1 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE Vol. I .,'^'^. ''■-..■o y ^■-.*., ■\S' :^^ :■ j>k-: CLAUDE DE LORRAINE, FIRST DUC DE GUISE. [Frontispiece THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE THE HISTORY OF THE DUCS DE GUISE (1496— 1588) BY H. NOEL WILLIAMS AUTHOR OF "five FAIR SISTERS," ''A PRINCESS OF INTRIGUE," WITH 24 ILLUSTRATIONS " There rode the brood of false Lorraine, the curses of our land." Macaulay, Ivry. IN TWO VOLUMES VOL. I LONDON HUTCHINSON AND CO. PATERNOSTER ROW LIimAKY UNIVERSITY OV CATJFOUNIA ', , J SANTA IJAIIUAUA CONTENTS VOL. I CHAPTER I First meeting of Claude de Lorraine, Comte de Guise, and Antoinette de Bourbon — The House of Guise is founded by their marriage — Rene H, Duke of Lorraine, and his sons — Character of Guise— -The advancement of his fortunes his main object — Invasion of the Milanese by Fran9ois I — ^Guise is severely wounded at Marignano — His recovery regarded as " a veritable prodigy of the art of surgery " — He accom- panies the King on his triumphal entry into Milan — He returns to France — Birth of his eldest daughter, Marie de Lorraine, afterwards Queen of Scotland — ^Guise inherits the seigneurie of Joinville, through the decision of his mother, Philippa of Guelders, to take the veil — Birth of Fran9ois de Lorraine, afterwards second Due de Guise — the Comte and Comtesse de Guise take up their residence at the Chateau of Joinville ....... pp. i-ii CHAPTER II Beginning of the rivalry of Fran9ois I and Charles of Austria — Francois's candidature for the Imperial throne encouraged by the Comte de Guise — The King of Spain elected Emperor, under the title of Charles V — The rival monarchs compared — War breaks out — Guise in Spain — His heroism at the passage of the Bidassoa — Fontarabia taken by the French — Letter of Louise of Savoy to Antoinette de Bourbon — ^Rewards which Guise receives for his military services — ^The count distinguishes himself on the northern frontier — He acquires the reputation of protector of the capital — Beginning of the extraordinary popularity of the Guises with the Parisians — Critical situation of France — Treason of the Connetable de Bourbon — The governments of Champagne and Burgundy con- ferred upon Guise — Invasion of the Imperial lavdskvechts — Guise takes the held against them and almost destroys them at Neufchateau — He reassures the Parisians, alarmed by the advance of the Anglo- Flemish army — Francois I again invades the Milanese — The disaster of Pavia ......... pp. 12-23 CHAPTER III Perilous situation of France after Pavia — Guise persuades his brother-in« law, the Due de Vendome, to submit to the authority of Louise of Savoy — He becomes the most important personage of the Regency vi CONTENTS — Revolt of the peasants in the German provinces bordering the Rhine — Alsace and Lorraine threatened by them — Guise, on his own responsibility, leads the troops placed under his command against the insurgents and entirely routs them- — His conduct severely censured by the Regent and the Council, but praised by the Parlement of Paris and the Pope — Fran9ois I, on his return from captivity, creates Guise duke and peer — Remonstrances of the Parlement — Rapacity of Guise — He becomes the head of a party at the Court — The King discards his mistress, Madame de Chateaubriand, in favour of Anne de Pisseleu, demoiselle d'Heilly — Influence exercised by women in affairs — -Amours of Guise — The Cardinal Jean de Lorraine - — -His portrait by Brantome — His insolence to Beatrix of Portugal, Duchess of Savoy — ^His services to his elder brother, the Due de Guise — ^ Peace of Cambrai — Death of Louis de Lorraine, Comte de Vaudemont ........ pp. 24-35 CHAPTER IV The Due de Guise retires to his governments, where he lives like a petty sovereign — His children — Marriage of his eldest daughter, Marie de Lorraine, to Louis II, Due de Longueville — ^Dearth in France — Progress of Reform : rigorous measures adopted by Guise against the Reformers under his jurisdiction — Beginning of the second war between Fran9ois I and Charles V — ^Guise charged with the defence of Paris — The duke's eldest son, Francois de Lorraine, Comte d'Aumale, accompanies his father to the wars — Interview between Fran9ois I and the two princes — Clever stratagem by which Guise relieves Peronne, besieged by the Imperialists — -Truce of Nice — Death of the Due de Longueville, husband of Marie de Lorraine — Rivalry between James V of Scotland and Henry VIII of England for the hand of the widowed monarch — -Pertinacity of the English monarch — Marriage of James V and Marie de Lorraine — Unsuccessful overture of Henry VIII for the hand of Marie's younger sister, Louise de Lorraine ........ pp. 36-48 CHAPTER V Death of the Dauphin Francois — Henri, Due d'Orleans, becomes heir to the throne — His marriage to Catherine de' Medici — Beginning of the liaison between the new Dauphin and Diane de Poitiers — -Antagonism between Diane and the King's mistress, the Duchesse d'fitampes — The Cardinal de Lorraine and three elder sons of the Due de Guise pay court to the favourite of the Dauphin — -Anne de Montmorency — His character and policy — ^The Due de Guise endeavours, but without success, to persuade Fran9ois I to accept the overtures of the rebellious citizens of Ghent — The King allows himself to be duped by the Emperor — ^Disgrace of the Constable Montmorency — Francois I declares war against the Emperor — ^Guise and the Due d'Orleans invade Luxembourg — ^The success of the campaign com- promised by the folly and egotism of the young prince and his friends — The Due d'Aumale wounded before Luxembourg — A Spartan sire pp. 49-60 CONTENTS vii CHAPTER VI Critical situation of France, invaded by the Emperor and Henry VIII simultaneously — ^Heroic defence of Saint-Dizier — The garrison is induced to capitulate owing to the receipt of a forged order purporting to come from the Due de Guise — Charge of treason against Madame d'Etampes considered — The Tmperiahsts make a raid upon Joinville — Paris panic-stricken at the near approach of the enemy — The King and Guise arrive in the capital and succeed in restoring tranquillity — -Peace of Crepy— Death of the Due d'Orleans — Terrible lance-wound received by the Due d'Aumale in a skirmish before Boulogne — His life saved by the skill and resolution of the celebrated surgeon Ambroise Pare — ^Wonderful fortitude of the wounded prince — His letter to the King — ^He is appointed Governor of Dauphine — Fran9ois I becomes suspicious of the wealth and power of the Guises — Suspicious death of the Comte d'Enghien in a snowball fight — Charges of foul play against the Dauphin and the Guises con- sidered — Death of Francois I. . . . . . pp. 61-69 CHAPTER VH Character of Henri II — A King " born to be governed rather than to govern " — His accession followed by a complete revolution of the palace — Recall of Montmorency, who is reinstated in all his dignities and offices — Dismissal of the late King's Ministers and reorganisation of the Council, in which three of the Guises are included — ^Disgrace and persecution of Madame d'fitampes — Diane de Poitiers aspires to rule both the King and the kingdom — Jealous of the influence of the Constable, she decides to pit the Guises against him, and then to hold the balance between the two parties — The " lion and the fox " ; the Due d'Aumale and Charles de Lorraine — -Aggrandizement of the Guises — Power of the Mont- morencies — Diane de Poitiers created Duchesse de Valentinois and enriched almost beyond the dreams of avarice — Shameful rapacity of the favourites ........ pp. 70-85 CHAPTER Vni The Guises at the Sacre of Henri II — Affairs of Italy — Charles V and the Farnese — Mission of the Cardinal de Guise to Rome— Paul III and the cardinal endeavour to draw France into war with the Emperor — Their efforts frustrated by the Constable — Journey of Henri II to Piedmont — Dispute over precedence between Antoine de Bourbon, first Prince of the Blood, and the Due d'Aumale — Revolt against the gabelle, or salt-tax, in the south-western pro- vinces — Aumale quells the insurrection in Saintonge without cruelty — Brutal reprisals of Montmorency at Bordeaux — State entry of the King and Queen into Lyons — - Glorification of Diane de Poi- tiers — Marriage of Antoine de Bourbon and Jeanne d'Albret — Mar- riage of the Due d'Aumale and Anne d'Este — Birth of Henri de Lorraine ^ . . . PP- S6-97 viii CONTENTS CHAPTER IX strained relations between France and England — Mary Stuart and Edward VI — Project of the Guises to marry the little Queen of Scotland to the Dauphin — Invasion of Scotland by the Protector Somerset and Battle of Pinkie — The Scots decide to throw them- selves into the arms of France, and offer the hand of Mary to the Dauphin — Despatch of a French expedition to Scotland — Convention of Haddington — -Mary Stuart is brought to France — Favourable impression created by the little Queen — The War of Boulogne — Restoration of the town to France — Illness and death of Claude de Lorraine, Due de Guise — Suspicions of poisoning — Sudden death of the Cardinal Jean de Lorraine — The obsequies of Guise are celebrated with veritably royal pomp — Mausoleum erected for her husband and herself by Antoinette de Bourbon — Character of the lirst Due de Guise — Disposal of his property — The immense benefices of the Cardinal Jean shared by his nephews Charles and Louis de Lorraine — The wealth and influence of the Guises increased rather than diminished by the death of the two chiefs of their House pp. 98-114 CHAPTER X The Guises endeavour to provoke a fresh rupture with England, but are foiled by the efforts of the Constable — Montmorency is created duke and peer of France — Attitude of Diane de Poitiers towards the Constable and the Guises — Liaison of Henri II with Lady Fleming, governess of Mary Stuart — Birth of a son — Indiscretions of Lady Fleming, who is dismissed from Court — Political importance of this affair — -Arrogance and ambition of the Guises, who resolve to draw France into another war with Charles V — Critical relations between France and the Emperor — The War of Parma — Affairs of Germany — Negotiations between France and the Lutheran princes — Treaty of Chambord — Popularity of the war in France — Part played by the new Due de Guise in the organisation of the army for the invasion of Lorraine and Alsace — -French plan of campaign — -The Constable takes Metz by stratagem — Guise prevents the annexation of Lor- raine — ^Invasion of Alsace — ^Remonstrances of the German Princes — The French fall back from the Rhine and invade Luxembourg — Mutiny of the landsknechts at Yvoy — Results of the " Austrasian Expedition" ........ pp. 115-132 CHAPTER XI Indignation aroused in Germany by France's annexation of Metz — Charles V organises a great army for the recovery of the town — The Due de Guise is entrusted with the defence of Metz — His prepara- tions — -He sets the garrison a splendid example of energy and devotion to duty — ^Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenbirg — He defeats and makes prisoner the Due d'Aumale — ^The siege of Metz begins — Arrival of the Emperor — Terrific bombardment of the town — A surprise for the Imperialists — Guise's speech to the CONTENTS ix garrison— Indignation of Charles V at the refusal of his generals to attempt to take the town by storm— Arrival of Ambroise Pare — A successful sortie — -Scene between the Margrave of Brandenburg and his prisoner the Due d'Aumale. — The Imperiahsts are compelled to raise the seige — Horrible condition of their abandoned camp — Humanity of Guises towards the wounded — Negligence of the French Government- Thcrouenne and Hesdin taken by the Imperiahsts — The French invade the Netherlands — Guise subjected to a subordinate position by the jealousy of Montmorency — His victory at Renti rendered futile owing to the incapacity or ill-will of the Constable — Violent quarrel between Guise and Gaspard de CoUgny — Peace of Vaucelles and abdication of Charles V . . . pp. i33-i55 CHAPTER XII The Cardinal Caraffa elected Pope, under the title of Paul IV — His pride and arrogance — ^His hatred of the Spaniards, whose domina- tion in Italy he is determined to overthrow^ — ^Despatch of the Cardinal Caraffa to France to induce Henri II to break the Truce of Vaucelles — The Cardinal's overtures are repulsed by Montmorency, but warmly received by the Guises — Audacious projects of the Due de Guise and the Cardinal de Lorraine — -The Constable renounces his opposition and joins the Guises and Madame de Valentinois in counselling war — -Singular reason for this change of front — Guise's Italian expedition — -He is delayed in Rome by the refusal of the Caraffi to furnish him with the troops promised — Duel between an Italian and a Gascon officer on Monte Rotondo — Unsuccessful invasion of Naples — Guise receives orders to return to France pp. 156-167 CHAPTER XIII Formidable invasion of Picardy by the Spaniards — Disastrous defeat of the Constable at Saint- Quentin— Consternation in Paris — The heroic defence of Saint-Quentin by Coligny saves the situation — Return of Guise, who is received with enthusiasm— He is appointed Lieu- tenant-General of the Kingdom- — ^He determines on an attempt to recover Calais and expel the English from France — -Failure of the English Government to reinforce the garrisons of Calais and Guines — Calais is taken after a siege of six days — Harsh treatment of the inhabitants — Gallant defence of Guines by Lord Grey de Wilton, who is, however, obliged to surrender — ^The Guises turn the duke's brilliant military success to account by hastening the marriage of their niece, Mary Stuart, to the Dauphin ..... pp. 168-179 CHAPTER XIV Unbearable arrogance of the Guises — Secret interview between the Cardinal de Lorraine and the Bishop of Arras (afterwards Cardinal de Gran- velle) at Marcoing — Denunciation of the heresy of Andelot by the cardinal — Henri II, irritated by the insolence of the Guises, desires peace and the release of the Constable — His letters to Montmorency CONTENTS — The Due de Guise continues his military successes — Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis— Indignation in France — The Guises prepare to assume a new rdle — Progress of the Reformation in France — -Henri II resolves on the extermination of heresy — Disinclination of the Par- lement of Paris to co-operate with the Government in the persecution — The King attends the mercuviale of June lo, 1559 — Bold attitude of the Counsellors Anne du Bourg and Louis du Faur — Fate of Du Bourg — The Treaty marriages — -The tournament of the Rue Saint- Antoine — Fatal accident to the King — His death . pp. 180-199 CHAPTER XV Accession of Fran9ois II — The Guises take possession of the person of the young King and usurp all authority^ — Disgrace of Madame de Valentinois — ^Futile overtures of the Constable to Antoine de Bourbon, King of Navarre — Fall of Montmorency — His interview with Catherine de' Medici — Insolence of the Guises to the King of Navarre — Coronation of the King — Montmorency is compelled to resign the Grand Mastership, which is conferred upon the Due de Guise — Coligny is tricked out of the government of Picardy and all persons in authority hostile to the new regime are removed pp. 200-209 CHAPTER XVI General discontent aroused by the despotic rule of the Guises — They persuade Fran9ois II and Mary Stuart to assume the titles of King and Queen of Scotland and England — Irritation of Elizabeth, who secretly foments opposition to the Guises — Double game of Catherine de' Medici — The position of the Guises momentarily strengthened by the support of Philip II and the weakness of Antoine de Bourbon, King of Navarre — Louis de Bourbon, Prince de Conde — His character and ambitions — He becomes the capitaine muet of a formidable conspiracy, centralised and directed by the Sieur de la Renaudie — The plans of the conspirators betrayed to the Guises — •" The Tumult of Amboise " — Its failure — Ferocious ven- geance of the Guises — The executions witnessed by the young King and his brothers — ^Death of the Chancellor Olivier — Critical situa- tion of the Prince de Conde, who is saved for the moment by his coolness and audacity ...... pp. 210-228 CHAPTER XVn The atrocious cruelty of the Guises at Amboise recoils on their own heads, and their authority declines daily — They endeavour to propitiate the Queen-mother, who secures the appointment of Michel I'Hopital as Chancellor — Character and aims of I'Hopital — He dissuades the Guises from introducing the Inquisition into France — Edict of Romorantin — Death of Marie de Lorraine — Triumph of the Scottish Reformers — Disturbed condition of France — Assembly of the Notables at Fontainebleau — Cohgny denounces the religious policy and government of the Guises — Intrigues of Navarre and Conde — Violent war of pamphlets against the Guises — Arrest of a secret agent of the CONTENTS xi King of Navarre — The Guises resolve on the destruction of the Bourbons — ^Navarre and Conde are summoned to Orleans, where the latter is arrested — He is brought to trial for high treason and condemned " to lose his head on the scaffold " — Sudden illness of the young King — Consternation of the Guises — Catherine de' Medici intimidates Navarre into renouncing his rights to the regency — Death of Fran9ois II — Arrival of the Constable at Orleans — End of the despotism of the Guises ..... pp. 229-244 CHAPTER XVIII Critical condition of the kingdom on the accession of Charles IX — Catherine de' Medici : her character and policy — Imprudence of the Reformers, who deliberately provoke persecution — Disturbances in Paris and in the South of France — Disgust of the Constable at the tolerant attitude of the Regent — He enters into an alliance with Guise and the Marechal de Saint-Andre (the " Triumvirate ") to combat Protestantism — Negotiations of the Guises with Phihp II — " Edict of July " (1561) — The King of Navarre, seduced by the promises of Philip II, joins the Triumvirs — The Colloquy of Poissy — Progress of the Reformed doctrines at the Court— Increasing animosity between the two religions — Disgraceful riot in Paris — " Edict of January " (1562) — Unsuccessful efforts of the Guises to marry Mary Stuart to Don Carlos — They seek their chief support in the population of Paris — They endeavour to gain over the Lutheran princes of Germany, in order to isolate the French Protestants — Their interview with Duke Christopher of Wiirtemburg at Saverne — Massacre of Vassy ....... pp. 245-265 CHAPTER XIX Effects of the Massacre of Vassy — The Triumvirs and Conde enter Paris, in which two hostile camps are formed — Attitude of Catherine de' Medici — Her letters to Conde — The Triumvirs forestall Conde and secure the persons of the young King and the Regent — Catherine accepts the situation and assumes the direction of the Catholic party — The Huguenot ride to Orleans — The First War of Religion begins — Ferocity of the Catholics — Atrocious vandalism of the Protestants — Fortune at first inclines towards the latter, but the superior resources of the Catholics soon enable them to secure the upper hand — The Reformers appeal to Elizabeth for assistance — Treaty of Hampton Court — Disinterested and patriotic offer of Guise rejected by Conde — Guise lays siege to Rouen — He causes his English prisoners to be hanged as filibusters — Gallant defence of Fort Sainte-Catherine — Rouen is taken by storm and sacked — Death of the King of Navarre — Huguenot epitaph upon him ..... pp. 266-281 CHAPTER XX Conde determines to stake the last chances of his party in a great battle — He advances upon Paris — Abortive negotiations with Catherine — Conde marches into Normandy, pursued by the Catholic army — Battle of Dreux — The Constable and Conde are taken prisoners, and xii CONTENTS Saint-Andre killed — Chivalrous treatment of Conde by Guise, who now finds himself master of the situation — Conde imprisoned at the Chateau of Onzain — ^His attempt to escape frustrated — Guise lays siege to Orleans — On the eve of the final assault he is assassinated by a Huguenot gentleman, Poltrot de Mere— His last hours — Effect of his death upon the political situation — Flight and capture of Poltrot de Mere — -He accuses Coligny of having instigated the crime — The Admired denies the accusation, but confesses that he rejoices at the death of Guise— His conduct considered — Barbarous execution of Poltrot — Peace of Amboise ..... pp. 282-304 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS VOL. I Claude de Lorraine, first Due de Guise Frontispiece FACING PAGE Antoinette de Bourbon, Duchesse de Guise . 30 Diane de Poitiers, Duchesse de Valentinois . 50 From a photograph by A. Giraudon, Paris, after a drawing in the Biblio- thique Nationale, by Francois Clouet. Henri II, King of France .... 72 From a drawing after Francois Clouet, in the Bibliothdque Nationale, Paris. Photo by Giraudon, Paris. Anne, Due de Montmorency, Constable of France 92 Anne d'Este, Duchesse de Guise, afterwards Duchesse de Nemours . . . .122 Francis I, Due de Guise . . . .136 From a contemporary engraving. Gaspard de Coligny (1570), Admiral of France 170 From a photograph by A. Giraudon, Paris, after a drawing in the Biblio- thique Nationale, by Francois Clouet. Charles, Cardinal de Lorraine . . . 206 From a contemporary engraving. Louis I de Bourbon, Prince de Conde . . 238 Catherine de' Medici 268 Prom an engraving by Desrochers. XlU THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE CHAPTER I First meeting of Claude de Lorraine, Comte de Guise, and Antoinette de Bourbon — The House of Guise is founded by their marriage — Rene II, Duke of Lorraine, and his sons — Character of Guise — The advancement of his fortunes his main object — Invasion of the Milanese by Fran9ois I — -Guise is severely wounded at Marignano — His recovery regarded as " a veritable prodigy of the art of surgery " — He accom- panies the King on his triumphal entry into Milan — He returns to France — -Birth of his eldest daughter, Marie de Lorraine, afterwards Queen of Scotland — Guise inherits the seigneurie of Joinville, through the decision of his mother, Philippa of Guelders, to take the veil — -Birth of Fran9ois de Lorraine, afterwards second Due de Guise — The Comte and Comtesse de Guise take up their residence at the Chateau of Joinville. One day, towards the end of the winter of 15 13, a young man and a girl might have been observed in conversation in a room in the Hotel des Tournelles in Paris, that ancient palace where mad King Charles VI had amused himself with the first playing-cards, where Bedford had lorded it as Regent of France for his infant nephew Henri VI of England, and where Charles VII, '' le Victorieux,'' had forgotten Jeanne d'Arc. Both were good to look upon ; the young man — scarcely more than a lad, since he was but in his eighteenth year — tall, supple, straight as a lance-shaft, with a fresh com- plexion, fair hair, and a pleasant smile ; the girl, who was some two years his senior, not very tall, but well formed, with beautiful blue eyes, abundant chestnut hair, and regular features, though the nose was perhaps a trifle too long for perfect beauty. 2 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE From the richness of their dress, it was evident that both belonged to the inner circle of the Court ; and such, indeed, was the case, since the young man was Claude de Lorraine, Comte de Guise, second son of Rene II, Duke of Lorraine, the conqueror of Charles the Bold of Burgundy, while his fair companion was Antoinette de Bourbon, eldest sister of Charles, Comte (afterwards Due) de Vendome, first Prince of the Blood. Their meeting had been a chance one. Guise had come with his friend, the young Due de Valois, soon to become King of France under the name of Frangois I, to visit the latter's fiancee^ Madame Claude, elder daughter of Louis XII and Anne de Bretagne, and, whether merely to leave the betrothed couple to them- selves or already attracted towards one another, they had drawn aside and begun a conversation on their own account. However that may be, the tete-a-tete was to have a very interesting result, for, a few days later, Guise demanded of the Comte de Vendome his sister's hand, and Vendome, who was himself betrothed to Fran^oise d'Alengon, a cousin of Guise on his mother's side, and who was aware that the young Lorraine prince, whom rumour had already assigned to Louis XII's younger daughter, Madame Renee, must be regarded as a most excellent match for Antoinette, very slenderly dowered, it should be mentioned, for a maiden of such high degree, gave a ready consent. As for Antoinette, she showed herself duly appreciative of her good fortune, and, the consent of the King and Queen having been obtained, on the following April i8 the marriage was celebrated in the church of Saint-Paul, in the presence of their Majesties and all the Court, the contract having been previously signed at the Hotel des Tournelles. Thus, by this alliance between the Lorraine princes and the Bourbons, destined to find themselves one day in such bitter rivalry as the respective champions of the Cathohc and Huguenot parties, was founded that great House of Guise, whose power and ambition was THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 3 to increase so rapidly that, half a century hence, it would overshadow the throne itself, and a little later would aim at nothing less than its usurpation. Claude de Lorraine, Comte de Guise, occupied a somewhat singular position at the Court of France. His father, Duke Rene H, who had united the two branches of his House, had had six sons — besides two who had died in infancy — of whom Claude was the second. All these sons were the fruit of Rene's second marriage with Philippa of Guelders, to espouse whom he had divorced his childless first consort, Jeanne d'Har- court. But, though the courts of Lorraine had annulled the first marriage, the Papal Bull confirming their decision had not been promulgated when Rene took unto himself a second wife ; and, since Jeanne d'Harcourt was still ahve when Phihppa's eldest son, Antoine, was born, it was quite feasible that Claude de Lorraine might one day attempt to dispute his elder brother's succession to the ducal crown. To avert this catastrophe, Rene decided to remove his second son from Lorraine and make him a subject of the King of France ; and in May 1506 Claude became a naturalised Frenchman, while two months later the Duke executed a will by which he bequeathed his sovereignty of Lorraine, together with the pompous titles of King of Jerusalem, Sicily, Hungary, Anjou, and Provence, to his eldest son ; while the French fiefs which the House of Lorraine had acquired by marriage — Guise, Aumale, Mayenne, Joinville, Elbeuf, Harcourt, Longjumeau, Boves, Sable, Laferte-Bernard, Esgalheve, Orgon, and Lambesc— were left to the second. Not- withstanding these appanages, Claude de Lorraine affected to consider himself a foreign prince rather than a subject of the King of France, claimed precedence over all the French nobles, even the Princes of the Blood, and adopted the Lorraine coat-of-arms with the alerious argent, which he placed boldly over those of the eight 4 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE sovereign Houses — Hungary, Naples, Sicily, Jerusalem, Aragon, Anjou, Guelders, Flanders, and Bar — from which he was descended. This strange pretension was tacitly admitted by Louis XH and Francois I, and for some years by Henri H also; but in 155 1 the last- named monarch, alarmed by the airs of sovereignty which the Guises were giving themselves, discountenanced it, by taking possession of the title of Due d' Anjou for his third son, afterwards Henri HL Two years after executing this will, Rene H made a very edifying end at Fains, in the Barrois, surrounded by all his children, whom with his last breath he enjoined to live in peace and amity with one another. This recommendation was certainly necessary, for, though his third son, later celebrated under the name of the Cardinal Jean de Lorraine, was, notwithstanding his tender years, already provided with the rich bishopric of Metz, the three younger boys, Ferry, Louis, and Francois were, to their intense chagrin, left practically dependent upon the generosity of the head of the family ; and the new Duke of Lorraine, very dissatisfied with this arrange- ment, appears to have contemplated providing for them at the expense of Guise. However, on the advice of his Council, he eventually decided to respect his father's will, and even confirmed it by letters-patent. Each of the three cadets entered the French service, and each, in his turn, met a soldier's death in the Italian wars of Frangois I ; Ferry being killed at Marignano, Francois at Pavia, and Louis at the siege of Naples in 1528. The young Comte de Guise had been very cordially received at the French Court, not less, it would appear, on account of his personal qualities than on that of his rank and wealth. For he was a handsome youth, gay, good-humoured, proficient in all manly exercises, and of very agreeable manners, and possessed of that talent for making himself popular with all classes which was so marked a characteristic of his descendants, and which, THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 5 in the case of his famous and ill-fated grandson, the third Due de Guise, amounted to something like genius. From the moment of his arrival in France, mere lad though he was at the time, he seemed resolved to gain the favour of the nation by carefully studying its tastes and prejudices, while " he observed not less attentively the character of individuals, in order to regulate his conduct towards them," ' with the result that in a surprisingly short time he had succeeded in gaining the good-will of the nobility, the bourgeoisie^ and the people. Few, even of those most skilled in the reading of character, could have divined that so pleasing an exterior concealed a cold calculation, a persevering ambition, very seldom indeed found in one so young. Guise did not fail to pay assiduous court to the young Due de Valois, heir-presumptive to the throne, and he shared that prince's mortification and alarm when, a few months after the death of Anne de Bretagne, Louis XII, who had appeared altogether inconsolable for the loss of his consort, took unto himself a third wife, in the person of Henry VIII's sister, Mary Tudor, a sprightly maiden of eighteen. The count was one of the princes charged to proceed to Boulogne to meet the new Queen, and on the morrow of the marriage he figured with success in a brilliant tournament, in which he unhorsed somewhat rudely Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, Mary Tudor's ardent admirer and future husband, who had followed his inamorata to France. Fortunately for the hopes which the Lorraine prince had based on the accession of Francois de Valois to the throne, the sickly old monarch did not survive his very ill-advised matrimonial experiment many weeks, and under the new regime Guise found himself in high favour. Frangois I appreciated his powerful connec- tions by both birth and marriage, his apparent de- votion to his person, his capacity far beyond his years, his taste for luxury and elegance, and, in particular, his 1 Comte Rene de Bouille, les Dues de Guise. 6 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE martial dispositign, which accorded so well with the King's own inclinations. In that brilHant Court, peopled with brave men and beautiful women, resplendent in cloth-of-gold and of silver, in satins and velvets and jewels, which seemed to have no thought but for gaiety and pleasure, for amorous intrigues and fetes galantes, no one was more conspicuous than the Comte de Guise ; but, even in the midst of his pleasures, he never for a moment lost sight of the object which he always kept steadily before him — the advancement of his fortunes. And soon he was afforded an opportunity of distin- guishing himself in another sphere. The new King, undeterred by the sad experiences of his predecessors in Italy, had resolved upon the conquest of the Milanese, the inheritance of which he claimed through his great-grandmother Valentina Visconti, daughter of Gian Galeazzo, Duke of Milan, and in the late summer of 15 15 he crossed the Alps, at the head of a large and splendidly equipped army, and descended into the fertile plains of Lombardy. Guise accompanied him, as lieutenant of his maternal uncle, Charles, Duke of Guelders, who commanded the landsknechts in the service of France, called from their black and white banner the " Black Bands." But, scarcely had the army entered Italy, than the Duke, having received intelhgence that his dominions were threatened by Charles of Austria, was obliged to return home, leaving the command of the landsknechts to his nephew, who had already gained the good-will of the soldiers by the cour- age, energy, and consideration for their welfare which he had shown during the difficult and dangerous passage of the mountains. The young prince's military qualities were soon to be put to a more severe test, for on September 14, near Marignano, he and his landsknechts, who composed the vanguard of the army, were suddenly and furiously attacked by a force of 24,000 Swiss mercenaries in the service of Maximilian Sforza, Duke of^Milan. Since THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 7 the landsknechts were aware that it had been Frangois I's intention to endeavour to seduce the Swiss from their loyalty to Sforza, for which purpose he had brought with him a great sum of money, they believed that the Swiss had stipulated that, besides the gold, the King should deliver to them their German competitors, between whom and themselves a bitter commercial rivalry existed. Taken entirely by surprise, utterly outnumbered, and convinced that treachery was at work, they gave way in confusion, despite all their youthful commander's efforts to make them stand their ground, and would in all probability have been cut to pieces, but for the timely arrival of the King in person at the head of the French men-at-arms, who charged vahantly upon the Swiss and gave Guise time to rally his hard-pressed troops. The battle continued with varying fortune until darkness suspended the combat, and was resumed at daybreak, when the French artillery, which had come up during the night, opened fire with murderous effect, making ghastly lanes through the serried ranks of the Swiss. Then, the landsknechts under Guise, burning to avenge their defeat of the previous day, advanced to the attack, and a furious hand-to-hand conflict ensued. One of the count's younger brothers. Ferry de Lorraine, was killed at his side, and he himself narrowly escaped a similar fate. A ball from an arquebus shattered his right arm, another pierced his thigh, and a third killed his horse, which fell, pinning him to the ground. Sore wounded and unable to rise, he would certainly have been slain had not an heroic equerry, Adam Fouvert, of Nuremberg, covered him with his own body and received most of the blows intended for his master. Eventually, the Swiss gave way, and victory remained with the French ; and, so soon as the battle was over, another of Guise's equerries, accompanied by a Scottish gentleman of the King's Household named James, came, by Francois I's orders, to search for the count 8 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE amongst the piles of dead and wounded which covered the ground. It was only with great difficulty that they succeeded in identifying him, so disfigured was he by his numerous wounds — if we are to believe con- temporary chroniclers, he had received no less than twenty-one — and when they had done so, he gave scarcely any sign of life. They lifted him on to James's horse and conveyed him to the tent of his elder brother, the Duke of Lorraine, and, though his case appeared at first beyond hope, thanks to his vigorous constitution and the care which was taken of him, he made, con- trary to all expectations, a complete recovery. His cure, we are told, was regarded as little short of miracu- lous, and " has remained celebrated in the annals of surgery, as a veritable prodigy of the art and as marking the epoch at which operations became more intelligent and more certain." ^ In fact, a month after the battle of Marignano, Guise, though still, of course, suffering a good deal of pain from his wounds, was able to accom- pany the King on his triumphal entry into Milan, " as captain-general of the landsknechts, with four lieutenants, all habited in cloth-of-gold and white velvet, carrying his arm in a sling, his thigh being supported by an equerry, and attracting, notwithstanding, the admiration of the army and the inhabitants by his air of distinction." Having signed a treaty with the Swiss, which subse- quently took the form of a " perpetual peace," and was destined to endure so long as the French Monarchy itself, and left part of his victorious army to occupy the newly conquered territory, Frangois I disbanded the remainder of his troops and about the middle of De- cember set out for France. Guise accompanied him so far as Lyons, where the Queen and his adoring mother and sister, Louise of Savoy, and Marguerite d'AngouIeme, Duchess d'Alengon, received the triumphant monarch with transports of joy, and then requested permission to rejoin his wife, who, on November 22, at the Chateau 1 Bouille, les Dues de Guise. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 9 of Bar-le-Duc, had given birth to her first child, Marie de Lorraine, who was one day to marry James V of Scotland and to become the mother of the beautiful and ill-fated Mary Stuart. The Comtesse de Guise came so far as Joinville to meet her husband, and their reunion was a very tender one ; for, if Guise had been guided more by interest than by sentiment when he had demanded the hand of Antoinette de Bourbon, he had, nevertheless, become warmly attached to her ; while Antoinette, on her side, had conceived for her husband an intense devotion, which never wavered throughout their mar- ried life. The seigneurie of Joinville, which had become the property of the House of Lorraine through the marriage, in 1393, of Ferry, Comte de Vaudemont, younger son of Duke Jean I, with Marguerite de Joinville, was, by the terms of Rene H's will, eventually to form part of Guise's appanage ; but the Duchess-dowager of Lorraine, PhiHppa of Guelders, had the enjoyment of it during her life-time. However, Guise had not to wait until his mother's death to enter into possession of it, as, in December 15 16, Phihppa, who had become exceedingly devout, suddenly announced her intention " of sacri- ficing her old age to the service of God, after having employed her best years in the service of the world," and entered the Couvent de Sainte-Claire at Pont-a- Mousson.^ His mother's renunciation of the world not only 1 The Pope sent the Duchess a brief dispensing her from the novitiate and from all austerities; but Philippa desired to pass her year of probation as the humblest novice, sleeping in the common dormitory, going barefoot, and rigidly observing every fast. Her health, which had been for some time past very delicate, did not permit of such mortifications of the flesh, and she fell seriously ill. She recovered, however, and, what is more, her health from that moment improved to so extraordinary a degree that, according to a manu- script history of the family preserved in the Bibliotheque Nationale, " it seemed as though she had become a young girl." She lived for twenty-seven years in the Couvent de Sainte-Claire in so strict an observance of its regulations that she declined to read a letter, even from one of her own children, until the mother-superior had perused its contents. 10 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE considerably increased Guise's revenues, but made him the owner of the Chateau of Joinville, one of the finest country-residences in North-Eastern France. He and his wife, however, did not immediately remove thither, since, Antoinette being again enceinte, he deemed it advisable to remain, until after her child was born, at Bar, where skilled medical aid was more easily obtain- able, besides which the chateau, not having been inhabited for more than ten years, stood in need of considerable renovation. Early in the following year, on Friday, February i6, 1520, the Comtesse de Guise gave birth to a son, who, on March 19, was baptized by Gilles de Luxembourg, Bishop of Chalons, in the chapel of the Chateau of Bar. The King, represented by the Cardinal de Lorraine, and Duke Antoine were his godfathers, and, in honour of his Majesty, he received the name of Francois. History would call him " Monsieur de Guise le Grand." A few weeks after the birth of their little son, the count and countess removed to the Chateau of Joinville, which was henceforth to be so closely connected with the eventful history of the Guises. Built in the eleventh century by Etienne de Vaux, first Sire de Joinville, on the wooded spur of a hill overlooking a little arm of the River Marne, this ancient chateau had witnessed many stirring scenes in the four centuries of its existence. It had seen the famous Jean de Joinville, the companion-in-arms and chronicler of Saint-Louis, ride forth to the Crusades ; it had sheltered Jeanne d'Arc at the beginning of her mission ; it had been sacked by the " Tard-venus,^'' and, in the dark days of the Hundred Years War, had been partially burned by the Burgundians. It was an imposing struc- ture, and of great strength from a military point of view. Behind the main building was a long block, flanked by three towers with pointed roofs, dominating the southern slope of the spur. The northern face was defended by an immense tower, the primitive donjon, THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE ii which local tradition assigned to the time of the Roman occupation of Gaul, and by several smaller towers, all strongly fortified. At the north-east angle of the main building, a system of semicircular fortifications linked the chateau to the fortress ; and in the space thus protected stood a large chapel with a tall pointed steeple. A covered gallery connected the chateau with the chapel. On the extinction of the male line of the Guises, with the death of Francois Joseph, seventh Due de Guise, in 1675, the Chateau of Joinville passed into the possession of the Orleans family, and in the time of Philippe Egalite was unhappily sold and demolished. The charming pleasure-house known as the Chateau du Jardin, built by Claude de Lorraine for his wife, Antoinette de Bourbon, in 1545, and of which we shall speak in a subsequent chapter, is, however, still standing. CHAPTER II Beginning of the rivalry of Fran9ois I and Charles of Austria — Francois's candidature for the Imperial throne encouraged by the Comte de Guise — The King of Spain elected Emperor, under the title of Charles V — The rival monarchs compared— War breaks out — Guise in Spain — His heroism at the passage of the Bidassoa — Fontarabia taken by the French — Letter of Louise of Savoy to Antoinette de Bourbon — Rewards which Guise receives for his military services — The count distinguishes himself on the northern frontier — He acquires the reputation of protector of the capital— Beginning of the extraordinary popularity of the Guises with the Parisians — Critical situation of France — Treason of the Connetable de Bourbon — The governments of Champagne and Burgundy conferred upon Guise — Invasion of the Imperial landsknechts — Guise takes the field against them and almost destroys them at Neufchateau — He reassures the Parisians, alarmed by the advance of the Anglo-Flemish army — Francois I again invades the Milanese — The disaster of Pavia. The death of the Emperor MaximiHan, in January 15 17, opened the succession to the Empire, and the young Charles of Austria, already in possession of the vast heritage of Ferdinand the Catholic, offered himself to the suffrages of the Electors. The union of Spain, Naples, the Netherlands, and the Empire under a single head was a contingency which it was impossible for Frangois I to contemplate without alarm, and one which he was determined to avert. Had he used his influence to secure the election of one of the other German princes, he would probably have succeeded in keeping Charles out ; but, dazzled by the brilliant prospect of becoming the lay head of Christendom and the defender of the Faith against the Moslem, he entered the lists in person, vowing that " he would have the Empire if it cost him three million crowns, and that three years afterwards he would be in Constantinople or his grave." The Comte de Guise was one of the warmest supporters of the young monarch's pretensions, and combated 12 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 13 strenuously the opinion of those who prudently sought to dissuade him from prosecuting his candidature and counselled him to champion some prince with Germanic qualifications less shadowy than those which he himself possessed.' In so doing, it is probable that Guise was actuated far more by consideration for his own than for his Sovereign's interests. For Francois, once elected Emperor, would, in gratitude for his services, have been able to employ his Imperial right to place the crown of Jerusalem upon Guise's head and enable the House of Lorraine to realise an ambition which they had cherished for generations. The count constituted him- self the intermediary between the King of France and the Electors and had recourse to every means to secure Fran9ois's success, bribery being freely resorted to. But all his efforts proved insufficient to counterbalance the claims of a competitor whose House had already furnished six wearers of the Imperial purple, and whose hereditary dominions — bordering as they did on Turkey — enabled him^ to present himself as the natural defender of Ger- many against Moslem aggression; and on July 5, 1519, the young King of Spain was duly elected Emperor, under the title of Charles V. Francois was deeply chagrined at his defeat ; Charles, though successful, was unable to pardon the King of France for having endeavoured to deprive him of the Imperial crown ; and less than two years from that day witnessed the beginning of that long and sanguinary struggle between France and the House of Austria which, with an occasional breathing-space, was to continue until the Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis in 1557. Never were there rivals more dissimilar in tempera- ment and character than those two monarchs. Frangois, brave, open-handed, magnificent, exceUing in all manly exercises, capable of generous and even lofty impulses ; but vain, indolent, and self-indulgent, and quick to 1 He came forward, in theory, as a German prince, basing his claim on the lordship of the old Kingdom of Aries, a fief of the Empire. 