Spain: November 1543 | British History Online

Calendar of State Papers, Spain, Volume 6 Part 2, 1542-1543. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1895.

'Spain: November 1543', in Calendar of State Papers, Spain, Volume 6 Part 2, 1542-1543, (London, 1895) pp. 517-526. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/spain/vol6/no2/pp517-526 [accessed 25 April 2024]

November 1543, 1-30



4 Nov.	254. Eustace Chapuys to the Emperor.
Wien, Imp. Arch. Corresp. Engl., 11.	"Sire,'—On the 28th ult. I received Your Imperial Majesty's letter of the 22nd of the same month, together with that addressed to this king, (fn. n1) and other documents therein referred to. Not finding myself in a condition to repair to Court I immediately sent my man thither for the sake of delivering the same into the King's hands, which he did, the King being so much pleased at the confidence and trust which Your Majesty continues to show him, by thus freely and openly communicating to him all Your projects and plans, that nothing more could be desired of him, Indeed, he finds the duke of Orleans' practices and deeds to be (as he says) most execrable and of the worst kind, sharing completely Your Imperial Majesty's opinion respecting that duke, namely, that sooner or later God will punish him for his multifarious misdeeds.
	Since then, on the 30th, this king sent me Your Imperial Majesty's letter of the 25th ult., which, after perusal, I forwarded to the Privy Council for the King's personal inspection. This I did in order to show still greater confidence, and at the same time that the King and his privy councillors should take cognizance of the remonstrances therein contained respecting the daily pay of the men serving on that side of the Channel, and hear also what he himself or privy councillors had to say on other military matters.
	Without touching, however, on any other of the points of Your Majesty's letter to me, the privy councillors sent me word that I ought not to wonder at the King, their master, insisting so much on his refusal to give the foreigners in his service the amount of salary stipulated by the treaty, inasmuch as the period mentioned in that document was ready to expire, and that the promises made to Mons. de Chantonnay were conditional, their message to me intimating "that the King, their master, in case of a battle with king Francis would like to have on the other side of the Channel a large body of men of his own, whatever the expense might be." These or similar words, the councillors alleged, sprang naturally from the great personal affection which the King, their master, bore Your Majesty; I was not to take them as obligatory engagements. Yet in the end they have sent me word that, after reconsidering the matter, the King is about to send to his ambassadors at Your Imperial Majesty's court instructions to answer the application in a most satisfactory manner, and in such terms that Your Imperial Majesty will be fully convinced of his desire to be friendly and useful.
	The King has been exceedingly pleased at the good reception the earl of Surrey has met with at the Imperial camp. Indeed, his father, the Duke, is so grateful at this show of kindness on Your Imperial Majesty's part that he has been heard to say in public that nothing would be so agreeable to him as to find an opportunity of risking his person, his family, and his property for Your Majesty's service. (fn. n2)
	The gentleman from Scotland who was here (fn. n3) has gone away with a present of 400 crs. from this king, but the ambassadors expected from that country have not yet made their appearance —London, 4 Nov. 1543.
	Signed: "Eustace Chapuys."
	Indorsed: "From the ambassador in England. Received at Cambray the 14th of Nov."
	French. Original. pp. 2.
4 Nov.	255. Eustace Chapuys to the Queen of Hungary.
Wien, Imp. Arch. Corresp. Engl., 11.	"Madame,"—Your Majesty will find herein enclosed a letter of mine for the Emperor, giving him, as my duty is, the news of this country, and at the same time forwarding a letter from this king in answer to his of the 25th ult. In that letter, as Your Majesty will see, is a paragraph relating exclusively to the daily pay of the auxiliary force this king has actually sent across the Channel. The point is still unsettled and in the hands of the privy councillors, who, notwithstanding the remonstrances on my part, do not seem inclined to decide it in an equitable manner. As soon as I get their final resolution in writing, I shall not fail to inform Your Majesty.—London, 4 November 1543.
	Signed: "Eustace Chapuys."
