Calendar of State Papers and Manuscripts in the Archives and Collections of Milan 1385-1618. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1912.
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'Milan: 1468', in Calendar of State Papers and Manuscripts in the Archives and Collections of Milan 1385-1618, (London, 1912) pp. 122-128. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/milan/1385-1618/pp122-128 [accessed 23 April 2024]
1468
| 1468. Feb. 14. Potenze Estere. Francia. Milan Archives. |
157. Giovanni Pietro Panicharola, Milanese Ambassador in France, to Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan. In England the country is in arms. The Earl of Warwick has drawn over a brother of the king against the king himself. They have not yet come to open hostilities, but are treating for an accommodation. The Earl of Warwick has sent word here. With things in this state his Majesty, for the present, has no need for any anxiety from the English. Tours, the 14th February, 1468. [Italian.] |
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| April 18. Potenze Estere. Borgogna. Milan Archives. |
158. From a letter of Thomaso Portt, dated at Bruges, the 18th April, 1468. When I was returning here from the Court I met on the way the person who was sent to England on the matter of the dispensation of the marriage. From him and also by letters thence I learned how, by the counsel of the king, it had been concluded, that the dispensation is not good, and the legate who is in England for the pope, who the first day had to say that it was in good form and that he would dispense as he had orders from the pope to do, had since changed his mind and spoken as if the matter was doubtful to him. Accordingly the king has written to the Duke here that he wishes to have it examined by his Council and they will act according to its finding. And whereas the marriage was to take place the 4th of May and Madame was to be there some days before, the king asks that the day may be postponed until the 8th June. He was going with this news to find the duke and I have not yet heard how his lordship received it. I fear much that he was greatly enraged, as much because it will seem to him a thing which proceeds from intrigue as on account of the great trouble and expense he has had to incur. You shall be advised of what ensues. [Italian.] |
| April 21. Potenze Estere. Roma. Milan Archives. |
159. Lorenzo de Pisauro, Milanese Ambassador at the Papal Court, to Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan. I have offered assistance to Master Olivero, ambassador of the King of France, to prevent the dispensation between the Duke of Burgundy and the King of England from being accorded. I also offered, if my efforts did not suffice, to bring in the other ambassadors of our most serene league. I afterwards showed the letter which your highness wrote to me, expressing the desire that the Savorini should be excepted, so that if they should in any way molest or disturb the King of France your lordship desired to be able to help him. Besides the ambassador, I also gave Rouen and Albrense to understand the same (fn. 1). Rome, the 21st April, 1468. [Italian.] |
| June 16. |
160. Giovanni Pietro Panicharolla, Milanese Ambassador at the French Court, to Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan (fn. 2). The betrothal of the sister of the King of England to the Duke of Burgundy has been settled, but not carried into effect. The espousals have recently been postponed until the 24th inst., as the dowry, to be derived from a tax on the towns of the kingdom, has not yet been paid. The king is a poor man, nor can he, save with difficulty and time, raise any large sum, especially as he has of late laid another tax on the lords, barons and towns of the kingdom, for the maintenance of the forces now being raised against France, which could not be kept on foot otherwise. So it is suspected that the marriage will again be deferred, in which case, it will perhaps never take place. Should the said duke have a conference with King Louis, that king will do his utmost to break this family connection; such being his Majesty's intention. The Admiral of France, having recently captured two English ships laden with spices and merchandise on their homeward voyage from the Levant, was attacked by a sea captain in the service of the King of Spain, who captured him and took the said ships. When the Frenchman demanded release, as the King of France was not at war with Spain, the Spaniards told him not to think of it, as he would do this and worse, if in his power, reminding him of the reprisals granted against the Spaniards, and of their property which had been taken by the French. On this account it is suspected that the Spaniards have an understanding with the English, and that together they mean to fit oue a combined fleet against this kingdom. In this case it will bt requisite to form fresh plans, but as yet there is no further certainty of this. Ex Castro Bri-Conte Robech prope Parisiis, the 16th June, 1468. [Italian.] |
| June 20. Potenze Estere. Francia. Milan Archives. |
