The general history of Spain from the first peopling of it by Tubal, till the death of King Ferdinand, who united the crowns of Castile and Aragon : with a continuation to the death of King Philip III / written in Spanish by the R.F.F. John de Mariana ; to which are added, two supplements, the first by F. Ferdinand Camargo y Salcedo, the other by F. Basil Varen de Soto, bringing it down to the present reign ; the whole translated from the Spanish by Capt. John Stevens.

CHAP. IV. King Ferdinand's Double-dealing; The Princess Mary of Castile married to the King of Portugal; The French and Spaniards jointly subdue the Kingdom of Naples; Actions of the Great Captain.

OF Four Daughters the Catholick King and Queen had, the Princess Mary was still un∣married. * 1.1 King Ferdinand of Naples was desirous to have her for his Son the Duke of Calabria, hoping by that means to secure his Crown. The King of Portugal also sollicited to have her, tho' he had been married to her Sister. This was thought the better Match, but the Dispensation was hard to be obtained, because the Affinity was in the First Degree. The Pope, tho' in other things free enough, was very backward in this, pretending that the King of France pressed him not to grant it. He said he would not consent to it, unless the Catho∣lick King would secure him against any harm that might threaten him upon that account. Much time was spent in debating this Point. King Ferdinand would have the Duke of Cala∣bria marry his Neice Queen Joanna, Widow of Ferdinand II. King of Naples, who was still in that Kingdom, her Father having left her 400000 Ducats. King Frederick approved of the Match to save the Payment of that vast Sum, but would have the King of Spain take him into his Protection. This the Catholick King would not agree to, because of the Treaty he had in hand with France; which being at last concluded, tho' King Frederick was willing the Match should go on, the Catholick King would not consent. King Frederick, to secure him∣self against the French, and divert them from their Pretensions to his Kingdom, made large Offers to them. The King of France proposed, That to secure the Performance of what they should agree upon, he should deliver up to him the Castle of Gaeta; and that Frederick's Son should reside in his Court, and marry Germana Daughter to the Earl of Narbonne, or the Sister of Monsieur d' Angoulesme. Besides, he demanded a Million in ready Money, and 25000 Ducats of yearly Tribute. All heavy Conditions, which that King could not conde∣••cend to, tho' he was willing to give the Million demanded. In fine, none of these Matches was concluded. At length the Pope dispenced with the King of Portugal, and he was con∣tracted by Proxy at Granada in August, D. Alvaro de Portugal performing that Ceremony for him. There was no manner of Solemnity or Publick Rejoycing. In that City, on the 12th of September, the King passed a Grant to the Marquesses of Moya, by virtue whereof the Cup that the King drinks out of on S. Luis's Day every Year belongs to them. This was done in memory, that upon that Day D. Andrew de Cabrara, first Marquess of Moya, delivered up to King Ferdinand all the Treasure of King Henry that was in his custody in the Castle of Segovia, which was a great means to establish him in the Kingdom. With the Princess, as far as the Borders of Portugal, went D. James Hurtado de Mendoça, Archbishop of Sevil, Patriarch of Alexandria, and now made Cardinal of Spain, as his Unkle had been; he was also Brother to the Earl of Tendilla. Also the Marquess of Villena and many other Lords bore her Com∣pany. On the Borders of Portugal she was received by the Duke of Bragança, tho' at that time he was disgusted, because the King so highly favoured D. George de Portugal, whom he had created Duke of Coimbra, and given him to Wife Beatrix de Melo, Daughter to D. Alvaro de Portugal, and the Lady Philippa de Melo his Wife. With the Duke of Bragança were many other Nobles. She entred into that Kingdom upon the 20th of October, and on the 30th of the same Month was married with great Solemnity at Alcaçar do Sal, where the King waited her coming. This Marriage was very fruitful, for they had many Children, as shall be de∣clared in its place. Soon after, the Princess Margaret was married to Philibert Duke of Sa∣voy; but she was unfortunate in Husbands, for he also died soon after. The Soldan of Ba∣byl•••• signified some Discontent against the Catholick King, because he made War against the Moors of Granada. It was feared he might molest the Christians that lived in his Dominions, and hinder the Pilgrimages to the Holy City Hierusalem. For this reason the King resolved to send a solemn Embassie to give him Satisfaction. Peter Martyr of Angleria, a Milanese, the King's Chaplain, was chose for this Employment. He did his Message discreetly, and ob∣tained of the Soldan all he desired. He was out a Year, and at his return was made Dean of Granada, where he afterwards died, and ordered himself to be buried sitting on a Chair, with a Casula or Vestment made of a rich Silk the Soldan gave him. He wrote Decades of the War of Granada, of his Embassie, and the Discovery of the West-Indies, in which is to be seen more of Truth than Elegancy.

All Europe was in suspence, waiting the Event of the War of Naples, undertaken by the joint Forces of France and Spain for the Ruin of King Frederick, and deprive him of that Rich and Noble Kingdom. The Catholick King sent advice of his Resolution from Granada to the Great Captain on the 1st of March, 1501. ordering him at the same time to leave the War against the Turk, and return immediately with his Fleet to the Port of Meçina. Soon after, he sent him the Title of his Lieutenant in the Dukedoms of Apulia and Calabria. To oppose the Turk, he prevailed with the King of Portugal to send a Fleet to those Parts, which he did, under the Command of D. John de Meneses, Earl of Taroça, who by the way attempted the Port of Maçalquivir near Oran, and being repulsed, sailed on to the Island of Corfu, whence

