The estates, empires, & principallities of the world Represented by ye description of countries, maners of inhabitants, riches of prouinces, forces, gouernment, religion; and the princes that haue gouerned in euery estate. With the begin[n]ing of all militarie and religious orders. Translated out of French by Edw: Grimstone, sargeant at armes.

The Estate of the Duke of Urbin.

❧ THE ESTATE [ A] OF THE DVKE OF [ B] VRBIN.

The Contents.

1 THe confines and compasse of the Duke of Vrbins Estate, and the townes which he doth possesse. 2. The territorie fertile in corne, wine, oyle, figges, &c. but the [ C] ayre vnwholesome, especially about Pezaure and Fossombrone. 3. The Riches consisting in the wines of Pezaure, and drie figges: and what be the reuenews of this Princ••. 4. His forces of men and forts. 5. A Catalogue of the Dukes of Vrbin, which haue commaunded vnto this day.

[ I] THe territorie of this duke, lyes part in Vmbria, and part in the Mar∣quisat: he hath seuen Townes, and aboue three hundred Castles. The towns are Vrbin, Eugubie, Cagli, and Fossombrone; and these belong to the duchie of Vrbin: then S. Leon (which is the chiefe towne of the countie of Montfeltre) Senegallia, and Pezaure. The [ D] length of this estate is about threescore miles, and the bredth about fiue and thirtie. It confines, yea it is intermixt with the State of the Church(whereof the said duke is a Feudatarie) and with the duke of Florence countrie. He payes yerely for a rent and acknowledgment for the whole Estate which he enioyes, the summe of 2240 crownes.

V••bin is one of the most auncient townes of Italie, of the which Plinie and Tacitus make mention. In the time of Conradin, the last duke of Suabe, it was subdued by the Earles of Montfeltre, whose successours increasing in power, in processe of time had also Eugubie. This towne is faire, and well built, and the duke makes his ordinarie aboad there. Pisaure hath also as faire houses as any towne in Italie; and Fossombrone, called [ E] by the Auncients Forum Sempronij, is also verie well peopled.

¶ The Qualitie.

[ II] The territorie about the citie of Vrbin is exceeding good, and generally fertile, yeel∣ding as good fruits as can be desired. The countrie about Pisaure hath a bad ayre, but the soyle is exceeding good, and yeelds aboundance of fruit, especially of figges, and excellent wines, and Fossombrone also, although the ayre be verie vnwholesome, yet the soyle abounds with wheat, and all sorts of graine; and moreouer, in wine, oyle, and diuers fruits, which are verie pleasing in tast: and to speake in a word, this Estate is [ F] fertile, and hath plentie of all things necessarie for the life of man.

[ A] ¶ The iches.

A Good part of this Estate lies vpon the shoare of the Adriaticke sea, and is very com∣modious, and of great profit, by reason of many things which may be brought thither from all parts. They carrie their wines of Pisaure to Venice, for the which the in∣habitants receiue much money, and also for their dryed figes, which they sell to the Ve∣netians, Bolonians, and to other places.

The reuenues of this prince, in possessions, rents, & customes, is about 100000 crowns [ B] yearely, yet if he would charge his people, he might draw a greater summe from them: but imitating the example of his predecessors, his chiefe care is to preserue the loue of his people, and therefore is content to leaue them in these termes, and to liue with lesse money; where by he is maister of his subiects hearts, who would willingly imploy their li••es and goods for his seruice, the which they haue made manifest at their last princes marriage, euery towne striuing to shew his particular affection to the prince and prin∣cesse, to honour their entrie into Pisaure, and to other places. This duke reapes no grea∣ter profit of any thing, than of corne, throughout the townes that are subiect to him; for that there not only comes corne into the town of Sen••gallia out of the dukes Estate, but also out of the territorie of the Church, the which is brought secretly thither out [ C] of the Popes Estate, in great aboundance, without his priuitie.

¶ The Forces.