14 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE change his plans or to allow himself to be led away by the caprice of the moment, with no restraint, perse- verance, or sense of duty. Charles, weak in body, un- skilled in the use of arms, caring little for outward display, quiet, reserved, with little generosity and no very high principles, but endowed with a penetrating sagacity, a tireless energy, an indomitable strength of purpose ; one of those men who are neither intoxicated by the smiles of Fortune nor disheartened by her frowns, who shrink from no labour, who retain their presence of mind in the face of every danger. It was the struggle of the preceding century — the struggle between Louis XI and Charles the Bold — over again. But, unhappily for France, the champions had changed places. It was she who now possessed the brave, chivalrous, impetuous warrior ; her enemies the cool, adroit, vigilant, tenacious statesman. In April 1521, the war began on all the frontiers. One French army, under Lautrec, brother of the King's maitresse en titre, Madame de Chateaubriand, defended the Milanese ; another, under Bonnivet, more famous for his conquests in the boudoir than his prowess in the field, invaded Spain ; a third, commanded by Francois's brother-in-law, the Due d'Alengon, operated on the Flemish border. It was in Spain that Guise made his first campaign against Charles V ; indeed, from the moment that he was carried away more dead than alive from the field of Marignano, he never again saw service in Italy. Thus, by a singular piece of good fortune, he was the only one of the French captains of his time who escaped being involved in the disasters of the Peninsula. The objective of Bonnivet's army was Fontarabia, the key of North-Western Spain, but before the town the Bidassoa, swollen by recent rains, arrested the advance of the French. Bonnivet regarded the passage of the river as impossible, as a strong force of Spaniards, sup- ported by artillery, was drawn up on the opposite bank. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 15 But Guise strongly urged him to make the attempt, and offered to show the way to the army ; and, Bonnivet having reluctantly consented, the young prince seized a pike from one of the soldiers and plunged boldly into the stream. His landsknechts, after kneehng to kiss the ground, according to their custom before going into action, followed their leader. The water rose to their shoulders ; cannon-shot and arquebus-balls fell thick about them ; but there was no thought of turning back, and, struggling on, they gained the further shore, formed up and prepared to charge the enemy. There was, however, no enemy left to charge, for one of those unaccountable panics to which even the bravest troops are occasionally liable, appears to have seized the Spaniards, and they were already in disorderly retreat, " with a cowardice in- credible." Guise immediately advanced against the Chateau of Bechaubie, which commanded the road to Fontarabia, and, artillery having been brought up, it opened fire with such effect that a breach was soon made in the ramparts. His soldiers, eager to emulate the courage of their leader, cast dice on a drum, in order to decide which of their banners should have the honour of mount- ing first to the assault ; but before the order to advance was given the chateau surrendered. The town itself capitulated after a brief resistance, and Guise strongly advised that its fortifications should be demolished and the materials used to construct a stronghold on the French bank of the river. But Bonnivet, proud of his conquest, " which he desired to preserve as a monument of his glory," and perhaps a little jealous of the Lorraine prince, persisted in the contrary opinion ; and at the conclusion of the campaign they separated on somewhat distant terms. However, Bonnivet was obliged, in his despatches, to render homage to the courage and ability which his subordinate had shown ; and Louise of Savoy wrote i6 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE to the Comtesse de Guise that " she ought to consider herself the happiest princess in France, since she pos- sessed the most vahant and most fortunate husband on earth." These flattering words were no doubt very pleasing to the wife, but the husband considered that the Court's appreciation of his prowess might well take some more practical form, and he accordingly demanded and obtained " the revenues, profits, and emoluments of the salt granaries of Mayenne-la-Juhee andla Ferte-Bernard," which amounted to some 24,000 livres, and of which one year's revenues were paid him in advance. We may here observe that Guise never neglected any opportunity of reaping solid advantages from the royal good-will, and every military service which he rendered his Sovereign was invariably followed by some increase in his revenues or dignities. At the same time, it must be admitted that, if his rewards were sometimes far in excess of his services, he, nevertheless, deserved well of his adopted country. For, though he had no pretensions to be considered a great general, he was certainly a very capable one, since he knew how to combine caution and audacity, and invariably commanded the confidence of his troops. In the spring of 1522, he was entrusted with the task of protecting the northern frontier, in which he dis- played much activity and daring, taking Bapaume and carrying on a successful irregular warfare against the English garrisons of Boulogne and Calais, who were making frequent incursions into French territory. One night, he sallied out from Montreuil with a body of men-at-arms, and fell upon and dispersed an English detachment which was encamped in the neighbourhood. The English, rallying from their surprise, took refuge in a garden protected by thick hedges and encircled by a deep ditch. Notwithstanding the strength of the enemy's position and the danger of being surprised, in his turn, by reinforcements from Boulogne, Guise ordered his men-at-arms to dismount, and, placing THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 17 himself at their head, succeeded, after a desperate and sanguinary combat, in storming the place. The English, we are told, perished to a man, since there was not one of them but scorned the idea of surrender. In the autumn of that year, Guise compelled the Imperialists to raise the siege of Hesdin, a success which made him very popular with the Parisians, who were becoming seriously alarmed at the near approach of the enemy. Paris had at all times been inchned to attach an exaggerated importance to engagements which took place near its gates, and a general who had succeeded in repelHng a hostile raid into Champagne or Picardy was in its eyes a far more important personage than one who had gained a pitched battle beyond the Alps. The shrewd and far-sighted Lorraine prince was not slow to appreciate the advantages he would derive from being regarded as the saviour of the capital, and, having once acquired this reputation, he took care to preserve it throughout the rest of his career. From that time, in- deed, dates the extraordinary popularity of the Guises. For seventy years they will be the Catholic heroes, the favourites of Fortune, the idols of the people. If some- times Kings frown upon them, they will have always on their side the shopkeepers and artisans of the capital, the gamins who give ovations and make revolutions. Charles IX or Henri III may be King of France, but " our good Monsieur de Guise " will be King of Paris. For the Guises will comprehend admirably the role which is expected of them. There will be none so humble as to be beneath their notice ; none so meanly clad as to be denied access to them. The poor man will have his alms, the bourgeois his hand-shake, the mob its bow and smile. For seventy years they will rely upon the people to build up a grandeur which will not fail to excite many jealousies among the French nobility, inclined to view with scant favour the elevation of this half-German family. Is it a question of receiving the favours of the King ? the King will have no more i8 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE loyal subjects. Is it a question of rank, of precedence ? the Guises will claim to be treated as princes of a foreign sovereign House ; always according to the time and the circumstances ; always as their interests may happen to dictate. The summer of 1523 saw almost the whole of Europe leagued against France, who found herself called upon to face the Emperor, with all Germany, Spain and the Netherlands behind him, Ferdinand of Austria, Henry VIII of England, and the Pope and most of the Italian States. To assist her to make ahead against this formidable coalition, she could count only upon such diversion as the Scots might be able to create, which at best were not likely to keep more than a part of the English forces at home ; upon the Swiss, whose martial ardour began to cool rapidly the moment their pay fell into arrears ; and upon the Duke of Savoy, whose alliance was chiefly valuable because he was able to facihtate the passage of French troops across the Alps. At this critical juncture, when Fran9ois I had need of the swords of all his subjects, he was deprived of that of the greatest of them, the Connetable de Bourbon, who, persecuted and threatened with the loss of the greater portion of his vast estates, thanks to the machina- tions of the King's mother, the avaricious and vindictive Louise of Savoy, entered into secret negotiations with Charles V, and, on the discovery of his treason, fled to Italy and took service under the banner of the Emperor. The defection of the Constable drew down a sort of proscription upon the Princes of the Blood of the House of Bourbon, and increased, in consequence, the credit and importance of the Comte de Guise. The King, who had already overwhelmed the latter with favours, now bestowed upon him the governments of Burgundy and Champagne, the two provinces most exposed to the attacks of the Imperialist forces in Germany. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 9 In virtue of this appointment, Guise became to all intents and purposes the sovereign of the East of France, with Joinville as his capital, and he made his official entries into Dijon and Troyes " v^^ith extraordinary magnificence." He had very soon, however, to turn his attention to something of much greater importance than pompous entries into towns, for in September 1524, an army of 12,000 landsknechts in the Imperial service, commanded by the Counts Wilhelm and Fehx von Fiirstenberg, and guided by La Mothe-Desnoyers, the Constable's secre- tary, made a sudden irruption into Burgundy. Meeting with no resistance, the invaders speedily penetrated into the Bassigny, ravaged the environs of Langres, and captured the Httle town of Coiify, near the source of the Meuse. Then, following the course of that river, they crossed it near Neufchateau, where the Comtesse de Guise and her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Lorraine, had taken refuge, and seized the fort of Monteclair. From this coign of vantage, situated as it was between the Meuse and the Marne, they menaced both the provinces which Guise had been charged to defend, and burned and pillaged in all directions. Meantime, Guise had not been idle. Although he could hope for no outside help, since the greater part of the troops which Fran9ois I had been able to raise were being employed in a fresh invasion of the Milanese, from which the French had been practically expelled in 1521, while the remainder were concentrated on the Picardy frontier, his courage did not fail him. Having assembled the nobles of Burgundy and their retainers, he threw himself into Chaumont, where he was pre- sently joined by those of Champagne, whom Dorval, his lieutenant in that province, had been engaged in mobilising. His entire force did not exceed 900 men- at-arms ; but, though the Germans outnumbered it by more than twelve to one, they were mainly infantry, and in those days, when firearms were still in their 20 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE infancy, the man-at-arms, on his powerful barb, pos- sessed an immense advantage over the foot-soldier. Guise, therefore, had little fear of being unable to cope successfully with the invaders, and, having divided his cavalry into squadrons, he despatched them in various directions, with orders to cut off the enemy's foraging parties, intercept his convoys, and harass him without ceasing. This they did so effectually that in a very short time the Imperialists, finding themselves on the verge of starvation, decided to abandon the places they had captured and repass the Meuse. Ac- cordingly, they broke up their camp at Monteclair and marched towards Neufchateau, with the intention of crossing the river at that point. The count, divining their object, decided to attack them in front and rear at once as they were crossing, and despatched two or three hundred of his men-at- arms to the other side of the Meuse, to fall upon the vanguard as soon as it had passed the river ; while he himself, with the rest of his force, followed closely upon the heels of the retreating Germans. Unfortunately for the complete success of this operation, the march of the first detachment was delayed by a quarrel between two officers, which arose en route, and which ended by one of them thrusting his sword into the other's mouth, so that some of the advance-guard of the enemy suc- ceeded in effecting their escape. But the part which Guise had reserved for himself was entirely successful, and, falling on the rear-guard as it was entering the river, he slaughtered them almost to a man. " Moved by a sentiment of chivalrous gallantry," writes an historian of the Guises, " the count had wished to procure for the duchess, his sister-in-law, for Antoinette de Bourbon, and for all the ladies of the Court of Lorraine, assembled at that moment at Neuf- chateau, the enjoyment of this, to them, novel spectacle; and, having been warned by him, they placed themselves at the windows of the chateau, where, sheltered from all THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 21 danger, they were able to recompense, by their applause and their cries of joy, the courage of the troops, animated by their presence." ' Scarcely had Guise returned from conveying the news of the destruction of the German raiders to Lyons, where Frangois I was preparing to set out for Italy, and receiving the King's congratulations upon his victory, than a fresh call was made upon his services. A mixed army of English and Flemings had invaded Picardy, and, driving before them La Tremouille, who had been entrusted with the defence of that province, but whose force was far too weak to oifer any effective resistance, had burned Roye, near Montdidier, ravaged all the country along the banks of the Oise, and advanced to within eleven leagues of Paris. Great was the alarm in the capital. Many of the wealthier citizens packed up their valuables and fled to the South, in the belief that there alone was safety to be found ; while those who remained were in such a state of consternation that they appeared quite unable to decide upon the defensive measures which ought to be undertaken. The King sent his chamberlain, Chabot de Brion, to inform them that reinforcements under the Due de Vendome were being hurried northwards. But they were still far from being reassured, and it was only when Guise, fresh from having delivered Burgundy and Champagne from the invader, made his appearance on the scene, declaring that he had come to save them or to perish with them, that their minds were relieved. The count, however, was not under the necessity of taking the field again, for Vendome, having effected a junction with La Tremouille's troops, the Anglo-Flemish army, satisfied with the damage it had already com- mitted, retreated without offering battle. The dangers which threatened his realm had pre- vented the King from again leading his troops into Italy, » Bouille. 22 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE where Bonnivet, to whom the command had been entrusted, proved no match for the ex-Constable and the ImperiaHst generals. By the end of the spring of 1524 his army had been driven in confusion across the Sesia ; the last French garrisons in Lombardy had capitulated, and not a rod of Italian soil remained to Fran9ois 1. At the beginning of July, the Imperialists invaded Provence, and, after reducing Aix and several other towns, laid siege to Marseilles. But the Mar- seillais offered an heroic defence, and, towards the end of September, the investing army, threatened by the advance of a formidable force which the King had assembled at Avignon, raised the siege and retreated into Italy. Had Francois I listened to the counsels of prudence, he would, now that his kingdom had been freed from the enemy, have contented himself with strengthening its defences against further invasion. But, finding himself at the head of a considerable army, he was unable to resist the temptation of carrying the war beyond the Alps and of avenging in person the treason of Bourbon, the defeat of Bonnivet, and the devastation of Provence. All his nobles, all the best captains whom France pos- sessed, eager to distinguish themselves before their Sovereign's eyes, demanded permission to accompany him. But, either because the King judged it advisable to leave at least one capable general behind him, or because Guise considered that the command of the landsknechts would be beneath the dignity of one who had so lately distinguished himself as a cavalry leader, the count remained in France, and the post which he had occupied in the campaign of Marignano, ten years before, was given to his youngest brother, Francois de Lorraine, Comte de Lambesc. This wonderful foresight, or singular piece of good fortune, not only saved Guise from being involved in the terrible debacle of Pavia (February 24, 1525), but decided that, when the news arrived that the King was THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 23 a prisoner and all the chivalry of France slain or taken,^ he should be the only chief capable of inspiring confidence and of defending the kingdom during the captivity of Frangois L 1 Among the slain was the young Comte de Lambesc, who shared the command of the latidsknechts with Richard de la Pole, the attainted Duke of Sufiolk. "Rose blanche," as the French called the duke, to dis- tinguish him from Charles Brandon, the second husband of Mary Tudor, upon whom his title and estates had been conferred by Henry VIII, was also killed. CHAPTER III Perilous situation of France after Pavia — Guise persuades his brother-in- law, the Due de Vendome, to submit to the authority of Louise of Savoy — He becomes the most important personage of the Regency — Revolt of the peasants in the German provinces bordering the Rhine — Alsace and Lorraine threatened by them — Guise, on his own responsibility, leads the troops placed under his command against the insurgents and entirely routs them— His conduct severely censured by the Regent and the Council, but praised by the Parlement of Paris and the Pope — Fran9ois I, on his return from captivity, creates Guise duke and peer — Remonstrances of the Parlement — Rapacity of Guise — He becomes the head of a party at the Court — The King discards his mistress, Madame de Chateaubriand, in favour of Anne de Pisseleu, demoiselle d'Heilly — Influence exercised by women in affairs — -Amours of Guise — ^The Cardinal Jean de Lorraine — His portrait by Brantome — -His insolence to Beatrix of Portugal, Duchess of Savoy — His services to his elder brother, the Due de Guise — Peace of Cambrai — -Death of Louis de Lorraine, Comte de Vaudemont. Louise of Savoy, whom the King, before his departure for Italy, had appointed Regent, found herself confronted with a task which, at first sight, might well have seemed overwhelming. It was no longer a question of con- quering the Milanese, but of defending Burgundy and Provence, of preserving France from dismemberment at the hands of her victorious enemies. The Treasury was almost empt}, the troops who ought to have been re- tained for defence against foreign aggression destroyed or dispersed, the best generals dead or in captivity, the people impoverished and discontented. Never since the time of Jeanne d'Arc had the country been in so perilous a situation. However, the Regent, with all her faults and her vices, did not lack either courage or capacity, and she took immediate steps to meet the danger, by summon- ing to her aid the men most capable of assisting her to face it. A council of notables was convened at Lyons, at the head of whom were the Due de Vendome, the 24 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 25 Marechal de Lautrec, and the Comte de Guise, to decide upon the measures which ought to be adopted. Of these three personages, Guise was the one upon whom Louise of Savoy placed the most rehance, and she con- fided to him her suspicions of Vendome, who, urged on by the leaders of the Parlement of Paris, which had protested vigorously against the powers which Frangois I had conferred upon his mother, contemplated seizing the Regency, as first Prince of the Blood. Guise, in con- sequence, had an interview with his brother-in-law, and represented to him so strongly the obligation of sacrificing his ambitions to his duty, that the duke promised to submit to the authority of the Regent and content himself with the title of Chief of the Council. Guise soon became the most important person of the Regency, and it must be admitted that the influence which he exercised at this critical period was, on the whole, a very salutary one, and the advice he gave generally sound, notably that which he tendered in regard to the prisoners made by the enemy at Pavia, whom he urged ought to be ransomed at any cost, not- vidthstanding the impoverished condition of the finances, as, when the very existence of France was at stake, no price was too high to pay for the services of seasoned warriors. In one important matter, however, he com- mitted a most grave error, and one which might have entailed disastrous consequences, if the marvellous good fortune which attended him throughout life had hap- pened for once to fail him. While the Regent was negotiating with Henry VIII of England, in the hope of detaching him from the Emperor, concerning whose ambitious designs the English monarch was becoming daily more suspicious, tumultuous bands of armed peasants, professing the Lutheran doc- trines, arose in the German provinces bordering the Rhine and called upon those of Alsace and Lorraine to shake off the yoke of their lords and form with them a sort of communistic federation. The desire for pillage 26 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE seems to have been their chief inspiration, and, under the pretext of restoring the apostoHc practice of com- munity of goods, they sacked and burned chateaux and isolated houses, murdered priests, women and children, and committed all manner of atrocities. After carrying fire and sword through Suabia, Wiir- temberg, and Franc onia, they crossed the Rhine, near Strasbourg, with the intention of ravaging Lorraine and Alsace. Their numbers increased as they advanced, and by the time they reached Saverne, which they had fixed upon as a convenient centre for their depredations, had risen to nearly 40,000 men. The Regent had, with infinite difficulty, assembled at Lyons a force of some 6,000 men, and had placed it under the orders of Guise. It was a last resource against the invasion of the Imperialists, which was then con- sidered imminent. But Duke Antoine, in great alarm at the danger which threatened his dominions, wrote to his brother imploring him to come to his aid ; and Guise did not hesitate to betray his trust and to risk this little army, and with it the safety of France, in the interests of the Lorraine princes. Without asking permission of the Regent, without even warning her of his intention, he quitted Lyons and marched in all haste towards the Rhine. On the way, he was joined by his brothers, the Duke of Lorraine and the Comte de Vaudemont, and the three princes visited their mother in her convent at Pont-a-Mousson, to recommend themselves to her prayers. The Duchess- dowager gave them her blessing, and exhorted them to fight, " sans tarder, sans flechir, pour la gloire de Dieu.^' Guise, in the hope of avoiding an engagement, sent an envoy to the insurgents, to urge them to disperse and return to their homes. The latter, confident in their superior numbers, put the envoy to death, upon which the count attacked them and routed them with terrible slaughter. A single victory, however, did not suffice to extinguish the revolt, for a second army of THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 27 peasants had just crossed the Rhine, and encamped in a valley near Schlestadt. Their position was a very strong one, since the nature of the ground rendered it difficult for cavalry to act, and it was, besides, defended by cannon. But Guise attacked them by night, when their unskilfully served artillery was practically useless, and gained a complete victory. In this engagement, the young Comte de Vaudemont greatly distinguished him- self by his dashing courage. The Regent and the Council were highly indignant that Guise had, without their authority, rashly exposed the only body of regular troops capable of resisting a possible invasion of the Imperialists, and severely censured his conduct. But Guise could well afford to ignore these strictures. He had saved Lorraine and Alsace from devastation ; he was victorious at the moment when all the other French generals could reckon nothing but defeats ; and he was able to pose as the defender of established order and the Catholic religion against bandits and heretics. The Parlement of Paris sent him their felicitations on this victory, which, it de- clared, " would assure him an immortal renown." Pope Clement VII despatched letters in the same strain both to him and to the Comte de Vaudemont; and so great was the reputation which he acquired, not only in France but in all Christendom, that when, in March 1526, Francois I returned from captivity, he decided that he ought to treat him as a Prince of the Blood, and conferred upon him the rank of duke and peer of France, which as yet belonged to only three princes : the Dues de Nemours (created 1507), de Longueville (created 15 10), and deVendome (created 15 14). It was the first time that any one not of the royal blood had been elevated, by the will of the monarch, to this rank,^ and invested with the same rights and privi- 1 It is true that, in 1519, Claude Goufifier had been created duke and peer, with the title of Due de Roannois ; but he died on the same day on which his elevation was announced, and before the letters-patent had been submitted to the Parlement for registration. 28 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE leges as the six symbolical peers represented in the ceremonies of the Sacre at Rheims : " Burgundy, Nor- mandy, Guienne, Toulouse, Flanders, and Champagne," whom the letters-patent had been careful to specify ; and the astonishment which the King's action aroused was increased when, in erecting the county of Guise into a duchy, Francois incorporated in it several adjoining estates, forming part of the demesne of the Crown, " in order that the said county might be the better able to support the name and dignity of duchy." The Parlement of Paris, though its halls had but lately rung with the praises of Guise, was indignant at the enormity of this double innovation, and addressed to the King a vigorous remonstrance on the subject. The King replied, ordering it to register the letters-patent, and pointing out that the services which the Comte de Guise had rendered the State and Christendom justified this new departure. Nevertheless, the Parle- ment declined to obey the royal mandate, save on the condition that the duchy-peerage should become extinct, in the event of default of heirs male. As for the new duke, so far from being content with the signal honours and benefits which had just been conferred upon him, he was not ashamed to solicit from the King, a little while afterwards, the emoluments of the record-office of Toulouse, which were duly accorded him. It would appear to have been a point of honour with this acquisitive nobleman to despise no gain, how- ever insignificant it might happen to be, and that he considered the day as wasted which did not add to the riches of his family. Cold, calculating men like Claude de Lorraine, whose every action is dictated by a nice regard for their private interests, never lack adherents. People espouse their cause through faith in their success, knowing well that they are never likely to be ruined by the errors into which devotion or enthusiasm may lead others. Thus it was that Guise became the natural chief of all those who THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 29 admired the constancy of his good fortune in the midst of the disgraces of his equals at the Court, or who feared to attach themselves to the uncertain fortune of the favourites. Of how uncertain that fortune was the Court had just had a signal demonstration. On his restoration to his kingdom, Frangois I had completely and almost brutally discarded his mistress, Madame de Chateaubriand, in favour of Anne de Pisseleu, demoiselle d'Heilly, a pretty and vivacious blonde, whom Louise of Savoy, long jealous of the old mistress's influence over her son, is said to have thrown in his way. At the bidding of his new enchantress, he had even gone so far as to demand back from the dethroned sultana the jewels that he had given her in the days of her favour. When a mistress fell, her friends and proteges not infrequently shared her disgrace, and those who had identified themselves too closely with the interests of Madame de Chateaubriand trembled lest they should come under the ban of her successor. The Due de Guise did not fail to appreciate the immense influence exercised by women in affairs of State. He had seen the Connetable de Bourbon driven into treason and exile, and the honest Semblangay, the Surintendant des Finances, brought to the scaffold, by the machinations of Louise of Savoy ; he had seen Lautrcc and his two brothers appointed to high military commands for which they were quite unfitted by the influence of their sister, Madame de Chateaubriand ; he had seen Reformers secured from the clutches of the Parlement and the Sorbonne through the interven- tion of the King's sister, the gentle and intellectual Marguerite d'Angouleme. Guise, however, held very much aloof from the feminine portion of the Court. It was certainly not from any austerity of morals, as, not- withstanding his undoubted affection for his wife, he was very far from being a faithful husband ; but he preferred to confine his gallantries to his governments 30 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE of Burgundy and Champagne and to beauties of inferior station in life,' and to leave the task of paying court to those high-born dames whose good-will was considered indispensable to maintain the credit of the family to his third brother, " the very great, very magnificent, and very liberal Cardinal de Lorraine." The splendid appanage which Duke Rene II had bequeathed to his second son had not in any way pre- judiced the fortune of Jean de Lorraine, who, at the tender age of three, had been appointed coadjutor to the Bishop of Metz, a post which, seven years later, he exchanged for the bishopric itself. In 15 18, at the age of twenty, on the nomination of Francois I, the Pope created him a cardinal, which exalted position, he con- sidered, justified him in annexing the revenues of all the 1 A daughter of the President des Barres at Dijon was for some years the duke's mistress, and some chroniclers beheve that this lady was the mother of Guise's natural son, Claude de Guise, Abbe de Cluny, who took a prominent part in the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, was suspected of having poisoned his half-brother, the second Cardinal de Lorraine, and died in 1612, after a scandalous life. Others, however, assert that this singular ecclesiastic was the fruit of a liaison with a woman whose name history has not preserved, who divided her favours between her ducal admirer and a groom, nephew of the public executioner of Langres. A third amour, with a peasant girl in the en\drons of Joinville, was, according to an historian of that town, cited in the article on Claude de I^orraine in the Biographic Generate, responsible for the erection of the charming pleasure-house known as the Chateau du Grand Jardin, adjoining the Botanical Garden at Joinville. On the door is engraved the date 1545,. and on the pilasters may be read the mottoes : tovtes POVR VNE — LA ET NGN PLVs ; whilc on the fa9ade are carved the letters C. A. — the initials of Claude and Antoinette. Here is the supposed origin of these devices : — " Claude de Lorraine, although married to Antoinette de Bourbon, had remarked, in the barony of Joinville, a humble beauty, whom he visited in secret, and in whose society he forgot the luxury of his palace and the exalted rank of his spouse. The latter did not fail to discover her husband's frailty, and resolved to make him repent of it ; but a noble heart cannot have recourse save to a generous revenge. The young girl was poor, simple in her dress, and modestly lodged. The duchess changed on a sudden all this poverty into wealth, and, un- known to her husband, sent her rival dazzling toilettes and sumptuous furniture. Touched by this action, Claude de Lorraine abjured, it is said, his errors, and resolved to be henceforth a model of conjugal fidelity. In memory of this determination, he caused the Chateau du Grand Jardin to be built, on the walls of which were engraved, by his order, the mottoes : toutes povk vne, in allusion to the promise he had given, and la et no.n' plus, indicating that a pastoral repose was henceforth to be his only pleasure." ANTOINETTE DE BOURBON, DUCHESSE DE GUISE. 30] THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 31 wealthy dioceses and fat abbeys which happened to fall vacant. About the same epoch, in England, Cardinal Wolsey was Archbishop of York, Bishop of Bath, Win- chester, and Durham, and Abbot of St. Albans ; but, as a successful pluralist, he will not bear comparison with his colleague in the Sacred College, who contrived to gather into his rapacious hands three archbishoprics : those of Rheims, Lyons, and Narbonne ; nine bishoprics : Metz, Toul, Verdun, Therouenne,Lu9on,Albi, Valence, Nantes, and Agen ; and five abbeys : Cluny, Mar- moutiers, Saint-Ouen, Gorze, and Fecamp. As prodigal as his brother was close-fisted, the Car- dinal did not hoard his immense ecclesiastical revenues, but squandered them in the most reckless manner in extravagant fetes at his hotel in Paris, the Hotel de Cluny, in almsgiving, and in purchasing the favours of ladies upon whom he had cast a favourable eye. Bran- tome has drawn of him a lively, if somewhat exaggerated, portrait. " He usually carried about with him," he writes, " a large wallet, which his valet de chambre, who kept the money for his little pleasures, never failed to fill every morning with three or four hundred ecus ; and, when- ever he met a poor person, he would put his hand into this wallet and give him whatever he happened to draw out, without troubling to count it. Once, when he was walking in Rome, a poor blind man asked alms of him, and he gave him, according to his custom, a great handful of gold, upon which the blind man cried out in Italian : ^ O tu sei Christo, ver amenta il cardinal di Lorrena ! ' (You must be Christ, or surely the Cardinal de Lorraine !) " If he were generous and charitable in this respect, he was equally generous towards other persons, and principally in the matter of the ladies, whom he entrapped easily by means of this bait ; for money was not so abundant in those times as it is to-day, while women were more expensively and magnificently attired. 32 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE " I have heard tell that when there arrived at Court some pretty girl or new matron who was beautiful, he would at once accost her, and, while conversing with her, would say that he wished to train her himself. What a trainer! I believe that it was not so difficult a matter as to train some savage colt. Further, at that time, it was said that there was scarcely a married woman or girl resident at the Court, or newly arrived, who had not been debauched or ensnared by her avarice or by the liberality of the said cardinal ; and few or none emerged from that Court honest girls or women. Also one used to see at that time their coffers and spacious wardrobes more full of gowns and petticoats and gold and silver and silk than are those of queens and great princesses to-day. I have myself seen this in the case of two or three women, who had gained all by their charms ; for their fathers, mothers, and husbands could not have given them in such great abundance. " I should have done well, some one may say, to have refrained from speaking thus of this great cardinal, in view of his honourable gown and most reverend estate; but his King wished it and took pleasure in it, and to pleasure his King all things are permitted to one, whether it be to make love or other things, so long as they be not evil. Further, he was a man of flesh and blood like any other, and he had several great virtues and per- fections which obscured this little imperfection, if love-making ought to be called an imperfection." His Eminence's successes with the venal beauties of the Court could scarcely have been calculated to inspire him with a very high opinion of women, and, though the chronicler assures us that ordinarily he treated them very courteously, on one occasion he forgot his manners and conducted himself towards a very great lady indeed with a rudeness which would have been unpardonable in a captain of condottieri, to say nothing of a prince of the Church : — THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 33 " Once, while passing through Piedmont, on his way to Rome, on the service of the King his master, he visited the Duke and Duchess of Savoy/ After con- versing a sufficient time with the duke, he repaired to the chamber of the duchess, to salute her ; but when he approached her, she, who was the most haughty person in the world, offered him her hand to kiss. The cardinal, impatient at this affront,^ approached to kiss her on the mouth, and, as he did so, she drew back. He, losing patience, and this time drawing still nearer, caught her by the head, and, despite her resistance, kissed her two or three times. And, although she uttered cries and exclamations in Portuguese and Spanish, she was obliged to pardon it. ' Why,' said he, ' do you consider that you ought to treat me in this fashion ? I kiss the Queen, my mistress, who is the greatest queen in the world, and yet, you I may not kiss — ^you, who are only a wretched little duchess ! And, if you like, you may know that I have passed the night with ladies as beautiful as you are, and of as good, and even of a greater family, than you ! ' " Possibly," adds Brantome, " he may have spoken the truth. This princess did wrong to treat thus haughtily a prince of so great a House and a cardinal to boot, for there is no cardinal, having regard to the great position they hold in the Church, who is not comparable to the greatest prince of Christendom. But the cardinal likewise did wrong to have recourse to so harsh a revenge, although it is very mortifying to a noble and generous heart, no matter of what pro- fession, to endure an affront." This epicurean and prodigal prelate, so different from his brother Claude, was a very valuable ally to the latter in his unceasing efforts to push the fortunes of his family. His liberality attracted partisans ; his 1 Charles III and Beatrix of Portugal. ~ According to etiquette, the Duchess should have offered the cardinal her cheek. 