Spain: August 1546, 1-15 | British History Online

Calendar of State Papers, Spain, Volume 8, 1545-1546. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1904.

'Spain: August 1546, 1-15', in Calendar of State Papers, Spain, Volume 8, 1545-1546, (London, 1904) pp. 446-450. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/spain/vol8/pp446-450 [accessed 20 April 2024]

August 1546, 1–15



1 Aug. Simancas. E. 806. French.	304. Princess Mary of England to the Duke of Alburquerque.
	Monseigneur. I have received your letters dated 12th June, and have learnt from them, and from the report of your messenger, your position and good health; whereat I am much rejoiced. I am myself so afflicted by illness, as to be unable to answer your letters with my own hand: and I therefore must beg you to excuse this short letter, written by another for me. With regard to the Spaniard of whom you write, (fn. 1) I think that your servant will be well informed of the case: and will take you a faithful account of it. I end my letter praying God to give you a long and happy life. Written at the palace of the King, my sovereign lord and father, at Westminster, 1 August, 1546.
	Signed, Mary, Daughter of England.
5 Aug. Simancas. E. R. 873.	305. Juan de Vega to the Emperor.
	(Letter mainly concerned with Spanish ecclesiastical affairs, but containing the following paragraphs of interest respecting the Council of Trent.)
	Your Majesty has been frequently informed that in our opinion the Pope would like if he could to break up the Council, by moving it or otherwise. It appears that the deputies of the Council and the Pope have been very busy lately, in strict secrecy, discussing the removal of the Council; and it was decided to issue a Bull ordering its transfer to Lucca, the Bull having been taken yesterday by the deputies who left to go to the legates (i.e. at Trent).
	I learnt that this had been done from a very safe and secret source, and consequently I decided to request audience of the Pope immediately. I saw him yesterday, and I represented to him rather under the guise of kindliness and zeal for the public good, and for that of his Holiness, that such a course as that which he had adopted, might, if it were not promptly altered, deprive him of the fair fame he had gained by his resolution to aid the enterprise. It might also place in grave danger the interests of religion, and might imperil your Majesty. To promise the Lutherans a Council, as he had done, would certainly lead them to clamour for it; and they would make use of it maliciously for evil ends. Whatever was done in this matter should only be decided upon in concurrence with your Majesty; and yet I, who was here as your representative, had not been informed of the step which he had now taken. I laid the matter before him in this tone, and answered as well as I could the many, and evidently carefully considered, objections to my view urged by the Pope. His Holiness finally answered me somewhat indefinitely that the legates would inform your Majesty of it, thus attributing to them and the deputies more importance than they have hitherto enjoyed. Next Friday, he said, there would be a Consistory, and he would then bring the matter forward. It seemed to me that, although he did not grow angry at what I said, he was much distressed about it.
	In the absence of Don Diego de Mendoza from Trent I have advised the Cardinal of Jaen (fn. 2) of this, in order that he may take the necessary steps for carrying out your Majesty's wishes, and stop any talk about removing the Council. I am keeping my hand on the matter here to a similar end, and have told the Cardinals of Burgos, Carpi and Coria, what is to be discussed in the Consistory to-morrow, so that they may act as their consciences dictate. The same advice shall be given to other cardinals. Your Majesty shall be duly informed of what is done.
	The Bull of the half first fruits of Flanders is being kept back, whilst they hunt for precedents. They have found portions of a draft amongst Andres del Castillo's papers, but they require a complete copy of one of the former concessions, and they are looking for it everywhere.
	Rome, 5 August, 1546.
11 Aug. Simancas. E. 73.	306. Document headed Decipher of letter in his Majesty's own hand to the High Comendador.
	Cobos: I should like to write you a long letter, but business will not allow me the time to do so. I have therefore taken the course of writing at length to my son, and he will show the letter to you. By this you will learn what I wanted to say to you, especially about the loans. I commend all the financial arrangements to your care, and the circumstances in which I find myself must be my excuse for doing what is necessary in this respect. God, however, has taken away many of those who formerly murmured. (fn. 3) Although you have lost the Cardinal of Seville who at all events helped you with his tongue, you have, on the other hand, gained the Marquis de Mondejar, who will aid you in every way, as I well know that he is able and I hope willing to do. Read that letter to my son, in case God should call me to himself. (fn. 4) I know that, though this may draw tears from your eyes, it will not dismay you; for in many other similar occasions you have served me well, and you have seen that God has brought me forth triumphant, as I trust He will do now, with increased honour; for the cause is His alone, and I have taken it in hand for His faith and service.
	I have told my son in my letter to him about going to his sisters, and I have asked him to show you the letter; and also what I have written to him respecting the Duke of Alba. You will see by this what has happened in his business and how much he has lost by it. With regard to his (Philip's) sisters he is to do as I have written to him, and in other things also, I refer him generally to what I have written; because I do not know whether you have given him the letter or not. It is true that I have already been advised of some of the things mentioned: and I think they should be attended to. If there is anything in what they say, you must not fail to let me know in obscure words that I shall understand. (fn. 5) I wrote this letter so far last Sunday: you will see by the letters to my son that affairs are now very much more favourable than they have hitherto been, and I trust that every day they will grow better (fn. 6); if only the money does not fail us. I am quite sure you will act as you always do. If the enemy were more rapid I should be further pressed than I wish to be. There is however now no reason to fear them.—Burgh, near Landshut. 11 August, 1546.