THis duke is much to be esteemed, first for that he may draw out of his Estate aboue one thousand and two hundred good souldiers, which haue beene trained vp in war, and who would readilie follow their prince, if any good occasion were offered: second∣ly, for that although he doth not enioy any great reuenues, yet he is the maister of his subiects hearts, who would imploy all for his seruice. As for places of strength, the town of Vrbin is of good defence: but Pisaure (whereas the duke doth commonly remaine [ D] in Winter) is a strong towne, and hath a very good castell. This towne standeth vpon the Adriaticke shoare, and is about two miles in compasse, and is fortified after the moderne fashion; which fortification was begun by duke Francis Maria, and was continued and made perfect by his sonne Guy Vbalde that now liues, who entertaines a good garrison of souldiers, with store of artillerie, munition, and other things necessarie for the defence of a towne. He hath in his palace a hall full of goodly armes, neere vnto the which in another chamber, he hath armes for six hundred men, to the which they may go by a se∣cret passage to the dukes owne chamber. Moreouer there are some other good places for the bignesse, in this princes Estate

[ E] ¶ The Dukes of Vrbin.

FRederic of Montfeltre, for his excellent vertues, was in his youth adopted for sonne by Guy Antonie Vbaldini, seigniour of Vrbin, who hauing liued many yeares without children, made his account that Fredericke should be the heire of his Estate; by rea∣son whereof, Fredericke being like to succeed him in his seigneurie, had great meanes, vsing himselfe courteously, and making shew of those goodlie parts which were in him, to win the loue and affections of all the people. Guy Balde Antonie had in his declining age one sonne, who was called Odo Antonie, so as Frederic remained excluded from this seigneurie, and yet the peoples affection was nothing diminished, his vertues hauing [ F] purchased their loues. Odo Antonie, after his fathers death, ••uling very insolently, and ••••∣cenciously, was slaine by certaine conspirators, being very young, and left no heires be∣hind him. Some write that seeking to satisfie his lust with a gentlew••man of a noble house, he was slaine by the people, and dragged ignominiously through the streets.

Frederic Vbaldini, after the death of Odo Antonie, was called to the gouernment, by a

generall consent of all the people; and he had not onely this Estate in see from the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 [ A] but also he was created the first duke of Vrbin. There is much written of the ver•••••• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 exce〈…〉〈…〉f duke Frederic, among other things, that he was wise, eloquent, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 uer of le〈◊〉〈◊〉 fortunat in warre, respected in peace, honoured of the princes of Ita∣lie, and beloued deerely of his owne people. He did beautifie Vrbin with go••d••••e buil∣dings, and especially with that sumptuous palace, whereas he built a stately l••br••tie, re∣plenished with so great a number of rare bookes, couered and garnished with gold, sil∣uer, and silke, as it was an admirable thing to behold, before that Caesar Borgias made himselfe maister of Vrbin; which bookes were disperced here and there, in the time of the said Caesar Borgias, and so that worthie worke was ruined. He purchased Fossombrone for thirteene thousand florins of gold, of Galcazzo Malatesta, and died generall for the [ B] Venetians, against Hercules of Este, duke of Ferrata. After his death he left for heire

Guy Balde his sonne, who notwithstanding that he married, being in his younger yeres much giuen to war, continued full of the gout, and without hope to haue any chil∣dren. This prince, not able to attend any other thing, by reason of his indisposit••on, had a desseigne to haue a goodly court, and full of vertuous men, and rare in all professions. so as vsing courtesie to all men of merit, as well as Elizabeth of Gonzague, his wife, yea one striuing to exceed another in the entertainment of vertuous men, he drew together so great a number of such worthie persons, as the like hath not beene seene in the court of any prince, yea he gaue the forme and modell of a well ordered court, to other prin∣ces. [ C] He tried the frownes of fortune, for notwithstanding that he was generall to P••pe Alexander the sixt, against the Vrsini, whose armie was defeated, and he taken prisoner; yet afterwards being betraied by Caesar Borgias, sonne to Pope Alexander, he was in dan∣ger to be taken prisoner by him. Returning afterwards into his Estate, and hearing that Paulo Vrsini the duke of Grauina, Vitellozzi, and Leu••••otti of Fermo, had beene surpri∣sed at Senegallia by the said Caesar, he was forced to flie: but after the death of Pope Alexander he returned, and was very ioyfully receiued of his people. After which he li∣ued quietly, and in the end past to a better life, being much lamented by his subiects, hauing first adopted

