Spain: February 1523 | British History Online

Calendar of State Papers, Spain, Volume 2, 1509-1525. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1866.

'Spain: February 1523', in Calendar of State Papers, Spain, Volume 2, 1509-1525, (London, 1866) pp. 525-530. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/spain/vol2/pp525-530 [accessed 25 April 2024]

February 1523



1 Feb. M. Re. Ac. d. Hist. Salazar. A. 27. f. 104.	524. Hieronymo Adorno and Alonso Sanchez to the Emperor. This despatch goes viâ England. They (Hieronymo Adorno and Alonso Sanchez), together with Richard Pace, had many interviews with the Venetian commissioners. The Venetians no longer insist on the condition that the places they possessed before the war shall be restored to them, and say that they are willing to conclude a defensive league with him (the Emperor) and the King of England. But they refuse obstinately to pay the census and to give aid in money. Begs him soon to send his instructions viâ England and Genoa.—Venice, the 1st day of February 1523. Addressed : "To [paper gone] Emperor and King, our Lord." Indorsed : "To the King. 1523. Hieronymo Adorno and Alonso Sanchez. The 1st of February. Answered." Spanish. Autograph in cipher. Contemporary deciphering. pp. 5.
3 Feb. M. D. Pasc. d. G. Pa. r. a. l. Hist. d. Esp.	525. Pope Adrian VI. to the Emperor. The Viceroy of Naples came a few days ago to visit him, and tried to persuade him to enter into a league with him (the Emperor) and his confederates. (fn. 1) Has been always his friend. As, however, the Order of Rhodes (fn. 2) is in the greatest need of succour from all Christian princes, he (the Pope) cannot enter into a league with him (the Emperor) and his confederates, without making himself suspected by other Christian princes, and thereby rendering impossible his plan of bringing about a general reconciliation of all Christian princes, and of succouring the Knights of Rhodes.—Rome, the 3rd of February 1522. Postscript in the hand of the Pope.—Has always been ready to sacrifice his life and his goods to render him (the Emperor) a service. Is still animated by the same sentiment, and will prove it to him whenever he can do so without offending God. Next to God, nothing is dearer to him than he (the Emperor). (Signed) A. Cisterer. Addressed : "To our dearest son in Christ, Charles, King of the Romans, of Spain, Catholic King, and Emperor elect." Indorsed : "To the King. 1522. Rome. From the Pope, the 3rd of February. Answered." Spanish. The postscript is in Latin and holograph. Brief. p. 1.
7 Feb. M. D. Pasc. d. G. Pa. r. a. l. Hist. d. Esp.	526. Hieronymo Adorno and Alonso Sanchez, Imperial Ambassadors in Venice, to the Emperor. Have often negotiated with the Venetians about the restitution of their territories. At last the Signory desisted from their demands. The nuncio of the Pope has greatly aided them in obtaining that concession. Entered on negotiations respecting the details contained in the memoir they had delivered to the Signory. Two things are clear ; the Venetians will not enter into any offensive league, or lend any assistance out of Italy, or pay the 56,000 ducats stipulated in the truce, if the treaty of Worms is not fulfilled. Venetian exiles, &c. The Venetians refuse to pay any tribute to him. They will not enter into a league against the Turks, except they see that an expedition on a large scale is really to be undertaken against them. The Venetians will not take German or Spanish troops into their service, &c., &c. The power of the Infante is expected, &c. Mantua, &c. The English ambassador, who aids them in their negotiations, has despatched a courier to the King of England. Rhodes is lost. Have continued their negotiations with the Venetians, and have even made use of "honest threats" through the nuncio of the Pope and the ambassador of the King of England. The Venetians have, however, remained firm, and have made no more concessions. They seem to delay the conclusion of the treaty.—Venice, the 7th of February 1523. Indorsed : "To the King. 1523. Venice. Alonso Sanchez. The 7th of February. Duplicate. Answered." Spanish. Autograph. pp. 11.
