CHAPTER CLXXXVIII.-THE DEATH OF POPE SIXTUS IV.-HE IS SUCCEEDED BY POPE INNOCENT VIII.-OF THE VICTORIOUS WAR OF KING CHARLES IN BRITTANY.-HE MARRIES THE PRINCESS ANNE DAUGHTER TO THE NOBLE DUKE FRANCIS OF BRITTANY. -OTHER EVENTS. IN the course of the latter end of this year pope Sixtus IV. died at Rome: he had been general of the Franciscans, and had well and catholicly ruled the holy see during the space of nearly thirteen years. He had been very solicitous about the public welfare in the reparation of churches, and in embellishing the city of Rome, without sparing his private purse where he thought the honour of God was any way interested*. On the 13th of August, he was succeeded in the papal dignity by Innocent VIII t. He was from Genoa, of parents in the middle ranks, but much respected and beloved. His father's name was Aaron, but his own was John Baptista; and he was a cardinal-priest, under the title of Cardinal of St. Cecilia, but commonly called the cardinal of Melfe. He was the poorest and most humane of the whole college of cardinals, and was deserving of his election to the papal chair for his benignity and humility. He was magnanimous, and very prudent in all his actions; and from his conduct during his legation at Sienna, he gave a good example to his brothercardinals, and of what might be expected from him if raised to the popedom. On that event taking place, he opened the treasures of the church to all faithful Christians for the remission of their sins. He lived in good union with the Romans and all other people in Christendom. At this period, king Charles, with the advice of his council, made arrangements for the war in Picardy. The command of that army was given to sir Philip de Crevecœur, lord des Cordes; for Maximilian duke of Austria, who had married the heiress of the late duke of Burgundy, had raised a powerful army, to enable him to demand with success the country of Artois, and other parts in Burgundy, although they had been occupied by the late king, Louis XI., and were since peaceably possessed by his son, the present king. The lord des Cordes was therefore ordered into Picardy, to resist any hostile attempts that should be there made, and to oppose Maximilian. According to the chronicle of master Robert Gaguin, a severe, war broke out in the year 1485, in Brittany, which was so prudently conducted on the part of king Charles that he victoriously gained almost the whole of that duchy. During this war, duke Francis of Brittany died, leaving two daughters: the one called Anne succeeded shortly after to the duchy, on the death of her sister. The king now took the field in person, and, attended by many great lords and valiant captains, made several attacks on the town of Nantes, to prevent these daughters of the late duke of Brittany from marrying without his consent. This campaign, however, was not very successful: for king Henry VII. of England had sent a large force to the assistance of the Bretons, although, a short time before this, Henry had fled from that country as a fugitive, and sought an asylum with king Charles. He remained with him some time, as he was liberally aided with money and men, with whom he crossed the sea to England, where, after the death of king Richard, he peaceably enjoyed that kingdom, by means of the aid he had received from king Charles, which clearly shows the ingratitude of the English monarch ‡. The before-mentioned master Robert Gaguin was sent on an embassy on this subject to England, in company with the lord Francis de Luxembourg and Charles de Marigny §. However, after all, the French army, under their king, was victorious, more especially at the battle of St. Aubin ||, while the king was at Laval, when the Bretons and English were In a note, p. 135 of Mr. Andrews' History of Great Britain, a very different character is given of this pope : "As ignorant as turbulent." "He received without respect or hospitality the learned Greeks who fled from Constantinople, and gave so trifling a reward to Theo. Gaza for a translation, that the angry sage flung it away, and, leaving the audience, repeated a Greek proverb, that "thistles only could delight the palate of an ass." Luckily the pope did not understand the language of the sarcasm. totally routed, with very great slaughter. The French gained the field of battle; and for two leagues around, nothing was to be seen but dead bodies. Near to where the battle was fought was a wood in which the Bretons had lodged a great deal of gunpowder; and thinking that the French would attempt posting an ambuscade therein they played their artillery, which set fire to this powder, and it blew up to the great astonishment of the French, who, by Divine Providence (the true protector of the French blood) had not entered this wood. The explosion alarmed a stag, who ran out of the wood, with eyes full of tears, and made for the French army as for a place of refuge. It should be noticed, that, prior to the engagement, large flocks of pies and jays were seen to fight with such obstinacy in the air, at a place called La Croix de Malere, that when victory declared for one party, the roads and fields were covered with the vanquished, which seemed to the French a very extraordinary circumstance. After the battle of St. Aubin, a pursuit took place, when many prisoners were made, and