Francis Maria de la Rouera, who was sisters sonne to Guy Balde, his father was captaine [ D] of Rome, and lord of Senegallia: he was nephew to Pope Sixtus, and base brother to Pope Iulio. This Francis gaue h••mselfe to the exercise of armes, wherein he grew so ex∣cellent, as he deserued to be called the light and beautie of Italie. He had many hono∣rable charges in the war: he was captaine generall for the common-weale of Ven••••••, and a little before his death, he was also made generall by land, of the league which was be∣twixt Pope Paul the third, the Emperor Charles the fist, and the seigneurie of Venice. Be∣sides the duchie of Vrbin, the countie of Montfeltre, and the towne of Senegallia, which was enoied by his father, he had also from the Pope, in recompence of much mony which was due vnto him from the Church, and for many good seruices done vnto the holie See, the towne of Pesate or Pisaure, which was wont to be held by the Ssorces. During [ E] the life of Pope Iulio the second, Franc••s Maria liued peaceably in his Estate, not char∣ging his people, but caring only to purchase their loues, the which princes should esteem much more than any treasure. But Leo hauing succeeded Pope Iulio, he had great crosses and troubles, for that the Pope in a short time depriued him of his Estate, and gaue it to Laurence de Medicis who was father to Katherine de Medicis the French quee••e. But hauing with the losse of his Estate, lost neither ••he greatnesse of his courage, his valour, militarie judgement, nor the loue of his people, he dared with foure thousand Spaniards (who followed him willingly in regard of his valour, being poore of money, and wan∣ting all other things) to encounter so great a power as that of the Pope, for there 〈◊〉〈◊〉∣rie of his Estate; and hauing made a great slaughter of his enemies, he recou••red all [ F] his countrie in a short time, except the towne of Pisare: but finding himselfe in extre••me necessitie of all things, and fearing some ••reason in his armie, he returned vic••••ous to Vrbin, where he was ioyfully re••eiued by his subiects, whom he gouerned 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and peacebly the rest of his daies, dying in the yeare 1538, and was lamented of them as if

[ A] he had beene their father, brother, or sonne. He had by Leonora Gongaza, his wife, two sonnes, Guy Balde who succeeded him, and the Cardinall: and three daughters, whereof the one was wife to the duke of one of the greatest Princes of the realme of Naples; the second was married to the Lord Alphonso of Este; and the third was wife to the Marquis of Massa.

Guy Balde, sonne to Frauncis, was the fourth Duke of Vrbin, for notwithstanding that Laurence de Medicis did call himselfe for a time duke of Vrbin, yet being not of this line, he is not numbred among the dukes.

Guy had two wiues, the first was Iulia Varena, duchesse of Camerin, which duchie he [ B] enioyed during the life of his father Francis Maria, for notwithstanding that Pope Paule the third pretended that it was fallen in lapse to the Church, by the death of the Duke, without heires male, yet he had some feare to make warre against so valiant a Prince, who prepared to defend himselfe resolutely: but Francis Maria being dead, and leauing this duke but young, the Pope did soone make himselfe maister thereof, and gaue it in fee to Peter Lewis his sonne, but soone after he exchanged this Estate with Parma and P••••isance, with the consent of all the Cardinalls.

This duke tooke to his second wife Victoria Farnese, a faire, wife, and vertuous Prin∣cesse, and much beloued of the duke her husband. He had six children, whereof two daughters were base, who were honourably married, one lawfull daughter by the du∣chesse [ C] of Camerin, who was first married to Frederic Borromeo, nephew to Pope Pius the fourth, and afterwards to the duke of Grauina, a Prince much esteemed in the realme of Naples, of the Familie of the Vrsini. By his last wife Victoria, he had two daughters, (wherof the eldest was married to the prince of Bisignan, who was one of the greatest of the realme of Naples, of the house of the Sanseue••••ns, who hath aboue one hundred thousand crownes a yeare rent;) and one sonne, which is,

Francis Maria, called by his grandfathers name, a Prince of an excellent spirit, and giuen to all exercises of the bodie. [ D] [ E] [ F]