	French. Original. pp. 1½.
8 Nov.	256. Charles V. to Henry VIII., King of England.
Wien, Imp. Arch. Corresp. Engl., 9.	"Most high, &c,"—As We firmly believe that you will feel a singular pleasure at hearing news of Our prosperous march against the common enemy—of which We have no doubt you have already been informed by your own people, doing good service in this army—We have, nevertheless, considered it Our duty to advise you in detail of what has been done, as the perfect and indissoluble friendship existing between Us demands. To that end We expressly send to you the sieur de Herbois, (fn. n4) gentleman of Our chamber, to whose words We beg you to attach faith and credit. Begging you to let Us also know personal news of you, and of the Queen, Our good sister, We remain, &c.
	French. Original draft. p. ½.
8 Nov.	257. The Same to Eustace Chapuys.
Wien, Imp. Arch. Corresp. Engl., 9.	"Venerable, chier et feal,"—We are now sending to England Our good brother, the sieur de Herbois, gentleman of Our Chamber, to declare unto the King Our victorious march against the common enemy and their shameful flight. That you may be better acquainted with the facts, We enclose copy of two letters which on the day before yesterday We wrote to Our sister, the Queen. The sieur d'Herbois has likewise received orders to visit first the Queen and ask her what he (the envoy) is to answer the king of England when interrogated on the subject of the fleet, and what she has done towards sending the war ships of the Low Countries to join the English fleet.—Ligny, 8 Nov. 1543.
	French. Original draft. p. 1.
9 Nov.	258. Eustace Chapuys to the Prince of Spain.
Wien, Imp. Arch. Corresp. Engl., 11.	Your Highness' letter of the 25th of August, (fn. n5) with the duplicate of that of the 10th September, came duly to hand, and along with them so grateful a mention and acknowledgement of my humble, poor, and insignificant services in this country that I cannot do less than most humbly kiss Your Majesty's feet for it. I beg to be pardoned for not having answered both letters sooner, and reported on the news from Flanders, as well as from this country, as I might otherwise have done; but I could not do this, for there was then no trusty messenger, and now it is too late, as Your Highness must be sufficiently informed of the events in Flanders and the adjoining countries. Such being the case, as I have no doubt it is, I shall be brief; the more so that the bearer of this letter is in great haste, and ready to take his departure, whereas I myself am still suffering from my last attack of gout.
	This king and his privy councillors were glad to hear of the good order and provision which Your Highness had caused to be made on the frontiers of Spain to mar the enemy's designs and prevent him from attacking us, which they certainly will not do if they know that we are fully prepared to meet them everywhere.
	The King was also delighted to hear of Don Alvaro de Bazan's signal victory over the enemy's fleet. (fn. n6) The news came very à propos, and in good time to satisfy him and the members of his Privy Council, who somewhat complained of the Emperor, who, they said, had not yet armed the stipulated number of vessels (naos) with sufficient crews to attack the enemy with success.
	The Princess also has been glad to hear of the affectionate regard which Your Highness entertains for her. She has commanded me to return Your Highness' compliments and commendations.
	I beg Your Highness to pardon me if in my last despatch I forgot to allude to Mr. de Xantonay's (Chantonnay's) mission; it was no fault of mine, but of my clerk (escribano), who in transcribing the letter passed over the passage. Mr. de Xantonay on his first visit to this country came solely for the purpose of informing this king of the forces which the Emperor had sent to Germany and Italy, and at the same time ascertain whether this king would be ready and willing to undertake the invasion of France according to the stipulation in the treaty. This was then the exclusive object of Mr. de Xantonay's mission, to which the King answered that it was too late for such an undertaking on a large scale, but that if he himself could in any way worry and molest the enemy he would willingly do it. Mr. de Xantonay (fn. n7) came here a second time to inform the King of the conquest of the duchy of Ghelders, as well as of the treaty subsequently concluded with the duke of Clèves, at which the King showed great satisfaction, immediately sending a gentleman of his Privy Chamber to congratulate the Emperor on his good success.
