Pages 110-114
Calendar of State Papers and Manuscripts in the Archives and Collections of Milan 1385-1618. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1912.
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Citation:
1464
| [1464.] June 1. Potenze, Estere. Inghilterra. Milan Archives. |
132. Copy of four paragraphs from a letter of Thomaxe Portinaro from Antwerp, on the 1st of June. The Bastard has left with his fleet. So far as it goes it is the finest ever seen, but they are few, not amounting to two thousand combattants, and their ships are small. May God go with them and give them grace to do well. The Pope has written letters to the duke here, which have made him very angry, and from what I hear, he will not write or make any reply. They say freely here that the needs of the Christians come in very conveniently, and they reckon that he has done what has to be. Very soon the King of France should be here, that is to say in Picardy, and the two ambassadors of England (fn. 1) are to come. This will be in order to negotiate about peace. Upon that subject I hold fast to my opinion. They say that Warwick will come to Calais; we shall see what happens. I have heard recently that fresh disturbances have taken place in England between the two kings, and subsequently that King Edward has followed after his adversaries and that he has taken the Duke of Somerset, and the Lord D'imolis (fn. 2), with others subsequently, and has had them all beheaded. King Henry has retreated to some castle, where they say he is besieged, and they have attended to Lord Spunarlto. One may say that that party is utterly dispersed, a benefit which is their bane. It is said that the Scots and Edward are certainly agreed, and the stronger he makes his position the more certain we feel that they do not want peace with France. Enough. [Italian.] |
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| Aug. 5. Potenze, Estere. Francia. Milan Archives. |
133. Copy of the summary of some letters written by the Duke of Britanny to the Duke of Berri. My most dread lord: You must have heard how his Majesty the King has conceived a dislike and ill-will towards me, and has questioned the regality of my country, although he knows that he has no right therein. Upon this he has written to some of my lords of his blood, thinking to provoke them against me. For this reason I have decided to write this present, that you may be good enough to soften him from his enterprise against me, chiefly for the abbey of Redon, which he wished to be conferred upon Arthur de Monte Albano. (fn. 3) But the people of my country and my state would not tolerate him, because there is a public rumour that he caused the death of Giles of Britanny, cousin german of the king and myself. (fn. 4) I am also aware that in England it is publicly stated that I, my country and my subjects are not included in the truce (fn. 5) which has been made, and when the English have found Bretons and French in the same ship, the Bretons have been taken and the French released. In addition to this, some goods and merchants of my country have been detained at Rouen and elsewhere. I have also learned since that he said something to the English about harassing me. I have made him the offer to submit all our differences to the arbitrament of himself and the lords of his blood, as you will hear more at length by this my chancellor and councillor, about this and other matters. Speronera, near Nantes in Britanny, the 5th August. [Italian.] |
| Enclosure. |
134. Copy of instructions given by the Duke of Britanny to one of his councillors. First, to find the Dukes of Berri, Alencon, and Nemours and the Counts of Dunois, St. Paul and Monliurer and present his letter to each of them. To tell them that which he has not cared to write in the letters, as being something very secret and important. That the king, the better to further his enterprise against the duke, under colour of some marriages and some other things, has made a promise to the English, in order to have a truce, peace or a league with them, and to give them one of the duchies of Normandy or Guienne, or a part thereof; and he has asked help of the King of England to conquer the lordships of some of the said lords of his realm, in order make up his own dominion by so much as he offered to give to the English. To give colour to the conduct of his enterprise the king decided to negotiate the marriage of his eldest daughter to King Edward's brother, the terms being that King Edward should give his brother the Duchy of Clarence, and the king should give his said daughter one of the said duchies of Guienne or Normandy or some portion thereof. In return for this King Edward was to promise the king to help him conquer the Duchy of Britanny, and some other lordships named above, to make up his dominions, as aforesaid. This is very likely to be true, as the report of it is current in England, and that is how the duke obtained his information about it, as well as the Kings of Spain and Scotland, with whom some of the duke's servants happened to be a short while ago. It is a very strange thing, and might be the cause of rousing all France against the king, if the thing was really carried out, considering the lives of so many notable men which the kingdom has lost in recovering what the English held so long by force, without reckoning the other losses which the kingdom has suffered by reason of them and by defending the above. The king said a short while since that he never would rest until the state of the Duke of Britanny fell with four of the greatest of the same king's subjects. The king's commissioners have asked for an oath from the men-at-arms to act against all nemine excepto, and especially against the Dukes of Burgundy, Bourbon, and Britanny, and in some places they have even asked for one against the Duke of Orleans, and some who declined to take this oath have come into my country. [Italian.] |
| Enclosure. |