161. Giovanni Pietro Panicharola, Milanese Ambassador in France, to Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan. The ambassador of the King of Scotland, who is here, is making attempts to marry his master to a daughter of King Fernando, and has spoken about it to his Majesty's ambassador here, but that ambassador has made overtures for the eldest son of the constable here, whose influence would be very useful to that king. Paris, the 20th June, 1468. [Italian.] |
| July 2. Potenze Estere. Francia. Milan Archives. |
162. Giovanni Pietro Panicharolla, Milanese Ambassador at the French Court, to Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan. At Bruges the Lord of Burgundy caused the greatest preparations to be made, and the tribunals were already set up for his marriage with the sister of King Edward, which he meant to perform and consummate immediately, devoting all his care and diligence to this. And because he is informed of what more and more people know, to wit that his future consort in the past has been somewhat devoted to love affairs (fn. 3), indeed in the opinion of many she even has a son, he has issued a public edict and ordinance, that no one in his country, in the presence of his lordship or elsewhere in private or public shall be so bold as to make mention or speak of such a thing, under pain of being thrown into the river forthwith, when he is found in such error (et perche he informato de quello che piu et piu gente sanno, cioe che essa soa futura consorte per el passato he stata alquanto data a l'amore, ymo secondo l'opinione di molti ha auto uno fiolo, ha facto publico edicto et ordinatione, che in el paese suo persona, non ardisca al conspecto de soa Signoria ne in altra parte privata o publica far mentione ne parlare di tal cosa, sotto pena di essere gittato in la rivera statim como in tal errore sara trovato). My Lord of Pembroke, brother of the deposed King Henry of England, with some armed ships has entered the country of Wales, which has always been well affected towards him, and in large part up to the present, always submissive. There is news that when he entered he had some 4,000 English put to death, and he is devoting himself to gathering as many of his partisans there as he can, in order to set himself forward. To this effect it is argued that the deposed queen, consort of the said King Henry and sister of Duke John, who is at present in Lorraine, should soon come here to demand succour of this king for that design. It is said that the king here has quite 200 armed ships at sea at present, but they are so so, as if they were all big, it would be a very great fleet. Meaux, the 2nd July, 1468. [Italian.] |
| Aug. 31. Potenze Estere. Francia. Milan Archives. |
163. Giovanni Pietro Panicharolla, Milanese Ambassador at the French Court, to Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan. Two days ago an embassy of the English arrived here. Yesterday they went to the king, and, from what I hear, they have come to negotiate a truce with his Majesty and say that they are content to have an understanding and friendship together, and also to treat about the marriage of that sovereign's second daughter, although they say she is somewhat deformed in person, chiefly in one shoulder, to King Edward's brother. The origin of this is that the king here, by indirect ways, has succeeded in getting these proposals brought forward, so that he may not have so many enemies to meet, so that they might have reason to consent to the truce, and not send 6,000 archers to Britanny to help the duke there, as they proposed to do. This idea has been revived, and so far as can be gathered, the French King in his own interests, wishes to attend to the truce, but he will dissimulate about the marriage alliance until he sees how things are going. Senlis, the last day of August, 1468. [Italian.] |
| Sept. 15. Potenze Estere. Francia. Milan Archives. |
164. Gio. Pietro Panicharolla, Milanese Ambassador in France, to Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan. The King of Scotland, according to recent advices, has married the daughter of the King of Denmark, and united together at the instance of the latter sovereign they have made a great fleet with all their adherents with which they are inflicting great loss upon the English at sea. They also entered a district belonging to the Duke of Burgundy on the frontier, making war on it. The English ambassadors, one of whom is the Archbishop of Canterbury, are not yet despatched and are here. Senlis, the 15th September, 1468. [Italian.] |
| Oct. 1. Potenze Estere. Francia. Milan Archives. |
165. Gio. Pietro Panicharolla, Milanese Ambassador in France, to Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan. The English ambassadors, after receiving presents of numerous silver vessels, have returned home without effecting anything for which they came. They were content to make a long truce and have an understanding with the king here. His Majesty refused them certain lands of this realm of importance which they claimed and upon which they pretend to have rights, to which he would not agree; and so they went back re infecta. The negotiations I wrote of having ceased, his Majesty now gives out that he means to help the old queen of England, sister of Duke John, and favour her in that enterprise as much as possible. However, so far I hear of nothing actual being done; we shall see when Duke John comes. Paris, the 1st October, 1468. [Italian.] |
