407 
SPAIN. 
Charles’s preceptor, who at that time governed Spain in the 
emperor’s name, was unanimously raised to the papacy, to 
the astonishment of all Europe and the great disgust of the 
Italians. 
Francis, roused by the rising consequence of his rival, re¬ 
solved to exert himself with fresh vigour, in order to wrest 
from him his late conquests in Lombardy. Lautrec received 
a supply of money, and a reinforcement of 10,000 Swiss. 
With this reinforcement he was enabled once more to act 
offensively, and even to advance within a few miles of the 
city of Milan; when money again failing him, and the Swiss 
growing mutinous, he was obliged to attack the imperialists 
in, their camp at Bicocca, where he was repulsed with great 
slaughter, having lost his bravest officers and best troops. 
Such of the Swiss as survived set out immediately for their 
own country; and Lautrec, despairing of being able to keep 
the field, retired into France. Genoa, which still remained 
subject to Francis, and made it easy to execute any scheme 
for the recovery of Milan, was soon after taken by Colonna: 
the authority of the emperor and his faction was everywhere 
established in Italy. The citadel of Cremona was the sole for¬ 
tress which remained in the hands of the French. 
The distress of Francis was augmented by the unexpected 
arrival of an English herald, who in the name of his sovereign, 
declared war against France. The courage of this prince, 
however, did not forsake him: though his treasury was ex¬ 
hausted, he assembled a considerable army, and put his 
kingdom in a posture of defence. 
Meanwhile Charles, willing to draw as much advantage as 
possible from so powerful an ally*, paid a second visit to the 
court of England in his way to Spain, where his presence 
was become necessary. His success exceeded his most san¬ 
guine expectations. In consequence of these negociations, an 
English army invaded France, under the command of the 
Earl of Surrey; who, at the end of the campaign, was 
obliged to retire, with his forces greatly reduced, without 
being able to make himself master of one place within the 
French frontier. Charles was more fortunate in Spain: he soon 
quelled the tumults which had there arisen in his absence. 
While the Christian princes were thus wasting each other’s 
strength, Solyman the Magnificent entered Hungary, and 
made himself master of Belgrade, reckoned the chief barrier 
of that kingdom against the Turkish power. Encouraged 
by this success, he turned his victorious arms against the 
island of Rhodes, at that time the seat of the knights of St. 
John of Jerusalem. Lisle Adam, the grand master, made a 
gallant defence; but, after incredible efforts of courage, pa¬ 
tience and military conduct, during a siege of six months, he 
was obliged to surrender the place. Charles and Francis 
were equally ashamed of having occasioned such a loss to 
Christendom by their contests; and the emperor, by way of 
reparation, granted to the knights of St. John, the small 
island of Malta, where they fixed their residence. 
Adrian VI. though the creature of the emperor, and de¬ 
voted to his interest, endeavoured to assume the impartiality 
which became the common father of Christendom, and 
laboured to reconcile the contending princes, that they might 
unite in a league against Solyman, whose conquest of Rhodes 
rendered him more formidable than ever, to Europe. The 
Italian states were no less desirous of peace than the pope : 
and so much regard was paid by the hostile powers to the 
exhortations of his holiness, and to a bull which he issued, 
requiring all Christian princes to consent to a truce for three 
years, that the imperial, the French and the English am¬ 
bassadors at Rome, were empowered to treat of that matter; 
but while they wasted their time in fruitless negociations, 
their masters were continuing their preparations for war; and 
the confederacy against France became more formidable than 
ever. 
The Venetians, who had hitherto adhered to the French 
interest, formed engagements with the emperor for securing 
Francis Sforza in the possession of the duchy of Milan ; and 
the pope, from a persuasion that the ambition of the French 
monarch was the only obstacle to peace, acceded to the same 
alliance. The Florentines, the dukes of Ferrara and.Mantua, 
and all the Italian powers, followed this example. Francis 
was left, without a single ally, to resist die efforts of a mul¬ 
titude of enemies, whose armies everywhere threatened, and 
whose territories encompassed his dominions. The em¬ 
peror in person menaced France with an invasion on the 
side of Guienne; the forces of England and the Netherlands 
hovered over Picardy, and a numerous body of Germans 
was preparing to ravage Burgundy. 
The dread of so many and such powerful adversaries, it 
was thought, would have obliged Francis to keep wholly on 
the defensive, or at least have prevented him from entertain¬ 
ing any thoughts of marching into Italy. But before his 
enemies were able to strike a blow, Francis had assembled a 
great army, with which he hoped to disconcert all the em¬ 
peror’s schemes, by marching it in person into Italy; and 
this bold measure, the more formidable because unexpected, 
could scarcely have failed of the desired effect, had it been 
immediately carried into execution. But the discovery of a 
conspiracy headed by Charles, duke of Bourbon, lord high 
constable, which threatened the destruction of his kingdom, 
obliged Francis to stop at Lyons. 
After a short time, however, not being sufficiently con¬ 
vinced of the constable’s guilt, he suffered so dangerous a foe 
to escape; and Bourbon, entering into the emperor's service, 
employed all the force of his enterprising genius, and his 
great talents for war, to the prejudice of his prince and his 
native country. 
In consequence of the discovery of this plot, and the escape 
of the powerful conspirator, Francis relinquished his inten¬ 
tion of leading his army in person into Italy. He was igno¬ 
rant how far the infection had spread among his subjects, 
and afraid that his absence might encourage them to make 
some desperate attempt in favour of a man so much beloved. 
He did not, however, abandon his design on the Milanese, 
but sent forward an army of 30,000 men, under the com¬ 
mand of Admiral Bonnivet. Colonna, who was entrusted 
with the defence of that duchy, was in no condition to resist 
such a force; and the city of Milan, on which the whole 
territory depends, must have fallen into the hands of the 
French, had not Bonnivet, who possessed none of the talents 
of a general, wasted his time in frivolous enterprises, till the 
inhabitants recovered from their consternation. The impe¬ 
rial army was reinforced. Colonna died; and Lannoy, 
viceroy of Naples, succeeded him in the command; but the 
chief direction of military operations was committed to 
Bourbon and the marquis de Pescara, the greatest generals of 
their age. Bonnivet, destitute of troops to oppose this new 
army, and still more of the talents which could render him a 
match for its leaders, after various movements and en¬ 
counters, was reduced to the necessity of attempting a 
retreat into France. He was followed by the imperial 
generals, and routed at Biagrassa, where the famous Che¬ 
valier Bayard was killed. 
The emperor and his allies were less successful in their at¬ 
tempts upon France. They were baffled in every quarter; 
and Francis, though stripped of his Italian dominions, might 
still have enjoyed in safety the glory of having defended his 
native kingdom against one half of Europe, and have bid 
defiance to all his enemies ; but understanding that the king 
of England, discouraged by his former fruitless enterprises, 
and disgusted with the emperor, was making no preparations 
for any attempt on Picardy, his ancient ardour seized him 
for the conquest of Milan, and he determined, notwithstand¬ 
ing the advanced season, to march into Italy. 
The French army no sooner appeared in Piedmont, than 
the whole Milanese was thrown, into consternation. The 
capital opened its gates. The forces of the emperor and 
Sforza retired to Lodi; and had Francis been so fortunate as 
to pursue them, they must have abandoned that post, amd 
been totally dispersed; but his evil genius led him to besiege 
Pavia, a town of considerable strength, well garrisoned, and 
defended by Antonio de Leyva, one of the bravest officers in 
the Spanish service; before which place he was defeated 
and taken prisoner on the twenty-fourth day of February, 
1524. 
The 