34 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE gallantries assured the all-powerful support of the ladies of the Court ; his generous and not indiscriminat- ing patronage of literature and art rallied to the Guises the little world of poets and artists. " He cast a kind of splendour over those rising fortunes which his brother's greed would have dimmed." ^ Meanwhile, the refusal of Frangois I to execute the terms of the Treaty of Madrid, by which his liberty had been purchased, had led to a renewal of the war. While Lautrec, at the head of an army of 30,000 men, raised and equipped chiefly by English gold — since Henry VHI had decided that the time had come for him to change sides — invaded Lombardy, to Guise fell the task of defending the eastern frontier. It was perhaps well for him that the Imperialists did not attempt any aggressive movement in that direction, since he received no money to pay the landsknechts whom he had raised, and appears to have been in momentary fear of their deserting en masse to the enemy. " The captains have warned me," he writes to the King, " that they will be obliged to take the side of the Emperor." However, he contrived to prevent this catastrophe, and in August 1529 the Peace of Cambrai, known as " la Paix des Damesj'^ negotiated by Louise of Savoy and Margaret of Austria, the Emperor's aunt, put an end to hostilities. Francois I recovered his two elder sons, the Dauphin and the Due d'Orleans, given as hostages for the execution of the Treaty of Madrid, and pre- served Burgundy, which had been ceded to the Emperor by that treaty ; but he was obliged to pay the sum of 1,200,000 crowns for the ransom of the French princes, to renounce his claims on the Milanese and to sovereignty over Flanders and Artois, and to wed Charles V's widowed sister, Eleanor, Queen-dowager of Portugal, as a pledge of reconciliation. The war in Italy had deprived Guise of yet another 1 M. Henri Forneron, les Dues de Guise et leur ipoque. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 35 of his younger brothers. In the summer of the pre- vious year, the Comte de Vaudemont had died of plague, or, more probably, of typhus, before the walls of Naples, which Lautrec, who subsequently succumbed himself to the same disease, was then besieging.^ The deceased prince had been a singularly handsome young man, and celebrated for his skill in the use of arms and his daring courage in the field, and his early death appears to have been a great grief to Guise, who was warmly attached to him. Of the six sons of Duke Rene II, only the three elder now remained. 1 The heart of the Comte de Vaudemont was brought back to France and interred in the church of the Couvent de Sainte-CIaire at Pont-a- Mousson, to which his mother had retired. CHAPTER IV The Due de Guise retires to his governments, where he lives like a petty sovereign — ^His children — Marriage of his eldest daughter, Marie de Lorraine, to Louis II, Due de Longueville — -Dearth in France — • Progress of Reform : rigorous measures adopted by Guise against the Reformers under his jurisdiction — Beginning of the second war between Frangois I and Charles V — Guise charged with the defence of Paris — -The duke's eldest son, Franfois de Lorraine, Comte d'Aumale, accompanies his father to the wars — ^Interview between Francois I and the two princes — Clever stratagem by which Guise relieves Peronne, besieged by the Imperiahsts — Truce of Nice — • Death of the Due de Longueville, husband of Marie de Lorraine — Rivalry between James V of Scotland and Henry VIII of England for the hand of the widowed monarch — Pertinacity of the English monarch — ^Marriage of James V and Marie de Lorraine — Unsuccessful overture of Henry VIII for the hand of Marie's younger sister, Louise de Lorraine. During the six years of peace which followed " la Paix des Dames,^^ we hear comparatively little of the Due de Guise. He assisted at the coronation of the new Queen in March 1531, on which occasion he held the Hand of Justice, and, at the royal dinner which followed the ceremony, served the King as Grand Cupbearer ; but his visits to the Court appear to have been few and paid at long intervals. Court life, indeed, was but little to his taste, and, believing that his interests there were safe in the hands of the Cardinal de Lorraine, he preferred to live like a petty sovereign at Troyes or Dijon, or at Joinville or one of his other chateaux, occu- pying himself with the affairs of his governments, the management of his great estates, and the care of his numerous family. For the paternal instinct was very strongly developed in the House of Lorraine, and between 1515 and 1536, apart from the natural son of whom we have already spoken, the duke became the 36 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 37 father of twelve legitimate children, of whom all but two lived to grow up.* On August 4, 1534, the eldest of the family, Marie de Lorraine, a tall and handsome girl of eighteen, who had aroused general admiration when, " habited in a mantle and corsage of violet velvet and a surcoat of ermine enriched with jewels," she had made her first appearance in public three years before, on the occasion of Queen Eleanor's state entry into Paris, was married to Louis II, Due de Longueville, Prince de Neufchatel, and Grand Chamberlain of France, great-grandson of the celebrated Comte de Dunois— the "Bastard of Orleans " — natural son of Louis I, Due d'Orleans. It was a good match for Marie de Lorraine, for, if the Due de Longueville, who was her senior by some four years, was not quite her equal in point of birth, the great deeds of the heroic companion-in-arms of Jeanne d'Arc cast a kind of lustre over all his descendants, and he was, besides, one of the wealthiest nobles in France, having inherited immense estates in Normandy from his mother, Marie d'Harcourt. Unlike the great ma- jority of marriages of the time, it would appear to have been largely one of inclination; for the young couple had met and been attracted towards one another at the time of Queen Eleanor's coronation, and, though 1 Here is the list : Marie, born November 22, 1515 ; married, in 1534, Louis II, Due de Longueville, and, in 1538, James V of Scotland. Francois, Comte d'Aumale, afterwards second Due de Guise, born February 17, 1519. Louise, born January 15:0 ; married, first, Rene de Nassau, Prince of Orange, and, secondly, Charles de Croy, Prince de Chimay, Due d'Aer- schot. Renee, Abbess of Saint -Pierre de Reims, born September i, 1522. Charles, second Cardinal de Lorraine, born February 1524 . Claude, Marquis de Mayenne, afterwards Due d'Aumale, born August 1526. Louis, first Cardinal de Guise, born October 1527. Antoinette, Abbess of Formoustier, born August 1531. Francois, Grand Prior of France and General of the Galleys, born April 1535. Ren6, Marquis d'Elbeuf, born Augustjii536. 38 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE unfortunately their wedded life was very brief, it was singularly happy. Guise's determination to do everything possible to ensure that his sons should have fortunes sufficient to enable them to maintain the dignity of their rank did not permit him to give his daughter a large dowry ; and Marie only received what, in view of her father's wealth, must be considered the very moderate one of 80,000 livres, payable in four annual instalments.' Notwithstanding that France was now experiencing an interval of peace, it was a sad time for the country. "From the end of the year 1528 to the beginning of the year 1534," writes Mezeray, " there was a per- petual disturbance of the seasons. . . . One did not experience two days of frost in succession. This warmth enervated nature. . . . The corn refused to ripen in the ground. . . . This dearth occasioned a general famine ; then came a malady that was called trousse-galand, and upon that a furious pestilence." The disturbance was not less great in men's minds. Calvin was beginning to propagate his doctrines, making a schism within the schism, so to speak. At the same time, the number of French Lutherans was increasing, notwithstanding the persecution to which they were subjected. On all sides the old Catholic edifice in which the people had so long found shelter seemed to be tottering. Both Guise and his wife showed themselves ardently opposed to the innovations, and brought up their family in the most rigid orthodoxy. In the districts over which he possessed jurisdiction, the duke did not hesitate, on occasion, to have recourse to those repressive measures which, however repugnant to modern ideas, were in the 1 Dunois's nephew, Charles VII, gave him, in 1463, the county of Longueville, in the district of Caux, wlaicli had been ceded to Cliarles VI by Bertrand du Guesclin, half a century earlier. Dunois's grandson, Fran9ois, was created duke and peer by Louis XII in 1510, and in 1571 his descendant Leonor received from Charles IX, for himself and his descendants, the title of Princes of the Blood. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 39 sixteenth century deemed both just and necessary, and which the adherents of Protestantism were not slow to adopt themselves in countries where their cause had triumphed. " As for the rumour which, you say, is great in Champagne concerning this mischievous sect of heretics," he writes to Anne de Montmorency, " I shall inform you again that I intend to keep such good order there that God, the King and the world ought to be content with it." But the disastrous epoch of the Wars of Religion had not yet arrived. The struggle which for the time being demanded the blood and treasure of the nation was one, not of rival faiths, but of rival dynasties. For, early in 1536, the embers of the war which had closed with the Peace of Cambrai, after smouldering for six years, were fanned into a fresh blaze. After some brief successes beyond the Alps, Frangois found himself once more constrained to act on the defensive. In July, the Emperor invaded Provence at the head of 50,000 men, while almost simultaneously another Imperial army, under the Comtes de Nassau and de Rieux, invaded Picardy from the Nether- lands. Thus, France was assailed on both north and south. The King entrusted the defence of Provence to Anne de Montmorency, who, after ruthlessly laying waste the country in order to arrest the march of the invader, seized Avignon, in spite of the protests of the Vice- Legate, who commanded for the Pope in the Venaissin, and formed an entrenched camp between the Durance and the Rhone ; Vendome and the Marechal de Fleur- anges commanded the troops in Picardy ; Guise was charged with the protection of the capital, where he took up his residence. Before proceeding to Paris, the duke visited Fran- cois I at Lyons, where the Court had been residing since the outbreak of war, taking with him his eldest son, the Comte d'Aumale, a tall, fair-haired lad, now in his 40 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE eighteenth year, who was " dressed in a splendid suit of armour, with a sword by his side," and informed his Majesty that " he should demand of Heaven for his son the singular protection which had been extended to himself in the execution of the orders of the King, and that contempt of death in the service of the Crown which ought to be the appanage of the Guises." The King's reply, we are told, seemed to predict the future glory of " Monsieur de Guise le Grand," and, at parting, he " with extreme graciousness embraced the two princes and advised the Comte d'Aumale to imitate his father, since that was the best means to become a great captain." * The devastation of Provence proved an effective obstacle to the success of the invaders in the South, and in September Charles V, finding his army wasting away from famine and disease, was obliged to retreat into Italy ; but, in the North, the Imperialists were more successful, and, after taking and sacking the town and chateau of Guise, they invested Peronne, thirty leagues from Paris, into which the Marechal de Fleuranges had thrown himself. Paris was in consternation, for it was known that Peronne had but a weak garrison and that there was very little powder in the place, and, if il fell, the road to the capital would lie open. Guise, indignant at the destruction of his property and at the affront offered to his ducal estate, and warned by a messenger from Fleuranges, who had contrived to make his way through the enemy's lines, that the garrison had practically exhausted their ammunition, resolved to make an attempt to relieve Peronne. Leaving Paris with a body of 200 cavalry, provided with numerous drums and trumpets, and 400 arquebusiers, each of whom car- ried a sack containing 10 lb. of powder, he approached the town under cover of night. He then ordered the cavalry to disperse to various points on one side of the place, and, at a given signal, to begin to beat their drums 1 Fournicr. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 41 and sound their trumpets, so as to attract the attention of the enemy in that direction. This clever stratagem was completely successful. The besiegers, under the impression that they were about to be assailed by a considerable force, rushed to arms and ranged themselves in order of battle on the side of the town from which they expected the attack ; while Guise's arquebusiers, guided by the soldier whom Fleuranges had despatched to Paris, crossed the marshes on the opposite side and reached the walls in safety. When day broke, the discomfited Imperialists per- ceived the last of the arquebusiers and their sacks of powder being hauled over the ramparts, and Guise and his little body of cavalry, whom their alarm had magni- fied into a formidable army, retiring in the direction of Paris. They thereupon decided to raise the siege ; but, before retiring, they made an attempt to burn the town, by throwing into it " a great quantity of fire- works." Fire broke out in several places, " but," writes Fournier, " Heaven, which seemed to take pleasure in seconding all the designs of the Due de Guise, performed immediately a species of miracle. . . . On a sudden, there fell so astonishing a deluge of rain that it extinguished the conflagration, and afterwards nearly drowned in their entrenchments those who had caused it. This prodigy opened the eyes of the incendiaries. . . . God was declaring Himself visibly against the enterprises of their Emperor." The success of Guise's coup de main caused great enthusiasm among the Parisians. They forgot the credit due to Fleuranges, who had held out most heroic- ally for a month against great odds, to magnify the exploit of the duke, whom they hailed as their saviour and the favourite of Heaven. Having thus enhanced his already great popularity with the Parisians, Guise returned to Champagne to resume his favourite system of irregular warfare. He now felt himself so independent in his governments of 42 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE Champagne and Burgundy that, when Montmorency instructed him to send him some pieces of artillery which were at Troyes, he refused, and a letter from the King was necessary to recall him to his duty ; while, at Rheims, he gave the canons of the cathedral permission to infringe certain royal ordinances binding upon clergy and laity alike, and was summoned before the Parlement of Paris to answer for his conduct. The war in the North continued in desultory fashion until the summer of 1537, when an armistice was con- cluded, so far as regarded that centre of hostilities. In the early autumn, a French army again crossed the Alps and overran the greater part of the dominions of the unfortunate Charles III of Savoy, now in alliance with the Emperor. At this juncture. Pope Paul III, anxious to unite Christendom against the ever-increasing menace of the Turk, intervened with an offer of mediation ; and in the following June a ten years' truce was concluded at Nice, by which Frangois I and the Emperor each preserved the territory occupied by his troops at the moment of its signature. A few weeks before the Truce of Nice, the Due de Guise had the satisfaction of becoming the father-in-law of a King. On June 9, 1537, the Due de Longueville died at Rouen, and, at the age of twenty-one, Marie de Lorraine found herself a widow, with a son a few months old. She was again enceinte at the time, but long before her second son, who died shortly after his birth, was born a suitor for her hand presented himself. This suitor was none other than James V of Scotland, who, in 1536, had married Madame Madeleine de France, the eldest daughter of Francois I, only to lose his bride within six weeks of her landing at Leith. The necessity of assuring the succession to his throne made it impera- tive that James should find another wife without delay, and, being desirous of continuing the French connection, THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 43 he decided to demand the hand of the widowed Duchesse de Longueville. " Her," writes Drummond of Haw- thornden, " he thinketh for her stern, healthful com- plexion, and fertility — for she hath been a mother — worthy of his love, and, to try her affection towards himself, he directed David Beton and the Lord Maxwell to negotiate the marriage." James's Ambassadors met with a very favourable reception at the Court of France, and Francois I expressed his hearty approbation of the match, at the same time undertaking to remove any objections which Madame de Longueville might be disposed to entertain about taking to herself a second husband so soon after the demise of the first. But, notwithstanding the repre- sentations of his Majesty, which appear to have been warmly seconded by her parents, whose pride was natur- ally highly flattered by the prospect of their daughter becoming a queen, some months elapsed before the widowed duchess could be brought to consent to this arrangement. Frangois, however, treated her very natural reluctance as a mere caprice, and proceeded to give her the rank of an adopted Daughter of France, in order to render her a more suitable bride for his royal son-in-law. Meantime, another kingly suitor had entered the field. On October 24, 1537, Henry YHPs third wife, Jane Seymour, who twelve days before had given birth to the future Edward VI, died at Hampton Court ; and the bereaved monarch lost no time in looking about him for a fourth consort. In the course of an interview with the French Ambassador, he informed him that he had a mind to bestow his hand upon one of his Excel- lency's fair countrywomen, provided that a lady of sufficiently high degree and sufficient personal attractions could be found. Chatillon hastened to acquaint his master with the royal widower's desire, and Frangois I courteously rcpHcd that *' there was not a maid or widow of suitable degree in France who should not be 44 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE at the King's service." Henry thereupon suggested that a bevy of the fairest and noblest widows and damsels in France should be despatched to Calais or Boulogne, that he might inspect them there and make his selection. To this cool proposal Frangois demurred, but in- structed his Ambassador to assure the King of England that, if he would name any particular lady, she should be guaranteed him. Upon this, Henry, though well aware of the position in regard to his nephew, James V, informed Chatillon that his choice had fallen upon the widowed Duchesse de Longueville. The Ambassador reminded him that the lady was already promised to the King of Scotland ; but Henry rejoined, with significant emphasis : " She has not promised yet." An observation which indicated that he was perfectly informed concerning the fair widow's reluctance to enter into a second matrimonial alliance. He then insisted that Chatillon should communicate his decision to Francois I, adding that, if that prince would promote his suit, he would do twice as much for him as the King of Scots could do. But the French King, though very anxious to do all in his power to propitiate the monarch who held the scales between him and the Emperor, expressed his regret that the match was impossible. " How ! " cried Henry, with a line show of indigna- tion, to Chatillon. " Did not your master say that there was not a maid or widow of any degree in France who should not be at my service ? " " Would you marry the wife of another ? " objected the Ambassador. " She is not his wife yet," returned the King, and he declared his intention of persevering in his suit. It is more than a little doubtful whether Henry was really so anxious to wed Marie de Lorraine as he repre- sented himself to be ; indeed. Professor Gairdner ^ is of opinion that, both in the case of that princess and 1 Seehis article on Henry VIH in the "Dictionary of National Biography." THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 45 subsequently in that of Christina, Duchess of Milan, whose portrait he commissioned Holbein to paint, he was merely acting a part, with the object of preserving the balance of power between the two rivals, Charles V and Francois I, lest they should combine with the Pope against him. If Henry really were acting, it must be admitted that, in regard to Marie de Lorraine, he must have acted most uncommonly well, for Chatillon was con- vinced that he was quite infatuated with the lady, of whose attractions of mind and person he appears to have received a most glowing account from Wallop, one of his envoys at the French Court. " He [Henry VIII] is so enamoured of Madame de Longue- ville," he writes, " that he is continually recurring to the matter ; I have told him that she is affianced to the King of Scotland ; but he declines to believe it. He says that he requires such a queen as she would make, that he admires a tall woman, and wishes for her in particular." In a subsequent despatch, the Ambassador writes that the King has spoken to him of the gentle disposition of the Duchesse de Longueville, and that he had heard that she had been both a loving and a dutiful wife to her late husband ; and had also expressed the opinion that she was likely to bear him male children, since she had borne two sons to the Due de Longueville. Persisting in his determination, real or pretended, to supplant his nephew, towards the end of 1537 Henry addressed a proposal in due form to the lady herself, who replied that '' while sensible of the great honour he wished to confer upon her, she was so much absorbed in grief for her husband that she had resolved never to take another, but to devote her life to his memory and to the care and education of their children." As, however, the duchess had said nothing about a betrothal to the rival royal suitor, the English King was far from being discouraged by the rejection of his suit, and 46 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE attributed it merely to coyness or a sort of ceremonial devotion to the memory of the deceased dute, which would soon yield to the temptation of sharing a throne. In point of fact, at the beginning of the following year, Marie de Lorraine did announce her willingness to share a throne, but it was that of Scotland, her reluctance to enter into a second marriage having been in all probability overcome by the fear that, unless she hastened to submit to her Sovereign's will in regard to James V, some change in the political situation might cause her to be consigned as a State victim to the mon- arch who had already divorced one consort and decapi- tated another. Despite, however, of the public announcement of her betrothal to his nephew, Henry continued to demand her " with the pertinacity of a spoilt child," * and even threatened hostilities with France, in revenge for what he called the affront put upon him by Frangois I, who, after promising him the hand of any lady in his dominions, had refused him the one upon whom his choice had fallen. In vain, Chatillon endeavoured to propitiate him by suggesting that he should console himself with some other French princess. First, he proposed Madame Marguerite, Francois I's remaining daughter, who subsequently married Em- manuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy, but her his Majesty peevishly rejected, as being far too young. Then, the Duchesse de Longueville's younger sister, Louise de Lorraine, whom he assured the King was far more beautiful than the future Queen of Scotland ; but her, too, the monarch refused to consider. Finally, he was indiscreet enough to mention Marie de Vendome, whom, four years previously, James V had somewhat ungal- lantly thrown over in favour of Madame Madeleine, whereupon Henry flew into a violent rage and exclaimed, with characteristic brutality, that " he would have none of the King of Scots' leavings." The marriage of James V and Marie de Lorraine was 1 Strickland, Lives oj the Queens oj Scotland. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 47 celebrated at Chateaudun on May 9, 1538, Lord Maxwell acting as proxy for his Sovereign. The bride received a dowry of 150,000 livres tournois, to which Francois I and the Due de Guise contributed in equal shares, it being stipulated that, if she survived the King, one- tliird of that sum should be repaid her, if she had borne him children, and half, if there were no issue of the marriage. James gave her, as an appanage, the county of Fife, with Falkland Palace as a residence ; while, in the event of her widowhood, she was to enjoy the revenues of the county of Strathearn and the lordships of Galloway, Orkney, and the Isles, with the palaces of Sterling and Dingwall as residences. A few days later, Marie embarked at Le Havre and sailed for Scotland. Permission had been solicited of Henry VIII for the bride to land at some spot on the English coast, in case of rough weather being encountered, but the disappointed suitor most ungraciously refused this request. Some months later, after the Truce of Nice had been signed and that meeting between Francois I and Charles V which so astonished Europe had taken place at Aigues- Mortes, Henry VIII, anxious to divide if possible the recently reconciled rivals, repented of having so hastily refused the hand of Louise de Lorraine, and, according to Fournier, " despatched incontinently the Milord Briant [j-zV] to the King and to the Due [de Guise], to demand this young daughter in marriage . . . with the order to promise the King more expressly that, if she were accorded him, he would break for ever with the Emperor." But Frangois I, with the bait of the Milanese dangling before his covetous eyes, was reluctant to offend Charles V ; while the Due de Guise was not without hope that, if the marriage between the Dauphin and Catherine de' Medici, who after six years of wedded life was still childless, were to be annulled, Louise de Lorraine might step into the young Florentine's shoes and eventually become Queen of France. Perhaps, too 48 THE BROOD OF FAI,SE LORRAINE Guise, always an affectionate father, hesitated to deliver his daughter to the caprices of the English monarch ; while he was aware that the role which he had assumed as one of the champions of Catholicism could not fail to be prejudiced by a matrimonial alliance between his House and a Sovereign who had openly rejected the authority of the Holy See. And so nothing came of the matter. CHAPTER V Death of the Dauphin Fran9ois — Henry, due d'Orl^ans becomes heir to the throne — -His marriage to Catherine da' Medici — -Beginning of the liaison between the new Dauphin and Diane de Poitiers — Aiitagonism between Diane and tlie King's mistress, the Duchesse d'Etampes — The Cardinal de Lorraine and three elder sons of the Due de Guise pay court to the favourite of the Dauphin — 'Anne de Montmorency — His character and poUcy — The Due de Guise endeavours, but without success, to persuade Fran9ois I to accept the overtures of the rebelHous citizens of Ghent — The King allows himself to be duped by the Emperor — Disgrace of the Constable Montmorency — • Francois I declares war against the Emperor — -Guise and the Due d'Orleans invade Luxembourg — -The success of the campaign com- promised by the folly and egotism of the young prince and his friends — The Due d'Aumale wounded before Luxembourg — A Spartan sire. In the meantime, great changes had been taking place at the Court. In August 1536, the Dauphin Frangois, the eldest of the Kings' three sons, while on his way to join his father at Montmorency's camp at Avignon, had died after an illness of four days. Modern historians agree in ascribing the death of the young prince to an attack of pleurisy, occasioned by his imprudence in drink- ing a copious draught of cold water when overheated by playing tennis. But the ignorant physicians who at- tended him were unanimously of opinion that he had been poisoned ; and an Italian gentleman of his household was arrested, brought to trial, and condemned to the barbarous punishment reserved for regicides. The untimely death of the Dauphin Frangois, which was the more regrettable since he had given every promise of one day making an excellent King, left the King's second son, Henri, Due d'Orleans, an awkward, taciturn, unsociable lad of eighteen, heir to the throne. In November 1533, Frangois I, with the idea of binding the shifty Pontiif, Clement VII, to his interests, had 1 — 4 49 50 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE married the Due d'Orleans to the Pope's cousin — or niece, as his HoHness preferred to call her — Catherine de' Medici, daughter of Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, and Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne. The marriage was extremely unpopular with both Court and people. The former looked upon it as a mesalliance ; the latter, mindful of the intolerable burdens which the King's Italian enterprises had entailed, regarded the Papal connection as the forerunner of further ruinous wars and did not conceal their resentment. Nor did Francois reap thereby any of the political advantages upon which he had counted, as, towards the end of the following year, Clement VII's career of duplicity and prevarication was cut short by death. As for Catherine, who was at this time a plain, unformed girl of fifteen, she failed entirely to gain the affection of the morose, tongue-tied youth to whom she was mated, who resisted all her efforts to draw him out or even to bring a smile to his lips. But where Catherine failed, another succeeded. The story goes — and, since it has been accepted by such excellent authorities on the period as Niel and Bouchot, we see no reason to doubt its authenticity — that one day, not long after the death of the first Dauphin, Francois I complained to Diane de Poitiers, widow of Louis de Breze, Grand Senechal of Normandy, of the melancholy humour and uncouth manners of the new heir to the Crown. To which that lady laughingly replied that " he must be made to fall in love, and that she would make him her gallant." ^ She did, indeed, make him her gallant, but not in the platonic sense, in which his Majesty had understood the expression. Diane was thirty-seven — nearly twenty years older than the Dauphin — but she was still emin- ently seductive : tall and perfectly shaped, with jet black hair, fine eyes, regular features, and a dazzling complexion, which, thanks to healthy exercise and ^ Le Labori^re, Additions aux Mdmoires de Castelnau, vol. i. / ^ Diuru M. J'ci^i'^f'i DIANii DK PUlilHRS, DUCHESSK DE VALENIIXOIS. From a photograph by A. Giraiidon, Paris, after a drawing in the Biblioth^que Nationale, by Francois Clouet. 50] THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 51 habits of personal cleanliness, but too unusual in the first half of the sixteenth century, she succeeded in preserving long after the bloom of other ladies of her age had become merely a memory. Moreover, she was endow^ed with very considerable intellectual powers, combined with an inflexible determination and a mar- vellous adroitness in attaining her ends. In order to assure a greater and more durable ascend- ency over the Dauphin, she was in no hurry to complete his subjugation, but posed before every one as the mentor of youth and inexperience, the guide of the future King of France towards noble thoughts and generous actions. And so admirably did she play this part that few appear to have had any suspicion that the young prince's initiation into the mysteries of love was proceeding simultaneously with his instruction in courtly manners and the duties of his exalted position ; indeed, so shrewd an observer as the Venetian Ambassador, Marino Cavalli, wrote that many persons believed that the Grande Senechale's affection for her royal pupil was " like that of a mother for a son." When, at length, the Court was undeceived, the Dauphin was completely in her toils, and in her toils he was to remain until the day of his death, two and twenty years later. The Senechale, however, was not allowed to triumph with impunity. It is true that she had nothing to fear from the Dauphine, who, though wounded to the quick by her husband's infidelity and consumed with hatred and jealousy of the siren who had bewitched him, considered it prudent to disguise her feehngs, and treated her rival with the same courtesy as before. Catherine's position, at this time, and indeed until the birth of the first of her ten children in January 1543, was an exceedingly precarious one, and, living as she did in constant dread of being repudiated, she was careful to keep as far as possible in the background and to conciliate by every means in her power the King, her husband, and all who possessed any influence with them. 52 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE But, if Catherine placed no obstacles in her rival's path, there was another lady who was very far from disposed to leave the Senechale in peaceable possession of her conquest. This was the King's mistress, Anne de Pisseleu, whom, shortly after her elevation, Frangois I, with the view of saving appearances and diminishing the scandal, had married to Jeanne de Brosse, grandson of Louis XI's confidant, Philippe de Comines, who consented to the marriage proposed to him in order to recover his family estates, which had been confiscated, owing to the participation of his father, Rene de Brosse, in the conspiracy of Bourbon. As the result of his complaisance, the King not only restored to him his confiscated property and appointed him Governor of Brittany, but, in 1530, erected for him, or rather for his wife, the county of Etampes into a duchy-peerage. The new duke and peer took rank immdiately after the Due de Guise. Anne de Pisseleu's marriage, of course, made no difference to her relations with the King, for the union was merely a nominal one, and the complaisant husband resided for the most part in his government of Brittany. Her credit far exceeded that which her predecessor in the royal affections had enjoyed, and she used it to protect artists and men of letters, who vied with one another in celebrating her charms, to sustain the Re- formed ideas, but especially to enrich her numerous relatives.^ Louise of Savoy had died in 1531 ; Mar- guerite d'Angouleme, the King's sister, having married, as her second husband, Henri d'Albret, King of Navarre, 1 Her uncle, Antoine Sanguin, was successively created Abbe de Fleury, Bishop of Orleans, cardinal, and, finally, Archbishop of Toulouse. She procured for Charles de Pisseleu, her second brother, the Abbey of Bourgeuil, and subsequently the Bishopric of Condom, and, for another brother, the Abbey of Compiegne. Two of the elder sisters became abbesses, while she found husbands for the younger among the greatest families in the kingdom. It is little wonder that, in those days, where a king happened to be concerned, people were inclined to regard the peccadilloes of their wives, daughters, or sisters with a very indulgent eye. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 53 resided but little at her brother's Court ; Queen Eleanor and Catherine de' Medici were entirely without influence. In consequence, the Duchesse d'Etampes was Queen in everything but the name, and, with few exceptions, all the ladies paid their court to her. The most notable of those who declined to acknowledge her ascendency was the Senechale, in consequence of which the favourite had for some time past regarded that lady with far from friendly feelings. It needed, indeed, but a spark to rouse this slumbering hatred into malignant activity, and Diane's conquest of the Dauphin supplied it. For, great as was the credit that Madame d'Etampes enjoyed, she knew that it must terminate with the King's life, and she knew, too, that, though Frangois I was but forty-five, his health was so undermined by the excesses of his youth that he was unlikely to live many years. The prospect of the Senechale reigning in her place, and being in a position to pay off old scores with heavy interest, was not one which she could afford to regard with equanimity ; and she accordingly determined to leave no means untried to expel her enemy from the citadel which she had captured. The antagonism between the favourites of the King and the Dauphin ere long developed into a veritable war, which divided the Court into two opposing camps. Madame d'Etampes had for allies Chabot de Brion, Admiral of France, who, scandal asserted, shared the lady's affections with his royal master, her uncle Antoine Sanguin, Cardinal de Meudon, most of the men of letters, some of whom did not hesitate to sully their pens by composing the grossest epigrams against Diane, and the majority of the courtiers, who naturally pre- ferred to worship the risen planet rather than one which might be many years before it reached its zenith. The Senechale was assured of the support of Anne de Mont- morency, of the Cardinal de Lorraine, and of such courtiers as had sufficient foresight to sacrifice present to future advantages. 54 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE Madame d'Etampes favouired the Reformers ; Diane declared openly for the suppression of heresy, and to her attitude on this question the latter was largely indebted for such powerful allies as Montmorency and the cardinal, both of whom shared her hatred of the new doctrines, the former from sincere religious con- viction, the latter from fear of losing his benefices and episcopates. The cardinal, not content with paying his own court to the Dauphin's favourite, strongly re- commended the Due de Guise to follow his example, or, at any rate, to direct his sons to do so, and thereby make sure of the young men's credit and favour in the next reign, which might be much nearer than most people supposed. To this proposal Guise, who held a very high opinion of his Eminence's astuteness, con- sented, so far as his sons were concerned, and brought the three elder, Frangois, Charles, and Claude, to Court, where they were soon among the most assiduous of those who paid homage to Diane. The duke himself, however, held aloof from both parties and declined to compromise himself. The Truce of Nice had stipulated for a ten years' suspension of hostilities between the monarchs whose rivalry had so long distracted Europe. It lasted barely four, and long ere those four years had passed it was obvious that its rupture was inevitable. The truce itself and the Aigues-Mortcs interview, at which Frangois I, lured on by the bait of the Milanese, had promised to abandon the German Protestants and to aid Charles V in his struggle against the Infidel and his efforts for Catholic unity, had been mainly the work of Montmorency, who, since the success of his defensive strategy in Provence, had acquired great influence with the King. A strange character was Anne de Montmorency. Arrogant, harsh, and brutal to his inferiors, servile to- wards those from whose favour he had anything to THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 55 expect, incapable of gratitude, avaricious, and grossly licentious, he was, at the same time, one of the most bigoted of Catholics, who appeared to imagine that he could atone for his vices by an exalted devotion. But, to his narrow mind, devotion consisted in a punctilious observance of the forms and ceremonies of the Church and in respect for the established authorities, the Pope and the Emperor. His conscience revolted against the alhances with Turks and Lutherans in which the Very Christian King had not scrupled to engage, and, though he did his duty against the Imperialists in the field, he was always a consistent advocate of peace with the Emperor, insomuch that his enemies did not hesitate to accuse him of preferring the interests of Rome to those of France. Towards the end of 1538, Frangois I had a severe illness, which left him for a time a physical wreck and affected his mind to some degree as well as his body. The conduct of affairs now fell completely into the hands of Montmorency, upon whom, in February 1539, was conferred the office of Constable, vacant since the treason of Bourbon, and he took full advantage of his opportunity. In conjunction with Diane de Poitiers and the Chancellor Poyet, he procured the arrest and condemnation of the Admiral, Chabot de Brion, Madame d'Etampes's principal champion and long Montmorency's sworn enemy, on a charge of enriching himself in various ways at the expense of the State ; and having thus succeeded in ridding himself of this formidable rival in the royal favour, he proceeded to give free rein to his CathoHc and Imperialist predilections. He broke off the friendly relations which had existed with England, the German Protestant Princes and the Turks, and not only persuaded the King, dazzled by the chimerical hope of a voluntary restitution of the Milanese, to reject the offer of the rebelhous burghers of Ghent to acknowledge him as their suzerain, but to reveal their proposals to Charles V, and to offer him a passage through 56 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE France, when he journeyed thither to reduce his revolted subjects to obedience. If we are to beUeve an historian of the Guises/ the Due de Guise protested warmly against Francois Fs decision to refuse the offer of the Gantois and to permit Charles V to pass through his realm. " The Emperor," said he, " will regard the generosity with which the King thinks to amaze him as an act of folly, deserving only of ridicule." His Majesty reminded the duke that, if they followed his advice, they would lose the chance of obtaining the Milanese, which the Emperor had virtually promised him for his youngest son Charles, who, on the death of his eldest brother, had assumed the new Dauphin's former title of Due d'Orleans. " We are refusing a town," he observed, " in order to recover an entire country." Guise, however, continued his objections, and, as he withdrew, remarked : " The King is going to allow himself to be deceived by the most notorious of deceivers." His prediction was speedily verified, and, a few months later, the King, to his intense mortification, found that he had once more sacrificed the substance for the shadow and permitted Charles to subdue his rebellious Flemish subjects, come to an understanding with the German Protestant Princes, and re-establish his authority through- out the whole Empire, while deluding him with pro- mises which he had never had the remotest intention of fulfilling. In his irritation, he lent a ready ear to the suggestions of Madame d'Etampes and her partisans that the Constable had sacrificed the interests of the King to those of the heir to the throne, and secretly connived at the Emperor's duplicity, from a desire to prevent the aggrandisement of the Due d'Orleans, of whom his elder brother was jealous ; and in July 1540 Montmorency was disgraced and banished the Court. The difficulty of renewing the alliances which had been broken during the administration of the Constable * Fournier. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 57 induced Francois I to postpone hostilities for a couple of years ; but on July 12, 1542, war was formally declared. On this occasion, Frangois, notwithstanding that a vigorous attack upon the Milanese appeared to promise a certain and speedy conquest, decided to remain on the defensive beyond the Alps, and to invade Luxem- bourg and Roussillon. The command of the Army of the South was given to the Dauphin, with an experienced general, in the person of Annebaut, to advise him, while that of the North was nominally under the orders of his younger brother, the Due d'Orleans, though Guise was entrusted with its direction. The Due d'Orleans, who was almost the exact counter- part of what his father had been at his age — gay, good- humoured, rash, vain, and egotistical, for which reason the King was as much attached to him as he was indiffer- ent to the Dauphin — brought with him his favourite, the future Marechal de Tavannes, and a crowd of young gentlemen who were making their first campaign and were all burning to distinguish themselves. The saga- cious plans of the veteran of border warfare were com- pletely disconcerted by the ardour of these hot-headed youths, who, encouraged by the King's son, supported with impatience Guise's authority, and even occasionally dared to flout it. Orleans, thirsting for glory, insisted on laying siege to Damvilliers, and took it. Guise gave orders that the garrison should be kept as prisoners of war ; but Orleans, who, on his own responsibility, had promised them their liberty, secretly directed Tavannes, who guarded one of the gates, to let them go, which he did. Guise sent for Tavannes and demanded by whose orders he had allowed the prisoners to go free. He replied coolly that it had been by those of his master. The duke was indignant, but " M. d'Orleans embraced M. de Guyse, and everything was smoothed over." ^ This incident was only an earnest of what was to * Tavannes, Memoires, 58 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE follow. After taking Damvilliers, the army commenced the siege of Yvoy, in Luxembourg, which, however, threatened to prove a longer business than they had bargained for, or the military importance of the place justified them in undertaking. The King, more occu- pied with the fate of Perpignan, which the Dauphin's army was investing, sent orders to Guise to raise the siege. The latter at once prepared to obey ; but Tavannes hurried off to the Due d' Orleans, to warn him of what was contemplated. " The King is going to lose a town," said he, " you honour. Your brother will get Perpignan, you only disgrace. M. de Guise has not the same interest as you have." Early the following morning, just when Guise, who had spent the whole night in superintending the pre- parations for breaking up the camp, had retired to his tent to snatch an hour or two's sleep, the two young gentlemen ordered four pieces of cannon to be brought up and placed in a hollow road, in order to bombard a part of the walls in which a small breach had already been effected. But the vigilance of the old general was not so easily eluded, and he surprised them just as they were getting their battery into position. His indigna- tion knew no bounds ; but, since it was impossible for him to vent it upon a Son of France and his nominal commander, he determined to call Tavannes to account. " M. de Guyse approached M. d'Orleans, who was carrying the Sieur de Tavannes upon the crupper of his saddle, censured this action, and offered to waive his quahty of prince to fight and to maintain that it was an ill-advised enterprise." Tavannes sprang to the ground, and, instead of attempting to excuse the escapade which he had counselled, haughtily exclaimed : " If it pleases you to waive your rank in order to fight me, you will do me much honour, and you will find me a worthy antagonist." The Due d'Orleans intervened and prevented the proposed duel ; but the battery was placed as Tavannes had suggested, and, after a bombard- THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 59 merit of five hours, the breach was sufficiently widened to render an assault practicable ; whereupon the town capitulated.^ Luxembourg, Arlon, and Montmedi followed the example of Damvilliers and Yvoy ; but what permanent advantage could an army hope to gain in which lads hardly out of their 'teens flouted the authority of an experienced commander and showed so little respect for his age and rank as to be ready to engage him in single combat ? The folly and egotism of the Due d'Orleans and his friends, indeed, not only prevented these successes being followed up, but sacrificed the most important of them. Bitterly jealous of his elder brother, and learning that there was a prospect of a great battle being fought in Roussillon, the young prince promptly disbanded the greater part of his forces, and, leaving only very weak garrisons to hold the captured towns, hurried off to the South, with his feather-brained entourage, in quest of a battle which was never fought. The Imperialists took prompt advantage of this to recover the town of Luxembourg, and, but for the courage and activity of Guise, the other places taken by the French would have shared the same fate. Little, however, as had been achieved by the Army of the North, it had, at any rate, done better than that com- manded by the Dauphin, who had been obliged to raise the siege of Perpignan and retreat across the frontier. The war in 1543 was confined to Italy and the Nether- lands. Towards the end of August, a considerable French army commanded by Francois I in person again invaded Luxembourg, in the hope of diverting the Imperialists' attention from the dominions of Charles V's rebellious vassal, the Duke of Cleves. Guise accompanied the King, and with him came his eldest son Francois, Comte d'Aumale, who, in marked contrast to the other young nobles, so greedy for glory and so scornful of discipline, had already given promise of possessing ^ Tavannes, Mdmoires, 6o THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE military talents of an unusually high order. When, for the second time, the army laid siege to the town of Luxembourg, so foolishly lost the preceding year, owing to the carelessness of the Due d' Orleans, it was to Aumale that the King entrusted the direction of the principal battery. All night the young prince supervised the engineers who were getting the cannon into position on the parapet of the trench. In order that he might the more easily be found in the darkness and recognised when he had orders to give, he wore a white doublet ; and when, about an hour before dawn, he stepped out of the shelter of the trenches to reconnoitre the place, he was perceived by some arquebusiers on the walls. They immediately opened fire, and one ball penetrated " the top of the instep, near the ankle." ' Aumale was carried to his tent, and thence to Longwy, where the King's surgeons and those of his father attended him. The wound was a very painful one, and, while the ball was being extracted, the young prince, courageous though he was, could not prevent a groan escaping him. Whereupon, we are told, his Spartan sire, who was standing by his side, reprimanded him for his want of fortitude, observing that " persons of his rank ought not to feel their wounds, but, on the contrary, to take pleasure in building their reputation on the ruin of their bodies." It was at first feared that Frangois de Lorraine would remain permanently lame. Happily, this apprehension was not realised, and, after a few months under his mother's care at Joinville, he was completely cured. 1 Martin du Bellay, Mdmoires. chapter; VI Critical situation of France, invaded by the Emperor and Henry VIII simultaneously — Heroic defence of Saint-Dizier — The garrison is induced to capitulate, owing to the receipt of a forged order purporting to come from the Due de Guise — Charge of treason against Madame d'fitampes considered — The ImperiaUsts make a raid upon Joinville — Paris panic-stricken at the near approach of the enemy — -The King and Guise arrive in the capital and succeed in restoring tranquillity — Peace of Crepy — Death of the Due d'Orleans — Terrible lance-wound received by the Due d'Aumale in a skirmish before Boulogne — His life saved by the skill and resolution of the celebrated surgeon Ambroise Pare — Wonderful fortitude of the wounded prince — His letter to the King — He is appointed Governor of Dauphine— Fran9ois I becomes suspicious of the wealth and power of the Guises — Suspicious death of the Comte d'Enghien in a snowball fight — Charges of foul play against the Dauphin and the Guises con- sidered — Death of Fran9ois I. The campaigns of 1542 and 1543 had served only to exhaust the resources of the country, without achieving anything of the least importance ; and in the spring of the following year, France found herself reduced entirely to the defensive and threatened with invasion from three sides simultaneously : from the German frontier, where Charles V had assembled a considerable army ; from Picardy, where Henry VHI, now again in league with the Emperor, was preparing to advance on Paris, at the head of 30,000 Englishmen and 15,000 Flemings ; and from Piedmont. The briUiant victory of Ceresole (April 14), gained by the young Comte d'Enghien ' over a much superior force of Imperialists removed all danger on the side of Italy, but that on the North and East was very grave ; indeed, had Henry VIII and Charles V adhered strictly to their original plan of advancing straight upon 1 Louis de Bourbon. 61 62 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE Paris, without lingering to lay siege to any of the for- tresses which lay on their respective lines of march, the capital must have fallen. But neither King nor Emperor trusted his ally, and the result of their mutual suspicion was that Henry turned aside to besiege Bou- logne and Montreuil, while the Imperialists invested Saint-Dizier, which commanded thepassage of theMarne. Although the fortifications of Saint-Dizier were in a very dilapidated condition, the heroism of its garrison, under the command of Louis de Beuil, Comte de Sancerre, arrested the advance of the invaders for nearly six weeks ; and it was not until August 17 that it capitulated. Its fall came about in a singular manner. The scouts of the investing army intercepted and brought to the Imperial Chancellor, Granvelle, a packet in which was found " the alphabet of the cypher " which Guise employed for his correspondence with Sancerre. With the aid of this cypher, Granvelle pro- ceeded to forge a letter from Guise to the governor of Saint-Dizier, in which the duke warned him that he must not expect any assistance and authorised him, in the name of the King, to accept an honourable capitula- tion, which the Imperialists, of course, readily accorded. Sancerre surrendered the place and justified himself to the King, " by declaring that he had capitulated on the orders of M. de Guyse." The latter indignantly denied that he had sent the count any such orders, and " wished to waive all his grades, dignities, and noble qualities of prince to engage in a duel with M. de Sancerre." However, after the quarrel had lasted some days, it was recognised that the letter was a forgery.' 1 Martin du Bcllay, Memoires ; Brantome, Jes Duels. Several writers allege that it was not chance, but treason, which placed Guise's cypher in the enemy's hands. If we are to believe the historian Beaucaire, who wrote during the reign of Charles IX, under the name of " Belcarius," Benvenuto Cellini, and Brantome, Madame d'fitampes, alarmed at the decUning health of her royal lover and at the approach of the day when the Dauphin would succeed him, had become a warm friend and partisan of the Due d'Orleans ; and, in order to ensure herself an asylum on the King's death, ardently desired to bring about an arrangement between THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 63 After the submission of Saint-Dizier, a detachment of the Imperial army swooped down upon Joinville, where they pillaged the church of Notre-Dame and carried off everything of value that it contained, after which they set it on fire. These excesses appear to have been committed by the order, or, at least, with the sanction, of Charles V, out of revenge for the death of his favourite, Rene de Nassau, Prince of Orange, who, during the siege of Saint-Dizier, had been killed by a shot from a culverin, fired from the tower of the church by a priest named Joachim. The invaders also burned a number of houses in the town, and completely ruined the beauti- ful gardens of the chateau. The chateau itself was not attacked, since it was far too strong to be reduced save by a regular siege. The church was subsequently rebuilt by Guise at his own expense, and he facilitated the rebuilding of the houses that had been destroyed. The duke abandoned the whole of the revenues of the seigneurie of Joinville, amounting to over 30,000 livres, for that year, and a portion of them in the two following years. He also obtained from the Government the remission of the taille, or salt-tax, for a year, and gave a large sum to be distributed among the poorer sufferers by the raid.^ Fran9ois I and Charles V which would secure to the young prince the hand of either the Infanta Maria or a daughter of the King of the Romans, and, with her, an independent sovereignty. Such an arrangement had already been proposed by Charles V in 1540, but the Dauphin's party had persuaded Francois to reject it. As the lady considered that the success of the Imperial arms would be the surest means of accomplishing this, she had established a secret correspondence with the Emperor, through the medium of one of her admirers, the Comte de Bossut-Longue- val, and had resumed, from interested motives, the poUcy which her enemy Montmorency had embraced from religious fanaticism. That Madame d'Etainpes had constituted herself the champion of the younger brother against the elder, and had the strongest reasons for wishing to see him established in an independent sovereignty, and that she used her influence with the King in favour of peace, is perfectly true. But, though her enemies believed, or, at any rate, affected to believe, that she was at this time in communication with Charles, and, though, after Fran9ois's death, a prosecution for high treason was commenced against both her and Longueval, it is doubtful if there were any real foundation for such a charge. 1 To compensate Guise for the loss which he himself had sustained 64 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE The refusal of Henry VHI to move southwards until Boulogne and Montreuil were in his hands, and the threatened exhaustion of his supplies, decided the Emperor to open negotiations for peace, on the basis of the proposals which had been rejected in 1540. But the pourparlers were without result, and in the first days of September the Imperialists began to advance along the Marne and seized Epernay and Chateau-Thierry.' The panic in the capital and in all the country round was indescribable, and large numbers of the Parisians had already fled from the city, carrying all their portable property with them, when the King and their idol. Guise, appeared upon the scene. Thereupon, craven terror gave way to boundless confidence, and " the majority declared that they had no longer any fear, since they had their King and M. de Guise for defenders." The danger soon passed. As Henry VIII, who was on the point of reducing Boulogne, still declined to cross the Somme, and the Emperor's army, which consisted chiefly of inferior landsknechts, was dwindling every day from sickness and desertion, Charles V recog- nised that an advance upon Paris would be a most hazardous undertaking, and accordingly retired on Soissons, from which town he reopened his negotiations with the French Court. Frangois was this time ready enough to treat, and on September 18 peace between the two monarchs was signed at Crepy, on the basis of a marriage between the Due d'Orleans and either the on this occasion, Frangois I shortly afterwards erected " the baronies, estates, and seigneuries of Mayenne-la-Juhee, Sable, and La Ferte- Bernard and the castellanies of Ennee and Nantinant " into the marquisate of Mayenne, in favour of the duke's third son, Claude de Lorraine, " out of consideration," ran the letters-patent, " for the great, virtuous, and praiseworthy services which the Due de Guise has for a long time past rendered to us and to the public welfare of our realm, in our wars, without having spared his own person, his children, or his property. 1 If we are to beheve Beaucaire, Charles V was indebted for this success to the valuable information furioished by Madame d'£tampes's agent, Longueval. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 65 Emperor's daughter or niece, the Netherlands to be the dower of the former princess and the Milanese of the latter. Orleans was to receive a large appanage at the expense of his brother's future kingdom, a stipu- lation which so enraged the Dauphin that, though he did not dare to refuse his formal consent to the treaty, he subsequently entered a secret protest against it at Fontainebleau, in the presence of Vendome, Enghien, and Aumale, in which he declared that he had only signed " four la crainte and reverence faternelley Less than twelve months after the signing of the Peace of Crepy, the treaty was rendered, to all intents and purposes, waste parchment, and the Dauphin delivered from the rivalry of his younger brother, by the death of the latter from plague at the siege of Boulogne, which the French had unsuccessfully endeavoured to recover by camisado in the autumn of 1644. It was in a skirmish outside the walls of Boulogne that Frangois de Lorraine received the terrible wound which earned him the name of ^' le Balafre.^^ Perceiving some French cavalry, who were hotly engaged with a detachment of the enemy, on the point of being taken in flank by reinforcements from the town, he galloped at full speed to their assistance, fol- lowed only by his brother Claude and the Sieur de Vieilleville. It was his custom to go into battle with the visor of his helmet raised, and, being furiously charged by one of the English men-at-arms, he received " a lance-thrust, which entered below the right eye, sloping towards the nose, and passed out on the other side, between the ear and the nape of the neck" ; ' and was delivered with such violence that the shaft broke off close to the steel head, which remained embedded in the cheek-bone, without leaving more than an inch or so of wood whereby it might be extracted. Notwithstanding this terrible wound, the young prince contrived to keep his saddle, and his brother and 1 Ambroise Pare, Voyage de Boulogne. 1—5 66 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE Vieilleville, coming to his assistance, conducted him back to the French lines. He presented a pitiable spectacle, with blood streaming down his face and over his armour, and the surgeons, after examining the wound, declared that he was beyond their aid, and that to attempt to extract the spear-head would only be to cause him additional and useless suffering. Happily, the King, on learning of Aumale's pHght, had sent one of his own surgeons, Ambroise Pare, soon to become so famous, with orders to do everything possible to save so valuable a life. Despite the protests of his colleagues, Pare determined to endeavour to extract the spear-head by the aid of a pair of farrier's pincers, but, before doing so, he considered it his duty to warn the wounded man that it would be necessary to use great force and to obtain his consent to the opera- tion. " I consent to everything; set to work! " was the reply ; and Pare, setting his foot on Aumale's face, seized the broken stump of the lance with the pincers and drew out the spear-head. The prince's fortitude, we are told, did not abandon him for a moment during this cruel operation, " which was not without fracture of bones, nerves, veins, arteries, and other parts," ^ and which he supported " as though one had only pulled a hair out of his head." ' Trans- ported in a litter to Picquigny, he hung for three days between life and death. But on the fourth he began to mend, and, thanks to the iron constitution which he had inherited from his father, he eventually made so complete a recovery that his sight appears to have been quite unaffected and no trace of this astonishing wound remained, except the scar from which he derived the name of "/"- tec-"-'-. # HENRI II, KING OF FRANCE. From a drawing afler Fratigois Clouet, in the BibliothSque Nationale, Paris. Plioto by Giraudon, Paris. 72] THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 73 Annebaut being deprived of his rank of Marechal de France, which he held together with the ofhce of Admiral, while Tournon was sent to Rome, under the pretext of maintaining French influence there. The remaining members of the Council were also eliminated and their places filled by the King of Navarre, the Due de Vendome, the Cardinal Jean de Lorraine, and the two elder sons of the Due de Guise, the Comte d'Aumale, and Charles, Archbishop of Rheims,^ afterwards the celebrated Car- dinal Charles de Lorraine, with whom were associated the Constable ; the Comte d'Harcourt, a kinsman of the Guises ; the two Saint-Andres, the younger of whom, Jacques Alban de Saint-Andre, was a great favourite of the King, Robert de la Marck, Seigneur de Sedan, who had married one of the daughters of Diane de Poitiers ; Humieres, a cousin of Montmorency's and gouverneur of the Children of France ; the Chancellor Olivier ; and two friends of the Constable, the President Bertrandi and the financier Villeroy. All real power, however, resided in the hands of the Constable, the Guises, and the younger Saint- Andre. In his last hours, Frangois I had made a very pressing recommendation to his son in favour of Madame d'Etampes, vowing that he was altogether mistaken in believing that she had been hostile to him, and bidding him remember that she was a woman, and therefore entitled to consideration. Henri had promised the dying King that he would protect her, perhaps with the intention of keeping his word. But he soon found that the reaction against the lady was too strong for him to resist, even if he had wished to do so. A jealous woman does not pardon, and Diane was determined to be avenged on the rival who had thwarted her ambition, criticised her beauty, and offended her pride; and, besides, Madame d'iltampes had given mortal offence to the Constable and many other influential persons, 1 In 1538, the Cardinal Jean had resigned the Archbishopric of Rheims in favour of Charles de Lorraine. 74 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE as well as to the Senechale. And so the blonde sovereign who had so long presided at the ladies' table in the palace of Fontainebleau, who had so long enjoyed all the honours and all the power of a queen, was obliged to surrender the magnificent jewels given her by the late King, which Henri H at once presented to Diane ; and found herself charged with treasonable correspondence with the enemies of France during the invasion of 1544, her property sequestrated, her servants thrown into prison, and her friends Longueval and Gilbert Bayard arrested as her accomplices. Happily for the fallen favourite, her triumphant rival was even more rapacious ' than she was vindictive, and some months later, in consideration of the surrender to her of the duchess's estate of Benne, Diane consented to forgo the rest of her vengeance and to leave Madame d'Etampes in possession of the greater part of the property.^ Diane was not only rapacious and vindictive, but she was inordinately ambitious, and aspired to govern the kingdom as well as the King, or, at any rate, to assist in governing it. Honoured, flattered, consulted and dreaded, as never mistress had been before her time, she was at once Henri's trusted counsellor and the dispenser of his benefits and favours. For her there existed no 1 If we are to believe the Imperial Ambassador, Saint-Mauris, before Henri II had been three months on the throne the lady had extracted from him no less a sum than two million livres. Probably, however, Saint-Mauris exaggerates ; even Ambassadors cannot always resist the temptation of drawing the long bow. 2 On his side, the duchess's friend, Longueval, secured immunity by " selling " his lordship of Marchais, near Laon, to Charles de Lorraine, who thereupon engaged to prove his innocence to the King, which he did so effectually that the prosecution which was pending against him for treasonable correspondence with the Emperor was allowed to drop, and he was set at liberty. He could not, of course, have been brought to trial without involving Madame d'fitampes; and the King, according to Varillas, was persuaded by Charles de Lorraine " not to stain the beginning of his reign by a signal and gratuitous affront to the memory of his father, by abandoning to the vengeance of justice the object which he had so tenderly loved for twenty-two years." Madame d'£tampcs lived to see the last of the Valois on the throne, though very little is known of the rest of her life. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 75 secret of State. She insisted on being told everything, and she was told. Every matter which was discussed in the Council-chamber, every despatch which arrived from the French representatives at foreign Courts, was communicated to her ; and scarcely had the King finished giving audience to one of the Ambassadors than he hurried off to tell his mistress all about it. The Imperial Ambassador, Saint-Mauris, has left us in the despatch from which we have already had occasion to quote some interesting impressions of this power be- hind the throne, whom he designates by the name of Silvius: — " The worst thing is that the said King allows himself to be led, and approves everything which Silvius and his nobles advise, of which the people here complain, fearing that the King will remain always in that net. After dinner, he visits the said Silvius. When he has given her an account of all the business he has transacted in the morning and up to that moment, whether with the Ambassadors or other persons of importance, he seats himself upon her lap, a guitar in his hand, upon which he plays, and inquires often of Aumale if the said Silvius ' has not preserved her beauty,' touching from time to time her bosom and regarding her atten- tively, like a man that is ensnared by love. . . . " The King has many natural good qualities, and one might hope much from him, if he were not so stupid as to allow himself to be led as he does. The Chancellor is in despair about it, saying that ' the women of to-day are worse than those of former times, and that they spoil everything.' It is said that not a soul dares to remonstrate with the King, lest he should offend Silvius, fearing that the said King will reveal it to her, since he loves her so intensely. . . . " As for Silvius, since she has come into authority, she has changed her humour and her behaviour, and people find her, in short, very haughty and insolent ; while, apart from that, she is endeavouring with her ^e THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE wiles and her attractions to remain in the good graces of the King and extract from him everything she can." Great as was the influence of " Silvius " over the King, she had in the Constable a formidable rival in the royal favour. Anne de Montmorency was neither a great general, nor a great administrator, nor a far- sighted statesman, but he was a shrewd, hard-headed man and an indefatigable worker ; and the value of such a Minister in a frivolous Court, where almost every one was given over to pleasure, the new Sovereign could not fail to appreciate. Moreover, the Constable was not only one of Henri's oldest friends, but had special claims to his consideration, since it was the late King's suspicion that he preferred the interests of the son to those of the father that had been mainly responsible for his disgrace. On Henri's accession, indeed, it had seemed for a moment as though all authority was to belong to Mont- morency. " In the first days of the reign, the Constable took possession of the King in such a way that he carried him off to all his residences — Chantilly, Ecouen, and risle Adam ; and, wherever the prince was, no one could approach his person, save by his favour and introduction." ' Now, Montmorency had been a useful friend to the Senechale in the days when she was waging a somewhat unequal battle with Madame d'Etampes and her allies, and she had been quite prepared to acquiesce in his restoration to all his honours and dignities. But that was an altogether different matter from allowing him to become, in the words of the editor of Tavannes's Memoires^ " the pilot and master of the vessel of which she held the helm," and to exercise as much influence over the King's affairs as she did over the King's person. For Diane aspired, as we have seen, to govern at the same time Henri II and his kingdom, and she 1 Vieilleville, Memoires. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE q-] could not endure the idea of sharing power with the Constable. The Senechale was too clever a woman not to be aware that, great as might be her influence with her royal adorer, it had its limitations, and she did not for a moment cherish the hope that she would be able to get rid of Montmorency, as Madame d'Etampes had succeeded in doing. For her long intimacy with Henri had taught her that perhaps the most permanent feature in his character was his remarkable constancy in friendship. Cold and suspicious, he did not easily bestow his friendship, still less his affection ; but, once given, it was seldom or never withdrawn, in which respect he offered a singular contrast to his father, whose favour had been as easv to lose as it was to secure. Nor is it probable that she had any desire for such an extreme measure, being not unmindful of the support which Montmorency had given her in the past ; while she was aware that his services were indispensable to the King. To arrive at her end, to secure the power for which she craved, she decided upon a much more adroit policy, namely, to raise up a rival power to that of the Constable. For, if two parties were contending for the government of France, she flattered herself that she would be able to hold the balance between them. In ordinary circumstances, the Senechale would have sought for this rival power amongst the Princes ot the Blood, that is to say, the two branches of the House of Bourbon, the Vendomes and the Montpensiers. But, as we have seen, the Bourbons, ever since the treason of the late Constable, had fallen into a sort of discredit, from which they were only just beginning to recover ; indeed, the affection shown by Francois I for the ill- fated young Comte d'Enghien, had been the first sign of returning favour. Moreover, the present chief of the elder branch, Antoine — who was to marry Jeanne d'Albret, daughter of Henri d'Albret, King of Navarre, and Marguerite d'Angouleme (September 1548), and 78 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE become the father of Henri IV — and his uncle, the Cardinal Louis de Bourbon, were both hopelessly- mediocre. Antoine, though brave and chivalrous, was vain, weak, voluptuous, and unstable ; the cardinal, remarkable only for his indolence and his love of good cheer ; while the duke's three brothers — Charles, Bishop of Saintes, Jean, Comte d'Enghien, and Louis, Prince de Conde — were as yet too young to play a prominent part, though Louis — the future titular chief of the Huguenots in the first Wars of Religion — was a youth of considerable promise. As for the younger branch, which was represented hy two brothers, Louis, Due de Montpensier, and Charles, Prince de la Roche-sur-Yon, it was entirely without influence or importance, and, in fact, remained in the shadow throughout the reign of Henri II. And so Diane was obliged to turn to the Guises, who, while enjoying most of the privileges of foreign princes, were profiting by the impotence of the Bourbons to usurp those of the Princes of the Blood. The Due de Guise had ceased to appear at Court save on official occasions. He was shrewd enough to recognise that, with the death of his contemporary, Francois I, his work was accomplished, and that it was necessary to efface himself before his sons, to whom the task of finishing what he had so ably begun might be safely entrusted. He judged correctly, for this second generation of the Guises, represented by six young princes, was des- tined to eclipse altogether the first. Like the first, it was to give to France, in the persons of the two eldest, a soldier and a cardinal, " a lion and a fox " ^ ; but their association was to be much more formidable than that of their father and uncle, and was to raise the family so high that, when the third generation came on the stage, still with a soldier and a cardinal at its head, it 1 Henri Martin, Histoire de France jusqit'en 1789. Strictly speaking, the Cardinal Jean de Lorraine was not, of course, a Guise, but he had so closely identified himself with the interests of his brother's family that he may fairly be considered a member of it. 5' THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 79 could mount no higher save by ascending the throne itself. The lion and the fox of the second generation were al ready much in evidence at Court. Frangois, " le Balafre — from the double view of character and ability un- deniably the greatest man whom the House of Guise ever produced — was high in favour with the King and Henri's usual opponent at tennis, a game at which he greatly excelled. So great, indeed, was his credit that he had obtained for several of the gentlemen of his suite the command of companies of men-at-arms, an appointment hitherto reserved for nobles of high rank or officers of long and distinguished service ; while his good offices with the King were continually being invoked by persons who feared to approach his Majesty directly. His brother Charles, titular Archbishop of Rheims at fourteen, though his consecration was postponed until he had completed his twenty-first year, had also not failed to insinuate himself into the good graces of the new Sovereign, and gave every promise of following in the footsteps of his uncle, the Cardinal Jean.' Re- sembling that prelate in his rapacity, which he did not recoil from the most dishonourable means of satisfying, the licence of his morals, his love of literature and art,* and his extravagance, he was greatly his superior in ability, having " a keen and subtle mind, eloquence and 1 He gradually succeeded in accumulating as many benefices as his uncle had acquired. In 1524, the year of his birth, he received the rich abbey of Moustiers-la-Celle, at Troyes, and in 1548 that of Moustier-Neuf, at Poitiers, which he retained until 1552. He was created a cardinal in 1547, and in 1550 obtained the bishopric of Metz, which, however, he resigned the following year. He received in succession from the Cardinal Jean the abbeys of Cluny, Fecamp, and Marmoutiers, and he also obtained those of Cormery, Saint-Martin de Laon, Saint-Remy de Reims, Saint- Denis en France, of Monstier en Der, and Saint-Urbain at Chalons. It is related that, having been informed that Pope Paul IV had expressed his disapproval of this accumulation of benefices, he laughingly declared himself willing " to exchange all his own for those which his Holiness enjoyed." 2 He was the first patron of Ronsard, and to him was largely due the foundation of the University of Rheims. 8o THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE grace, combined with dignity and an active and vigilant nature." ^ Although " regarded as a very great hypo- crite in his religion," ^ he was destined to become one of the most eloquent preachers of his time, whose sermons extorted the reluctant admiration of the Hugue- nots, who were obliged to listen to them on official occasions, and even of so celebrated an exponent of the Reformed doctrines as Theodore de Beze ; while he was endowed with such remarkable quickness of per- ception that the foreign Ambassadors declared that he was able to divine the object of their visits so soon as they opened their mouths, and so marvellous a memory that he was able to retain all the details of the most complicated transactions in which he was engaged without having recourse to any memoranda. The fixed idea of these two young men — the elder twenty-eight, the younger twenty-three — was the ag- grandizement of their House ; and, like their father and uncle, they never for a moment lost sight of their interests or their pretensions. Both perfectly appreciated the advantage which they would derive from the friendship of Diane, and had been at pains to ingratiate themselves with the favourite ; indeed, the archbishop, " one of the most accomplished in the art of paying court, had, for the space of nearly two years, constrained himself to the point of giving up his own table and dining at that of Madame [Diane] ; for thus she was called, even by the Queen." ^ To arrive at an understanding with the Guises was, then, an easy task for the Senechale. But she was far too astute to contemplate an offensive alliance with them, which should end in relegating the Constable to obscurity. With the Constable out of the way, she foresaw that the Guises would become as great a menace to her influence as the old Minister, probably more so, 1 Castelnau, Memoires. 2 Brantome. 3 L' Aubespine, Histoire particulidre de la cour de Henri II', in Cimber and Danjou, THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 8i since they were his superiors in rank and in ability as welh No ; her intention was merely to adjust the equilibrium between the two parties, and then to devote all her energies to its maintenance, ready to ally herself with whichever side was for the time being the weakest, that is to say, which appeared to threaten the least danger to her own authority. It was the role which, in after-years, Catherine de' Medici was to play between the Guises and the Bourbons ; but Diane will play it more skilfully than Catherine. Accordingly, Henri II, with the gracious approval of his mistress, proceeded to load this family, whose services had been already so enormously recompensed by the Crown, and against whose greed and ambition the late King had warned him on his death-bed, with new honours and benefits. Francois and Charles were ad- mitted to the Privy Council ; the county of Aumale was erected into a duchy-peerage for the benefit of the former, who received the appointment of Governor and Lieutenant-General for the King in Savoy, with a salary of 16,000 livres ; a cardinal's hat was procured for the latter, who took the title of Cardinal de Guise ; Louis, the fourth brother, received the bishoprics of Troyes and Albi and several rich abbeys ; the fifth, called, like his eldest brother, Francois, was made Grand- Prior of France ; the seigneurie of Elbeuf was erected into a marquisate in favour of Rene, the Benjamin of the family ; and Diane married her elder daughter, Louise de Breze, to the third brother, Claude, Marquis de Mayenne, and obtained for him a grant of all the estates in France which were held by persons without an absolute title to them, and all the unoccupied lands, which belonged de jure to the Crown — a gift which not only deprived the Treasury of a valuable source of revenue, but led to the dispossession of a number of nobles, communes, and private persons, and to much harshness and injustice. While the rival power which Diane had decided to 1—6 82 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE raise up against him was being thus aggrandized, Mont- morency was far from idle. He himself held at once the offices of Constable and Grand Master of the King's Household, the governments of Languedoc and the lie de France, and the captaincies of the fortresses of the Bastille, Vincennes, Saint-Malo and Nantes. More- over, he had five sons and seven daughters to provide for, besides numerous nephews and nieces ; and he did his duty nobly by them all. Though the eldest of the sons, Francois, was but seventeen years old at the accession of Henri H, their father pushed their fortunes energetically, and procured them the posts of gentlemen of the chamber or pages of honour, while they were awaiting military appointments ; for, notwithstanding that he was so devout a Catholic, none of them was intended for the Church. When, in 1548, he entered, by the death of his brother, the Baron de Rochefort, into possession of all the vast estates of the Montmorency family, his eldest son received per- mission to bear the name of " Monsieur de Montmo- rency," the second, Henri, took the title of Baron de Damville, while the other three — Charles, Gabriel, and Guillaume — were known respectively as the Seigneurs de Meru, de Montberon, and de Thore. Of the Constable's seven daughters, four were pro- vided with husbands, selected from the greatest and wealthiest families of the kingdom ; the other three entered religion, ready to become abbesses. Nor had his nephews and nieces any reason to com- plain. The post of Colonel-General of Infantry was conferred upon Gaspard de Coligny, his sister's second son ; the hand of a rich heiress bestowed on his younger brother, Frangois d'Andelot ; and an equally advan- tageous marriage arranged for their half-sister, Madame de Mailly. Governments, estates, benefices, pensions, companies of men-at-arms — such were the gifts which the King, at the instance of the Constable, distributed right and left among Montmorency's relatives and friends. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 83 The younger Saint- Andre received, as his share of the spoil, the post of Grand Chamberlain, very considerable gifts at the expense of the royal demesne, and the baton of marechal de France^ which the Constable was per- suaded to resign in his favour, in order to compose a very pretty quarrel between him and the Senechale, who had claimed the baton of which Annebaut had been deprived, and which had been promised to Saint- Andre, for her son-in-law, Robert de la Marck. As for Diane, honours and riches almost beyond the dreams of avarice were showered upon her. Soon after his accession, Henri H presented her with the beautiful chateau and estate of Chenonceaux, which had been ceded to the Crown by Antoine Bohier, in 153 1, the pretext for the gift being the valuable services rendered the State by her deceased husband, Louis de Breze ; then, in October 1548, he created her Duchesse de Valentinois, and gave her several estates near Mont- pellier ; while gratifications from the Royal Treasury, gifts from the " good towns " which his Majesty hon- oured by solemn entries, the confiscated property of Protestants, fines extorted from the Jews, were being continually poured into her lap. All was grist that came to the mill, for she was one of the most rapacious of harpies, and those shapely white hands of hers were always itching to grasp whatever came within their reach. Henri H's favourites stood like a bodyguard around the throne to prevent any one else approaching it. Enormous as were the benefits which they received from the King, they were never satisfied, for their greed was absolutely insatiable, and " they devoured him as a lion his prey." " Estates, dignities, bishoprics, abbeys, offices, no more escaped them than do the flies the swallows. There was not a choice morsel that was not snapped up in a moment. And, for this purpose, they had, in all parts of the kingdom, paid agents and servants to give 84 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE them notice of all the deaths which occurred, so that they might demand any vacant inheritance or confiscated estate. ... So that it was almost impossible for this good-natured prince to extend his bounty in other directions. . . . And, if the King desired to bestow a benefice upon any one, he was obliged to lie to them and to say, when they demanded it of him, that it was already bestowed. Even then, so impudent were they, that they would argue with him that this could not be, alleging that they had received immediate information when the vacancy occurred." ^ Not satisfied with the immense benefits they extracted from the King, the favourites sought to increase their wealth by selling their protection to those who had fallen under the royal displeasure, and, in return for the cession, at a merely nominal price of some desirable chateau, estate, or benefice, undertaking to plead their cause with his Majesty. In this way, as we have seen, Madame d'Etampes and her friend Longueval had escaped the prosecution for high treason with which they were threatened, and there were many others who were only too glad to follow their example. Thus, the most important of the fallen sultana's partisans, her uncle, the Cardinal de Meudon, obtained his pardon by ceding to the Cardinal de Guise his chateau of Meudon ; while the Treasurer Duval, deprived of his place in the Council and menaced with a prosecution for malversation, saved himself by making over his chateaux of Dampierre and Chevreuse to the new cardinal. The greedy young prelate also succeeded in despoiling the Cardinal de Tournon of his charges of Chancellor of the Order of Saint-Michel and Master of the Chapel Royal, being determined that there should be no other French car- dinals at the Court save those of the House of Lorraine, his uncle Jean and himself. 