| Oct. 15. Potenze Estere. Francia. Milan Archives. |
166. Gio. Pietro Panicharolla, Milanese Ambassador in France, to Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan. Some ships and foists which the king kept at sea armed against the English have returned and are mostly dismantled, chiefly because of the approach of winter. There is no news worth writing about from England. Paris, the 15th October, 1468. [Italian.] |
| Nov. 7. Potenze Estere. Francia. Milan Archives. |
167. Zannonus Coyrus to Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan. From an extract from a letter of Thomas Portinaro, dated at Bruges the 24th ult., your Excellency will understand why the king is staying in those parts, and how the King of England does not wish to be included in that peace. The Duke of Burgundy, however, remains tied and bound by all the articles he has with the same King of England. By what I hear from every one here, this is contrary to all arrangements and understandings with the realm of France, as no one who is attached or allied to France can or ought to be allied or friendly to England. I do not know how these things can be reconciled; he seems to be trying to put two feet into one shoe. The King of England is certainly preparing a very large fleet at sea and forces on land. Besides other things, having recently found four Genoese galleys in port he had them unloaded and armed. He does the same with all the ships he can find. They also say he is arming other ships of the Genoese, which have arrived in his waters for no other purpose than to make war on the French. I cannot believe that God will countenance the plots and schemes of that man. Lyons, the 7th November, 1468. [Italian.] |
| Nov. 28. Potenze Estere. Francia. Milan Archives. |
168. Sforza di Bettini of Florence, Milanese Ambassador at the French Court, to Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan. By a letter I wrote on the 6th inst. your Excellency will have learned how his Majesty had advice that the English had landed in his country of Languedoc and were warring against it, and how his Majesty had sent a part of his men at arms thither. Since then the matter slept until three days ago, as no news came and it was thought that the English must have returned to their country. But now quite recently his Majesty has advices that the English are scouring the sea and landing first in one place and then in another, inflicting great losses on his Majesty's country, and do not stop in one place alone, to do anything considerable by their forces. His Majesty has also heard that his brother, the Duke of Berri, making a show of a true understanding, peace and union with his Majesty, owing to the agreement made these last days between his Majesty and the Duke of Berri and the Duke of Britanny, has written and sent to certain lords and people of his Majesty in Normandy, that they ought to provide as many men as possible to send with him for the measures to be taken against the English, for the defence of the affairs of his said Majesty. The king has not taken this in good part, as he suspects a trick, and that this Duke of Berri has some understanding with the English, and that under the pretence of wanting to go against the English in defence of his Majesty's affairs, he intends to collect his Majesty's forces, and then put himself on the side of the English and act against his Majesty, who, by no means, trusts his said brother or the Duke of Britanny, especially as Duke John and the ambassadors of the Dukes of Berri and Brittany have returned home without having been able to conclude and seal their agreement with his Majesty, but even without audience and without the slightest satisfaction. His Majesty believes that they are all filled with wrath and indignation, and if they saw a good chance of dealing a shrewd blow at him, no matter in what way, they would not hesitate to seize it, and as their plan by means of the Duke of Burgundy did not succeed, they would try this other way. However, his Majesty pretends to take them for true and loving friends, and so no doubt he will if they do not fail on their side, but he does not on any account wish his own people to follow in the train of the Duke of Berri. It is thought that his Majesty, without staying long at Amboise with the queen, will go straight to Normandy, to establish thoroughly the agreement with the Dukes of Berri and Britanny, and make the necessary arrangements for expelling the English. It is thought, however, that if the Duke of Berri really has an understanding with the English, he was led to take this course in the belief that his Majesty would not depart from his post or leave the Duke of Burgundy so soon as he has done, and because he thought it would be an excellent thing and the right time to lock the door on the king and shut him out; but on learning afterwards that his Majesty had returned to France with a real understanding and friendship with the Duke of Burgundy, it is thought that all these projects will end in smoke, and the English will return home, while the Dukes of Berri and Britanny will be glad for his Majesty to receive them into favour. Orleans, the 28th November, 1468. [Italian.] |