he returned to Portugal without doing any thing. It was also proposed to the King of France to send his Fleet against the Turks. That King made choice of Luis d' Armagnac, Duke of Nemours, Earl of Armagnac and Guise, to Command his Forces that were to invade Naples. He would not give this Command to Luis de Luxembourg Earl of Ligni, who sued for it, lest he should cause some disorder by the Right he pretended to the Principality of Altamura. The Duke of Nemours made some stay in France: therefore the Lord of Aubeni, who was made Lord High Constable of Naples, moved with the French Forces out of Lombardy towards Naples, and with him the Earl of Gayace, a Man of great Quality, who had fled from Naples. At this time Francis de Rojas, a very able Man, was sent to succeed Laurence Suarez, as Ambassador at Rome. At the Emperor's Court had resided for some Years with that Character, D. John Emanuel, a Man of great Note, but Turbulent. In the Court of France John Michael Gralla was still resident, and John Claver at Naples. The Great Captain, in pursuance of the Orders he had received, repaired to Meçina with his Fleet; thence he went to Palermo to order the Viceroy John de Lanuça, to gather what Money and Forces he could for the Enterprize in hand. Some Misunderstanding there hapned betwixt them, as is usual where each arrogates to himself a Superiority; but at last they agreed in what concerned the King's Service; and the Great Captain having gathered what Force he could returned to Meçina, where was the General Rendezvous. The Great Captain was possessed in Calabria of the Dukedom of Monte de Santangelo, given him by King Frederick when the late War was concluded. Before he entred upon that Conquest, he sent Captain Gençalo de Foces to excuse him to that King; to restore to him that Dukedom, and renounce the Oath of Allegiance he had taken to him for the same. The King absolved him of his Oath, yet gave him the Duke∣dom again, wishing it were better for his sake, upon condition he should not infest his Sub∣jects from the Castles belonging to it. This and the Intelligence his Ambassadors sent from Spain, fully convinced King Frederick how near and certain his Ruin was. He turned him∣self about, and found no Loyalty in his Subjects, no Strength in his Kingdom, nor no Sup∣port from abroad. He sent his Son Ferdinend to Taranto, a strong City in the farthest part of Apulia and of all Italy. It was reported he sent him to Vallona, to obtain Succours of the Turk. He gathered all the Forces he could, which amounted to 800 Men at Arms, and 4000 Foot, fortified Capua, where he left Fabricius Colona and Hugh de Cardona with 200 Men at Arms, and 1600 Foot. The Great Captain being a Man of a vast Reach, easily per∣ceived that Agreement betwixt the Two Kings could not be lasting, as well for the natural Haughtiness of the French, as by reason of the Difficulties that must of necessity arise in di∣viding of the Country, besides that Sovereignty admits of no Rival: Therefore he thought it requisite to anticipate the French, that they might not obstruct his Conquest. He sent the greatest part of the Fleet, under the Command of James de Mendoça, to the Coast of Apulia, to hinder the Turks from coming over thither. The Fleet of Portugal came not in time. He sent Inigo Lopez d' Ayala with the rest of the Fleet to Naples, with Orders to transport Joanna the Queen Dowager of Naples into Sicily. King Frederick suffered her to depart, tho' he had before detained her, in hopes through her means to move King Ferdinand her Unkle to assist him. The Great Captain passed the Streight of Meçina with his Forces, which consisted of 300 Men at Arms, the same Number of Light-Horse, and 3000 Foot. The Spanish Am∣bassador at Rome sent him 600 Spaniards, who had served under Duke Valentine. Orders were left in Sicily for sending after him 400 chosen Horsemen. With this Force in a few days he subdued all Calabria, except the strong Towns of Girachi and S. Agatha, all other Places de∣claring for Spain. The Spaniards passed over to Calabria on the 5th of July, and on the 8th the French entred the Kingdom of Naples by the way of Rome. All Places submitted to them without resistance till they came to Capua, to which they laid siege. All Abruzzo sub∣mitted to the French in like manner. Capua could have held out long, but that the Earl of Palena betrayed it to them. They plundered the City, and took Fabricius Colona, Hugh de Cordona, and all the other Commanders that were in it. This News brought to the Great Cap∣tain at Nicastro on the 29th of July, made him hasten to take the Castle of Cosenza. He ap∣pointed Luis Mudarra Governor of that Town, and the Earl of Ayelo of all Calabria, march∣ing himself speedily to Apulia, that he might have done with that Province before the French at Naples. All Places yielded to him; at last he sate down before Taranto, where the Duke of Calabria was, at such time as the French were possessed of Naples. Duke Valentine having taken Faença and Poimbin, came now to serve the French. King Frederick and the French Ge∣neral agreed in Italy, That he should deliver up Naples and Gaeta with the Castles, and pay 60000 Ducats for their Expence; and they were to suffer him to depart with his Treasure and Servants to Ischia, where he had 6 Months allowed him to consider whither he would re∣move. The King with his Wife and Children, the Queen of Hungary, and Dutchess of Milan, went over to that Island. Thither repaired to them Prosper and Fabricius Colona, being Ransomed. So that the French were now possessed of all their Dividend of that Kingdom; but soon they began to cast their eye upon the rest. In Castile at this time there arose a great Controversie betwixt the Lady Mary Pacheco, Countess of Benevento; and her Son D. Alonso Pimentel, about the Guardianship and Marrying of the Marchioness of Villafranca, the Coun∣tess's Grandchild. The Dukes del Infantado and Alva asked her for their Sons, and the Earl of Benevento her Unkle for himself. At length it was agreed, That the Lady Beatrix, Daughter to the Countess, should be married to D. Garcia de Toledo, Eldest Son to the Duke of Alva, and the Marchioness to D. Peter, Brother to Garcia.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Double-dealing of K. Ferdi∣nand.