	The news of this country is that the cardinal of Scotland has lately found means of depriving the governor of the kingdom of his office, and placing the administration of affairs in the handy of the Queen and his own. Soon after that, however, the Cardinal, hearing that the King was preparing to invade Scotland at the head of a powerful force, thought better of it, and, having withdrawn from Court, returned to one of his benefices. Meanwhile a good number of Scotch lairds and knights declared openly in favor of this king, at the same time that certain English on the borders made a raid, penetrated far into Scotland, and made great havoc in the estates and lands of the lairds and noblemen of the opposite faction hostile to the King's views. Matters being in this state, news has come that seven French ships, having on board the patriarch of Aquileia (fn. n8) and the captain of the Scotch bodyguard of king Francis, with 500 infantry, 50,000 ducats, 10,000 spears (picas), 4,000 halberds (halabardas), a good many hackbuts, besides plenty of ammunition, has arrived on that coast, and it is reported that the Patriarch intends assembling the States, and will try to persuade them not to fulfil the contract entered into with this kingdom, Parliament granting them complete absolution from their oath. Notwithstanding all these obstacles this king perseveres in his plans, firmly believing that he will at the end be able to overcome them, and that whatever turn the affairs of Scotland take, he himself will not be prevented from joining in an invasion of France.
	The French have requested this Most Serene Majesty to permit that between fishermen of both nations there be peace and friendship, on the plea that it is of importance to both countries. This king, however, has not only refused to comply with the French king's request, but has fitted out a number of fast sailing vessels to destroy and sink the multitude of small craft which the French have for that purpose. The King expects that the same thing will be done in France.
	The ambassadors of Scotland are daily expected here. Should their mission be of importance Your Highness shall be informed of it as soon as possible.—London, 9 Nov. 1543.
	Signed: "Eustace Chapuys."
	Addressed: "To the Prince."
	Spanish. Original. pp. 3.
17 Nov.	259. The Emperor Charles V. to King Henry.
Wien, Imp. Arch. Corresp. Engl., 9.	"Tres hault et tres excellent, et tres puissant prince, mon tres cher et tres aime bon frere et cousin, &c.,"—As my cousin, the count of Sorey (earl of Surrey), is returning home, We shall be relieved from the necessity of writing a longer letter, since he himself will be able to tell you the occurrences of these parts. We will only add that he (the Earl) has afforded Us and Our men in the field good testimony of whose son he is, and will not be in fault in imitating the Duke [his father] and his ancestors, with such natural dexterity and gentle heart that there has been no necessity of teaching him anything, and that you will not give him orders that he does not know how to execute.—Valenciennes, 17 Nov. 1543.
	Addressed: "To the king of England."
	French. Original draft. p. 1.
19 Nov.	260. The Emperor to Eustace Chapuys.
Wien, Imp. Arch. Corresp. Engl., 9.	"Venerable, chier et feal,"—According to a letter received yesterday from Mr. de Grantvelle (sic) announcing to Us a visit from Our cousin, the duke of Lorraine, (fn. n9) the latter arrived here on the same day, about the hour of dinner. The object of the Duke's visit, as he himself informed Us, was that having, as a prince of the Empire and an affectionate servant of Ours, applied for and obtained permission to call and present his respects, he had undertaken the journey to come to Us. That since the occasion was at hand, and considering the evils and troubles likely to afflict Christendom (fn. n10) were this war between the king of France and Us to continue longer, and the Turk, who was daily gaining ground and becoming stronger, to invade Europe suddenly, and together with the differences in religious matters cause universal perdition in Christendom, be (the Duke) had determined to visit Us and see whether means could not be found to avert the impending evil. He (the Duke) was perhaps nearer to the danger than any other prince in Christendom, and as he had long known Us to be a prince always ready to listen to those inclined to peace, he had taken upon himself the charge of ascertaining how far We Ourselves felt inclined to listen to proposals which might be made with regard to that peace. That he therefore begged and entreated Us to lend Our ear, and look to the means of ensuring and effecting that desirable peace, stopping the effusion of blood, and averting the dangers which threatened Christendom on the side of the Turk, all the time protesting and taking God to witness that what he had just said sprung solely from his own individual desire of averting the dangers of which he had spoken, and encouraged by the great affection We had always shown for the benefits of peace, and not in any way moved by the king of France or any other prince, from whom (he said) he had received no charge whatever.