7 Feb. M. Re. Ac. d. Hist. Salazar. A. 27. f. 110.	527. Hieronymo Adorno to the Emperor. Is of opinion that it would be well soon to conclude the treaty of alliance between him (the Emperor) and the King of England, on the one part, and the republic of Venice, on the other part, although the conditions may not be so favourable as could be wished. The French are threatening to bring about a revolution in Milan. His alliance and that of the King of England with Venice would render the execution of the plan of the French a very difficult undertaking. The Venetians refuse to pay any kind of census to him. They likewise say that they can contribute nothing to the money which ought to be paid to the Swiss, if they conclude an alliance with him and the King of England.—Venice, the 7th of February 1523. Addressed : "To his Imperial Majesty." Indorsed : "To the King. 1523. Venice. From Hieronymo Adorno, the 7th of February. Duplicate. Answered." Spanish. Holograph. pp. 3.
8 Feb. M. Re. Ac. d. Hist. Muñoz. 56. f. 55.	528. The Emperor to the Duke Of Sessa, his Ambassador in Rome. Has received his letters of the 17th of December. Repeats the order which he gave him in his despatch of the 10th of December, (fn. 3) viz., that he must persuade the Pope to conclude the alliance (with the Emperor and the King of England). Money affairs. Church preferment, &c.—Valladolid, the 8th of February 1523. Spanish. Draft. pp. 8.
15 Feb. M. Re. Ac. d. Hist. Muñoz. 56. f. 62.	529. The Emperor to the Duke Of Sessa, his Ambassador in Rome. Has, on the 8th of February, sent Hieronymo de Cabanillas, captain of his guards, with instructions to speak to the Pope in his name about the peace or truce, and to satisfy his Holiness in all his reasonable demands. Cabanillas, however, has fallen with his horse on the road and broken an arm. Sends, therefore, Claudio de Bixi, his Aposentador Mayor, (fn. 4) instead of Cabanillas. Orders him to inform Bixi what he is to do, according to the enclosed letter.—Valladolid, the 15th of October 1523. Spanish. Draft. p. 1.
15 Feb. M. Re. Ac. d. Hist. Muñoz. 56. f. 63.	530. The Emperor to the Duke Of Sessa, his Ambassador in Rome. Claudio de Bixi brings him a letter in common writing. Adds to that letter what follows. (fn. 5) Wishes that the Pope should see that he (the Emperor) omits nothing to render the peace or truce (with the King of France) possible. Sends him, therefore, a very ample power to conclude the peace or truce. He must, however, keep it very secret, and neither the ambassador of the King of England, nor the ambassador of the King of France, nor any other person, with the exception of the Pope, must even suspect that he has such a power. He can show it to the Pope, but he must first ask the Pope to keep it secret until it is beyond all doubt that the King of England and the King of France have sent sufficient powers in due form to conclude the peace or the truce. It would reflect little honour on him if it were known that he makes the first overtures of peace, whilst the King of France is the aggressor, and has invaded his dominions. Another reason for keeping his power secret is that, according to his treaty with the King of England, he is not at liberty to enter on negotiations of peace or a truce with the King of France without having previously obtained the consent of the King of England. In accordance with the stipulations of that treaty, he sent some time ago a copy of the present power to the King of England, and asked him to send it, together with his own power, to the English ambassador in Rome, and to inform him (the English ambassador) of the conditions of the peace or truce which he (the King of England) should think satisfactory to himself, as well as to him (the Emperor). Has, however, learnt that the Cardinal of York has sent to the English ambassador in Rome the letters and instructions of which copies are enclosed. In them the Cardinal begs his Holiness, as though it were only his own idea, to propose to him (the Emperor), to the King of France, and to the King of England a truce of only one year, from which their confederates are to be excluded. He says that during the time of the truce a definite peace could be concluded. Thinks the proposals of the Cardinal would lead only to lengthy negotiation, the result of which would be that things would remain in nearly the same state as they are at present ; for, if the confederates of the King of France, of the King of England, and of him (the Emperor) were excluded from the truce, the war would be continued in the name of the confederates in Italy, as well as in Flanders and Navarra. Milan and Genoa would be especially exposed to great danger. He is, therefore, to beseech his Holiness to answer the English ambassador in the negative if he asks him to propose a truce from which the confederates are to be excluded. The intention of the Pope is to bring about a general peace between all Christian princes, and to employ their arms against the Turks. That, however, would be impossible if the confederates were not included in the truce ; for as he, as well as the King of France and the King of England, would be in honour bound not to forsake their confederates, it is self-evident that the war would continue in future in the