1 Mdmoires de Vieilleville. These Mimoires, it shall be remembered, were not written by the Marcchal de Vieilleville himself, but by his secre- tary, Vincent Carloix, THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 85 His Eminence's elder brother, the Due d'Aumale, was no stranger to speculations of this nature. A wealthy lady, the Dame de Bavay, having sought his assistance to enable her to recover her daughter, who had been " wickedly and maliciously abducted " by an enterprising gentleman of the name of Rolle, the duke obtained an order from the King which obliged Rolle to restore the damsel to the arms of her sorrowing mother, from whom, we may presume, he received some very substantial token of gratitude ; and, at the same time, permitted the abductor to purchase immunity by presenting him with the greater portion of his estates. He saved likewise from the punishment of his crimes the Comte de Grignan, governor of Provence, one of those chiefly responsible for the horrible atrocities committed upon the hapless Vaudois in 1545. In this instance, however, his greed overreached itself, since he accepted, as the price of his intervention, a will by which Grignan bequeathed to him the whole of his property, which comprised the estates of some of his victims. The testator, however, outlived the duke by some months, and, the influence of the Guises being momentarily eclipsed, the Parlement of Toulouse can- celled the will. CHAPTER VIII The Guises at the Sacre of Henri II — Affairs of Italy — Charles V and the Farnese — Mission of the Cardinal de Guise to Rome— Paul III and the cardinal endeavour to draw France into war with the Emperor —Their efforts frustrated by the Constable — Journey of Henri II to Piedmont — Dispute over precedence between Antoine de Bourbon, first Prince of the Blood, and the Due d'Aumale — Revolt against the gabelle, or salt-tax, in the south-western pro- vinces — Aumale quells the insurrection in Saintonge without cruelty — Brutal reprisals of Montmorency at Bordeaux — State entry of the King and Queen into Lyons — Glorification of Diane de Poi- tiers — Marriage of Antoine de Bourbon and Jeanne d'Albret — Mar- riage of the Due d'Aumale and Anne d'Este — Birth of Henri de Lorraine. The Guises were much in evidence at the Sacre of Henri II, which took place at Rheims on July 26, 1547. The Cardinal de Guise, as Archbishop of Rheims, anointed the new King with the holy oil ' and subse- quently placed the sceptre and the Hand of Justice in his right and left hands, and the crown upon his head ; while Dues de Guise and d'Aumale, wearing " tunics of gold damask, reaching to the knee, mantles of scarlet and purple serge, with round capes trimmed with spotted ermine, and coronets on their heads enriched with gems of inestimable value," figured among the six lay peers who represented the six primitive lay peerages of Burgundy, Normandy, Aquitaine, Flanders, Champagne, and Toulouse.^ 1 A King of France was anointed in eight places : first, on the crown of the head ; secondly, on the chest ; thirdly, between the two shoulders ; fourthly, on the right shoulder ; fifthly, on the left shoulder ; sixthly, on the bend of the right arm ; seventhly, in the bend of the left arm ; and, finally, after the slits in his camisole, which had been opened before the ceremony, had been closed, and he had been invested with all his Corona- tion robes, on the hands. 2 The other four peers were Hem-i d'Albret, King of Navarre, and the Dues de Vendome, de Nevers, and de Montpensier 86 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 87 On the conclusion of the official fetes which followed the Coronation, the Court proceeded to Fontainebleau, where it remained during the rest of the year 1547 and the first months of 1548, save for visits to Mont- morency's chateaux of Ecouen and Chantilly for a series of grand hunting-parties organised by the Con- stable in honour of his Majesty. The new King, how- ever, was by no means solely occupied by pleasure during this time, since the advisability of intervening in the affairs of Italy was being anxiously debated. For Henri II desired to be King in Italy as well as in France, or, at any rate, he was determined to retain his hold upon Piedmont and to continue his friendly relations with those Italian States which resented the Imperial domination in the peninsula, so that, if a favourable opportunity of resuming his father's claims on the Milanese or Naples should present itself, he might be in a position to take advantage of it. And such an opportunity seemed to be at hand, since Italy was seething with intrigue and discontent. The Emperor had pledged himself to advance the interest of Pope Paul Ill's family, and had married his natural daughter, Margaret of Austria, to Ottavio Farnese, the elder of the two sons of the Pontiff's rascally son, Pierluigi ; but he hesitated to invest his son-in-law with Parma and Piacenza, and in 1545 Paul III, losing patience and feeling confident that the Emperor could not afford to quarrel with him, conferred these territories upon Pierluigi, whom Charles detested. As both Pope and Emperor claimed suzerainty over Parma and Pia- cenza, at the beginning of the following year a com- mission was appointed to inquire into the question, and decided that Pierluigi must not bear the title of duke without Charles's investiture. The chagrin of the Farnesi at this decision was changed to indignation when, three months later, the Emperor appointed their enemy, Ferrante Gonzaga, to the governorship of the Milanese, which they had coveted for themselves. 88 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE Pierlulgi thereupon threw himself into the arms of France ; a marriage was arranged between his younger son, Orazio, and the Dauphin's natural daughter, Diane ^ ; and insurrections, which were only with difficulty sup- pressed, were stirred up at Genoa and Naples. The Imperialists retaliated by intriguing against Pierluigi in Parma and Piacenza, where he was cordially hated, and inciting the nobles of those cities to rise against their tyrant. Meanwhile, the Pope remained the professed ally of Charles V, though France did not despair of gaining him over ; and, after the accession of Henri II, no time was lost in making advances to his Holiness, through the Ambassador to the Vatican and the French cardinals who were residing at Rome. Paul, however, seemed in no hurry to respond to them, and perhaps he would have hesitated to commit himself at all, had not a tragic event precipitated the desired rafprochement. On September lo, 1547, the nobles of Piacenza rose against Pierluigi Farnese and assassinated him, and on the following day Ferrante Gonzaga occupied the city, in "the name of the Emperor. Paul III, outraged at once in his affections and his ambitions, accused the viceroy of having incited the crime, and angrily de- manded that the murdered man's elder son, Ottavio, should be established at Piacenza ; and, on this demand being refused, vowed that he would suffer martyrdom rather than renounce his revenge, and declared himself ready to conclude an alliance with Henri II, the Swiss, and Venice. The Court of France made haste to strike while the iron was hot, and the Guises, eager for a war 1 She was the daughter of a young Itahan girl whom Henri had met during the campaign in Piedmont in the autumn of 1537, and whom historians call Filippa Due. The fact that the child received the name of Diane and that when, some years later, she was brought to the French Court, the Senechale herself superintended her education, has led some writers to argue that Filippa Due was a myth and that the girl was really the daughter of the favourite. The best-informed authorities on the period, however, follow tradition in accepting the Piedmontese origin of Diane de France. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 89 which might afford them an opportunity to assert their cherished pretensions to the Kingdom of Naples, per- suaded the King to despatch the Cardinal de Guise to Rome, under the pretext of receiving his hat from his Holiness's own hands, in order to confirm the Pope in his bellicose intentions. This he did so effectually that, at the end of October, he signed with him, in the name of France, a defensive alliance. But for the interposition of Montmorency, war must certainly have followed, for the treaty just concluded was defensive in name only, and both Pope and cardinal made desperate efforts to induce Henri H to invade the Milanese, or to attack Genoa or Naples, and even recommended an alliance with the Turks and the piratical Dey of Algiers. The cardinal was particularly anxious for an expedition against Naples, in which he intended to play a leading part himself, assuring the King that the partisans of the House of Anjou there " would furnish him [the cardinal] with men and money, and establish him in the said kingdom, in order to give it to one of his brothers," and that the Grand Seigneur and the " King of Algiers " would be able to lend them forty or fifty galleys." The Constable, however, employed all his influence to counteract the effect of those warlike counsels. The respect which he always entertained for the spiritual authority of the Holy See did not extend to the sacrifice of the interests of the State in order to promote the aggrandizement of its present occupant ; and he foresaw that Paul HI would probably be the sole gainer by the adventure in which he was so anxious to engage France. Nor was he by any means displeased to have an oppor- tunity of thwarting his rivals, the Guises, and of pro- curing the condemnation of the work of the new cardinal. He accordingly represented to the King that it was impossible to repose any confidence in the Pope, whose conduct had, up to the present, been one long tissue of dissimulations, and who, while demanding that France 90 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE should take the offensive in order to recover Piacenza, refused to enthrone Orazio Farnese, his Majesty's future son-in-law at Parma, instead of Ottavio, the son-in-law of the Emperor. The Constable's task was facilitated hy the reports of the French Ambassador at Venice, who represented the Senate as but little inclined to engage in a league with a Pontiff of eighty-four, and on account of a quarrel more private than public ; and the Guises, being them- selves obliged reluctantly to admit the imprudence of beginning a war without the support of the Republic, Charles de Lorraine was recalled to France, and all idea of armed interference in the affairs of Italy was for the moment abandoned. Nevertheless, in view of the troubles which were agitating Italy, Henri II considered it advisable to lose no time in going in person to secure the recognition of his authority beyond the Alps; and in April 1548 he set out for Piedmont, accompanied by the greater part of the Court and a considerable army. On his journey through the eastern provinces, which was performed by easy stages, he accepted the hospitality of the Due de Guise at Joinville, by whom he was entertained magni- ficently. At Chambery — the ancient capital of the dukes of Savoy — which his Majesty honoured by a state entry, a sharp dispute over precedence arose between the Due d'Aumale and the head of the House of Bourbon, Antoine de Vendome. As first Prince of the Blood, the Due de Vendome had the privilege to walk or ride, as the case might be, first and alone after the Sovereign in all State processions, and was astonished to find the Lorraine prince by his side. He remonstrated, upon which Aumale replied that he was within his right, since Savoy was a conquered country, of which he was Governor and Lieutenant-General for the King, and that his Majesty had ordered him to take the place which he occupied. Vendome was so indignant that he wished THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 91 to withdraw from the procession, but was recalled by the King. Those present merely considered that Aumale was " very much the slave of honours and glory," and did not understand the full significance of this pre- tension to suppress the privileges of the Princes of the Blood, and, with it, the interval which separated the Guises from the throne. In the midst of the magnificent fetes which followed Henri IPs afrival at Turin, the alarming news arrived that the inhabitants of Guienne and Saintonge had risen in revolt against the gabelle^ or salt tax,' and the tyrannical manner in which it was levied. The Comte de Moneins, the King's Lieutenant in Guienne, had been murdered by the populace of Bordeaux, together with a number of government officials and tax-collectors ; while in Saintonge the rebels had sacked the houses of the officers of justice at Saintes and Cognac, assassinated the receiver of the gabelle and one of the chief gabeleurs, and broken open the storehouses and thrown the salt into the gutters. The Court, although disagreeably surprised by the news from the south-western provinces, did not appear at first to realise the gravity of the movement. How- ever, on learning of the rapid spread of the insurrection, Henri II decided to return to France, and in the first week in September he crossed the Alps. On the King's arrival in Dauphine, effective measures were at once taken. The Due d' Aumale was despatched to Tours, where he took command of 4,000 la7idsknechts, and marched at their head on Poitiers, to attack the rebels from the north ; while Montmorency, with 1 Until the last years of the previous reign, the inhabitants of the south- western coasts, which were covered with salt-marshes, had been exempted from a part of this impost ; but in 1541 Francois I, finding himself at the end of his resources, had decided that the gabelle should be levied equally in all parts of the kingdom. The salt of the Aquitaine marshes, on account of its superior quality, had been in great demand in England, Holland, and Northern Germany. But the increase of the tax had ruined the industry, and deprived thousands of poor people of their only means of livelihood. 92 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 1,000 men-at-arms, descended the Rhone to Nimes, and advanced towards Bordeaux hy way of Toulouse, being reinforced en route by levies from Languedoc and Guienne. Frangois de Lorraine had the humanity to pacify the country without massacres and without cruelty, and the good sense to make himself honoured for his clemency. He himself relates that he had been able to reduce Saintonge " without, nevertheless, the necessity of punishing rigorously those rebels, as the Constable did subsequently those of Bordeaux." ^ In Guienne, on the other hand, the repression of the revolt was carried out with atrocious brutality. By the time that Montmorency reached Toulouse, the authorities of Bordeaux had already succeeded in prac- tically quelling the insurrection, and the First President of the Parlement and the chief magistrates met him and assured him that there was now no longer any necessity for the employment of force to re-establish order. The Constable, dissimulating his intentions, sent them back " with the most soft and kindly words that it was possible to employ, in such wise that he greatly reassured them." But he soon changed his tone. At Langon, on the Gironde, he was met by a second deputation, which arrived in " a large and very magnificent barge, containing rooms and salons with glass windows, and painted in gold and azure, and decorated with his Arms." The deputation, after hand- ing the Constable the keys of the town, advised him to embark on this barge, and to leave his troops behind him, since otherwise they would not be answerable for the conduct of the citizens. But there was no longer any need for Montmorency to dissemble, and he haughtily rejected the proposal, declaring, with a wave of his hand towards the cannon which he had brought with him, that he possessed keys which would open the most obstinate gates. 1 Guise, Memoires-journaux. ANNE, DUC DE MONTMORENCY, CONSTABLE OF FRANCE. 98] THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 93 On October 19, he entered Bordeaux with his whole force, and exacted a terrible retribution for the atrocities committed during the insurrection. Nearly one hundred and fifty " makers and authors of sedition " were con- demned to death, and the executions, if we are to believe the Vieilleville Memoires, were marked by the most revolting brutahty, the judges and the provost-marshal showing a diabolical ingenuity in the punishment they devised for the most guilty of the offenders. The con- demned were " hanged, decapitated, broken on the wheel, impaled, dismembered by four horses, and burned at the stake, and then were put to death in a manner whereof we have never heard any one speak, which was called ' mailloter.'' They were attached by the middle of the body to a scaffold, face downwards, their arms and legs being left at liberty, and the executioner, with an iron pestle, broke and crushed the limbs, without breaking either the head or the body. The youngest of the offenders were, " on account of their youth, only whipped." All the inhabitants, men and women, were compelled to go and kneel before the decomposing body of the unfortunate Comte de Moneins — which, according to De Thou, they were compelled to exhume with their nails, for interment in the Cathedral of Saint-Andre, and make publicly the amende honorable for the crime committed. This repulsive ceremony was particularly trying for the young girls, who were marked down by the soldiers, followed, and grossly maltreated. Vieille- ville made many enemies in the army, and was regarded as a singular character, because he protected from outrage the daughters and nieces of a counsellor of the Parlement of Bordeaux upon whom he was billeted. He was obliged to call his company to arms to save the poor girls from violation. The disturbances in the south-western provinces did not in any way affect the loyalty of other parts of the kingdom, and, on his return from Italy, as on his journey thither, Henri II was received everywhere with en- 94 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE thusiastic demonstrations. On September 21, he arrived at Ainay, where he was joined by the Queen and Diane de Poitiers, and two days later made his " superb and triumphal entry into the noble and ancient city of Lyons." ' The most notable feature of this pageant was the public recognition by the citizens of the second town in the kingdom of the unique position occupied by the Duchesse de Valentinois. From Ainay, their Majesties journeyed down the Rhone to Vaise, where a splendid pavilion had been made ready for their reception. But what was the astonishment and mortification of Cathe- rine to perceive, on entering it, that it was not herself but Diane whom the Lyonnais desired to honour, after the King ! The doors, the windows, the walls, the very chair on which she sat, all bore the H. and D. interlaced — the monogram of her husband and his mistress — which from the first weeks of the reign had appeared on the royal liveries, and which was to figure on the walls of the Louvre and of every public building erected in France during the next ten years. The mistress had expressed to her royal lover her desire that her supremacy should be acknowledged in the provinces, and, by his Majesty's orders, the Marechal de Saint- Andre, Senechal of the Lyonnais, had obligingly arranged the matter with the complaisant burghers, only too willing to gratify their Sovereign and her whom he delighted to honour. Never before, and never again, had a Queen of France to submit to so cruel a humiliation ; not even the long-suffering consort of Louis XV ! And, within the town, where, on passing the gates, the royal guests suddenly found themselves in an artificial forest, it was the s^me. Through the trees came a group of nymphs, and their leader — a girl of striking beauty — represented the goddess of the chase, with bow 1 La Magnificence de la superbe et triumphante entvee de la noble et antique cite de Lyon faile au irdschrestien roy de France, Henri deuxiesme de ce nom, et au reyne Catherine son espouse le xxiti sepiembre, 1548 (Lyon, 1549)- THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 95 in hand and quiver on shoulder. She held a tame lion by a silver chain, and, leading the great beast to the King, begged him, in appropriate verses, to accept at her hands the town of Lyons. Everywhere, too, mocking and exultant, was the monogram to be seen : on the magnificent triumphal arches and obelisks, engravings of several of which have been preserved, on the draperies which hung from the windows, on the flags which floated on the breeze. Catherine made her entry, the day after her husband, borne on an open litter, and so covered with diamonds that the eye grew tired in gazing at her, but infinitely less remarked than the real heroine of the fete, riding behind her on a palfrey, modestly dressed in black and white. From Lyons, the King and Court proceeded to Moulins, to assist at the marriage of the Due de Vendome and Henri's cousin, Jeanne d'Albret, only child of the King and Queen of Navarre. In 1536 Jeanne, not- withstanding her vehement protests, in which she per- sisted up to the very last moment, had been married to Guillaume de la Marck, Duke of Cleves, then in rebellion against his suzerain. Owing, however, to the tender age of the little bride, the marriage was not consum- mated at the time, and in 1545 the Duke of Cleves having, in the meantime, made his peace with Charles V and deserted the side of France, it was annulled. Both Francois de Lorraine and Antoine de Bourbon had aspired to the hand of the young heiress of Navarre, which was also coveted by the Emperor for his son Philip, in order to consecrate his possession of Upper Navarre, which Ferdinand the Catholic had conquered in 15 12, and acquire, by the annexation of Beam, an advance post in the middle of Southern France. The disposal of the girl's hand was, therefore, a matter of vital im- portance, and, with the object of checkmating the Imperial designs, Henri II had, to the intense mortifica- tion of her parents, who favoured the Spanish match, insisted on her marrying one of her French suitors. 96 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE Although she possessed little of her mother, Marguerite d'Angouleme's, sweetness of disposition, Jeanne had all her intelligence, together with an infinitely greater strength and independence of character ; and she did not hesitate to declare that she would never consent, by marrying the Due d'Aumale, to become the sister- in-law of a daughter of Diane de Poitiers. Thus the haughty young princess brought, as a dowry to her successful suitor, the hatred of the favourite, of Diane's daughters, and of the Guises. This alliance, from which was born the future Henri IV, made Antoine heir to the crown of Navarre and ma- terially increased the importance of the Bourbons ; but they had little ambition and less capacity, and their rivals, the Guises, who possessed both, had already negotiated a marriage which was to counter-balance that of the Due de Vendome. For, though the Cardinal de Guise had failed in his efforts to draw France into another war with Charles V, his sojourn in Italy had not been altogether barren of result. On his homeward journey he had visited Ferrara, whose ruler, Hercule d'Este, had married, in 1527, Renee de France, younger daughter of Louis XII, and, on behalf of his brother Aumale, had demanded of the Duke and Duchess the hand of their eldest daughter, Anne d'Este.^ There was a rival candidate in the field, in the person of Sigismund I, King of Poland ; but the cardinal's pursuasive tongue and the natural inclination of Renee de France for a son-in-law from her own country caused the Lorraine prince to be preferred to the Polish monarch. Early in the autumn of 1548, Anne d'Este set out for France, accompanied by an imposing suite. Her future husband, being then engaged in suppressing the insur- rection in the south-western provinces, was unable to 1 The Duke and Duchess of Ferrara had six children : Alphonso, who succeeded his father ; Ludovico, Cardinal of Ferrara ; Anne, who married Franfois de Lorraine, and, after his death, Jacques de Savoie, Due de Nemours ; Lucretia, Duchess of Urbino ; Marfiso, Marquis of Carrara ; and Bradamante, Countess Bevilacqua. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 97 welcome her ; but the Due de Guise and Charles de Lorraine met her at Grenoble and escorted her to Fontainebleau, where, on December 4, the marriage was celebrated with great splendour, in the presence of the King and Queen and the whole Court. The bride received a dowry of 150,000 livres, but, in accordance with a then very general custom, renounced any further claims upon her father's property ; while Henri H, by letters-patent, settled upon the newly married pair a sum of 10,000 livres a year, in discharge of a sum of 50,000 livres which Fran9ois I had borrowed from the late Duke of Ferrara, at the time of the campaign of Pavia, half a century earlier, and omitted to repay. Anne d'Este, who, at the time of her marriage, was barely eighteen, was one of the most charming young princesses of her time. Brantome declares that she was " the most beautiful woman of the Court, and it is possible that, even if I said of Christendom, I should not lie " ; and Ronsard wrote of her : Venus la sainte en se3 graces habite. Tons las amours logent en ses regards: Pour ce, i bon droit, telle dame merite D 'avoir est6 femme de nostre Mars. Brought up in the midst of the most cultured Court in Italy, she was also very accomplished, being an excellent classical scholar and acquainted with several modern languages ; while she was as amiable as she was beautiful and accomplished. She made Guise an excellent wife, who was entirely devoted to his interests, and whose inteUigence enabled her frequently to give him valuable counsel and to act as a useful and judicious intermediary in the relations which he had to maintain with so many persons both at home and abroad. A little more than a year after her marriage (De- cember 31, 1550), Anne d'Este gave birth to a son at the Chateau of Joinville. This Httle boy was Henri de Lorraine, the Guise of the Estates of Blois. 1—7 CHAPTER IX strained relations between France and England— Mary Stuart and Edward VI — Project of the Guises to marry the little Queen of Scotland to the Dauphin— Invasion of Scotland by the Protector Somerset and Battle of Pinki(^— The Scots decide to throw them- selves into the arms of France, and offer the hand of Mary to the Dauphin— Despatch of a French expedition to Scotland- Convention of Haddington— Mary Stuart is brought to France — Favourable impression created by the little Queen — The War of Boulogne — Restoration of the town to France— Illness and death of Claude de Lorraine, Due de Guise— Suspicions of poisoning- Sudden death of the Cardinal Jean de Lorraine — The obsequies of Guise are celebrated with veritably royal pomp — Mausoleum erected for her husband and herself by Antoinette de Bourbon — Character of the first Due de Guise — Disposal of his property — The immense benefices of the Cardinal Jean shared by his nephews Charles and Louis de Lorraine — The wealth and influence of the Guises increased rather than diminished by the death of the two chiefs of their House. Meanwhile, important questions of foreign policy had again been engaging the attention of Henri II and his Ministers. In 1546, Francois I had concluded a treaty with England, whereby Boulogne was to be left in EngHsh possession for eight years, at the expiration of which it was to be restored to France, on payment of 800,000 crowns, the Enghsh undertaking that, while the town remained in their occupation, no fresh fortifications should be erected. But the frontier hne of the tract of country which had been surrendered with Boulogne had been left undetermined at the peace, and though, soon after the accession of Henri II, the English and French commissioners employed on the survey arrived at a settlement, the new King dechned to ratify it. The Protector, Somerset, retahated by running out a long embankment towards the sea. " It is but a jetty to amend the haven, and to save both your ships and 98 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 99 ours," said the English. But, since it was quite obviously intended to carry cannon and command the approaches to the harbour, the French protested warmly against it as a breach of the treaty ; and the relations of the two Governments became very strained indeed. The ill-feeling was intensified by the affairs of Scotland. James V had died in 1542, leaving Marie de Lorraine with an infant daughter, the hapless Mary Stuart, born only a few days previously, as the sole surviving issue of their marriage. The following year, the Scottish Assembly, in which the party favourable to England predominated, promised the hand of the little Queen to the heir of the English crown ; but French influence prevented the fulfilment of this engagement, and Car- dinal Beaton and the Catholic party drew the country into another war with the neighbouring kingdom. The engagement, however, had never been legally cancelled, and no sooner had Edward VI ascended the throne of England than, in accordance with the dying instructions of the late King, the Duke of Somerset demanded that it should be executed. Meantime, Henri II had become King of France, and the brothers of the Queen-dowager of Scotland had risen to power. The Guises were quick to perceive how greatly a marriage between their niece and the Dauphin would add to their own influence and import- ance ; and they urged the King to this step, as the only means of preventing the marriage of Mary and Edward VI and the union of the two crowns. The project of the Guises accorded too closely with the traditional policy of France to meet with any opposition from the King, and even the Constable, much as he might fear the increase of his rivals' influence, felt obliged to express his approval. The haughty and ambitious temper of Somerset materially aided their plans. Instead of being content to exercise patience and to confine himself to support- ing the English party in Scotland, in which case 100 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE it is almost certain that a very few years would have witnessed the extinction of French influence in the northern kingdom, and with it all opposition to the marriage of the little Queen to Edward VI, he resolved to employ force. At the beginning of September, he crossed the border at the head of an army of 18,000 men, and a few days later inflicted a sanguinary defeat upon the Scots at Pinkie Cleugh, near Musselburgh. This defeat, so far from obliging the Scots to sue for peace, decided them to throw themselves without reserve into the arms of France ; and the nobility, on the entreaty of the Queen-dowager, offered the hand of Mary to the Dauphin, and consented that the little Queen should be brought up at the French Court until she had reached a marriageable age. Henri II im- mediately accepted the offer, and promised to make Scotland's cause his own; and in June 1549 ^ French expedition, consisting of sixty transports and twenty- two galleys, with 6,000 men on board, sailed from Brest. The French troops landed at Leith, and, having been joined by a Scottish army, proceeded to lay siege to Haddington, which the English had captured and garrisoned. Here, on July 7, amid the ruins of an abbey which the invaders had destroyed, was held a " Parlia- ment of all the Estates," known as the Convention of Haddington, when it was agreed that the crowns of France and Scotland were to be formally and for ever united, though Scotland was to retain her ancient laws and liberties, and that the little Queen should be brought up at the French Court with the children of Henri II until her marriage.' This decision, as Froude and other historians have shown, was not arrived at with the unanimity which the formal records of the convention might lead us to suppose, 1 It may be well to give here the list of the children of Henri II and Catherine do' Medici : I. Francois, born at Fontainebleau, January 17, 1543; married, April 24, THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE loi for there were not wanting those who believed that a union with France constituted as grave a menace to Scottish Independence as a union with England ; and Marie de Lorraine, fearing that, when the exasperation caused by recent events had abated, the Estates might repent of their present decision, determined to remove her daughter forthwith beyond the reach of the English. Instructions were therefore sent to Villegaignon, the commander of the French squadron, who lay with his galleys in the harbour of Leith, to proceed to Dumbarton, whither the young Queen had been sent for security after the disaster of Pinkie, to take her and her suite on board, and convey her straight to France. That re- sourceful sailor at once put to sea, and, by steering a southward course, deluded the English ships which were waiting at the mouth of the Forth into the belief that he was making for the French coast. But, when night fell, he put about, and, rounding the Orkneys, reached the Clyde. Accompanied by Artus de Breze, Henri II's Ambassador to the Scottish Court, and a numerous suite — which Included her half-brother, Lord James Stuart (the future 1558, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots ; became King, July 10, 1559 ; died at Orleans, November 17, 1560. 2. Elisabeth, born at Fontainebleau, April 2, 1545 ; married, July 1559, Philip II of Spain ; died, October 3, 1568. 3. Claude, born at Fontainebleau, November 12, 1547 ; married, 1559, Charles, Duke of Lorraine. 4. Louis, born at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, February 3, 1548 ; died October 25, 1550. 5. Charles Maximilian, born at Saint-Gcrmain-en-Laye, June 27, 1550 ; became King of France, November 27, 1560 ; married Isabella of Austria, October 22, 1570 ; died May 30, 1574. 6. fidouard Alexandre (Henri III), born at Fontainebleau, September 24, 1551 ; King of Poland, 1573 ; King of France, 1574 ; married, February 15, 1575, Louise de Lorraine; died at Saint-Cloud, August 2, 1589. 7. Marguerite (the celebrated " Queen Margot "), born at Saint-Germain- en-Laye, May 14, 1553 ; married, August 18, 1572, Henri de Bourbon, King of Navarre (Henri IV of France) ; died March 27, 1615. 8. Hercule (Frangois, Due d'Alengon, and later Due d'Anjou), born at Fontainebleau, July 24, 1554 ; died at Chateau-Thierry, June 10, 1584. 9. Victoire, born at Fontainebleau, July 24, 1556 ; died at Amboise on August 17 of the same year. 10. Jeanne, born the same day, ten hours after her sister ; died im- mediately. 102 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE Regent Murray), and Janet Stuart, Lady Fleming, a natural daughter of James IV, of whom more anon — the httle Queen embarked in Villegaignon's galley, and the Admiral at once put to sea again. Shortly after leaving the Clyde, an English squadron was sighted ; but, favoured by the wind, the French galleys easily outstripped the enemy's ships, and on August 20 Mary disembarked at the little port of Roscoff, on the coast of Finisterre. From Roscoff, the little Queen was conducted by easy stages to Nantes, and thence by barge up the Loire to Orleans, where the land journey was resumed. At Tours, she was met by her grandmother, the Duchesse de Guise, who describes her, in a letter to the Queen- dowager of Scotland, as " very pretty indeed, and as intelligent a child as one could wish to see," and expresses the opinion that " when she developed, she would be a handsome girl." * The duchess accompanied her the rest of the way to Saint-Germain-en-Laye, which was reached about the middle of October. At the moment of Mary's arrival, the Court was at Moulins, but, soon after the marriage of Antoine de Bourbon and Jeanne d'Albret, Henri II set out for Saint-Germain, accompanied by only a few of his House- hold, " to see Messeigneurs his children and to enjoy their company alone." He arrived on November 9 and was quite charmed with his future daughter-in-law, whom he pronounced " the most perfect child that he had ever seen." In a letter to Marie de Lorraine, written about a month later, Henri II describes a piquant incident which took place at the marriage-fetes of the Due d'Aumale and Anne d'Este, the first Court function at which the little Queen assisted : — " I shall certainly wish you to know, Madame, my good sister, that I had invited to the nuptials of my cousin the Due Daumale [d'Aumale], your brother, all the Ambassadors of the princes, who are with me [i.e. 1 Marquis de Pimodan, la Mdre des Guises : A ntoinette de Bourbon. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 103 at the Court] not omitting him of England/ in whose presence I made my son the Dauphin dance with my daughter the Queen of Scotland. And, as he was conversing with the Emperor's Ambassador, my cousin the Cardinal de Guise approached him, to whom I remarked that it was a pretty sight to see them. And my said cousin responded that it was a fine marriage, to which the said Ambassador merely replied that it gave him great pleasure to watch them. Yet I will wager my life that he did not find much therein, and as little in the caresses which he saw me bestow upon them. Such Madame, my good sister, are the tidings of our little household. I wished to tell you them, so that you may experience yonder something of the pleasure that I enjoy constantly, and which increases from day to day, when I see my daughter and yours improving continually, which is the greatest satisfaction that I can have." In the late summer of 1549, Henri II, encouraged by the rebellion in England, and anxious to avenge the repulse which he had suffered before Boulogne, five years before, invaded the Boulonnais in person, at the head of a considerable army. The outlying forts, which guarded the approach to the town, were soon taken, and the communications of Boulogne with the Calais coast completely cut off. But the strength of the garrison and the formidable batteries erected by Henry VIII rendered an assault an extremely hazardous undertaking ; while the approach of winter made the King reluctant to undertake a regular siege. He there- fore decided to content himself with a blockade, con- 1 Despite the intervention of France in the war between England and Scotland, Henri II and Edward VI were still nominally at peace ; indeed, it was not until the autumn of 1549 that the English Government recalled its Ambassador, and " for their late manifold injuries, and also for that, contrary to faith, honour, and godliness, the French King had taken away the young Scottish Queen, the King's Majesty's espouse . . . did intimate and declare him and all his subjects to be enemies of the King's Majesty of England." 104 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE fident that, by the spring, Boulogne, hemmed in as it now was on all sides, would be reduced to such straits that it must fall an easy prey. In January 1550, the English Government despatched a force of 5,000 men to the assistance of the beleaguered garrison. But those reinforcements were merely in- tended to secure honourable terms of surrender ; for Somerset had now fallen, and his successor, the Earl of Warwick, recognised that it was impossible to hope for any improvement in the internal condition of England while the constant drain on the resources of the nation caused by the war with France continued. Towards the end of February, a truce of a fortnight was concluded, and a month later (March 24) peace was signed, England agreeing to restore Boulogne within six months, in return for a sum of 400,000 crowns. Scotland was included in the peace. On April 25, the Constable's eldest son, Francois de Montmorency, Lieutenant- General of Picardy, took pos- session of Boulogne, in the name of Henri II, and on Ascension Day (May 15), the King made a state entry into the town, and, in accordance with a vow which he had made two years before, declared the Holy Virgin sovereign of the Boulonnais, and presented the cathedral with an image of the Virgin three feet four inches in height, of massive silver. A few days before the restoration of Boulogne to France, the House of Guise had sustained a severe loss by the death of its founder, who terminated his career of almost unbroken good-fortune at Joinville, " tres -plein de gloire, de renom, et de heaux-jaits^'^ ' on April 12, 1550, at the comparatively early age of fifty- three. Early in February, at the conclusion of a short visit to Fontainebleau, where the Court was then in resi- dence, Claude de Lorraine became seriously unwell. He was conveyed by easy stages back to Joinville, where * Brantfime. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 105 it was hoped his health would improve, but he gradually grew worse, and towards the end of March the doctors who attended him, and who appear to have failed entirely to diagnose the nature of the malady, pro- nounced his recovery hopeless, and advised that his children should be summoned. Of his six sons, only the Due d'Aumale and the youngest, Rene, a lad of fourteen, happened to be then in France ; the Cardinal de Guise and Louis, Bishop of Albi, were at Rome, as was their uncle, the Cardinal Jean ; the Marquis of Mayenne was in Scotland ; while the Grand Prior had gone to Malta on business connected with his Order. Rene was with his parents at Joinville, and the Duchesse de Guise despatched a courier to the Court to summon the future head of the family. D'Aumale, though ill himself, at once set out for Champagne. He was obliged, however, to break his journey, and his mother, learning of this, wrote begging him not to continue it, unless he found himself well enough to travel. " My son, my friend," she writes, " if Fortune does me the wrong of taking him [her husband] from me, I will do with the honest people that I have here the best that I can, and you shall be advised of everything. For, my friend, after God, I can have no hope and consolation save in you and my other children. I cannot be without grief so great that in truth I have as much as I can bear of it. Your good mother, Anthoinette." Happily, after resting a day or two, Aumale was able to take the road again, and arrived in time to bid fare- well to his father. Always at bottom a sincerely religious man. Guise in his last years had become very devout, and, " to punish himself for the errors of his youth, wore constantly at the top of his left arm an iron circlet, which galled the flesh." His end was marked by a Christian resignation and a calm fortitude which never failed him, even in the midst of the most cruel sufferings. He passed the time in devotional exercises, hearing Mass each day, io6 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE and afterwards religious exhortations, and reciting psalms and prayers. Antoinette de Bourbon, who watched continually by his pillow, only left him to assist at the processions intended to pray for his cure. At the point of death, the Due de Guise rose from his bed to receive with great devotion the Holy Viaticum, which was brought to him by the Dean of Saint-Laurent. Then, having returned to bed, he exclaimed : " If it please God, I am departing to go and join the saints." ' In taking a last farewell of his sons, the Due d'Aumale and Rene de Lorraine, he expressed his fear that the proximity to Geneva might cause the French to be deceived again by the New Religion, " which desired to destroy the august Sacrament, wherein, in dying, he himself had found such divine consolation," and he charged them " to sacrifice everything — their property and their lives — if the kingdom happened to fall again into this disgrace." Aumale was especially directed to communicate the paternal wish to his absent brothers." Finally, he requested that Aumale's infant son should be brought to him, and, when the child was placed in his arms, kissed him and predicted that " he would not degenerate." ' A few minutes before the end came, the dying man said to his wife : " I know not the one who gave me the deadly morsel, or whether he be great or little; even if he be here present, and I were able to name him, I should not accuse him. Moreover, I should pray for him, and treat him well, and pardon him my death, as heartily as I pray my Saviour to pardon my sins." These solemn, though generous, words prove that the duke was firmly convinced that he had been poisoned, and this belief was undoubtedly shared by those about him. Claude Guilliauld, a learned doctor of the Sor- bonne, who preached his funeral sermon, declared that he died from " a malady infiictcd upon him by an anti- 1 Bouill6. 2 Fornicr. 2 Marquis dc Pimodan, la Mdre des Guises. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 107 Christ and minister of Satan, and such as the physicians knew to have been engendered by poison " ; while his relatives caused the following inscription to be placed upon his coffin : " Here lies the very high and very puissant Claude de Lorraine, son of Rene of Cecile [Sicily], in his life Due dc Guise, who died the 12th of April, 1550, at Joinville, from poison." During Guise's recent visit to the Court at Fontaine- bleau, he had been consulted by the King in reference to an appeal that had been received from the French party at Genoa to assist them in shaking off the Imperial yoke ; and it was rumoured that the crime was the work of an agent of the Emperor in that city, who had come to France to watch events and knew that the duke was urging Henri II to intervene. But, though poison was a recognised instrument of diplomacy in the sixteenth century, there do not appear to be any sufficient grounds for believing that it was employed in this instance ; and, as there is no record of an autopsy being held, history rightly hesitates to endorse contemporary opinion. It should, moreover, be remembered that it was an age when the deaths of notable persons were continually being attributed to foul play, and that doctors were only too ready to talk of poison, in order to excuse their own incapacity to diagnose their patients' maladies. A month after the death of Guise, the family sustained another loss by the death of the Cardinal Jean de Lor- raine. The cardinal was returning from Rome, where he had been taking part in the Conclave necessitated by the death, in the previous autumn, of Paul III, and which had resulted in the election of the Cardinal del Monte (Julius III) to the Papal chair. On his arrival at Lyons, he learned of the death of his brother, which appears to have greatly affected him ; and, some days later, while at supper at Nogent-sur-Yonne, he had an attack of apoplexy, from which he died the same night. One of the last acts of the Cardinal Jean had borne io8 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE witness to his constant and enlightened enthusiasm for science and Hterature, and atoned for not a Kttle that was evil in his life. It was at his earnest solicitation, supported by the efforts of his nephew, the Cardinal de Guise, that the University of Rheims had been founded. This project had encountered strenuous opposition from the Parlement of Paris, and, though the Bull authorising its establishment had been promulgated by Paul III, in 1547, it was not until January 1550, and on the express command of Henri II, that that body consented to register it. As it had been decided to postpone the funeral of Guise until the absent members of the family had returned to take part in it, the body of the duke was embalmed and deposited in the Church of Saint-Laurent, in a chapel draped with black velvet, decorated with the coats-of-arms of the various royal Houses from which he claimed descent. A month later, that of the Cardinal Jean was brought from Nogent-sur-Yonne by the Cardinal de Guise and the Bishop of Albi and placed beside it. " Every morning, two high masses were chanted very solemnly for the two brothers, and every morning, at the conclusion of the second mass, the very virtuous Duchesse de Guise failed not to come and sprinkle holy water." * After lying in state for forty days, the remains of the cardinal were conveyed to Nancy and buried in the church of the Franciscan convent of that town. The body of the duke had been, meanwhile, removed to the neighbouring convent of Notre Dame de Pitie, which had been founded by him, where it was deposited upon an immense state bed, in the principal guest- chamber, to await interment. On July I, the Marquis de Mayenne and the Grand Prior having by this time returned to France, the obse- quies of the duke were celebrated with a veritably royal pomp, which the friendship of Henri II for the new head of the family had induced him very imprudently to authorise ; indeed, we are assured that — THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 109 . depuis Charlemagne Tel due ne fut (presens tous ses parens) Mieulx inhume n'y actcs apparens De sa grandeur mieulx observer en some, Pour demonstrer les estatz diffurens Entre un grand prince, un bourgeois, et un simple homme.^ Twelve criers headed the procession from the convent to the chateau, sounding their hand-bells and calling out at intervals : " Monseigneur le due de Guise is dead ; pray God for his soul ! " Then came a hundred poor men clothed in black, each carrying a lighted taper in his hand, followed by a similar number dressed in white ; the clergy of Joinville and the neighbourhood ; the high bailiff of Joinville and the officers of justice ; the deputies from the Estates of Burgundy ; the officials of the deceased prince's Household, the lackeys walking with their hands crossed upon their breasts, to indicate that their master had no longer need of their services ; an equerry leading Guise's great war-horse, " barded for battle " ; seven gentlemen bearing the duke's spurs, gauntlets, lance, and so forth ; the banner of Lorraine, followed by the eight banners of the " lines paternal " and '* lines maternal " ; the pennant of the House of Guise ; the duke's company of men-at-arms ; the King-at-Arms of Lorraine, Edmond du Boullay, the author of le tres excellent Enterrement ; the duke's chief equerry, leading his cheval d^honneur — the horse he rode on state occasions — its magnificent trappings supported by four lackeys ; the Kings-at-arms of France, and twenty gentlemen bearing on their shoulders the great state bed, upon which was the ^^%y of the duke, and beneath it his coffin, the pall of which was supported by four knights of the Order of Saint-Michel. Finally, came the princes and great nobles or their representatives, conspicuous amongst whom was the Comte de Brienne, 1 Le tris excellent Enterrement du trSs hault et tr^s illustre prince Claude de Lorraine, due de Guyse et d'Aumale, pair de France, auqiiel sont d^clarees toHtes les ceremonies . . . par Edmond du Boidlay, roy d'armes de Lorraine, A Paris. En la boutique d'Arnauld I'AngUer, au second pilier, en la grande salle du Palais. no THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE of the House of Luxembourg, a relative of the widowed Duchesse de Guise, who, " as a particular mark of his affection," had brought with him " twenty-five poor men, dressed in mourning at his own expense." After the funeral service, which was performed by the Cardinal de Givry, the body was laid to rest in a chapel of the church of Saint-Laurent, known at that time as the " Holy Chapel," from the number of relics which it contained, but at a later date as the " Chapel of the Princes," on account of its tombs. Then the King-at- Arms of Lorraine stepped forward and cried : " Silence! Silence ! Silence ! The very illustrious Prince Claude de Lorraine, Due de Guise, and d'Aumale, Marquis de Mayenne, Baron de Joinville, etc., etc., is dead. . . . Claude de Lorraine, Due de Guise, peer of France, is dead. . . . Monseigneur le Due de Guise is dead, and his ecclesiastical ceremonies are finished. Pray God for his soul ! " Then, turning towards the new Due de Guise, he continued : " Long live the very high, very puissant, and very illustrious Frangois de Lorraine, Due de Guise, peer of France, etc., etc., eldest son and principal heir of the very illustrious prince of immortal memory, to-day buried. Long live Monseigneur le due Frangois ! " The last ceremony of all took place in the great dining-hall of the chateau (the Salle des Etats), after the chief mourners had dined, when Marinville, captain of the Chateau of Monteclair and maitre d'hote! to the late duke, solemnly broke his baton of office in two, and cast the pieces into the middle of the hall, to sym- bolise the breaking up of his master's Household, while the King-at-Arms cried : " The very high and very illustrious Prince Claude de Lorraine, Due de Guise, is dead, and his Household is dispersed. Let each one provide for himself." ^ 1 In point of fact, none of Guise's servants were required to do this, as the more elderly were handsomely pensioned, and the others taken into the service of the new duke or of his brothers. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE in Antoinette de Bourbon subsequently erected for her husband and herself a mausoleum " in black and white marble, jasper, alabaster, and porphyry, one of the most magnificent tombs of France, ornamented with a number of beautiful sculptures, representing the battles, skirmishes, and captures of towns in which the late duke had taken part. Above the tomb were their statues, recumbent, and within the chapel four marble statues representing the four virtues, which supported a stone cornice on which were statues in white marble of Claude de Lorraine and Antoinette de Bourbon, each clothed with the ducal mantle, kneeling in prayer. One saw there also the helmet, sword, and gauntlets which the duke had used, and also his spurs." ^ On the monument was engraved a Latin epitaph, of which the following is a translation : " To the memory of Claude de Lorraine, very wealthy prince, having acquired the name of the father of the country, for the signal victory which he gained over the heretical enemies at Saverne, town of Alsace, and for having preserved the inhabitants of Burgundy and Flanders ; who died prematurely, to the great grief and sorrow of all." ' There was far less exaggeration in this assertion than might be supposed, for Guise's good qualities had more than redeemed his faults, at any rate in the estimation of his contemporaries, and he had enjoyed great popu- larity, not only with the Parisians, but in Champagne and Burgundy ; while by his family and his dependents he had been sincerely beloved. He was an excellent husband, notwithstanding his occasional infidelities, a kind and affectionate father and a good master, and if, as we have seen, he never allowed an opportunity to pass of enriching himself, it must be admitted that he was very generous, pensioning old servants, under- taking the charge of orphans, providing dowries for the daughters of his dependents, and disbursing considerable ^ Bibliotldque Nationale MSS., cartul. de Joinville. 2 Du Boullay. 112 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE sums in charity. Although as a young man, at the brilhant Court of Francois I, when he had still, so to speak, his way to make in the world, he had been noted for the magnificence of his dress and surroundings, this magnificence had been affected rather for the purpose of enhancing his own importance and ingratiating himself with the splendour-loving monarch than from any taste for ostentation, and, in his later years, at Join- ville, he lived with his family in so modest and simple a manner that the chateau is said to have been more like a monastery than the residence of a great noble. Of plain food there was never any stint, and tables were laid in the banqueting-hall for^any of his suite who might care to dine there, or for any chance guests who might arrive ; but the duke entertained a positive horror of drunkenness, and insisted on a rigid sobriety on the part of those about him. His favourite diversion was the chase, which he regarded as a necessary preparation for the fatigues of war ; and he was particularly fond of hawking, a sport which he followed with such enthusiasm that the Huguenots, in after years, nicknamed his chil- dren " the falconer's sons." He was also an excellent judge of a horse, and his stables contained some of the finest animals to be found in France. Thanks to the fact that the Church or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem had already provided for three of the Guise brothers and their two unmarried sisters,^ it had been only necessary for the deceased duke to make provision for the three princes who were " of the world." Francois de Lorraine, who now became Due de Guise, of course, inherited the bulk of the family estates. Claude, Marquis de Mayenne, the son-in-law of Diane 1 Renee de Lorraine was Abbess of Saint- Pierre de Reims, and Antoin- ette of the Abbey of Forinoustier. The second sister, Louise, with whom, it will be remembered, Henry VIII had once contemplated sharing his throne, had died in 1542. She had been twice married ; first, to Rene de Nassau, Prince of (Jrange, and, secondly, to Charles de Croy, Prince de Chimay and Due d'Aerschot, who survived her. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 113 de Poitiers, received the duchy of Aumale, the lands comprised in the bailhwick of Caux in Normandy, and which his elder brother had agreed to abandon to him, together with the title ; and was henceforth known as Due d' Aumale. Rene had for his share the mar- quisate of Elbcuf and the rest of the Norman estates, with the exception of Caux. The two dukes shared the other dignities of their father between them. To Francois fell the ofhce of Grand Huntsman of France and the government of Champagne ; while Claude received the government of Burgundy. In like manner, the Cardinal de Guise and the Bishop of Albi divided the innumerable benefices of the Cardinal Jean, almost entirely reserved for them by the royal favour, though his Eminence naturally received the lion's share of the spoil. He now assumed his uncle's title of Cardinal de Lorraine ; while Louis, who shortly afterwards became, in his turn, a member of the Sacred College, took that of Cardinal de Guise. Thus, the disappearance of the two chiefs of the House of Guise in no wise diminished its wealth and influence ; indeed, it materially increased both. For the second Due de Guise and the second Cardinal de Lorraine had more ability, more ambition, more energy, more courage, and, it must be added, more rapacity than those whom they had replaced. They were supported by their younger brothers, as ambitious and greedy as they were, and skilful in securing adherents for their common party. All lived together in the greatest intimacy and worked together as one man for the aggrandizement of their House. Never, perhaps, in the case of a family, has the axiom " Union is strength " been more strikingly exemplified. For the good of the common cause each one was ready to sacriiice his private inclinations, his personal ambitions. The new Due d' Aumale himself, though a peer of France like his eldest brother, never sought to detach his own interests from his, or to found a rival House. It was the House of Guise alone which 1—8 114 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE he desired to support and exalt ; and each of his brothers kept the same object steadily before him. Every morning, the four younger princes met in the Cardinal de Lorraine's apartments, and followed him to the lever of the head of the family, from which all the six proceeded in a body to that of the King. CHAPTER X The Guises endeavour to provoke a fresh rupture with England, but are foiled by the eliorts of the Constable — Montmorency is created duke and peer of France— Attitude of Diane de Poitiers towards the Constable and the Guises — Liaison of Henri II with Lady Fleming, governess of Mary Stuart — Birth of a son — Indiscretions of Lady Fleming, who is dismissed from Court — Political importance of this affair — -Arrogance and ambition of the Guises, who resolve to draw France into another war with Charles V — Critical relations between France and the Emperor — 'The War of Parma — Affairs of Germany — Negotiations between France and the Lutheran Princes — Treaty of Chambord — 'Popularity of the war in France— Part played by the new Due de Guise in the organisation of the army for the invasion of Lorraine and Alsace — French plan of campaign — The Constable takes Metz by stratagem — Guise prevents the annexation of Lor- raine — Invasion of Alsace — Remonstrances of the German Princes — The French fall back from the Rhine and invade Luxembourg — • Mutiny of the landsktiechts at Yvoy — Results of the " Austrasian Expedition," Notwithstanding the Treaty of Boulogne, the relations between England and France remained for some months in a far from satisfactory state, as several questions, such as the restoration of the merchant vessels captured by either side during the war and the frontier line of the Calais Pale, had been reserved for future settlement and proved by no means easy to adjust. At one time, indeed, there seemed a danger of a fresh rupture, for the Guises, who hated England, did not fail to make the most of these disagreements, and urged Henri H to follow up his recovery of Boulogne by the conquest of Guines and Calais. The Constable, however, partly out of hostility to the Guises and partly from a genuine desire for peace, used all his influence to bring about a better understanding, and finally succeeded, not only in arriving at a satisfactory settlement of the outstanding difficulties, but in concluding a marriage-treaty with 115 ii6 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE England, by which it was arranged that Edward VI should wed Henri IPs eldest daughter, Madame Elisabeth, so soon as that young lady, now in her seventh year, should reach a marriageable age (July 19, 1551)- Henri II did not fail to show his appreciation of his old friend's services, and, almost immediately after the signing of the marriage-treaty, letters-patent were issued erecting the Constable's barony of Montmorency into a duchy-peerage, the title to be transmissible to his daughters in the event of the failure of heirs male. Thus, on the two important questions of foreign policy which had found Montmorency and the Guises in opposition — that of Italy in 1548 and that of England — the counsels of the Constable had prevailed, and, notwithstanding the credit which his rivals had secured by the betrothal of their niece to the heir to the throne, there can be little doubt that he would have continued to exercise the paramount influence in affairs of State, if the Lorraine princes had not enjoyed the support of a powerful ally. This ally was, of course, Diane de Poitiers, who, it will be remembered, from jealousy of the Constable, had encouraged the ambition of the Guises. That for four years Montmorency had been more than able to hold his own against so redoubtable a combination can only be explained by the supposition that Diane, true to her policy of holding the balance between the rival parties, had been unwilling to allow the Guises to become too powerful, and had therefore employed her influence somewhat sparingly on their behalf. For, with the years, Diane's ascendency over the King seemed to increase rather than diminish. " The person whom without doubt the King loves and prefers," writes the Venetian Ambassador, Lorenzo Contarini, in 1552, " is Madame de Valentinois. She is a woman of fifty-two. . . . He has loved her much ; he loves her still, and she is his mistress,^ old though she is. . . . She is a woman of 1 The phrase in the original is too coarse to permit of a literal translation. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 117 intelligence, who has always been the King's ifispiratrice, and has even assisted him with her purse when he was Dauphin. His Majesty regards himself as under a great obligation to her, and from the beginning of his reign has made her Duchesse de Valcntinois, and has given her what I have said, and gives to her still, and does in that and in all else everything that she wishes. She is informed of everything, and each day, as a rule, the King goes after dinner to see her, and remains an hour and a half to discuss mtters with her, and he tells her everything that happens." Notwithstanding the devotion of Henri H to Diane, it must not be supposed that he was altogether proof against the wiles of the many light beauties who fre- quented his Court, though, as, according to Brantome, he had a great regard for feminine reputations, and, we may well believe, had no desire to arouse the jealousy of the vindictive sultana, he used to visit those whom he favoured " in the most secret manner possible, in order that they might escape suspicion and scandal. And, if there were one who was discovered, it was not his fault, but rather the lady's." We have mentioned that among the suite which accompanied the little Queen of Scotland to France was a certain Janet Stuart, Lady Fleming, a natural daughter of James IV. Lady Fleming, who occupied the post of governess to her Majesty, was no longer young — in fact, at the time of her arrival in France, she must have been at least thirty-eight, and she had presented her husband, who had fallen on the field of Pinkie, with five sons and two daughters, the elder of the girls being one of the young Queen's " four Maries." But, like the Duchesse de Valentinois, she appears to have dis- covered the secret of preserving her charms, for, two months after Mary Stuart's arrival at Saint-Germain, we find Artus de Breze assuring the Queen-dowager of Scotland that " she had sent a lady hither with the Queen, her daughter, who had pleased all the company ii8 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE as much as the six most comely women of this kingdom could have done. ... I mean Madame de Flamy [jzV]." It is probable that by " all this company " the discreet diplomatist intended her royal correspondent to under- stand the King, and, any way, by the summer of the following year his Majesty's own correspondence with Marie de Lorraine shows him to be taking a most sus- picious interest in the lady in question. He cannot speak too highly of the manner in which she discharges her important duties ; he states that she has been lamenting to him that one of her sons is still a prisoner in England, and he begs the Queen-dowager to effect an exchange between a certain Englishman and the young man, as he is very anxious to reward Lady Fleming " for the good and agreeable services which she renders about the person of our little daughter, the Queen of Scotland." The "good and agreeable services" of Lady Fleming were not confined to her royal mistress, and towards the end of 1550 she found herself in an interesting condition. All might have been well with her had she but observed the discretion which so delicate a situation demanded ; but, " instead of keeping a closed mouth," she was so ill-advised as actually to boast about it. "God be thanked! " said she, in her broken French, " I am with child by the King, and I feel very honoured and very happy about it," adding that the royal blood must certainly contain some magical properties, since she found herself in such excellent health.^ These rash words were duly reported to Madame de Valentinois, who was, of course, well aware of what had been going on. Diane might have been disposed to pardon an infidelity in which the senses of her royal lover had probably been far more concerned than his heart ; but she felt that it was impossible for her to ignore so public a scandal, so impudent an invasion of her prerogatives. She and the Queen united to get rid ^ Brantome. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 119 of this mistress of the moment, and made things so unpleasant for the King that he was glad enough to make his peace with them by the sacrifice of his Scottish inamorata, who was accordingly deprived of her post of governess and banished from the Court, though she did not return to Scotland until some years later.^ This affair, ignored by many historians, nevertheless, entailed consequences of the first importance. Hitherto, as we have said, Madame de Valentinois would appear to have employed her influence somewhat sparingly on behalf of the Guises, with the result that the Constable still continued to dominate the policy of France. But, rightly or wrongly, Diane believed that, out of jealousy of her ascendency over the King, Montmorency had encouraged the amorous relations of his Majesty with Lady Fleming, in the hope that the latter might succeed in supplanting her in the royal favour. This conviction exasperated Diane to the last degree ; the smouldering antagonism between her and the Constable leaped into flame ; and her entire influence was henceforth thrown on to the side of the Guises. " To the great displeasure of the King," writes Contarini, " the Constable and Madame [de Valentinois] are now declared enemies. This hostility began three years ago ; but it only broke forth openly last year, when the duchess perceived that the Constable had plotted to divert the King from the passion he had for her, by making him fall in love with the governess of the Queen of Scotland, a very pretty little woman. The affair, indeed, went so far that this governess became with child by the King. Madame complained bitterly of this ; the King had to offer many apologies for it ; and for a long time the Constable and Madame were not even on speaking terms. At length, at his Majesty's entreaty, they made a semblance of a peace, but at 1 The fruit of her liaison with the King — a boy — was named after his royal father, and is known to history as the Bastard d'Angouleme. We shall have occasion to speak of him hereafter. 120 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE bottom their hatred is as bitter as ever. Hence, have arisen the two parties which are Hke two factions at the Court, and he who draws near to one knows assuredly that he must expect nothing but hostihty from the other." The knowledge that they could now count on the full support of the favourite naturally served to stimulate the arrogance and ambition of the Guises. Because Lizet, the First President of the Parlement of Paris, refused to acknowledge their princely quality, on the ground that the body of which he was the head recog- nised no princes in France save the Valois and the Bourbons, they insisted on his dismissal, and replaced him by Le Maistre, a creature of their own, who was later to distinguish himself by his persecution of the Huguenots. They next attacked the Chancellor, and, on the plea that his health was no longer equal to the discharge of his duties, he, too, was removed, though he was allowed to retain the title. Then, flushed with success, they determined to seek a revenge for the Constable's diplomatic successes by drawing France into another war with Charles V. For some time past it had been increasingly evident that nothing short of a miracle could avert a fresh rupture between the Houses of France and Austria ; the only question was how long would the inevitable struggle be delayed. In addition to old subjects of dispute, such as the retention of the States of the Duke of Savoy by France, and of Navarre by the Spaniards, each cherished several other grievances. The French Government complained of encouragement given by the Spaniards to the insurgents of Bordeaux ; of the hostile attitude adopted by the Emperor during the war of Boulogne, when he had sent a herald to forbid Henri II to attack Calais ; of his attempts to thwart the renewal of the old alliance between France and the Swiss cantons, and of the punishment he had inflicted on the captains THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 121 of landsknechts who had served in the French army, one of whom he had caused to be executed for high treason. Charles V was irritated against France by her refusal of his demands for the extradition of those captains who had taken refuge there, by the voyages of French vessels to the Indies, and by the incessant intrigues of the French agents in Italy. Italy was always the apple of discord, and it was here that hostilities began. Early in 1549, Ottavio Farnese, jealous of the favour shown by the French to his younger brother Orazio, the betrothed of Diane de France, had made his peace with the Emperor, a proceeding which so much irritated Paul III that he promptly deprived him of Parma, and declared the duchy annexed to the States of the Church. Ottavio de- clined to submit to the will of his grandfather, and endeavoured to regain possession of the town by force ; and this unseemly family squabble so affected the health of the aged Pontiff that before the year was out he was dead. His successor, Julius III, had no sons or grand- sons to aggrandize or quarrel with, and, being of a quiet and pleasure-loving disposition, his only desire was for compromise and peace. As an earnest of his good intentions, he began by restoring Parma to Ottavio, and flattered himself that he had thereby removed the chief cause of dissension. But Ferrante Gonzaga, the Viceroy of the Milanese, between whom and the Farnesi there existed a long-standing and bitter enmity, pro- ceeded to establish a sort of blockade of Parma, on the ground that the suzerainty of the duchy belonged to his master, whereupon Ottavio threw himself on the pro- tection of Henri II. Either through irritation at the conduct of his vassal, or in the hope of extinguishing so dangerous a spark, the Pope declared the fief forfeited, and applied to Charles V for assistance, thereby kindling the very conflagration it was his desire to avert. The French Government did not fail to take advantage of so excellent a pretext for intervention in Italy, and, 122 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE by a treaty signed on May 27, 155 1, the King formally took Ottavio Farnese under his protection, and the War of Parma began. The French compelled the Papal- Imperialist forces to raise the siege of Parma, took several towns in Piedmont garrisoned tby Spanish troops, and captured a Spanish merchant fleet off Hyeres. Nevertheless, Henri II and Charles V still remained nominally at peace ; since the former was merely sup- posed to be acting as the protector of Ottavio Farnese, and the latter as the auxiliary of the Pope. But this pretence could not long be observed, and in the early spring of 1552 open war broke out. It was, however, the affairs of Germany, not of Italy, which caused the mask to be thrown aside. The great object of the policy of Charles was to reduce to the rules of a common obedience all the subjects of his immense dominions. At the height of his struggle against Francois I he had deprived the Spanish provinces of their ancient privileges ; and, as soon as peace was concluded, he hastened to take advantage of it to impose his authority on the petty sovereigns of the German Empire. In April 1547, on the field of Miihlberg, he crushed the rebellious princes of the League of Schmal- kalde, by which victory he laid Germany, to all appear- ance, at his feet. But twelve months later he com- mitted the most fatal error of his whole career, by the promulgation of the celebrated Interim of Augsburg, which united both Lutherans and Catholics against him, in the belief that the Emperor intended to profit by their religious dissensions to establish his political domination. The outbreak of the War of Parma, which necessitated the withdrawal of the Spanish garrisons from Germany, gave the malcontents an opportunity of which they were not slow to profit ; the League of Schmalkalde was renewed, and rendered infinitely more formidable by the adhesion to it of the warlike Moritz, Elector of Saxony ; negotiations were opened with France, and on October 5, 155 1, at Fricdwald, Moritz -Uii ANNE D'ESTE, DUCHESSE DE GUISE, AriERWARDS DLCHESSE DE NEMOURS THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 123 signed with Jean du Fraisse, Bishop of Bayonne, Henri H's Ambassador to the German Princes, a treaty of aUiance, " fro GermanicE -patrice lihertate recwperanda^'^ which was confirmed in the following January at Chambord. By this treaty, both the King of France and the League of Schmalkalde agreed to bring into the field 50,000 infantry and 20,000 cavalry, in order to drive the Emperor from Germany, and the princes, in return for Henri H's assistance, authorised him to take pos- session of the towns of Toul, Metz, and Verdun — the " Three Bishoprics " — which he was to govern in the quality of " Vicar of the Empire." The Constable had opposed as long as possible an enterprise of which no one could foresee the ultimate issue. But the Guises, backed as they now were by the whole weight of the favourite's influence, had proved too strong for him. Besides which, Henri H, very obstinate in his hatreds as in his affections, detested Charles V, having never forgiven him the cruel cap- tivity to which he had been subjected in Spain, nor the cunning endeavour to dismember his inheritance for the benefit of his younger brother. The temptation to humble his own and his father's enemy, and, at the same time, to complete the defence of the north-eastern frontier by the annexation of the Three Bishoprics, was one which he found impossible to resist. The continual wars of Francois I had left France in an exhausted condition. But the marvellous recupera- tive power which she has always displayed had enabled her to recover from the drain which the late King's ambitious enterprises had imposed upon her, and she was now once more in a position to grapple with her great adversary both on the Po and on the Rhine. All through the winter of 155 1-2, active preparations for the coming struggle were in progress throughout the whole of France, and from early January to the end of March an endless procession of men-at-arms, light horsemen, arquebusiers, pikemen, cannon, baggage-wagons, and 124 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE camp-followers might have been seen wending its way towards the Lorraine frontier. The war appears to have been generally popular, for Henri H, unlike his father, whose armies had been largely composed of mercenaries, entertained a high opinion of the warlike quahties of the French, and his decision to trust, in a great measure, to the valour of his own subjects had been hailed with enthusiasm. " There is no need to say with what alacrity and good-will every man made ready for this war. . . . There was not a town in which the drums did not beat to call out the young men, many of whom quitted father and mother in order to enroll themselves. Most of the shops were emptied of their work-people, so great was the ardour among persons of all conditions to take part in this expedition and to see the river Rhine." ' The army was concentrated between Chalons and Troyes, and at Vitry, in the first week in April, Henri H reviewed it. It was an imposing, if some- what motley, array, and comprised, according to Boy- vin de Villars, 15,000 French infantry,^ 9,000 lands- knechts, 7,000 Swiss, 1,650 men-at-arms,' about 3,000 ^ MSmoires de Vieilleville. » The French infantr}'- at this period were recruited ahnost exclusively in the south-western provinces, chiefly in the valleys of the Lot, the Dordogne, and the Garonne. The poor noblesse of these districts gladly accepted the appointments of captains and lieutenants of infantry com- panies ; many gentleman, indeed, unable to find places in the cavalry, armed themselves at their own expense, and joined a.s lanspessades, or foot- lancers. 3 The companies of men-at-arms [conipagnies d'ordonnance) formed the nucleus of the army. Each of these companies comprised from twenty- five to one hundred men-at-arms, followed each by two archers and a coultillier. All the men-at-arms were gentlemen ; indeed, the mere fact of admission to one of these companies conferred nobihty. They received 34 hvres a month, a sum equivalent to about 350 francs to-day, and had their valets and pages, who swelled the effectives of the companies, but seldom took part in the fighting. The men-at-arms were mounted on powerful Turkish or Spanish stallions, heavily barded, their bards being painted with the colours of the cloaks which the captains wore, so that in battle each company might be able to rally to its own colours, were clad in complete armour, and armed with long lances, long swords, and sometimes with maces. Except when opposed to the very best infantry, the charge of a body of men-at-arms was irresistible. We have seen with what ease the first Due de Guise routed the Imperial landsknechts THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 125 light horse,* 1,000 mounted arquebusiers, 2,000 men of the arriere-ban, or reserve, six Scottish and one EngHsh company, 200 gentlemen of the King's House- hold, 400 archers of the Guard, and some 500 gentle- men volunteers. The artillery consisted of sixty cannon of various calibre. In the raising and equipment of this army, the new Due de Guise had taken a very active part, and had proved himself as admirable an organiser as he was ere long to prove himself a general. " This great captain," writes the Due d'Aumale, " had compre- hended all the advantages that might be derived from firearms," ' and it was on his advice that the companies of arquebusiers a cheval ' had been formed, while he had also urged the employment, as infantry, of the French peasants from the south-western provinces, who had proved their value as fighting-men in the defence of Piedmont in the last war against Charles V. In recogni- tion of the services which he had rendered in the organisa- tion of the army and of the authority which he was to exercise during the approaching campaign, the duke received the titles of Prince de Joinville and Hereditary Senechal of Champagne, titles destined to form the appanage of his eldest son, who thus became a kind of dauphin of the House of Guise. But these honours were under the walls of Neufchateau, and in March 1 565 in the plain of Saint-Denis the Prince de Conde, with only three companies, scattered to the winds the Parisian militia, nearly 20,000 strong. The command of a company of men-at-arms, which was only conferred upon very great nobles or ex- perienced captains, was the gage of power and favour, and was more valued than a marshal's bcilon or the government of a province. ^ The light cavalry, used chiefly for scouting and foraging purposes, were mounted on small and active horses, wore only corselets, arm-pieces, and bourguignettes (light casques) and carried half-lances, short curved swords, and pistols. The pistol, it may be observed, was a weapon which had only been recently introduced. 2 Histoire des Princes de Condi. ^ This innovation, however, appears to have been far from popular. People saw with regret the old military usages modified and personal courage became less necessary, when, writes Blaise de Montloc, " so many brave and valiant men met their deaths often at the hands of the greatest poltroons and cowards, who would not have dared to look in the face those whom they brought to earth, from afar, with their miserable bullets." 