	Our answer to the Duke was thus conceived: We told him that he and the rest of the princes in Christendom knew very well how desirous We had always been of ensuring, observing, and keeping peace, and how We had recommenced war many a time (even nowadays) for the sole and exclusive purpose of ensuring a lasting peace; how frequently We had been baffled in Our attempts at conciliation, having never found in king Francis' promises and oaths that security which is so desirable and necessary in matters of that sort. King Francis (We said) had invariably broken his oaths, and, therefore, We could not at the present time discover any sign of his words and professions being more sincere than they have been hitherto. As to the troubles by which Christendom is now afflicted, and the Turk's threatened invasion, We Ourselves are in nowise responsible for them, for it is notorious everywhere that everything in Our power has been done to stop the former. It is no fault of Ours, but of other parties, whom the Duke knows well, who have promoted and still promote these troubles and invited the Turk to Europe.
	The Duke thereupon replied that what he had said came exclusively from himself, out of his affection and love of peace, not at anyone's instigation, and that if We gave him permission to repair to the Court of France and ascertain what the King's ideas and intentions were as to that, he would go thither and try what he could do. Our answer was that there was no necessity whatever for that; since he said that his visit was a voluntary act of his own, not a commission or charge from another prince, We could in nowise grant him the permission he asked for, or in any way countenance his visit to the Court of France, and, moreover, that We could not and would not honestly and dutifully treat of peace without the consent and approval of the king of England and other allies and friends of Ours.
	After this the conversation turned on other topics, without one more word being said on the subject. Since then We hear the Duke has spoken in the very same terms to the Queen, Madame Our sister, without adding or retrenching any word from the conversation he held with Us. He has, likewise, spoken with Mr. de Granvelle, who invited the sieur de Bryant to be present at the interview, the Duke having made the very same declaration in that ambassador's presence. Lastly, when the earl of Sorey came to take leave to return home, We Ourselves told him verbally what the Duke's errand had been and how We had answered his application.
	The Duke returned again in the evening of the same day, and said by way of preamble to his speech (avec preambule) that he hoped We would take in good part his having made the first overtures for the peace, in order to show to the World how fond and affectionate of peace he himself had been and was, and what urgent necessity there was of it, and offering again to return to his estate through France, provided We consented to point out to him some way or other of putting an end to the present war, or let him know, at least, whether We were inclined or not to listen to proposals. Our answer was in conformity with what We had said to him on the previous day, that We declined altogether to propose means, or make overtures of any sort respecting peace, nor would We, as far as We Ourselves were concerned, encourage or give him a pretext, much less authorize him to go back to the French king on such an errand, especially having received information that the French were publishing that it was at Our own request that the Duke had come to Our camp.
	After this declaration on Our part, which We have since renewed whenever the Duke has called, We have nothing to add on the subject save say that as long as the latter remains in Our camp We will insist on Our purpose, so that when he leaves to return home he takes no other answer to his overtures than the one We made on the first instance, and if We can to-morrow leave this place where We are encamped and go elsewhere, (fn. n11) that will be an honest and decent excuse for Our getting rid of this Duke and making him return home.—Valenciennes, 19 Nov. 1543.