135. Copy of Articles sent to be set forth under letters of credence by the Duke of Burgundy to King Edward. First: that the duke greatly desires to have the friendship of the King of England and much more than he does the duke's. That neither of them shall keep silence about any machination or treaty against their persons or countries, but shall disclose them and advise each other thereof, helping each other in such places as are most convenient. The duke offers to make a truce on the understanding that during the truce he may give assistance to King Henry (Alvyse). If the King of England prefers that the duke should not be bound to give any help to the said king or any place of refuge, supposing he chooses to come to France or to his consort (Compagnia) in order to recover his rights, the duke is content not to give any help or succour to King Henry in France, and similarly he will give no help or place of refuge to King Henry's consort, if she wishes to go to England. [Italian.] |
| 1464. Sept. 11. Potenze, Estere. Francia. Milan Atchives. |
136. Alberico Malleta, Milanese Ambassador in France, to Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan. The king complained to me about an ambassador of King Fernando, who was in England and was negotiating peace between the English and the King of Spain. He said that I should write to him, and accordingly I did so at once, urging him to desist from this business. I sent the letters to Thomaxo Portanari, to send to him. Since then the king has told me that the ambassador has gone to Spain for this agreement. Your lordship may see fit to advise King Ferdinand getting him to write that he must not meddle with this but attend to his principal embassy. Abbeville, the 11th September, 1464. [Italian; the part in italics deciphered.] |
| Oct. 5. Potenze Estere. Borgogna. Milan Archives. |
137. News Letter from Bruges. Some Venetian merchants have arrived from London, which they left on the 26th September. They say that the plague is at work there at the rate of two hundred a day, and Carlo Ziglio writes the same. They also say that the marriage of King Edward will be celebrated shortly, but without stating where. It seems that the espousals and benediction are already over, and thus he has determined to take the daughter of my Lord de Rivers, a widow with two children, having long loved her, it appears. The greater part of the lords and the people in general seem very much dissatisfied at this, and for the sake of finding means to annul it, all the nobles are holding great consultations in the town of Reading, where the king is. This council will also discuss the affair of the new coinage, which the king is having made, one fourth lighter than the old, and he wills it to be of the same currency as the other. The people murmur at this and are discontented. The writer does not know whether the Earl of Warwick and Carlo Ziglio are there, nor do the merchants who have come from London say anything about them. The Count of Charolais is in Holland and daily expected at Ghent, according to report. He is said to have caused the arrest of a bastard, Rubeinpre, (fn. 6) who with two comrades landed from an armed caravel at Gorcum. Much is said about this matter; over there you will have heard of it, being nearer the source. Bruges, the 5th October, 1464. [Italian; Copy.] |
| Oct. 5. Potenze Estere. Francia. Milan Archives. |
138. Albrico Malleta, Milanese Ambassador in France, to the Duke of Milan. It is asserted that King Edward has married a widow of England, daughter of a sister of the Count of St. Pol. The lady is said to have two children by her first husband, the elder of whom is three years of age. This has greatly offended the people of England. Abbeville, the 5th October, 1464. [Italian; Copy.] |
| Oct. 10. Potenze Estere. Francia. Milan Archives. |
139. Albrico Malleta, Milanese Ambassador in France, to the Duchess of Milan. It is publicly announced here that the King of England has taken to wife an English lady, they say out of love. The king here and all the rest of us hoped and expected that he would be sending at this time to marry one of the sisters of the queen here as he had frequently caused his representatives to see them. Abbeville, the 10th October, 1464. [Italian.] |
| Dec. 12. Registro Missivi Ducale. Vol. 63. Milan Archives. |
140. Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, to Edward IV, King of England. Si vellemus ennarare qua ardentissima fide et devotione nos semper fuerit prosecutus ac quos demum labores tulerit nulli parcendo vite discrimini ut imperio nunc nostre civitatis Janue potiremur Nobilis vir Blasius de Gradi, civis noster Mediolanensis sed in eadem nostra urbe moram trahens: profecto longa oratione utendum esset: nam hic multa filiorum turba vallatus plurimorumque fretus amicorum fide pro nobis ea in ea sic egit: ut ejus gesta non possit brevi oratione complecti: que ideo talia sunt ut non sibi tamen sed posteris suis pro more munificentissimi principis teneri juremerito censeamus. Hac ratione cum ipse emittendum duxerit ad illas dicti regni partes Nobilem ejus filium Franciscum nomine presentium latorem cum navi sua cujus ipse Franciscus decretus est patronus (mercature gratia) visum est nobis ut saltem nostrum in se amorem comperiat harum nostrarum favore prosequendum quas pro eo scribendas libentius ideo duximus: quod apud Majestatem Vestram non dubitamus pro suo in nos amore sibi profuturus! Si ergo Franciscus ipse cum navi memorata ad dictas vestri enim Regni partes se trajecerit rogamus Majestatem Vestram ut salvum non modo dictis navi ac rebus tam suis quam Mediolanensium et Januensium nostrorum fieri jubeat, sed eum humane colligi et favorabiliter tractari committat, sic ut in eundo, stando et redeundo liber existat et intelligat has nostras sibi non parum profuisse. Ea hoc aliquibus represaliis tam contra dictos Mediolanenses quam Januenses nostros emanatis aut aliis in contrarium facientibus non obstantibus. Nos vero quodcunque favoris commodi auxilii vel honoris idem a Majestati Vestra susceperit nobis ipsis factum adscribemus qui pares vices ac majora pro eadem Vestre Majestate nos facturos pollicemur. Mediolani, die xii Decembris 1464. |