GERMAN Y* 
the Spanifli dominions, Solyman the Magnificeiit made 
an irruption into Hungary, and reduced Belgrade. He 
then turned his arms againfl: the ifland of Rhodes, and, 
after an obftinate fiege of fix months, added that im¬ 
portant place to his former conquefts, Charles and 
Francis were equally afliamed of having negledted the 
relief of an ifiand whicli was generally confidered as the 
great bulwark of Chriftendom in the eaft; arid the em¬ 
peror, by way of reparation, granted to the knights of 
St. John the ifiand of Malta, where they fixed their re- 
lidence, and continued long to retain their ancient fpirit, 
though dimiriifiled in firength and fplendour. 
Pope Adrian IV. though devoted to the interefts of 
the emperor, endeavoured to afi'ume the impartiality 
which became his pontifical charadter, and laboured to 
etfedl a reconciliation between the contending princes. 
The Italian ftates were alfo difpofed to peace; and fo 
much regard was paid to the pope’s propofal of a truce 
for three years, that the Imperial, French, and Englifli, 
ambafiadors, at Rome, were empowered to treat upon 
that fubjeCt; but whilfi they were employed in fruitlel's 
negociations, their fovereigns ^vere continuing holtilc 
prep^arations, and the confederacy againfl Francis be¬ 
came more powerful than ever. The Venetians, who 
had hitherto efpoufed the French intereft, formed en¬ 
gagements with the emperor for fecuring the Milanel’e 
to Francis Sforza ; the Florentines, the dukes of Ferrara 
and Mantua, and all the Italian powers, acceded to the 
fame alliance ; while tlie emperor undertook the invafion 
of Guienne, the forces of England and the Netherlands 
hovered about Picardy, and a numerous body of Ger¬ 
mans was appointed to ravage Burgundy. 
Although the enemies of France had thus carried the 
war into thp very bowels of that kingdom, Francis ftill 
retained his natural courage, and determined, even at 
this perilous crifis, to make a frefli attempt for the reco¬ 
very of the Milanefe. Accordingly, in 1524, he fent an 
army of thirty thoufand men acrofs the Alps, under the 
command of general Bonnivet. Colonna was in no con¬ 
dition to refift this force; and the duchy of Milan might 
have been ealily reduced, had not Bonnivet wafted his 
time in unimportant enterprifes. By his imprudent con- 
du6t, in this refpedl, his own army was greatly dimi- 
liifhed, while that of the confederates received powerful 
Fuccours, and he was compelled to make an ignominious 
retreat, after lofing his braveft troops in an engagement 
at Biagrafta. Francis, having defended his native king¬ 
dom with aftonifliing fuccefs, refolved to march in per- 
fon againft the Milanel'e, in order to wipe off the dif- 
grace of Bonnivet’s expedition; but, although he ob¬ 
tained feveral important advantages, he was at laft de¬ 
feated, and taken prifoner at the fiege of Pavia ; Milan 
was inftantly abandoned; and after a few weeks there 
•was fcarcely a Frenchman left in Italy. 
Whatever joy the emperor might have felt on this 
occafion, he concealed his real fenfations, and forbade 
any public rejoicing to be made in his dominions ; ob- 
ferving, that all victories gained over fellow-chriltians 
were rather objects of mourning than of mirth. His 
confefibr, believing that he fpoke the language of his 
heart, exliorted him to releafe his illuftrious captive 
without ranfom, as fuch an acl of generofity would tranf- 
mit his name with glory to pofterity, and the French 
monarch would be neceffarily attached to his interefts in 
future, by the ftrongell ties of gratitude. But, inftead 
of following this advice, Charles fuft'ered his unfortu¬ 
nate rival to remain in clofe confinement, and propoled 
liich fevere terms as the price of his liberty, that he was 
v/ith difficulty reflrained from putting a-period to his 
o'vn exiftence. At length, however, the emperor thought 
proper to abate a part of his exorbitant demands, and 
Francis was removed to Madrid, where he obtained his 
liberty on condition of ceding Burgundy, and fome other 
^territories, to his conqueror, and delivering tip his two 
Ions, the dauphin of France, and the duke of Orleans, 
VoL. VIIL No. 519. 