others driven to seek shelter in some of their strong places, to save their lives. The French in consequence of their victory conquered the greater part of Brittany. The principal lords of Brittany now began to consider on the means of establishing a lasting peace with the king of France; and as they thought his projected union with the lady Margaret of Flanders was not agreeable to him, since war with Maximilian her father had hitherto been the only fruits of it, they proposed that he should marry the duchess Anne of Brittany; and by this means that duchy would be firmly united to the crown of France, and would form an alliance of the utmost utility to all parties. CHAPTER CLXXXIX. —KING CHARLES GENEROUSLY RESTORES ROUSSILLON TO KING FERDINAND WHEN the king was returned from his expedition into Brittany, and had concluded a treaty with the Bretons on the terms before mentioned, he generously restored to Ferdinand king of Arragon the county of Roussillon, and gave him a free acquittance of the sums of money this county had been mortgaged for; and for the accomplishment of this, he sent thither, as his ambassador, the lord Louis d'Ambois, bishop of Alby. There were some, however, who thought that this county should not have been restored; and to appease all murmurings on the subject, the king had it published that he had only acted in conformity to the orders given by his late father, king Louis, when dying. It was therefore the opinion of many, that a perpetual friendship should now be established between the kings of France and of Arragon. In the year 1494 was established the order of repentant women and girls, who had been public strumpets at Paris. The institution of this order, in honour of the blessed Mary Magdalen, was commenced by a devout sermon preached by friar John Tisserant, a Franciscan monk; and a house that belonged to the family of Orleans was granted to them, wherein reside many devout women. After the restoration of the county of Roussillon, the lord des Cordes was so active with his army, in Picardy, that he gained by force of arms, for the king, the town of St. Omer. He valiantly passed the breach into the town, his battle-axe hanging on his wrist, and followed by numbers of gallant men-at-arms, shouting out, "Vive le roi!" which so astonished the inhabitants that they submitted to his pleasure. Some days after this, the king of England, ungrateful for the services he had received from the king of France, as has been mentioned, landed a large force at Calais, and marched it to lay siege to Boulogne. The lord des Cordes, imagining that the English would make great efforts to gain Boulogne, he being governor of Artois, left St. Omer, having well garrisoned it and other towns, in company with the bastard Cardon captain of Arras, and hastened, with a body of French, to throw himself into Boulogne, to oppose the English, and force them to raise their siege. In consequence of this, only Carquelevant, a Breton, remained in the castle of Arras,-and that town was given up traitorously to the archduke, as shall be more amply detailed hereafter. When the lord des Cordes* and Cardon had shown their resistance to the king of England's troops before Boulogne, they found means to conclude a peace which was very advantageous to the kingdom of France: for the English were to recross the sea without interfering more in the quarrel with the archduke. Master Gaguin tells us, in his chronicle, that this peace was very agreeable to the king of England; for he loved the French in his heart, but had been constrained by his subjects to send this armament to Boulogne, and by his advice and remonstrances he had prevented its advancing farther into the kingdom; but that he had been obliged to dissemble, to avoid being suspected by the English of having too strong an inclination to king Charles, whose former kindnesses he could never forget, and this treaty of peace was not long in being ratified by the two kings. Within two or three days after this peace had been concluded, the town of Arras was won by a party from Maximilian's army during the night, owing to the treason or neglect of Carquelevant. He had entrusted the keys of the gates to some of his people,so that the enemy entered the place without meeting any resistance whatever, while he was asleep in bed. They first plundered all the principal persons, and then the churches; and according to Gaguin, these Germans committed such destruction that it seemed as if they were come not to take possession of the town but utterly to destroy it. After some months, Maximilian demolished a large tower in the market-place, and several other fortifications, which Louis XI. had erected to defend the city against the town of Arras. He also caused the walls of the city to be destroyed, and fortified the town against it, which was not displeasing to several of the inhabitants, as they hated even the French name, although, from the remotest antiquity, they had been always dependent on the kings of France, as their sovereign lords. Shortly after Maximilian found means to obtain a truce, that he might again employ his army on similar expeditions,-for the truce on his side was only a pretence. It was not long before a party from the garrison of Arras appeared under the walls of Amiens at midnight, thinking to take it by surprise; but