24 Nov.	261. King Henry VIII. to the Emperor.
Wien, Imp. Arch. Hoz., Corresp. Engl.	"Tres hault, tres excellent, et tres puissant prince, Our very dear good brother and cousin, &c.,"—Whereas We some time ago sent towards you Our trusty and well-beloved councillor, Messire Briant (sic), knight and gentleman of Our Chamber, that he might communicate certain particulars respecting the continuation of Our mutual friendship, and to reside near your person and in your camp, as long as you yourself are in the field, and We now hear that after the enemy's retreat and flight you intend giving your army some repose, as the season of the year requires, We have deemed it opportune and fitting to recall from your court and camp the abovementioned Mons. de Briant, as well as Our trusty and well-beloved councillor, the bishop of London, in order to employ them in various other matters of Our service in this kingdom. We therefore request and beg you, most high, moat powerful, and most excellent prince, Our good brother and cousin, to grant to them both leave to withdraw from your court and come over to Us; instead of whom, and to replace them in their respective charges, We now appoint doctor Wotton, dean of Canterbury, who some time ago resided at the court of Our dearest and most beloved good sister and cousin, the dowager queen of Hungary [regent of the Low Countries]. The abovesaid doctor, being a man of great ability and good services, as well as inclined to the continuation of the friendship existing between Us two, We have decided to employ him near your person, whilst We have deputed Our trusty and well-beloved councillor, doctor Layton, dean of York, to replace him at the Queen's court.
	We therefore beg you to attach faith and credence to whatever the said doctor Wotton may tell you in Our name, graciously granting him audience whenever he may apply for it, and believing him in all matters as if We Ourselves were speaking to you.—Ampthill, 24 November 1543.
	Signed: "Your good brother and cousin Henry."
	Addressed: "To the most high and excellent brother and cousin, the Emperor."
	French. Original. pp. 1½.
24 Nov.	262. The Same to the Dowager Queen of Hungary.
Wien, Imp. Arch. Rep. P., Fasc. C. 232.	Has determined to recall Dr. Wotton, his ambassador [in Brussels], and send him to the Emperor's Court to fill the place of the bishop of London (Bonner), who has been recalled [to England] to be employed in other affairs of the service.—De nostre maison D'Ampthill, 24 Nov. 1543.
	Signed: "Henry."
	French. Original. p. 1.
27 Nov.	263. Eustace Chapuys to the Emperor.
Wien, Imp. Arch. Corresp. Engl., 11.	"Sire,"—I have duly received by the sieur d'Arbays Your Imperial Majesty's letter of the 8th inst, (fn. n12) containing the news of the shameful retreat and flight of the French king. Since then that of the 12th, with an account of the communications with the duke of Lorraine, has also come to hand. As the sieur d'Harbays (fn. n13) on his return to Flanders will inform Your Majesty, I have lost no time in acquainting this king's privy councillors of the contents of both letters.—London, 27 Nov. 1543.
	Signed: "Eustace Chapuys."
	French. Original. p. 1.
28 Nov.	264. The Same to the Queen of Hungary.
Wien, Imp. Arch. Corresp. Engl., 11.	"Madame,"—Your Majesty's letter of the 8th, with the news and discourse of the shameful flight of the French, came duly to hand, and was well received by this king, as Your Majesty will hear from the sieur d'Harbois. (fn. n14)
	As to the affair of the war ships mentioned in Your Majesty's letter of the 9th, the King has spoken to Mons. d'Arbois the very words that he himself will repeat. The privy councillors and the Admiral (Russel) himself have expressed themselves in the same terms to my man; but having shown to them Your Majesty's letter on the subject, they have not renewed their complaints or made further reference to the subject.
	Respecting the "placet" and consent of the passports and safe conducts to foreign vessels to trade with France, it seems to me as if there was no great difficulty of obtaining them for the future, these people having no reason whatever to allege for the refusal, as I have taken care to demonstrate to them, considering the liberty which they themselves pretend to have of granting them to whomsoever applies, as appears from the enclosed letter of the Admiral to me. I will not desist from the application whenever there is an opportunity, and whatever their answer may be will immediately inform Your Majesty thereof.—London, 28 Nov. 1543.
	Signed: "Eustace Chapuys."
	French. Original. p. 1.