48 '^ 
as hoftages for the performance of the treaty. He had, 
however, no fooner returned to his own dominions, than 
he protefted againfl: this agreement as a comptilfory a6t, 
and announced his intention of renewing the war. Francis 
was fupported in thefe meafures by the courts of Rome 
and England ; and a formidable confederacy, called the 
“ Holy League,” was formed, to curb the dangerous 
power of the emperor, to enforce the liberation of Fran¬ 
cis’s fons on the payment of a reafonable ranfom, and to 
re-eftablifli Sforza in the duchy of Milan. 
In confeqtience of this league, Italy once more became 
the feat of war, and the confederate army entertained 
<^he moft brilliant hopes of fuccefs: but Francis, who it 
was expected would have infufed vigour into the whole 
body, had paffed through fuch a fcene of diftrefs, that 
he was become diffident of his abilities, and diftruftftil 
of his fortune. He flattered himfelf that the mere name 
of fuch a confederacy would induce Charles to liften to 
terms of accommodation ; and under this miftaken idea, 
negledted to fend reinforcements to his allies in Italy. 
Meanwhile the duke of Bourbon, who commanded the 
imperialifts, reduced the whole of the Milanefe,-and led 
his victorious forces to the gates of Rome. His at¬ 
tempt upon that city coll him his life ; but his follow¬ 
ers foon fcaled the walls, facrificed many of the unfor¬ 
tunate inhabitants to their refentm.ent, and confined the 
fovereign pontiff in the caftle of St. Angelo. Charles 
received the news of thefe tranfadlions with his accuf- 
tomed difiimulation, and even ordered bus clergy to offer 
up prayers in their churches for the pope’s liberation ; 
though he determined to prolong his captivity till he 
fliould pay an enormous ranfom, and furrender to him all 
the places of ftrength in the ecclefiaftical dominions. 
The kings of France and England had, previoufly to 
the lacking of Rome, agreed to invade the Low-coun¬ 
tries with a powerful army; but on the firft intimation 
of the pope’s misfortune, they transferred the theatre 
of the projedled war to Italy, and Clement obtained his 
liberty. But though the confederates were fuccefsful 
at the opening of the campaign, their fortune was fud- 
denly changed by fome untoward accidents ; and Francis 
was fo effe6tually difcouragcd, that he began to turn his 
thoughts toward a pacification. Charles, on the other 
hand, was anxious to i-eturn into Germany, where his 
prefence was abfolutely neccfiary;, and after fome time, 
an accommodation tvas negociated atCambray, by which 
Francis confented to refign all his claims to Lombardy, 
Flanders, and Artois, and pay two millions of crowns 
as the'ranfom of his fons, and the emperor ceafed to de¬ 
mand the rellitiition of Burgundy. Charles'alfo, about 
the fame time, concluded a peace with the pope ; and 
having been crowned by his holinefs at Bologna, he re¬ 
turned triumphant to the German empire. 
Charles now made fome vigorous exertions for fe¬ 
curing the imperial dignity to his brother Ferdinand, 
who had afcended the throne of Hungary ; and, notwith- 
ftanding the fpirited remonftrances of leveral princes,, 
he procured him to be elected king of the Romans. 
This mealure gave great ofl'ence to the eleflor of Saxony 
and his confederates, and Germany appeared to be threat¬ 
ened with the horrors of a civil war, but the dread of 
an invafion from the Turks, induced both parties to 
unite in defence of their country.- Charles had received 
intelligence that the armies of that nation were advanc¬ 
ing in prodigious numbers toward Stiria; that fifteen 
thoufand cavalry had already penetrated as far as Lintz, 
and that Solyman had croffed the Danube in perfon at 
Belgrade. But a timely treaty of accommodation with the 
proteftauts had produced Inch general unanimity, that 
tlie emperor foon found himfelf at the head of 120,000 
men. With thefe he marched againfl; the invaders; and 
had either he or Solyman dared to hazard a general en¬ 
gagement, it would probably have been decifive of tlie 
fate of two great empires: but both the chieftains feemed 
to have entertained fears of each other’s pcwer^ and tliey 
6 I ' took 