same way as it has been carried on hitherto. Begs the Pope to tell the ambassador of the King of England that he (the Pope) is ready to propose a simple truce, on condition that all things are to remain during the period of its duration in the state in which they now are, and that he will preside over the negotiations of the truce, as soon as all parties have sent their powers to Rome. To begin the negotiations before all the powers have arrived would be simply loss of time. If the King of England sends a power to his ambassador which is conformable with the copy of the power which he (the Emperor) has sent to England, he (the Duke of Sessa) is to communicate with the English ambassador, telling him that he (the Emperor), till then, knew nothing about the affair. The Bishop of Badajoz and Monsieur de Praet, Imperial ambassadors in England, will send him the proposed conditions of the peace or truce, together with a duplicate of his (the Emperor's) power. He is to discuss these conditions with the English ambassador, informing him that he is not empowered to sign a treaty of peace or truce, unless Fuentarabia and the castles of Milan and Cremona are delivered into the hands of the Pope, who is to hold them as mediator until the treaty is concluded. He is further to tell the English ambassador that he (the Emperor) is not willing to conclude peace or a truce with the King of France, except on condition that he be relieved from the payment of the pensions which the King of England and the Cardinal were in the habit of receiving from the King of France, and which he (the Emperor) has bound himself to pay until the English have conquered so many towns or territories in France that the pensions can be paid out of their revenues. The principal object of his (the Duke of Sessa's) conferring with the English ambassador is to hear what he intends to do, and he is constantly to remind him (the English ambassador) that he (the Duke of Sessa) has not the power nor does he wish to do anything that is not approved by his colleague of England. If the Pope proposes a truce containing the condition that all things shall remain in the same state as they are, he is to say nothing about Fuentarabia, the castles of Milan and Cremona, or the pensions, but to see whether the ambassadors of France and of England will accept the proposal. If they accept it, he is to sign the treaty of truce. If, however, the French or the English ambassador refuse to accept the truce which the Pope proposes, he is to declare that his answer to the proposal of the Pope is entirely superfluous, as he is instructed not to conclude any treaty without the express consent of the ambassador of the King of England. Authorizes him once more to conclude any treaty of truce which the English ambassador approves, except such a one as would oblige him (the Emperor) to give up any place which he at present possesses. If the other ambassadors ask him first to express his opinion on the proposals of the Pope, he must try to avoid it, and under no circumstances is he to make any declaration before having concerted it with the ambassador of the King of England. Should the King of France insist on the condition that he shall be at liberty to provide the castles of Milan and Cremona with provisions during the period of the truce, he (the Duke of Sessa) can consent to it, but he must add that at the end of the truce no greater quantities of provisions shall remain in the castles than are there at present. Should the King of France, however, invade Italy during these negotiations, or conquer places which he (the Emperor) now holds, in such a case he (the Emperor) would not conclude any truce or peace with France before the French have been driven out of Italy, and before he (the Emperor) has reconquered these places. He is to tell that to the Pope. If the Pope should propose a truce on other conditions, he is to wait for new instructions.—Valladolid, the 15th of February 1523. Indorsed : "By the King. 1523. Valladolid. To the Duke of Sessa. The 15th of February." Spanish. Draft. pp. 6.
28 Feb. M. Re. Ac. d. Hist. Salazar. A. 27. ff. 164, 166.	531. Alonso Sanchez, Imperial Ambassador in Venice, to the Emperor. Richard Pace has written to the King of England, and communicated to him the plan of Hieronymo Adorno to carry on the war against the French in Picardy, Provence, and Italy simultaneously. He has received no answer. Is not at all astonished at it, as Richard Pace has not, during the whole time he has been at Venice, received a single letter from his master. This negligence of the English Government exercises a very bad influence on the negotiations with the republic of Venice. The Pope behaves well, aiding them (Hieronymo Adorno, Alonso Sanchez, and Richard Pace) in their endeavours to persuade the Signory to conclude the alliance. His Holiness regards the alliance (of the Emperor and the King of England) with Venice as the first step towards the conclusion of a general peace. Duke Fernando, &c.—Venice, the 28th of February 1523. Addressed : "To his Sacred, Imperial, and Catholic Majesty the Emperor and King, our Lord." Indorsed : "To the King. 1523. Venice. Alonso Sanchez. The 28th of February." Spanish. Autograph in cipher. Contemporary deciphering. pp. 2.