126 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE hy no means barren ones, since revenues equivalent to nearly 400,000 francs in money of to-day were attached to them. The plan of campaign was as follov^^s : The Constable, with the advance-guard of the army, was to possess himself, without bloodshed if it could possibly be avoided, of the towns of Toul and Metz ; while the King and Guise, with the main body, would enter Lor- raine, under the pretext of putting the affairs of that duchy in order, and deprive the Duchess Christina, niece of the Emperor, of the regency, which she exercised nominally on behalf of her son, Charles III, who was only ten years old, but really in the interests of her Imperial uncle. This effected, they were to join the Constable at Metz, and the whole army would enter Germany by way of Alsace, perhaps to co-operate with the rebel princes, and, in any case, to endeavour to extend the frontier of France as far as the Rhine. The intrigues of the Guises, who possessed several bishoprics in this part of France, had paved the way for the success of the first two parts of this plan. Leaving the King at Joinville, Montmorency, accom- panied by the Bourbon Princes, crossed the Meuse and marched on Toul, whose magistrates, at the instigation of the bishop, Toussaint d'Hocedy, a former protege of Cardinal Jean de Lorraine, admitted him without even a pretence of resistance. Pont-a-Mousson likewise sur- rendered at the first summons, and, having taken by assault the Abbey of Goze, the advance-post of Metz, which the Imperialists had fortified, the Constable arrived before the walls of the town. In Metz itself there was no Imperial garrison, and, thanks to the efforts of its bishop, the Cardinal de Lenoncourt, who was wholly devoted to France, a great part of its population had already been won over. Never- theless, the Constable only succeeded in getting pos- session of it by stratagem. The municipal authorities having consented to allow him and the princes to enter THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 127 the town, on condition that they brought with them only two companies, he formed them entirely of picked men, part of whom, under the leadership of Tavannes, seized the gate by which their comrades had been admitted and held it until several hundred men had entered the place. Thereupon the Mcssins abandoned all idea of resistance, and the keys were surrendered. And so Metz passed into the possession of France (April 10, 1552), to remain there for more than three centuries. On the day following the surrender of Metz, Henri H, accompanied by Guise, La Marck, and Saint-Andre, quitted Joinville, and, after taking formal possession of Toul, advanced with the main body of the army to Nancy. Nothing would have been easier than to annex Lorraine to France, a union which was not only demanded by the interests of his kingdom, but would have been in accord with the interests and sentiments of the people of Lorraine. But Guise did not wish to see his House deprived of a sovereign crown. If Lorraine became a French province, the Guises would cease to be foreign princes, and become merely French nobles, and their prestige would be seriously diminished. He therefore advised the King to leave the young Duke of Lorraine in possession of his dominions, and to content himself with taking measures to bind him to the interests of France and assure the predominance of French influence in the duchy. To this Henri II consented, and, on his arrival at Nancy, issued a proclamation, announcing that he came as " the protector and preserver of the person and property " of the Duke Charles. And, the better to protect and preserve the little prince, he separated him from his disconsolate mother and sent him to the French Court, to be brought up with the Dauphin and eventually to marry Madame Claude, gave the regency to his uncle, the Comte de Vaudemont, who was wholly devoted to France, and placed garrisons in all the fortresses. Thus it was that Lorraine was 128 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE left in the possession of a family destined to combat the policy of France during more than two centuries, to thwart the designs of Richelieu, Mazarin, and even of Louis XIV, and skilfully to prolong a kind of civil war between the Lorrainers and the French. Having settled the affairs of Lorraine, Henri II turned northwards, and on Easter Sunday (April 17) joined the Constable at Metz. On entering the town, the King swore to respect the municipal privileges ; nevertheless, instead of leaving the authority in the hands of the sheriffs, he entrusted it to a strong garrison, commanded by the Sieur de Gonnor, a 'protege of Mont- morency's. This high-handed action, which was to prove a serious blunder, was contrary to the advice of Guise, who had represented that, by showing respect for the customs and privileges of Metz, they would reassure the inhabitants of Strasburg and other German towns, and thus facilitate their occupation of them. But he was overruled by Montmorency, who boasted that " he would enter Strasburg and the other Rhine cities as easily as he would plunge a piece of wood into butter." A few days later the French broke up their camp before Metz and directed their march towards the Vosges and the Rhine. They crossed the mountains, not without considerable difficulty, for the winter's snow still lay there, and descended into Alsace. In Lorraine, the inhabitants had shown themselves well- disposed towards the invaders, but in Alsace, which was thoroughly German in speech and feeling, and where the French began by behaving as though they were in a conquered country, the people were distinctly hostile. *' Not a soul came to us with provisions, and we were obliged to go a distance of five or six leagues for forage and food, and to take a strong escort, since, if even ten men went together, they never came back." ' To the chagrin of the Constable, who had, rather naively, imagined that he would be able to repeat at 1 Memoir es de Vteilleville. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 129 Strasburg the stratagem which had succeeded so well at Metz, the citizens, taking warning hy the fate of the latter town, refused to receive the King if he came accompanied by more than forty gentlemen, and would not suffer the troops to approach within cannon-shot of the walls. And so the invaders had to derive what consolation they might from the occupation of such places as Haguenau and Weissembourg, at which latter town Henri H received a communication from his German allies reminding him that he had been invited to protect and not to conquer — a fact which his Majesty seemed in danger of forgetting. The national sentiment, indeed, had been profoundly moved by Henri H's treatment of Metz and by the insolence of the French troops ; and it was plain that, if the King neglected the warning he had received, he would rally all Ger- many to the Emperor. Any doubts which the King might have been inclined to entertain as to the imprudence of venturing further from his base was removed by the news that Mary of Hungary, Governess of the Netherlands, had thrown a considerable force into Luxembourg, which might threaten his Une of retreat. Accordingly, " having watered their horses in the Rhine," the French turned their backs on the great river and began their homeward march.' They did not, however, return by the most direct route, for, after snapping up Verdun — the last of the Three Bishoprics — they invaded Luxembourg. Guise had the idea, then almost novel, of paying promptly for the few provisions which the peasants brought them, in consequence of which they soon had an abundance. But, if provisions did not fail, they suffered a good deal from exposure, as they carried no tents, and, " in default of finding villages every one 1 On this, it may be mentioned, the army had the aid of a carte de la cosmogyaphie du traict du Rhin, which was probably the first map used in war. Henri II, on its being shown to him, was greatly astonished and delighted, and declared that " the chief of an army ought never to set out without a map, any more than a good pilot without his calamite." 130 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE was lodged under the stars and encamped in the hay." The weary soldiers consoled themselves by the hope of pillaging some place ; but, to their intense disgust, though they took in succession Damvilliers and Mont- medy, Henri H refused to allow these towns to be sacked, because he desired to unite them to his realm, and had no interest in maltreating or impoverishing the inhabitants. The fury of the landsknechts, who saw themselves deprived of what they considered their lawful prey, communicated itself to the French infantry, ^' who were in a state of suppressed mutiny, and from that moment began to disperse and secretly to desert their standards." ^ The irritation reached its height when, at the capitulation of Yvoy, when orders were issued that the infantry were to remain outside the ramparts, and the Constable sent his own company of men-at-arms and that of his eldest son into the town to protect the citizens. The landsknechts broke out into open mutiny, effected an entrance through a breach in the walls, and began to plunder the houses and maltreat the unfortunate people, who had believed that the promise of the King of France was sufficient to ensure their safety. The Constable's son ordered his company to charge the German robbers with levelled lances ; but in the narrow and slippery streets of the town, the heavily-armed men and horses, so irresistible in the open, were unable to manoeuvre, more than a dozen of them were shot down, and Frangois de Montmorency was nearly killed by a ball from an arquebus which ricochetted on to his saddle-bow. Finally, the men-at- arms were obliged to retreat, and victory remained with the mutineers, who made the wretched inhabitants submit to all the horrors which were inflicted upon towns taken by assault. Next day, the King, in great wrath, sent the provost- marshal and his archers to arrest the ringleaders of the mutiny ; but the landsknechts rushed to the rescue of 1 Rabutin, Guerres belgiques. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 131 their comrades, killed several of the archers, and obliged the provost-marshal to fly for his life. Indeed, so dangerous a spirit of revolt existed in the army that it was considered expedient to compensate the French infantry, who had taken no part in the pillage of Yvoy, by allowing them to sack Chimay, which had been taken by assault. In the course of the sack, more than one hundred of them were burned to death, while engaged in plundering the vaults of the citadel, which their comrades had thoughtlessly set on fire. After garrisoning the captured towns and reinstating Madame de Valentinois's son-in-law, the Marechal de la Marck, in his duchy of Bouillon, of which he had been deprived by the Emperor, the army re-entered France and was finally disbanded at Etreaupont, on July 26. Thus ended the " Austrasian expedition," as this military promenade was called. Its results, if less splendid than Henri II had anticipated, were never- theless, of the highest importance. In the first place, it had created a diversion in favour of the rebel princes, who would otherwise have had to face an attack upon their rear by the Imperial Army of the Netherlands. In the second, the effective protectorate of France had been established over Lorraine, the custody of its little ruler's person secured, and the Austrian influence of Christina of Denmark replaced by the French influence of the Comte de Vaudemont. In the third, the north- eastern frontier had been strengthened by the acquisition of several fortresses and the recovery of La Marck's duchy of Bouillon. Finally, France had Metz. During Guise's absence on this campaign, the Cardinal de Lorraine watched over his interests at the Court, and kept him informed of everything that happened there. At the beginning of August, the King, who had quitted the army some time before it was dis- banded, summoned the duke to join him at Fontaine- 132 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE bleau, whereupon his Eminence wrote immediately to his brother : " It will be very necessary that I should have an opportunity of speaking to you before you see the King. I will await you in order to render you an account of everything." For information of another kind, Guise had recourse to the complaisance of his former rival, Antoine de Bourbon, whom he had temporarily converted into a friend and a confidant. " Monsieur, mon compagnon" writes the prince, " I have spoken to her whom you have requested me to speak to. I am told that I am to assure you earnestly that they have done her an injustice, and that, since she saw you, no man has been anything to her — Anthoine." ^ Who this lady was we do not know, but it is pretty safe to presume that it was not the Duchesse de Guise. 1 Guise, M^moires-fournaux, Letter of May 19, 1553. CHAPTER XI Indignation aroused in Germany by France's annexation of Metz — Charles V organises a great army for the recovery of the town — The Due de Guise is entrusted with the defence of Metz — His prepara- tions — He sets the garrison a splendid example of energy and devotion to duty — Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg — He defeats and makes prisoner the Due d'Aumale — The siege of Metz begins — Arrival of the Emperor — Terrific bombardment of the town — ^A surprise for the Imperialists — Guise's speech to the garrison — Indignation of Charles V at the refusal of his generals to attempt to take the town by storm — Arrival of Ambroise Paie — A successful sortie — Scene between the Margrave of Brandenburg and his prisoner the Due d'Aumale — The Imperialists are compelled to raise the siege — Horrible condition of their abandoned camp — Humanity of Guises towards the wounded — Negligence of the French Government — Thcrouenne and Hesdin taken by the Imperialists — The French invade the Netherlands — Guise subjected to a subordinate position by the jealousy of Montmorency — His victory at Renti rendered futile owing to the incapacity or ill-will of the Constable — Violent quarrel between Guise and Gaspard de Coligny — Peace of Vaucelles and abdication of Charles V. France had Metz, but it seemed very doubtful If she would long be able to retain it. On August 2, 1552, the Emperor, at the earnest entreaty of his brother Ferdinand, accepted the agreement of Passau, whereby he annulled the hated Interim of Augsburg, promised to convene a Diet for the regulation of religious affairs, and set at liberty the rebel princes whom he had made captive at Miihlberg. Germany, lately so divided, became once more united. The progress of the French had aroused almost universal alarm and indignation, and, now that their rchgious and political liberties appeared to be no longer in jeopardy, princes and people had only one thought : the recovery of Metz, the Imperial town, upon which the French King, taking advantage of their internal differences, had laid his sacrilegious hands. Like the Mohammedans, upon the 133 134 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE proclamation of a holy war, the Germans flew to arms, as though seized by a sort of frenzy. Charles V sum- moned his legions from all parts of his vast dominions : from the Pyrenees to the frontier of Poland, from the marshes of Holland to the plains of Lombardy. " At the service of the furor Germanicus he placed all Europe." The pretext for the mobilisation of this great army, which, towards the end of August, began moving from the valley of the Upper Danube, where it had assembled, in the direction of the Rhine, was the necessity of suppressing the activities of that bloodstained miscreant Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg, who had refused to recognise the agreement of Passau, and, at the head of a horde of brigands — Brandenburgers, Pomera- nians, and Prussians — was roaming the Rhineland, forcing cities to pay him tribute, pillaging churches, and spread- ing terror and devastation wherever he went. But the French Government, aware that it was impossible for Charles to accept as an accomplished fact their possession of Metz without seriously compromising his authority in Germany, did not doubt that it was against their recent annexation rather than the robber Hohenzollern that his preparations were directed, and were already actively engaged in making ready for its defence. As Montmorency's position at the head of affairs neces- sitated his presence in the centre of the kingdom, this task was entrusted to Guise, who was nominated Governor of Metz, with practically unlimited powers. Montmorency's very able biographer, M. Frangois Decrue, asserts that, bitter as was the rivalry between the two great nobles, it was not permitted to prejudice the safety of the town, and that the Constable rendered the duke every possible assistance. M. Forneron, on the other hand, declares that Montmorency's jealousy of Guise prevented him from doing more than he was obliged ; and it is certain that Guise found it necessary to have recourse to the good offices of Diane de Poitiers to secure what he needed, since the Marechal THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 135 de Saint-Andre writes to him, under date August 27, 1552 : " I have not failed to show your letter to Madame de Valentinois, who usually does all that she is able to have you furnished with what you require." A strange condition of affairs indeed, when the security of an important town, on the point of being besieged by a great army, depended on the favour which the com- mander of its garrison happened to enjoy with the King's mistress ! ^ Even with the most loyal co-operation on the part of the Government, Guise's task was a sufficiently for- midable one. The town of Metz is enclosed on the west, north, and east by the Moselle and the Seille, which form a very strong natural bulwark, but on the south, on which side the place is directly accessible, it was, at this time, only defended by an old wall without bastions and in a very bad state of repair, while the extensive faubourgs afforded abundant cover for the batteries of a besieging force. To render the town defensible against the great army which was approaching, extensive works must be undertaken ; but, even if they were pushed on with all possible expedition, it was very doubtful whether they could be completed before the arrival of the enemy. Guise, however, was not the man to be discouraged easily. Early in August, he quitted Fontainebleau and proceeded to Toul. " The plague was raging there, but, notwithstanding the danger, he entered the town," * and, aware of the importance of this place in affording shelter to troops who could sally forth to harass an army besieging Metz and cut off their supplies, he gave order for its fortifications to be restored, at his own expense. On August 18, he arrived at Metz and set to work with furious energy on his herculean task, in which he 1 Guise appears to have owed his command in part at least to the influence of Diane, for we find him writing to thank her for helping him to obtain " the everlasting honour of pulling the Emperor's beard." * Bertrand de Salignac, Siige de Metz, 136 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE had the good fortune to have the assistance of the Florentine Piero Strozzi, Camillo Marini, and the Sieur de Saint-Remy, three of the most skilful engineers of the time. The last of the three, a native of Provence, was a specialist in fortifications, and bore almost as high a reputation as Vauban enjoyed in the following century. The town suffered cruelly from the necessities of its defence. An immense number of buildings were de- molished, to make room for new ramparts, or to clear the approaches ; the beautiful faubourgs were almost entirely razed to the ground, with all the churches, convents, and colleges they contained, and even the ancient Abbey of Saint-Arnoul, in which were the tombs of Louis le Debonnaire, of his brother Drogo, of his mother Hildegarde, Charlemagne's best-loved wife, and other great personages of the Carlovingian epoch, was not spared. It was, indeed, impossible to do so, since it was situated on an eminence which com- manded the Champenoise quarter, and would most certainly have been turned to account by the besiegers. The bodies were removed, with great solemnity, to the Dominican Church, escorted by Guise and his principal officers, bareheaded and with tapers in their hands. Notwithstanding the loss and suffering inflicted on them by this wholesale destruction, the citizens proved wonderfully tractable, for, since the occupation of the town in the previous spring, the French had treated them with consideration, and their sympathies were now entirely with their new masters ; while Guise's courtesy and tact had gained all hearts. So far from showing any resentment, many of the people are said to have assisted in the demohtion of their own houses, " regarding it as being for the pubhc good and for their own security." ' Guise himself set a splendid example of energy and devotion to duty. Although, in time of peace, it was ^ Mimoires de Vieilleville, FRANCIS I, DUC DE GUISE. From a contemporary engraving. 136] THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 137 his habit to take considerably more than the usual amount of sleep, he now contented himself with brief snatches of repose. At all hours he might be seen hurry- ing to and fro, encouraging the engineers, who laboured unceasingly, day and night, at the fortifications, super- vising the training of the recruits, and inspecting the ammunition and stores which were being brought into the town, of which he caused a careful inventory to be made. He organised the barber-surgeons of Metz into a sort of ambulance-corps, established two military hospitals, made large purchases of salt, which he paid for out of his own pocket, and carefully reconnoitred the environs of the town, in order that his artillery might have the range of the places where he judged that the enemy was most likely to establish his batteries. From the moment of his arrival in Metz until the end of the siege, " many as were the eyes which were con- tinually upon him, he was not seen to waste a single hour." With such ardour, indeed, did he supervise the defence-works that " often he had his dinner brought to him on the ramparts, from fear of losing time in going to and returning from his lodging ; and sometimes when the engineers showed signs of fatigue, or the soldiers were inclined to grumble at being put to labour to which they were little accustomed, he himself undertook the work with the princes, nobles, and gentlemen who were in his company, wielding the pick for hours at a time, and showing that it was the duty of a commander to endure toil and sweat in his own person." ^ Among the officers who served under him were four of the Bourbons : the Princes de la Roche-sur-Yon, d'Enghicn, de Conde, and the Vidame de Chartres. With them were the two elder sons of the Constable, Francois and Henri de Montmorency, the Due de Nemours, the Sieur de la Rochefoucauld, and a great number of other young nobles, " who had come to take their pleasure at the siege." Indeed, if the King ^ Salignac. 138 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE had not refused them permission, almost his entire Court would have scampered off to Metz, so great was their eagerness to serve under Guise and assist him in " pulHng the Emperor's beard." These spontaneous reinforcements were very welcome, for not only did they increase the strength of the garrison, but furnished brave and experienced officers to direct the sorties. Meanwhile, the great army of the Emperor, swollen continually by reinforcements from different quarters of Germany and the Netherlands, was slowly drawing nearer. It had been greatly delayed after crossing the Rhine by the illness of Charles, who was so feeble that he could not walk without support, though his indomit- able spirit still drove him on ; and it was not until October 19 that it appeared before Metz, while the siege did not really open until the 31st. By that time the fortifications had practically been completed, and the place abundantly provisioned for several months, for Guise had sent away and distributed among the neighbouring towns all the non-combatants, with the exception of a few priests and monks, and some two thousand labourers and citizens, whom he kept to repair the ramparts and assist in serving the artillery. On the other hand, the Imperialists had received an unlooked-for accession of strength. Albert Alcibiades, endangered by the advance of his outraged suzerain, had offered his services to France ; but the price he demanded was so exorbitant, and the French distrusted him so thoroughly, that they were declined. Thereupon the Margrave opened negotiations with the Imperialists, and began to prowl round Toul " like a wolf round the sheepfold." The Constable, informed of this, despatched the Due d'Aumale with a force of light cavalry to watch him. Aumale sent a herald to the Margrave to com- plain of the atrocities committed by his barbarians, and to justify the reprisals of the exasperated peasants, who had fallen upon and killed a number of stragglers, for which no one will be inclined greatly to blame them. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 139 But Albert, who, like his illustrious descendant, the Emperor William II of Germany, " despised the laws of war and the usages observed by civilised nations," ' promptly made the herald a prisoner; and, when the latter protested against this outrage to the white flag, " loaded the French with abuse, expressed his desire that a thousand calamities might befall them, and protested, with great oaths, that ere long he would bathe in their blood." Shortlyaf terwards, when Aumale, who could not bring himself to believe that even this ruffian would descend so low as to refuse to respect a flag of truce, was off his guard, the Margrave suddenly threw himself upon the Lorraine prince with his entire force. The French, surprised and hopelessly outnumbered, were, of course, unable to offer any effective resistance ; and Aumale accordingly ordered the retreat to be sounded. But he himself, in despair at the disaster which his carelessness had brought about, refused to take part in it, and, turning his horse, charged single- handed into the thick of the enemy. But the fate he courted did not befall him, for, though he was wounded and unhorsed, the Margrave, aware that the brother of the Due de Guise and the son-in-law of Diane de Poitiers would be far more valuable to him alive than dead, gave orders that his life should be spared. Proud of this facile victory, Albert marched to Metz, presented himself with his prisoner in the Imperial camp, made his peace with the Emperor, and joined the besiegers. All unwittingly, however, he had already served the French far more effectively than he could hope to serve Charles ; for the blind barbarity with which he had devastated all the surrounding country had changed it into a desert, where the investing army could find neither provisions nor shelter. 1 And, like the same august personage, we are told that " in the midst of his brigandage, he affected the language of an exalted piety and regarded himself as an instrument of Providence." I40 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE At the end of September, Montmorency had assembled a considerable army at Rheims, and early in October he advanced into Lorraine, with the intention of throwing reinforcements into Metz and harassing the Imperialists. But, on reaching Saint-Mihiel, he learned that a Flemish army, under the Comte de Rceux, had invaded Picardy, and, after laying waste the country between the Oise and the Somme, was about to lay siege to Hesdin. He therefore confined himself to strengthening the garrisons of Toul and Verdun, and returned to Rheims, where he was joined by the King; and it was decided that the bulk of the army should be despatched to Picardy, under the command of Vendome. This decision has been unfavourably criticised by some historians ; but it should be pointed out that Guise had assured the King and the Constable that he had a sufficient force for the defence of Metz, and that the royal army could be employed in other operations ; while it was certainly necessary to deal with the invasion of Picardy.' By the middle of November, three armies were en- camped around Metz. The Spaniards, Italians, and Germans besieged it from the south, the Netherlanders from the north, and the troops of Albert Alcibiades from the south-west. The main attack, however, was directed from the south. Authorities differ widely as to the total strength of the investing force, but the most reliable estimate it at from 70,000 to 80,000 men, with about 140 cannon of various calibre. Great as was the numerical strength of the Imperial army, its effectiveness was ruined by the dissensions between the various nations which composed it. The Germans and the Netherlanders detested the Spaniards, who cordially reciprocated their sentiments ; there was little love lost between the Germans and Italians, and the troops who came from the districts which had suffered at the hands of Albert Alcibiades were indignant at the pardon which the exigencies of war had compelled 1 F. Decrue, Anne, due de Montmorency. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 141 Charles V to extend to the crimes of that princely brigand, and would infinitely have preferred to cut the throats of his Pomeranians and Prussians to those of the French. The Emperor's selection of Alva for the command was most unpopular, and the German and Flemish generals criticised every order he gave, and often ignored him altogether. Under the cannon of the besiegers, Guise continued the work of fortifying the place. By frequent sorties he maintained the ardour and health of the garrison and harassed the enemy by continual alarms and losses. " Every day he contrived to inflict loss upon the enemy, capturing soldiers and horses and destroying the pro- visions that were being brought to him." The duke established his quarters near the Porte Champenoise, against which the principal attack was being directed, " in order to be at all hours on the spot where the greatest danger threatened." He had under his orders in the town above 5,000 men ; but he was very weak in heavy artillery, since, though he had several formid- able-looking pieces, they were for the most part in so much need of repair that, from fear of their bursting, the gunners were obliged to load them with half-charges, and " employ them more for the purpose of producing alarm than effect and to assist the falconets and other httle pieces." * Nevertheless, Guise did not hesitate to assure the King that he was confident of being able to hold out for ten months. Every two or three days he addressed despatches to the Court or to Montmorency's army to report the progress of the siege, or to suggest means of cutting off the enemy's convoys ; for, closely as the place was invested, his messengers do not appear to have experienced much difficulty in making their way through the lines of the besiegers. He also wrote frequently to the Cardinal de Lorraine, who watched over the family's interests at the Court, and his Eminence made it his ^ Guise, Memoires-journaux. 142 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE business to secure from the King a suitable recompense for those gentlemen whom his brother had recommended for their gallantry in the sorties, or to obtain for the partisans of the House of Guise the offices and emolu- ments of those who had just been killed. Even in the midst of their zeal for the safety of Metz, the two brothers never lost sight for a moment of the necessity of preserving their adherents and of assuring themselves of the support of a numerous body of nobles and gentle- men, bound to them by the ties of gratitude and interest. On November 13, the batteries of the Imperialists succeeded in effecting a breach near the Porte Champe- noise. In order to obtain the earth to stop it, the de- fenders had to descend into the moat under a heavy fire. The officers took their share in this dangerous work, and the Sieur de la Palice, a son of the marshal of that name who had fallen on the field of Pavia, was killed. On the 20th, the Emperor arrived in the camp of the besiegers, " very pale and wasted, with sunken eyes, and hair and beard quite white." ^ He was still, indeed, so weak from illness that he had been carried from Thornville on a litter ; but, on reaching Metz, he mounted a white horse and rode through the lines, commending the officers and men who had distinguished themselves. The Imperialists welcomed his arrival with salvoes of artillery and volleys from their arquebuses, and the defenders, under the impression that this was the prelude to a general assault, rushed to arms and hurried to the ramparts. Charles's arrival had been unexpected, and, while waiting until the Chateau de la Horgne, behind the ruined Abbey of Saint-Arnoul, could be prepared for himself and his suite, he took up his quarters in a little wooden house which had been hastily constructed adjoining those of Alva. The latter expressed his regret at being unable to offer his Imperial master more suitable * Bref discours du siige de Metz^ THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 143 accommodation ; but Charles smilingly replied that his humble lodging would become " a beautiful palace when they brought him the keys of the town." The Emperor had, in fact, arrived, beheving that in a very few days Metz would fall into his hands ; but, to his chagrin, his engineers had just decided that it was necessary to change the point of attack, and had begun to open new trenches opposite the Tour d'Enfer. Against this part of the defences a terrific fire was directed, the trenches being pushed so close to the walls that the garrison were able to throw stones into them. In a single day as many as 14,000 cannon-shot are said to have been discharged, and contemporary writers gravely assure us that so great was the noise of the bom- bardment that it could be heard beyond the Rhine. The damage effected was certainly not in proportion to what was, for those times, a positively colossal expendi- ture of ammunition. However, by the 26th, three breaches had been made in the walls, which it was impossible to repair, since the ditches were no longer tenable, and the garrison could no longer descend into them to obtain the earth they required. Finally, on the 28th, the Tour d'Enfer collapsed with a tremendous crash, leaving a gap in the defences 300 paces wide.* The Imperialists raised loud shouts of triumph, but, when the dust had cleared away, they perceived that behind the fallen wall was an inner line of earthworks eight feet high, bristling with small cannon, whereupon " they experienced as much vexation as they had received pleasure." * " Our men cried out to those outside : ' Au renard ! Au renard ! ' and they hurled a thousand insults against one another. But M. de Guise forbade any man, on pain of death, to speak vdth those outside, fearing lest there might be some traitor amongst them who would betray what was being done within the town. After this our men tied live cats to the end of their pikes and put them over the wall, and cried with * Guise, Memoires-journaux. 144 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE the cats : ' Miaut ! Miaut / ' Of a truth, the Im- periaHsts were much enraged, having been so long in making a breach, . . . only to find behind it a rampart stronger than the wall. They vented their fury upon the poor cats, and shot them with arquebuses, as men might shoot at the popinjay." ^ The utmost confidence animated the garrison, for Guise passed along the ramparts, laughing and jesting with the officers, encouraging the men who were working to strengthen still further the defences, complimenting those who had recently distinguished themselves, and giving his orders with as much sang-froid as though he had been upon parade, and his gaiety communicated itself to every man under his command. At the spot where he had stationed the picked troops of the garrison, he paused and delivered a short address. " I rejoice," said he, " pointing to the breach, " I rejoice to see that the enemy has at last overturned the barrier which was hindering your valour, and which was more serviceable to him than to you. It is only fair that, after you have so often been to seek him, even in his camp, that he shall come once to reconnoitre this town which he boasted he would be able to take so easily. Here you have an opportunity of acquiring great glory, which will not often be offered you. Profit by it, and show to all Europe, whose eyes are upon you, that it is not impossible for a little band of Frenchmen to check an Emperor who was besieging them with three armies, and who boasts of not having been stopped even by the pillars of Hercules." - This speech roused the garrison to the highest pitch of enthusiasm, and with one voice they assured their leader that, if the Emperor ever entered the town, it should only be over their dead bodies. Preparations had, indeed, already been made for a most desperate 1 Ambroise Pare, Voyage de Metz. 2 An allusion to the emblem adopted by Charles V, namely, two pillars with the word Ultra, signifying that he had passed beyond Cadiz, in carrying his conquering arms into Africa. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 145 resistance ; and, if the Imperialists had succeeded in carrying the earthworks, they would have been obliged to storm a great number of houses, every one of which had been converted into a fortress and loop-holed for arquebusiers, in the face of a murderous fire and a deluge of huge stones, iron bolts, bundles of lighted fagots, quick-lime and molten lead, which would have been poured upon them from the roofs and windows. The expected assault, however, was never delivered, for the besiegers had not counted on the second line of defence ; and, though the Emperor repeatedly urged that an attempt should be made to storm the place, Alva and the other generals, who had been informed by some Imperialist prisoners, whom Guise had set at liberty for that purpose, of the preparations which had been made for their reception and of the determination of the garrison to die every man in his harness, firmly refused to undertake it, pointing out that it would be to lead the troops to certain destruction. They were probably right, but Charles reproached them bitterly with their want of courage, and declared that he " saw very well that he had no real men left, and must take leave of the world and get him to a monastery." The bombardment was accordingly resumed, and the Tour de Wessieux, near the Porte Champenoise, was destroyed, leaving a new breach a hundred paces wide ; but this gap in the defences was covered, like the first, by a rampart of earth, and the Imperialists did not venture to attack. As a considerable number of the garrison had been wounded in the sorties, which were made sometimes two or three times a day, Guise sent for Ambroise Pare, the surgeon who had extracted the lance-head from his cheek, when he had been wounded before Boulogne, five years before. An Italian officer of the Imperial army consented, in consideration of a bribe of 1,500 ecus, to introduce him into Metz by night, " with his apothecary and drugs." ^ Under Pare's care, 1 Ambroise Pare, Voyage de Metz. I — 10 146 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE many of the wounded who would otherwise most cer- tainly have died recovered. November had been cold and wet ; December was worse. The camp of the Imperialists became a swamp ; their huts and tents were inundated, and the condition of the roads, which rain and snow had rendered almost impassable for heavy vehicles, combined with the activity of the garrisons of Toul and Verdun, rendered it difficult for their convoys to reach them. The troops suffered terribly, particularly the Spaniards and Italians, unac- customed to the rigours of the northern winter ; dysen- tery and typhus broke out, and hundreds were carried off, while numbers deserted. The besieged, too, gave them no rest, and their continual sorties contributed to the general demoralisation which prevailed. " Our men often ran out upon them, by order of M. de Guise," writes Ambroise Pare, " chiefly the young nobility, led by experienced captains ; and, indeed, it was doing them a great favour to allow them to sally from the town and run upon the enemy. . . . Then an alarm would be sounded all through the enemy's camp, . . . their drums would beat, their trumpets and clarions would sound, and all their soldiers would cry : ' Arm, arm, arm ! To arms, to arms, to arms ! ' like the hue and cry after wolves, and all in divers tongues, according to their nationality. And you would see them come out of their tents and huts as thick as ants when you uncover the ant-hills." ^ On one occasion, a body of 140 men-at-arms and a company of mounted arquebusiers penetrated into the midst of the camp of the Margrave of Brandenburg, captured a convoy which was on its way thither, and conducted it in triumph into Metz. In the course of this sortie, some 200 of the Margrave's brigands were killed, and he himself wounded by a lance-thrust from the Baron de Torcy. Almost simultaneously, another party from the town, under the command of Vieilleville, 1 Ambroise Pare, Voyage de Metz. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 147 fell upon a body of Albert's troops stationed at the village of Rougereuilles, and made great havoc among them. Smarting with the pain of his wound, and furious at the loss of so many men, Albert ordered his unfortunate prisoner, the Due d'Aurnale, to be brought before him, and " holding his dagger to the duke's throat, told him, with blasphemies and insults, that he was the cause — that it was in the hope of rescuing him that his people had on several occasions been slain ; but that he would deny God, if, in the event of them [the French] returning again, he did not cut him to pieces without mercy and blow out his brains with a pistol." ^ Shortly afterwards, however, Aumale became seriously ill, at which we can hardly be surprised, when we are told that his captor had " treated him worse than if he had been a Turk or a Moor and made him wear his shirt for thirty-six days ! " Upon which Albert, fearing that he might die and cheat him of the large ransom he counted on obtaining for his liberation, consented to send him to Forbach, under promise of a ransom of 70,000 crowns. By Christmas, on which festival only a few shots were exchanged, Charles V was reluctantly compelled to admit the hopelessness of continuing the siege. " I see well," said he, " that Fortune is a jade ; she prefers a young King to an old Emperor." Next morning, the retreat of the Imperialists began, though it was not until New Year's Day that Charles left his quarters to return to Thionville and thence to Brussels. Albert Alcibiades remained to the last, to cover the retreat of the artillery ; but a sortie of the French compelled him to abandon a number of pieces, whose carriages had stuck fast in the ruts of the muddy roads. The abandoned camp of the besiegers presented a spectacle calculated to excite the compassion of even the most hardened veteran. The number of newly-dug graves which were to be seen on every side made it 1 Memoires de Vieilleville. 148 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE resemble one vast cemetery ; the unburied bodies of men and horses lay about in all directions, and there was also a multitude of sick and wounded men, " some prone on the ground, others seated on stones, with their legs in the mud, frozen up to the knees. More than 300 were rescued from this horrible misery, but it was found necessary to amputate the hmbs of the majority." ^ The generous-hearted Guise treated the unfortunate derelicts of, the Imperial army with a humanity very rare at this epoch, and everything possible was done to alleviate their sufferings.^ His conduct, which was the theme of universal praise, was a fitting climax to a success which had estabhshed his reputation as one of the greatest soldiers of his time.' This really brilhant feat of arms, combined vidth the repulse of the Flemish invasion in the north and the recovery of Hesdin, which had passed temporarily into possession of the enemy, some trifling successes in Piedmont, and a naval victory off the Neapolitan coast, appears to have inspired the French Court with the most boundless confidence. Henri II refused to believe that, after the terrible losses that Charles V had sus- tained before Metz, he could have anything more to fear from him, and accordingly proceeded to disband his army and to dissipate in costly fetes and in lavish gifts to his favourites the money which should have been employed in following up his success. The Em- peror, on the other hand, laboured with untiring energy throughout the winter months at the work of recon- stituting his shattered legions ; and early in the spring, at the moment when the French Court was engaged in celebrating the nuptials of the King's natural daughter, Diane de France, and Orazio Farnese, and " nothing • M&moires de Vieilleville. 2 Guise's example was followed by the citizens of Metz, who raised subscriptions for the relief of those who recovered and for the interment of the dead. 3 " He [Guise] is inferior to no one in sagacity, in military experience, or in valour." Letter of Marco Antonio Barbaro, Venetian Ambassador at the Court of France, to the Senate of Venice. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 149 was being talked of but festivities and triumphs and games and pastimes of all kinds," ^ the alarming intelli- gence arrived that a large army of Germans, Spaniards, and Netherlanders had invested Therouenne, the advance- post of France in Artois. Even then, v^hether from a fatuous belief that Therouenne w^as impregnable, or, more probably, from want of money, no effective steps were taken to succour the place, though Frangois de Montmorency and a number of other young gentlemen received permission " to take their pleasure there." After a siege of two months, Therouenne was taken by assault, and the Constable's son with it. His life was spared, as were those of a few other men of rank, for whom large ransoms might be expected. But the Imperialists, or, at any rate, the Teutonic portion of them, were implacable in their ardour to avenge their defeat before Metz, and all the rest of the garrison was mercilessly butchered, together with the entire popula- tion, without distinction of age or sex ; while the town was literally razed to the ground. It never rose again, and, says Henri Martin, " is the only example in our history of a French town which has entirely perished." After the destruction of Therouenne, the victorious Imperialists marched upon Hesdin, which, for the third time within a year, was taken by assault, the King's new son-in-law, Orazio Farnese, being killed, fighting gallantly in the breach. The town was razed to the ground, as Therouenne had been, and the garrison and the inhabitants put to the sword, but, more fortunate than its neighbour, it was subsequently rebuilt. The tears of his daughter Diane, left a widow within a few months of her marriage, seemed to have aroused the King from his apathy, and at the beginning of August a considerable army was assembled at Amiens, under the orders of the Constable. Its appearance upon the scene was sufficient to paralyse the butchers and incendiaries of Charles V, who promptly raised the 1 Rabutin, Commentaires, I50 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE siege of Doullens and fell back towards the Netherlands. But, though Montmorency was subsequently joined by the King, who brought with him reinforcements which raised the strength of the army to 50,000 men, and the war was carried into hostile territory, absolutely nothing was effected, save the temporary occupation of a few unimportant places. It was a military promenade of the most futile kind. For this fiasco the incapacity of the Constable was mainly responsible, for, though Guise repeatedly urged that they should force an engagement with the Imperial- ists, much inferior in numbers to themselves, Mont- morency, as his biographer M. Decrue is compelled to admit, " recoiled before the slightest suspicion of an obstacle ^ ; and the King, who regarded himself as his old friend's pupil in military matters, invariably deferred to his opinion. He had soon, moreover, the mortifica- tion of being deprived of any independent command, the King, thanks to the insinuations of the Constable, " beginning to fear the popularity of M. de Guyse, and the craftiness of the Cardinal [de Lorraine] his brother." ' And when, in June 1554, another large army was assembled for the invasion of the Netherlands, part of it was placed under the orders of Montmorency, while the Prince de la Roche-sur-Yon and the Due de Nevers shared the command of the remaining troops. Guise had the good sense to accommodate himself to the situation and to accept with apparent resignation this semi- disgrace of the moment, well aware that his popularity in the Army would increase with each blunder committed by its present leaders, and that the time would soon arrive when he would be able to show how indispensable were his services. " It is without doubt at this epoch," observes one of the ablest of his biographers, " that he comprehends the advantages of a withdrawal after some brilliant opera- tion. His career is composed henceforth of a series of 1 Anne, Due de Montmorency. * Tavannes, Mdmoires. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 151 intermissions, through which we see him alternately invested with full powers or isolated in an obscure command. He knows how to check himself in time, in order not to give umbrage to the King, and not to force opportunity. From the moment that he has awakened jealousy, he disappears, assured of being sum- moned at the first crisis. Such he shows himself after the defence of Metz; such we shall see towards the end of his life, at the battle of Dreux ; he does not withdraw from the battle-field, but remains there, standing apart, watching for the monient when he will be able to intervene and prove himself the master." * On the present occasion, he had not long to watch. After taking Marienbourg, Bouvines, Dinant, and some unimportant places, and mercilessly ravaging the country,^ to avenge the destruction of Therouenne and Hesdin, the French laid siege to the fort of Renti, on the borders of Artois. The Emperor, who had once more taken the field in person, advanced to the relief of the place, and Guise, with a few thousand men, was detached to watch his movements. A wood called the Bois Guillaume separated the right wing of the Im- perialists from the French ; but, although it was the key of the whole position, the Constable had neglected to occupy it. To repair this error, of which he foresaw that the enemy would not fail to take advantage. Guise concealed 300 picked arquebusiers in the wood and staitoned a small body of pikemen on its outskirts, with orders that, when attacked, they were to fall back until they had drawn the Imperialists within range of the arquebusiers. These tactics succeeded perfectly, and the enemy's vanguard, which had attacked the pikemen, was driven back in confusion, with considerable loss. 1 M. Henri Forneron, les Dues de Guise et leur dpoque. 2 Hainaut had already been so devastated in the previous campaign that, on reaching Jametz, the King was obhged to lodge in the cottage of a peasant, whose wife had just given birth to a son. The Cardinal de Lorraine, who had accompanied the army, baptized the child, who was named after the King, his Majesty standing godfather in person. 152 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE However, on the morning of August 13, the Imperialists advanced in great force against the wood. Guise sent to warn the King that he was about to have the enemy's entire army on his hands ; but his Majesty and the Constable found themselves quite unable to come to a decision until they had held a council of war, and sent no orders. Obliged to act upon his own responsibility, Guise thereupon decided to withdraw gradually his infantry from the wood and attack the Imperialists as they debouched into the open. Slowly the enemy began to emerge from the trees, the German reiters leading the way,^ the Spanish men- at-arms following. But before the former could reform their ranks, thrown into disorder by the fire of the French arquebusiers and their passage through the wood, Guise launched his men-at-arms with their long lances upon them, and drove them back upon the Spanish cavalry, whom they threw into hopeless con- fusion. The French light horse and infantry pressed home the advantage gained by the men-at-arms, and the Imperialists were soon in full retreat, with the loss of several hundred men, over twenty standards, and four cannon.^ However, the incapacity of the Constable caused the fruits of this victory to be lost. Instead of sending rein- forcements to Guise, which would have enabled him to complete the defeat of the enemy, he remained inactive with his entire army before the walls of Renti, with the result that the Emperor was enabled to rally his troops and fortify his camp so strongly as to be able to defy attack. Moreover, Charles had already succeeded in 1 The reiters carried two or three pistols at their saddle-bows and usually advanced in several lines. When those forming the first line came within pistol-shot of the enemy, they discharged their weapons and then wheeled to the left and rear, when they reformed and recharged their pistols, each line in turn repeating the manoeuvre. 2 They were small cannon, mounted on four-wheeled carriages, and easily transported, and were called " the Emperor's pistols." According to the Due d'Aumale, this was the first attempt at light artillery, though the example does not appear to have been followed until the time of Gustavus Adolphus's famous canons de cuir. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 153 revictualling Renti, and, as supplies and munitions were both beginning to fail, early in September Henri H raised the siege and led his army back to Compiegne, where it was disbanded. Nevertheless, military critics are agreed that the day of Renti was a brilliant episode in Guise's career. " The sagacity," observes one of them, " with which he seized the right moment for withdrawing his infantry before it was overmatched, no less than the vigorous charge which prevented the enemy deploying as he emerged from the wood, must command our admiration." ' The conduct of the Constable was, of course, bitterly criticised, and the Guises and their partisans did not hesitate to declare that the retreat had been " sounded by the blast of jealousy." But disinterested observers also condemned it. " The responsibility for these checks," writes the Venetian Ambassador Capcllo, " belongs to the Constable, who formerly passed for a pusillanimous man, but is now regarded as a base poltroon {stimato vilissimo), since he was afraid to pursue a beaten and almost flying enemy. He is scoifed at everywhere. At the Court and in places of public resort, sonnets and Latin verses are circulated, in which he is called a coward and a man without heart." The charge that Montmorency was wanting in courage is unjust, for personally he was a very brave man, as he showed in the following year at the disastrous battle of Saint-Quentin. But, on the other hand, he was undoubtedly bitterly jealous of the military reputation which Guise had acquired by his brilliant defence of Metz ; and there was probably a good deal of truth in the accusation so freely brought against him by the rival faction that he had neglected to pursue the retreat- ing Imperialists after Renti, from an unwilhngness to complete a victory whose credit belonged to Guise rather than to himself. The Constable found a warm defender in his nephew 1 Due d'Aumale, Histoire des Pritices de Conde. 154 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE Gaspard de Coligny, who, on the death of Annebaut in 1552, had been created Admiral of France. At Renti, he had led the charge against the Imperialists, and, taking advantage of the fact that, at this epoch, people were easily tempted to attribute the gain of a battle to the arm which had struck the blows, rather than to the brain which had directed them, he now claimed for himself alone the honour of the victory. This claim was prompted not by vanity, but by a generous desire to parry the attacks of which his uncle was the object. Guise was naturally exasperated at such a pretension, the more so that Coligny had actually gone so far as to cast reflections on his personal courage ; and a violent altercation took place between them, in the presence of the King. Henri II intervened, and a formal recon- ciliation was effected. Nevertheless, from that hour, a bitter enmity divided these two great soldiers, which was to entail disastrous consequences both to themselves and to their country. Both sides were by this time equally weary of the war. The enormous cost of the large armies she had raised had exhausted the resources of France. The Emperor, broken in health and disgusted with the failure of his cherished schemes for religious unity and Imperial omnipotence, desired to shift the burden of his vast responsibilities on to younger shoulders and end his days in retirement ; and, to accomplish the deli- cate and complicated acts which his abdication would entail, peace was essential. England, whom Charles had vainly endeavoured to drag into the war,^ tendered her good offices, and in May 1555 negotiations were opened at Marcq, near Calais. Nothing came of them ; but towards the close of the year the belligerents de- cided to treat directly with one another, and, though their common pretensions rendered the conclusion of a 1 Edward VI had died in July 1553, and a year later, to the great alarm of France, his successor Queen Mary had married Philip of Spain. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 155 definite peace impossible, a truce of five years was agreed upon and signed at the Abbey of Vaucelles, in Hainaut (February 15, 1556), during which communications by land and sea were to be re-established and each sovereign was to remain in possession of his own conquests. France thus retained the Three Bishoprics and the fortresses she had reduced in Piedmont. Charles V had not waited for the formal conclusion of the Truce of Vaucelles to divest himself of the crowns whose weight his increasing infirmities made it impossible for him any longer to support. On October 25, 1555, he had abdicated in his son Phihp's favour the sovereignty of the Netherlands, and in January 1556 had ceded to him the kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Sicily, and Naples. In order that Ferdinand of Austria might select a favour- able moment for securing his own election as Emperor, he retained the Imperial diadem until the following August, and a few weeks later sailed for Spain, to spend the brief span of life which remained to him in the cloistral soHtude of Yuste. Thus disappeared from the scene the man who for forty years had been the soul of all the wars which had desolated Christendom ; but those who imagined that this event was to be the signal for an era of peace were speedily disillusioned. CHAPTER XII The Cardinal Caraffa elected Pope, under the title of Paul IV — His pride and arrogance — His hatred of the Spaniards, whose domina- tion in Italy he is determined to overthrow — Despatch of the Cardinal Caraffa to France to induce Henri II to break the Truce of Vaucelles — The Cardinal's overtures are repulsed by Montmorency, but warmly received by the Guises — Audacious projects of the Due de Guise and the Cardinal de Lorraine — The Constable renounces his opposition and joins the Guises and Madame de Valentinois in counselling war — Singular reason for this change of front — Guise's Italian expedition — He is delayed in Rome by the refusal of the Caraffi to furnish him with the troops promised — Duel between an Italian and a Gascon officer on Monte Rotondo — -Unsuccessful invasion of Naples — Guise receives orders to return to France. A fEW months before Charles V descended from a throne in order to enter the obscurity of the cloister, a monk, twenty-four years older than the Emperor, emerged from the obscurity of the cloister in order to mount a throne. This monk was Giovanni Pietro Caraffa, one of the founders of the Theatine Order, who, in May 1555, notwithstanding the strenuous opposition of the Imperial party in the Sacred College, was elected Pope, under the title of Paul IV. People had regarded him as a sage and a saint, but scarcely had he become Pope, than he was transformed. He sat for three hours over his dinner, which consisted of twenty- five courses, and scandal asserted that he drank even more than he ate, preferring the dark and heady wines of his native Naples. He entertained the most extrava- gant notions of the Papal prerogative, and his pride was so great, his regard for etiquette so punctilious, that the foreign Ministers trembled when they approached him ; while no one dared to contradict him, since to dissent from any opinion which his Holiness condes- cended to express was an unforgivable offence. 156 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 157 Paul hated Charles V ; he hated him as the oppressor of his compatriots, the Neapolitans, and he hated him still more as the persecutor of his relatives, whom he had despoiled of their Neapolitan estates. From the moment of his election, he had resolved to leave no means untried to overthrow^ the Spanish domination in Italy, and, finding that one of his nephews, Carlo Caraff a, shared his antipathy to the Spaniards, he created him a cardinal and gave him his entire confidence, notwith- standing the fact that he was a man of notoriously evil life, who had been a leader of condottieri and had com- mitted at least two assassinations. The new Pope began operations by issuing a decree of banishment against the Sforzi, the Colonni, and other families of the Imperial party in the States of the Church, and confiscating their lands, which he bestowed as fiefs upon two other nephews, whom he created Duke of Paliano and Count of Montebello; and on December 16, 1555, he signed with the Cardinal de Lorraine, acting on behalf of France, a treaty with Henri II, whereby it was arranged that the two sovereigns should make a combined attack upon the Spaniards and their allies in Italy and re-establish the Republic of Florence, by the expulsion of Cosimo de' Medici. In the event of the Spaniards being expelled from the Milanese, the Pope promised the investiture of the duchy to the King's second son, the Due d'Orleans. Just, however, as the Papal troops were about to invade the Kingdom of Naples, Paul learned, to his intense disgust, of the conclusion of the Truce of Vaucelles. It was a serious check to his schemes ; nevertheless, his hatred of the " accursed Spaniards " was far too intense to permit him to abandon them, and, urged on by Carlo Caraffa, he forthwith determined to employ every persuasion to induce Henri II to break the truce. The ex- condottiere was accordingly despatched as Legate to France, with the avowed mission of bringing about a definite peace in Europe, but with the secret task of 158 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE engaging the French Government in a fresh Italian enterprise. The cardinal arrived at Fontainebleau, bearing a sword and a rosary, both blessed by the H0I7 Father, which he presented to the King and Queen respectively. As a concession to the obligation of his official charge, he discoursed eloquently at his first audience on the blessings of peace, but no one doubted that he brought war under his red robe. Desirous of gaining the sup- port of those who directed the will of the feeble King, he began by addressing himself to the Constable, who was greatly disturbed by his proposals. It had always been Montmorency's most cherished dream to bring about a close alliance between the Holy See, France, and the House of Austria, in order to combat the Turks and the Reformers, and suddenly the Pope proposed to make war on the Catholic King and appealed to the King of France for assistance, at the very moment when the Truce of Vaucelles had partially reconciled France and Spain ! Moreover, the rupture of the truce would involve the Due de Guise, who, since his mihtary talents had, for the time being, ceased to be of service, was much less to be feared as a rival, being given fresh opportunities of acquiring distinction, and of establish- ing further claims on his sovereign's gratitude. Accordingly, the Constable reminded the Legate that former alliances between France and the Holy See had invariably terminated with the lives of the aged Pontiffs with whom they had been contracted ; that to sacrifice important interests in return for the promises of a Power whose policy changed every three or four years, at the accession of each new Sovereign, was always a hazardous speculation, and that, having regard to the exceptionally advanced age of Paul IV, already on the verge of eighty, he could not see his way to recommend the acceptance of his proposals. Repulsed by the Constable, Caraffa " addressed him- self to those who occupied the second place in the THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 159 favour of the King, to wit, Messieurs de Guise," ' from whom he met with a very different reception. The mortification of Paul IV at the termination of hostiHties with the Emperor had been shared by the Guises, who had built great hopes on the Treaty which the Cardinal de Lorraine had just previously concluded with the Holy See, and had formed audacious projects on Italy for their personal aggrandizement. For they them- selves had proposed to be the principal gainers by this alliance. The duke hoped that a great conflagration in Italy might afford him the chance of seizing the crown of Naples, which his ancestors of the House of Anjou had worn, and his claims to which had been strengthened by his marriage with a grand-daughter of Louis XII ; the cardinal aimed at the papal tiara, and believed that, when the aged Pontiff should lay it aside, the presence of the French armies in Italy might not be without influence on the decision of the Conclave. These pretensions the crafty Italian did not fail to encourage, and, with the idea of gaining the good-will of Madame de Valentinois, even hinted at the possi- bility of a crown in Italy for her son-in-law, the Due d'Aumale. His success, so far as the Lorraine princes and the mistress were concerned, was complete, and they united in urging the King to break the truce. Between the importunities of the Guises and the warnings of the Constable, Henri II found himself in a diflScult position ; but it is probable that he would have eventually decided against war, had not Mont- morency suddenly executed a complete "Volte face, and not only withdrawn his opposition to the proposals of the Carafli, but joined his instances to those of Diane and the Guises to secure their acceptance. The motive for this sudden change of front was a singular one. After the death of Orazio Farnese at the storming of Hesdin, in July 1553, Henri II had proposed to the Constable to bestow the young widow's hand on Mont- 1 Memoires de Tavannes. i6o THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE morency's eldest son, Frangois. The Constable was, of course, transported with joy at the prospect of an alliance with the Royal Family, which could not fail to discount to some extent the advantages which the Guises would obtain from the approaching marriage of Mary Stuart with the Dauphin ; and, without troubhng his head about his son's feehngs in the matter — Francois, who, it will be remembered, had been taken prisoner at the fall of Therouenne, was at this time a captive in the Netherlands — accepted with gratitude his Majesty's gracious proposal. The arrangements for the projected union were soon made. Henri H assured to his future son-in-law the governments of Paris and of the lie de France, which would keep him near the Court, the collar of the Order of Saint-Michel, and the reversion of his father's oihce of Grand Master. To his daughter he gave, as dowry, the counties of Mantes and Meulan, and he also con- tributed a sum of 72,000 livres towards the princely ransom which the Imperialists demanded for the prospective bridegroom. The Constable could scarcely restrain his elation, but a rude shock was in store for him. For when Francois recovered his liberty and returned to France, he learned, to his indescribable mortification, that his son's affec- tions were already engaged ; he had succumbed to the attractions of one of the Queen's maids of honour, Mile de Piennes, '' one of the most beautiful, virtuous, and accompHshed ladies of the Court," ' had made her a solemn promise of marriage, in the presence of witnesses, and had proceeded to act as though they were already wed. For a fortnight the Constable remained shut up in his hotel in Paris, " weeping and groaning," while all the Court came to offer him their condolences, some no doubt sincere, but most, we fear, ironical, since the old gentleman was not exactly beloved. Then grief 1 Brantome. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE i6i gave way to the most terrible rage, which his family in vain endeavoured to pacify. No matter how great the scandal might be, he swore that Francois should be separated from the designing minx who had persuaded him to forget the duty which he owed his father ; and on October 5, 1556, the two lovers were summoned before a commission of bishops and Councillors of State at the Louvre. They pleaded that they were not aware that clandestine marriages were culpable ; but this excuse was judged insufficient, and Mile de Piennes was shut up in the Convent des Filles-Dieu, while Francois, terrified by the paternal threats, started for Rome to solicit from the Pope the annulment of his marriage. And it was to conciliate Paul IV and to obtain from the intriguing old Pontiff the dispensation which would set his son free to marry the natural daughter of the King that the Constable had turned his back upon the principles which had always guided his policy, renounced his opposition to the demands of the Caraffi, and decided Henri II to break his most solemn engagements and plunge into a war which was to bring France into one of the most perilous situations in which she had ever been placed.^ It is not easy to explain how two such experienced soldiers as Guise and the Constable could possibly have 1 And the irony of it all was that, in February 1557, Paul IV, after keeping the unfortunate Constable on tenter-hooks for some months, refused to grant the dispensation demanded, on the ground that the Church, previous to the Council of Trent, had recognised marriages con- tracted on a simple mutual promise. Probably, the Guises, all-powerful just then at Rome, were no strangers to this decision. The civil power, however, came to Montmorency's aid, and on March i of that year a royal edict appeared — the famous Edit anibitieux — which declared all promises of marriage, past and present, made by children without the parental sanction null and void, even if the parties were of full age. Thus, all impediment to the alliance of the House of Montmorency with the Royal Family was removed, and the marriage of Fran9ois and the widow of Orazio Farnese, who before the first marriage had been given the rank of a granddaughter of France, was duly celebrated ; and, con- trary to what one might expect, proved an exceptionally happy one. As for the victim of the Constable's ambition, she was released from her convent, and eventually found a husband in Florimond Robertet, Secretary of State. I — II i62 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE failed to comprehend that to despatch a French army to Southern Italy was to lay the country open to an invasion ; for the last war had entailed so great a drain upon the Treasury that there was no money forth- coming for the hire of foreign mercenaries, and to raise troops for the Italian expedition it was necessary to reduce the garrisons on all the frontiers. It is certain that neither the duke nor the Constable were so fatuous as to cherish the illusion that a truce broken in Italy would be respected in Flanders, or that Philip II, who hemmed in the frontiers and coasts of France by Spain and the Franche-Comte, the Netherlands and England, would fail to take advantage of the comparatively defenceless state of the kingdom ; indeed, it was the French themselves who began hostilities on the northern frontier. We must therefore conclude that both de- liberately sacrificed the safety of the kingdom to their own interests, though, in fairness to Montmorency, it should be observed that, always full of confidence in himself, he believed that, in the event of an invasion being attempted on a really formidable scale, he would have time to assemble the reserves and recruit sufllicient mercenaries to furnish him with a force capable of resisting it. War having been decided upon, the Legate, in the name of the Pope, absolved Henri II from his oath to observe the Truce of Vaucelles, and it was arranged that the Army of Italy should be placed under the command of Guise, who was invested with full authority to act according to his discretion, unhampered by any orders from the Government. In embarking upon this Italian enterprise, the duke was momentarily forgetful of the example set him by his prudent father, who had pre- ferred to make his military reputation and his fortune by the successful defence of the frontiers and capital of France and to leave to more adventurous spirits the chances of the Italian wars, for which so many thousands of gallant gentlemen had set out never to return, and THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 163 in which so many French generals had lost both repu- tation and life. Probably, the desire to be the sole chief of an army, to be no longer constrained by the jealous authority of the Constable, of feehng himself the master, had prompted to some extent this departure from the traditional caution of his family. But there can be no doubt that his chief motive is to be found in the hope of realising that ambitious and long-cherished project of the House of Lorraine — the recovery of the crown which their Angevin ancestors had worn. The Truce of Vaucelles was not denounced, and the King continued to address false assurances of friendship to Philip H, while preparations were being made to wrest from the latter the Kingdom of Naples. The Pope, on his side, had not even waited for the promise of French intervention to provoke his Catholic Majesty, and in September 1556, Alva, now Viceroy of Naples, received orders to occupy the Papal States, and invaded the Campagna. Paul IV had no troops ready to oppose him except the city militia of Rome, very brilliant at reviews, but quite incapable of confronting the Spanish veterans ; and Alva, who had quickly seized Tivoli and Ostia, might easily have taken Rome. However, in accordance with the instructions of Philip II, who professed that his only desire was to assure the peace of Christendom, he displayed great moderation, and con- tented himself with blockading the city and repulsing the occasional attacks which the forces which Paul IV had now assembled made upon his troops. Alva's invasion furnished France with a casus belli, but the efforts of Henri II to draw into the Pontifical alliance several Italian States met with little success ; the Republic of Siena and the Duke of Ferrara alone joined it. In the last days of December, Guise crossed the Alps at the head of some 13,000 men and a great number of noble volunteers, who had eagerly solicited permission to serve under his victorious banner. His staff included the Due d'Aumale, the Due de i64 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE Nemours, Tavannes, Montluc, and other experienced chiefs. In the plain of the Po, he was joined by the Marechal de Brissac and the Army of Piedmont, and their united forces marched on Valenza and carried it by assault. Almost simultaneously hostilities began on the northern frontier, where Coligny, after an unsuc- cessful attempt to surprise Douai, took and burned Lens, in Artois ; and on January 31, 1557, war was formally declared. Brissac, who had commanded the French forces in Piedmont since the beginning of the reign, strongly advised Guise to confine his operations, for the present, to the Milanese, in which the Spaniards were just then so weak that he would probably experience little difficulty in reducing the whole duchy to submission. If he had followed this advice, he would have rendered a real service to his country and have been spared much dis- appointment. But he sacrificed the interests of France to his own designs on Naples and to the importunities of the Pope, who feared an attack by the Spaniards on Rome and a repetition of the horrors which had accom- panied its sack by Bourbon's soldiery in 1527 ; and pushed on to the Eternal City, which he entered on March 2. Here he wasted a full month, in disputes with the Cardinal Caraffa, who " kept him entertained by all the delights, banquets, courtesans, virgins, and married women which this whirlpool of abomination was accustomed to provide," ^ but failed to furnish him with the money and troops promised. " The Pope was contented to be the soul of the enterprise of which France was to furnish the body." ^ It is probable that the Cardinal Caraffa had already been bribed by the agents of Philip II to betray his uncle and the French general ; any way, his conduct was most suspicious, and of the 15,000 men which he had been promised, all that Guise was able to obtain were some 1,200. Moreover, these Italian auxiliaries 1 Mdmoires de Vieilleville. ^ Froude, History of England, THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 165 soon began to quarrel with the French ; and a judicial duel, with formalities similar to those observed at the celebrated combat between Jarnac and La Chataig- neraie, fought at Saint-Germain-en-Layc nine years before, took place on Monte Rotondo, where Guise's army was encamped, between an Italian officer and a Gascon captain named Prouillan. The latter, it appears, had indulged in various outrageous and unsavoury- observations respecting Italians in general, and his opponent had " demanded a field," in order to vindicate the honour of his country. " When they had entered the lists, and all the formalities had been completed. Fortune willed that the ItaHan should deliver so great and so villainous a sword-cut on the ham-string of Prouillan, that he fell to the ground without power to rise again. The ItaHan confiscated his enemy's weapons, quitted the lists with his second, confidants and friends, and, entering a coach, with the weapons of his enemy borne before him in token of triumph, proceeded to Rome and made his entry amidst great rejoicing and applause and loud cries of ' Victory ! The honour of the country is saved! ' " ^ Incidents of this kind naturally did not make for effective co-operation between the troops of the two nations, and Guise appears to have experienced con- siderable difficulty in getting his orders obeyed by the ItaHan officers. Of the good faith of the Cardinal Caraffa he was becoming more and more suspicious, and wrote to Henri II that " he had a head calculated to ruin every one." ' But he himself was acting in a very equivocal manner, for, while he counted on keeping for himself the crown of Naples, he signed, on behalf of France, a treaty with the Pope, which stipulated that that kingdom, when conquered, should be given to the Due d'Orleans, second son of Henri II, who was to espouse a relative of the Holy Father. Finally, in the first week in April, he quitted Rome, 1 Brantome, les Duels. ^ Gmse, Mimoires-journaux. i66 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE penetrated into the Abruzzi, stormed and sacked Campli and laid siege to Civitella, which he had expected to reduce without much difficulty. But this town was stubbornly defended, the inhabitants, exasperated by the cruelties which the invaders had committed at Campli, being resolved, they declared, to perish of hunger rather than submit to a similar fate. The sup- plies and munitions of the besiegers began to fail, for, though the Caraffi had assured Guise that they would furnish him with everything necessary for the success of the expedition, they did not send him so much as a loaf of bread or a sack of powder ; in fact, they ap- peared to have forgotten him altogether. Guise lost his temper, complained bitterly to the Marquis Antonio Caraffa, who commanded the Papal contingent, of the conduct of his uncle, and, when the marquis attempted to defend his august relative, " insulted him and struck him with a silver plate." ^ However, the French suc- ceeded in cutting off the water-supply of the town, and, though the inhabitants were prepared to endure the pangs of hunger, they could not face thirst in addition, and were on the point of capitulating, when the weather suddenly changed and rain fell almost incessantly. " God has become Spanish ! " exclaimed Guise bitterly, and, after two unsuccessful attempts to take the place by assault, he raised the siege and marched against Alva, who, on the approach of the French, had evacuated the places he had occupied in the States of the Church and retreated into Neapolitan territory. The astute Spaniard, however, though superior in force to Guise, obstinately declined to give battle, preferring to harass his adversary and wear out his army, unaccustomed to the severe heat of the Neapolitan summer and compelled, owing to the unfulfilled pro- mises of the Caraffi, to live entirely upon the country. Fever and desertion soon began to thin the ranks of the French, and Guise, thoroughly disgusted with his 1 M^moires de Tavannes. THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 167 allies, wisely decided to retreat while his army still remained comparatively intact, and fell back to Tivoli, and finally to Rome, where, at the beginning of August, he received orders from Henri H to return to France. Paul IV's indignation on finding himself abandoned by the French knew no bounds. " Go, then ! " said he, when Guise came to take leave of him ; "you have done little for your King's service, still less for the Church, and nothing at all for your own honour ! " Such language came rather badly from the Holy Father, who, for some weeks past, under pressure from his nephews and the peace party at the Pontifical Court, had been negotiating with his ' prodigal son ' — as he called Philip H — behind his ally's back ; and it was, in point of fact, the discovery of these intrigues by the French Government that had led to Guise's recall.^ The duke proceeded to Ostia, whence he embarked for France, while Tavannes and Marillac brought back the army over the Alps. A month later, the Pope made peace with Spain on terms very much more advantageous than he deserved, and turned his energies to the sup- pression of heresy and to the disciplining of the Roman clergy, who certainly needed it. 1 And not the disaster of Saint- Quentin, as Henri Martin, M. Forneron, and other historians seem to imagine. The defeat occurred some days after the orders for the recall of Guise were despatched. CHAPTER XIII Formidable invasion of Picardy by the Spaniards — Disastrous defeat of the Constable at Saint-Quentin- — Consternation in Paris — The heroic defence of Saint-Quentin by Coligny saves the situation — Return of Guise, who is received with enthusiasm — He is appointed Lieu- tenant-General of the Kingdom — He determines on an attempt to recover Calais and expel the English from France — Failure of the English Government to reinforce the garrisons of Calais and Guines — Calais is taken after a siege of six days — Harsh treatment of the inhabitants — Gallant defence of Guines by Lord Grey de Wilton, who is. however, obliged to surrender — ^The Guises turn the duke's brilliant military success to account by hastening the marriage of their niece, Mary Stuart, to the Dauphin, Philip II had not failed to profit by the criminal folly of the French Government in sacrificing the safety of the country to engage in a costly foreign enterprise, at the bidding of an ambitious family which preferred its own to the national interest. He assembled in the Netherlands an army of 60,000 men under the com- mand of Emmanuel Phihbert, Duke of Savoy ; and, in conjunction with Mary, succeeded, thanks to the injudicious assistance rendered by Henri II to Sir Thomas Stafford's foolhardy descent upon the Yorkshire coast, which had aroused great irritation in England, in dragging that country into the war. Without, however, awaiting the arrival of the English contingent, the Duke of Savoy assumed the offensive, and, after a feint in the direction of Champagne, in- vaded Picardy, and, at the beginning of August, laid siege to Saint-Quentin, on the Somme, one of the bulwarks of Paris. Coligny, Governor of Picardy, with a few hundred men, succeeded in throwing himself into the place before the investment was completed, and actively organised the defence ; but the fortifications 168 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE 169 of Saint-Quentin were old-fashioned and in a very bad state of repair, and there was Httle ammunition ; and he perceived that, unless help speedily arrived, its fate was sealed. Realising the importance of succouring a town whose fall would open the road to the capital, the Constable hastened northwards with all the troops he could muster. But his army, though it contained a great number of nobles and gentlemen, was so vastly inferior to the enemy in numbers that he dared not risk an engagement ; and he therefore decided merely to make a feint against the besiegers' lines, and, under cover of this movement, to throw 2,000 men under Coligny's brother, the Sieur d'Andelot, and a quantity of provisions and ammunition into the town. This accomplished, he intended to retire. He boasted that he was going to show the Duke of Savoy " a trick of the old stager " ; but he only succeeded in once more demonstrating his absolute unfitness for the command of an army. Owing to the delay caused by the non-arrival of the boats required to transport the reinforcements and supplies for the beleaguered town across the Somme, which, by some misunderstanding, had been left in the rear of the army, Andelot only succeeded in getting into the town with a mere handful of men ; and when Montmorency began to retire, he found that the enemy had crossed the river by a ford of which he appears to have been in ignorance, seized the only road by which he could retreat, and cut his army right in two. Surprised and hopelessly outnumbered, the French were completely routed. The Due de Nevers, Conde, and Francois de Montmorency succeeded in effecting their retreat to La Fere with the troops which they com- manded. But one of the Bourbon princes, Jean, Comte d'Enghien, Montmorency's son-in-law the Vicomte de Turennc, and over 3,000 men were killed, including 600 gentlemen, and more than 7,000 made prisoners, among whom were the Constable himself, his fourth son 170 THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE Montmorency-Montberon, Saint- Andre, Longueville, La Rochefoucauld, and Gontaut-Biron — in fact, the fliower of the French nobihty. It was a second Pavia. The news of the battle of Saint-Quentin — or Saint- Laurent, as contemporary writers call it (It was fought on St. Lawrence's Day, August lo), created the utmost consternation in Paris ; and it was feared that the Duke of Savoy would mask Saint-Quentin with a small force, overwhelm the debris of the routed army at La Fere, and march straight upon the capital. This, in fact, was the course which Philibert was anxious to pursue ; " But," says Montluc, " God was pleased miraculously to deprive the King of Spain of his right judgment," ^ and, anticipating that Saint-Quentin would prove an easy prey, he ordered the duke to remain before the town until it had fallen. Saint-Quentin, however, proved a much more serious obstacle than Philip had bargained for. Without the least hope of saving the town, without the smallest prospect of succour from outside, protected only by feeble ramparts, which were rapidly crumbling to ruin before the cannon of the besiegers, Coligny, seconded by his brother Andelot and the engineer Saint-Remy, who had rendered such valuable assistance in the defence of Metz, succeeded in inspiring the garrison and the inhabitants to the most heroic efforts. If they capitulated, he told them, nothing could save Paris ; while, on the other hand, every day, every hour of resistance, meant so much more time for the country to arm and for the Army of Naples to return. Roused to the highest pitch of patriotic devotion by the noble words and splendid example of their leader, officers, soldiers, and citizens, well aware that the town was doomed and themselves with it, since they could expect no mercy at the hands of the ferocious enemy whose plans they were thwarting, prolonged their heroic defence for nearly three weeks ; and it was only ^ Commeniaires. v,.(_ :y,vJ5! "*9^ m