I T A L'Y. 



History. 



Hcvok of 



Messina. 



Messina ac- 

 knowledges 

 Louis XIV. 

 n& its king, 

 A.D. 167*, 



The French 

 evacuate 

 Messina, 

 A.D. 1G78. 



The Duke 

 of Mantua 

 ce'U-s uasal 

 to tlie 

 French. 



the Turks, commonly called the war of Candia, in 

 \vliich !'<>]) Innocent X. in vain endeavoured to pro- 

 cure the assistance of the other Catholic potentates. 

 During the pontificate of Alexander VII. a dispute 

 which arose between him and Louis XIV. occasioned 

 a inutii.-il dismissal of ambassadors ; and preparations 

 for war were made on both sides : but the pope soon 

 becoming convinced of his inability to oppose so power- 

 i'ul nn antagonist, hastened to appease Louis, whose 

 pardon he only obtained by the most humiliating con- 

 cessions. 



The king of France was now engaged in his 

 wars in Flanders, and for some years interested him- 

 self but little in Italian affairs : the oppressive govern- 

 ment of the Spaniards at length gave him an oppor- 

 tunity. 



The city of Messina, in Sicily, had, from a very 

 early perio'd, enjoyed the privilege of being governed 

 by its own si-irate, a right which its citizens had defend- 

 ed ngainst the aggressions of several monarchs of the 

 different dynasties -which had in their turn been oppres- 

 sors in Sicily. The Spanish ministers, jealous of this 

 last remain of independence, made an attempt to de- 

 prive the senate of its jurisdiction, and put to death two 

 of the magistrates who ventured to defend its rights. 

 The remonstrances of the people on this atrocious out- 

 rage, were considered by the court ef Madrid as acts 

 of rebellion, and the governor of Messina endeavoured 

 to secure the persons of the senators as its instigators. 

 Hut the people, alarmed for the fate of their magis- 

 trates, flew to arms, and the garrison were forced to 

 take refuge in the citadel, which they were soon com- 

 pelled to evacuate. The armies of the viceroys of Na- 

 ples und Sicily now prepared to besiege the city, and 

 the Messenians had recourse to the duke d'Estrees, 

 French ambassador at Rome. 



Louis, on receiving this intelligence, immediately 

 sent a body of troops to Messina, to the great joy of 

 the inhabitants, who hoisted the standard of France, 

 and proclaimed Louis as their sovereign. In the course 

 of the following year, the Spanish fleet being defeated 

 by the French : the siege was raised, and the generals 

 of Louis entertained hopes of conquering the whole 

 island. But the lapse of 400 years had not effaced the 

 recollection of the tyranny of Charles of Anjou ; and 

 however averse the Sicilians might be to the Spanish 

 government, they exhibited still greater antipathy to 

 the dominion of the French, and the conquests of the 

 latter were confined to a few inconsiderable towns. At 

 last Louis, weary probably of the expence of the con- 

 test, suddenly sent a peremptory order to his general, 

 Feuillade, to evacuate Messina. The senate and nobles 

 having in vain remonstrated against this cruel deser- 

 tion, were forced to surrender to the Spaniards, but 

 more than one half of the inhabitants removed to 

 France: sin emigration which, with the loss during 

 the war, and the subsequent oppression of the Spa- 

 niards, so much weakened Messina, that half a century 

 elapsed before it regained its former prosperity. 



Not long ago niter this, Louis acquired the import- 

 ant city of Casal, in Moiitferrat, by a treaty with Gu- 

 errieri, prime minister to Ferdinand Charles, duke of 

 Mantua, by which, on the payment of 500,000 livres, 

 the city was delivered up to Louis, and immediately 

 occupied !y '>.,f'CO French, under Bouflers and Cati- 

 nat. This dishonourable transaction excited so great 

 indignation cmong the Italian states against the duke 



of Mantua, that he disavowed any knowledge of the 

 transaction. The Frenqh, however, retained posses- 

 sion, and the extravagance and thoughtlessness of the 

 duke, who was devoted to the passion of gaming, ren- 

 der his participation in the treaty not at all improba- 

 ble. 



The republic f Genoa now incurred the displeasure 

 of Louis, by the steady attachment it continued to 

 maintain to the Spanish interest. Under pretence of 

 their fitting out a fleet for the service of Spain, the 

 Genoese were attacked by a powerful French squa- 

 dron : and on their refusal to surrender the ships, Ge- 

 noa was bombarded, and part of the city reduced to 

 ashes; and the doge, and four of the v principal sena- 

 tors, obliged to proceed to Paris, and there humble 

 themselves before the haughty Louis. 



In his conduct to Pope Innocent XT. the French mo- 

 narch displayed 'the same overbearing insolence, nor 

 can his obstinate opposition to the pope's wise restric- 

 tions on the right of sanctuary enjoyed within the 

 premises of foreign ambassadors, be otherwise account- 

 ed for, than from his desire to shew to Europe that he 

 had now arrived at such a height of power, as to de- 

 spise the laws by which other civilized states were re 

 gulated in their mutual intercourse. 



The indignation of Europe at length burst forth, 

 and the league of Augsburg was formed by the Em- 

 peror Leopold with Holland, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, 

 and Savoy, for the purpose of checking the ambitious 

 designs of Louis. On the succession of William III. 

 to the throne of Britain, that nation also joined the 

 league. 



The first commencement of the war in Italy was nn- 

 fortunate for the allies. The troops of Victor Amadeus 

 II. were defeated at Staffarda, by Mareschal Catinat, 

 and all Savoy, with the greater part of Piedmont, fell 

 into the hands of the French. The activity of prince 

 Eugene of Savoy saved Turin ; and in the following 

 years these allies invaded Dauphiny, in order to divide 

 the attention of Catinat. The success of their cam- 

 paign was, however, interrupted by. the illness of the 

 duke, and his generals were forced to retreat. Casal 

 was then invested by the combined troops of Spain 

 and Savoy, and on its surrender was restored to the 

 duke of Mantua, in consequence of a secret agreement 

 between Louis and the duke of Savoy, who was now 

 weary of the war, and determined to desert the cause 

 of the allies. In fact he concluded a treaty the next 

 year, after sustaining a mock siege in Turin, by Cati- 

 nat. 



By this pacification, which \\-as termed the neu- 

 trality of Italy, the duke received back Savoy, with 

 all the other places occupied by France, and Adelaide, 

 his eldest daughter, was betrothed to the duke of Bur- 

 gundy, grandson of the French monarch. The defec- 

 tion of Victor Amadeus was soon followed by the ge- 

 neral peace of Ryswick, terminating a war, which 

 though it had not humbled the French king, had at 

 least exhausted his resources to such a degree, as to 

 render his ambition less formidable to nis neigh- 

 bours. 



The commencement of the 18th century was marked 

 by a new cause of contention, and a war still more 

 important in its results. Charles II. the last king of 

 Spain, of the house of Austria, dying without issue, 

 bequeathed his dominions to the duke of Anjou, 

 grandson to Louis XIV. who, repairing to Madrid, 



History. 



Bombard- 

 ment and 

 humihatior 

 of Genoa, 

 A.D. 1685 



League of 

 Augsburg 

 against 

 Louis. 



Battle of 

 Staffarda. 

 A. D. 1691 



Victor \- 



madeus 



makes a 



separate 



peace. 



A.D.1695. 



Spanish 



succession 



war. 



A; D.I 700 