	P.S.—This letter was written with my own hand, but an inkstand was upset over it, and as I was too lazy to write it again, I have told Eraso to put it in cipher: Regard it as having been written by me.
15 Aug. Vienna. Imp. Arch.	307. The Queen Dowager to Van der Delft.
	Since we wrote our last letter of 31 July, the English Ambassador resident has addressed us on the subjects of the inclusion of the Scots in the treaty of peace between England and France; and the restoration to the enjoyment of their properties of the Emperor's subjects possessing estates in the Boulognais; we having previously communicated to the ambassador what we had written to you on both of those points. He informed us that he had been instructed by the English Council to reply with regard to them. The Scots, he said, had been included in the late treaty between England and France, in accordance with a clause, of which he exhibited a certified copy to the President of the (Flemish) Privy Council, but would not leave it with him, though he has since given us a copy of it, which we now enclose herewith. You will see that it sets forth that the English and Scots shall make peace and. cease hostilities on both sides. With regard to the second point, he said that the King of England had taken the city and county of Boulogne in warfare, and possessed them by right of conquest. He was consequently proprietor and lord of all the lands comprised within the limits agreed upon between him and the French, without any obligation to restore anything; such being the custom of England. If any of the Emperor's subjects had interests that had suffered from this, their remedy was to appeal to the King of France, who had been the cause of their loss, through his inability to defend his subjects effectually. This had been the course adopted when the King of England had conquered Guisnes. This reply was considered far from reasonable; and much too prejudicial to the Emperor's subjects. You will consequently address the Council to the following effect. With regard to the inclusion of the Scots in the peace treaty; the Emperor went to war with them entirely out of consideration for the King of England; and the latter was consequently debarred by the 13th clause of the treaty of alliance, confirmed and explained subsequently at Utrecht, from entering into negotiations with the Scots, except with the knowledge and participation of the Emperor. As the latter has never been informed up to the present of the arrangements made with regard to the Scots in the peace treaty between England and France, and the Scots incessantly treat his Flemish subjects as enemies, the King of England cannot properly hold the Scots as friends without the consent of his Imperial Majesty; or at least the latter should be informed officially of the terms of the agreement, as touching the inclusion of the Scots, that such consent may be given, or the Scots brought to book for breaking the said agreement. We have no desire to prevent a friendship between the English and Scots, but it is necessary by the said 13th clause that the Emperor's consent should be given to the agreement with regard to them. He will give this consent willingly, provided that he sees his subjects properly indemnified; but it is impossible for the English to refuse his Majesty an official statement of the terms respecting the Scots, and you will demand the same for transmission to him.
	Touching the reintegration in their estates and property in the Boulognais of the subjects of the Emperor, you will point out that, if the King keeps the property of such subjects, many of whom were in his own service before Boulogne, it may perchance turn to his future disadvantage: because not only would the course indicated be contrary to all justice, but also because in the war against France the Emperor's subjects were his friends and allies, and thus to deprive them of their properties would ensure that in any future war he would never find a single gentleman on this side of the sea to enter his service, knowing, as they would, that his victory would mean their own ruin. If such has been the custom in England itself, it cannot be allowed to extend to this side of the sea, where a different custom prevails. It is not true, moreover, that this was the course followed when the King of England conquered Guisnes; for the territory was acquired by him by a capitulation, in which it was clearly expressed that the King of France should recompense the private citizens who possessed lands in the lordship of Guisnes. If such a provision as this had been included in the recent peace treaty, the Emperor's subjects would have obtained some redress, with the King of England's support. Now, however, these subjects have no remedy whatever against the King of France; and cannot even claim satisfaction without an official copy of the capitulation of Boulogne, which you will also demand, unless the King of England shall previously have listened to the request for reintegration. If this latter could be arranged with the King, on condition that the subjects in question take the oath of fidelity to him, you will reply that they will willingly do this, in the same form as they have hitherto done to the King of France; if it be shown to them by the terms of the treaty that they can take the oath without sacrificing their honour, or incurring reproach from the French that they have violated their previous oath. The French claim that the subjects in question cannot rightly take the oath to the King of England, who, they allege, is not the lord of the territory of Boulogne, but only holds possession of it for a time, as security for the money they (the French) have to pay him. You will inform us what answer is given to you on this subject.
	We have received letters from the Emperor of 31st ultimo. You will see by the copies of the letters to the ambassador in France the news contained in them.
	Brussels, 15 August, 1546.