of Lanoy to whom the King made excuses for the inexecution of the Treaty of Madrid shewing how he was disabled and declared Minor by the State 3. Lanoy being returned into Spain