the French garrison and townsmen were too well on their guard, and made such good use of their bows and artillery that they repulsed the enemy with vigour, so that they were glad to retreat from. the suburbs of St. Pierre, where they had formed a lodgement, and return in all haste to Arras, whence they had come. Had the lord de Rubempré been allowed to follow his inclinations, he would have sallied out after them, for he was very eager to defeat them; but sir Anthony Clabaut, then mayor of the town, and the council would not permit him, saying, that in their opinion it was fully sufficient to defend the town well when attacked. The principal lords of France, in conjunction with those of Picardy, solicited the king to conclude a lasting peace with the archduke: terms were, in consequence, agreed on,-and the county of Artois was restored to Maximilian; by which means all Picardy was in perfect union with France, and remains so to this day, which is of very great advantage to the whole realm. CHAPTER CXC.-KING CHARLES MARRIES ANNE DUCHESS OF BRITTANY. SHE IS CROWNED QUEEN OF FRANCE IN THE CHURCH OF SAINT DENIS, AND MAKES HER PUBLIC ENTRY INTO PARIS.-THE KING VISITS HIS PROVINCE OF PICARDY.-A PRIEST EXECUTED AND BURNED AT PARIS.-THE DEATH OF POPE INNOCENT VIII. HE IS SUCCEEDED BY POPE ALEXANDER VI. WHEN King Charles had espoused Anne duchess of Brittany, as a proof of his affection and love, he willed that she should be crowned queen of France with every magnificence. *The lord des Cordes was used to say, that he would willingly pass seven years in hell to recover Calais from the English. The ceremony began by a grand mass chaunted in the abbey-church of St. Denis by a reve, rend cardinal, assisted by the archbishop of Sens and other bishops. When this was done the queen was solemnly crowned; after which, a magnificent dinner was served and an open court was kept. Having made a short stay at St. Denis, she prepared for her public entry into Paris, where she was received with all due honours. The whole of the clergy in their copes of cloth of gold, and bearing holy relics, came out to meet her, as did the bishop of Paris, the provost of marchands, the sheriffs, and all the companies of trades in their holiday dresses. When they had paid their obeisances, the queen entered Paris in triumph. All the streets were hung with tapestries: many pageants and mysteries were exhibited,—and bonfires, and all other usual demonstrations of joy, were made on her arrival. She was conducted in great state toward the cathedral of Notre-Dame; and at the corner of the rue neuve Notre-Dame, the rector of the university, attended by all his doctors, was waiting to make his oration; after which, she proceeded to the cathedral to offer up her prayers. She was then conducted to the palace, where apartments had been handsomely fitted up for her, becoming her state. During the queen's residence in Paris, a variety of amusements took place, such as joustings, tournaments, dancings and feasts. The king lived with her in the greatest harmony and love; and, in course of time, they had three fine boys, who were spared to them but a short time; for they all died in their infancy, during the expedition to Naples, according to the Divine will. May God give them grace to pray for us! When peace was concluded with the archduke, the king resolved to visit Picardy, which he did at divers times, accompanied by some of the princes of the blood, his lords, and valiant captains. He made a public entry into several towns wherein he was most honourably received and grandly feasted, for they were delighted to see their king. Although every town tried to surpass the other, yet the entertainments at Amiens were the most sumptuous and magnificent. The barons, and common people, of Picardy were exceedingly pleased that the king had come to visit them, and were more ardent than before in their affections to so benign a prince. On the morrow of Corpus-Christi-day, to the great scandal of all Paris, a priest called master John L'Anglois, while in the chapel of St. Crispin and St. Crispinian in the church of Notre-Dame, moved and instigated by the devil, approached the priest saying mass,—and after the consecration of the host, this wicked priest tore it furiously from the hands of him who had just consecrated it, and threw it on the ground with contempt, thinking to trample it with his feet. He was instantly seized and carried to prison, wherein he was some time detained for examination. When this took place, he persevered in his iniquity, and refused to adjure his errors; for which he was publicly degraded from his priesthood in the church of Notre-Dame, and delivered over into the hands of master Pierre de la Porte, then lieutenant-criminel for the provost of Paris. De la Porte sentenced him to be drawn on a hurdle to the pig-market, there to have his tongue cut out, and his body burned until consumed to ashes, which sentence was executed. About this time, pope Innocent died at Rome. He had peacefully governed the church during his papacy, and was full of mercy, for he absolved the Venetians from the censure which had been fulminated against them by his predecessor Sixtus. Roderigo Borgia was elected pope in his stead, and took the name of Alexander VI. The new pope was a Spaniard by birth, and of a robust and courageous disposition: he had been vice-chancellor to Innocent, and was full of enterprise and revenge against his enemies. During the reign of this pope, king Charles made a most victorious expedition into Italy, as shall be more fully related hereafter. CHAPTER CXCI.-OF THE EXPEDITION WHICH KING CHARLES UNDERTAKES TO RECOVER HIS KINGDOM OF NAPLES, AND THE REASONS THAT MOVED HIM THERETO. WHEN King Charles had, by his prudence, subjugated or reduced to peace all the countries that were immediately on his frontiers, so that he had not any disturbances to apprehend from those quarters, like a magnanimous prince, and full of prowess, he turned his thoughts to regain the kingdoms of Naples and of Sicily, which legally and justly belonged to him. Although he was small in body, he had a great mind, and from the time he had determined on his project, nothing could dissuade him from it. Master Robert Gaguin declares, in his chronicle, that he would never listen to the ambassadors that were sent to him by the Parisians, to entreat him to lay aside the expedition to Naples: on the contrary, he assembled, with all diligence, a most numerous army of horse and foot, and selected able captains to command them. The king was strongly excited to this measure by pope Alexander and Ludovico Sforza, who both hated Alphonso, for having, as it was said, usurped the crown of Naples, and done many injuries to the barons of that country. For this reason, the pope and Ludovico had invited Charles to invade Italy. The king, for the more readily assembling of his men at arms, made the city of Lyon his chief residence, to be near at hand for the march of his army. * CHAPTER CXCII.-FRIAR JEROME SAVONAROLA FORETELS THE INVASION OF ITALY BY THE KING OF FRANCE. THE KING, WHILE AT LYON, PRUDENTLY ARRANGES A REGENCY TO GOVERN THE KINGDOM DURING HIS ABSENCE. HE DEPARTS THENCE FOR GRENOBLE, WHERE HE TAKES LEAVE OF THE QUEEN. BEFORE king Charles had shown any intentions of marching into Italy, friar Jerome Savonarola preached publicly in the year 1493, in several towns of Italy, the invasion of king Charles, which caused him to be looked up to by the Florentines as a true prophet. While the king was at Lyon, regulating the plans he should pursue in his intended attempt to recover the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, he sent the duke of Orleans forward over the Alps, in company with many other lords and captains and a large detachment of troops, as ambassadors to Milan, Genoa, Venice, Florence, Lucca, Pisa, Viterbo, and Rome, and to different towns in Lombardy, to learn whether they would keep their promises to the king, and support him in his expedition to Naples. Having been honourably received everywhere, the duke of Orleans returned to his county of Asti, when the promises of support were again repeated. At this time the lord des Querdes † (more commonly called des Cordes) fell dangerously ill at Lyon, as he was preparing to cross the Alps with the king. Being advised by the physicians to return and try his native air of Picardy, he took leave of the king and departed from Lyon, but was unable to proceed further than the town of Bresle, three leagues from Lyon, where he died. By the king's command, great honours were paid to his body, which was put into a leaden coffin; in all the towns it passed through, processions came out to meet it; and it was carried to the church of Our Lady at Boulogne-sur-mer for interment, according to the orders he had given. King Charles, before he left Lyon, held several councils respecting the appointment of a regency to govern the kingdom in his absence. Duke Peter of Bourbon, who had married the lady Anne of France, was nominated sole regent of the kingdom: the lord de Baudricourt was made governor of Burgundy; the lords de Avaugour § and of Rohan ||, governors of Brittany; the lord d'Orval ¶, governor of Champagne; the lord de Graville, governor of the Jerome Savonarola-was a jacobin friar, and had foretold that the king of France would invade Italy, to punish the inhabitants for their vices, and their rulers for their tyranny. He afterward preached against king Charles. He was burned at Florence by the intrigues of pope Alexander VI. at the instigation of the Venetians and the duke of Milan, against whose vices he had publicly declaimed. The death of Jerome Savonarola was a disgrace to the times. Florence supported him as an inspired person. His piety, his austere life, and his edifying sermons, gained him the esteem and adiniration of all the Florentinos. There may, perhaps, have been some imprudence in his sermons, which persons of piety will attribute to zcal; and the pope was too severe in having him burned for the slight censure he had passed on his conduct, which was notoriously infamous. + Philip de Crevecoeur lord dos Querdes, marshal of France in 1418. John de Baudricourt, lord of Choiseul, marshal of France in 1418. § Francis, bastard son of duke Francis the Second of Bretagne, count of Vertus, baron of Avaugour, lord of Clisson. John, viscount de Rohan, married to Mary, daughter of Francis I., duke of Bretagne. John d'Albret, lord of Orval, who, by his marriage with Charlotte, daughter of John, count of Nevers, and sister of Elizabeth, duchess of Cleves, acquired the county of Rethel in Champagne, as her coparcenary share. |