Simancas: January 1572 | British History Online

Calendar of State Papers, Spain (Simancas), Volume 2, 1568-1579. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1894.

Citation:

'Simancas: January 1572', in Calendar of State Papers, Spain (Simancas), Volume 2, 1568-1579, ed. Martin A S Hume( London, 1894), British History Online https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/simancas/vol2/pp369-373 [accessed 27 November 2024].

January 1572



1572. 5 Jan.	304. Extract from a relation furnished by Don Francés De Alava, Spanish Ambassador in France, on his return to Spain. The ordinary English ambassador (i.e., in France) spoke to me two days before my departure from Paris, expressing in very warm terms of the rejoicing of the Queen and her people all over England at the glorious naval victory, and said that it was evident that God was leading our King by the hand. I said that was visible and palpable, although the Queen, his mistress, would not see it ; as she was constantly being filled with absurd suspicions of one who had been so attached to her and had proved it by his acts. The ambassador said, yes, the Queen publicly acknowledged her great obligation to his Majesty, but that ministers (this was the term he used) he saw everywhere were opposing that which was for the benefit both of England and of the house of Burgundy. He then began to exalt Don Juan of Austria and made all manner of inquiries about his looks, temper, and good qualities ; and, coming close to me, he said, laughing, "This would seem something like marriage," to which I also replied jocosely, "Let you and I manage it." He replied very deliberately, "If there were not an obstacle in the way which we all of us know, I would ask you not to make your journey overland but to come with me to England, and then perhaps both of us might go together to Spain. At all events, we might settle the questions now pending, which we have discussed." I said, truly I should like to see these matters arranged, but did not reply about Don Juan. He returned to the subject two or three times, but I said that Don Juan was deeply occupied in the service of God and your Majesty, and that before a year was over he (the ambassador) would hear more of the valour of the good prince. I think his mistress would like to brag about this marriage as she has about previous ones. The ambassador dwelt much upon the attachment his Queen had for me ever since she had been told something about me, but I could not get him to say what it was ; doubtless something ribald. He asked, me how it was the duke of Medina did not come, but he sniggered and sneered so much that I asked him what he was laughing at. He said that if I would give him my word of honour not to repeat it until I was out of France he would tell me. I promised him, and he asked why the Duke was bringing in his ships, gabions, woolsacks, and other things for fortifications. I asked him whether he would promise me to keep secret what I was going to tell him from everybody but the Queen, and he said he would. I told him that this was all nonsense, and that it was just this action of his Queen in allowing herself to be edified by such tales, and worse, that prevented her from understanding your Majesty thoroughly. I derided his assertion about the gabions, &c., which he said he had received from very trustworthy persons, some of whom had only recently come from Spain.
7 Jan.	305. Guerau De Spes to the King. An hour after the despatch of my letter to your Majesty taken by the servant I sent to the duke of Alba on the 21st ultimo, of whom I have yet received no news, the Queen and Council (or rather Lord Burleigh, who does everything) sent one of the secretaries of the Council and Knollys, who never leaves me, to say that they were greatly surprised at my delay, and that I was to leave London on Monday, Christmas Eve. They repeated to me very violently the remarks about John Man. I answered as was fitting, in the presence of witnesses, and obeyed the order, coming to stay at Gravesend for nine or ten days, and ordering everything I had in the house to be sold to pay my most importunate creditors. Hawkins and Fitzwilliams came to Gravesend by order of the Queen to take me in one of their ships to Calais. Hawkins being very desirous of serving your Majesty gives me great facilities ; Knollys, being a terrible Protestant, and communicating almost hourly by post with Burleigh. As the Queen is desirous of having the duke of Norfolk tried with other prisoners this week, I have been hurried on to Canterbury in a way that has never been seen before. They wished to embark me at once, but I told them that until I had your Majesty's orders, or at least those of the duke of Alba in your name, I would only go by force. So I am here in this place, posts running backwards and forwards still, and Burleigh wanting to make out that I am trying to evade my departure so as not to leave. Burleigh is so much alarmed that there is no reassuring him, and, as he has received certain threatening letters, he informed the Queen that if I was here during the trial of the prisoners, the country would rise up in arms, and he, timid, contemptible fellow that he is, is therefore committing so many absurdities that the people are quite astonished. They have told Zweveghem and Fiesco that they could return home, but the former said he could not leave until he had consulted the duke of Alba. They have been informed that the Queen has ordered all the merchandize to be sold, and if your Majesty or the duke of Medina-Celi would send persons with larger powers they would be listened to, but in the meanwhile the sale would go on, as the duke of Alba had taught them the way. All this is being done to your Majesty's prejudice, and it is now certain that nothing will be recovered at all. If the league with France were concluded they would treat us worse still. Fiesco and Zweveghem write to me hourly what is going on, and themselves are somewhat distrustful. They write to me by this post that the courier is to come back secretly with leave for them to depart, which will be the best course, as their presence here is only a further loss of dignity. If it is necessary for anyone else to be here to spy out what is done, a servant of mine can come for the purpose. In the meanwhile we shall see what is done at this trial. The earl of Shrewsbury has arrived and is to be Constable (Lord High Steward) for the occasion. The Queen has created a new earl of Kent (fn. 1) to ensure his vote, although Burleigh tells those who are to be judges that the Queen only wishes to vindicate her honour in the condemnation of the prisoners, and will exercise her clemency afterwards. They have postponed the trial for next week. Couriers are going backwards and forwards daily to France, and that King has written to the Queen saying that he will be glad of the offensive and defensive league with her, although they have not yet entered into particulars, Secretary Smith, who went from here, being expected at Amboise, according to a kinsman of Hawkins, who met me at Gravesend with a despatch from Walsingham. Hawkins informs me of everything, and communicates all the Council's letters to me. The league has not yet been made, and may well be prevented if his Holiness intervenes, or if it be concluded there are several ways in which the English may be made to bear all the burden. I received at Gravesend two packets from the duke of Alba, one dated 19th ultimo, with letters from your Majesty, and the other dated 30th August, which had been detained in Flanders. By your Majesty's letter of the 5th I learn the most happy news of the birth of the prince, the greatest mercy to all Christendom and to your Majesty's subjects, which God could send. With this the Duke sent me a letter for this Queen, giving her the happy news, and, as your Majesty orders me, I should have conveyed it to her only, as the Duke did not know how things were going when he wrote the letter, and the letter itself was taken from me on the road, I did not do so. I thought it would only increase the insolence of these people excessively, and I await the return of my servant before doing anything in this. The Queen received the news through France on the same day that I did, and it may possibly have the effect of moderating the French somewhat. There is news, however, that the King of France was providing Fleming with money to take 300 men to the castle of Edinburgh, he not wishing to break with the Scots entirely until he has completely settled the alliance with England. I, being on the road and watched by so many eyes, have no means of letting the prisoners know that your Majesty will not fail them, but I will find means to do so presently, and in the meanwhile I shall know which of them are free and what their feelings are. As soon as I am out of here I will write at length to your Majesty what I think needful for the punishment or rehabilitation of thiB country and the best means to be adopted with these people, particularly to separate the French from them, or in case of a rupture to carry the war into this country (I am writing this letter hurriedly and under suspicion). The Queen has had all her ships overhauled, but has not yet ordered any of them to be put into commission, although at the time of my departure a general arrest was made of all ships in the country, aud the captain of the Isle of Wight, who was at Court, has been ordered to repair to his post as well as other officers of the coast, in order to detain and lay hands on all the ships they could of the fleet going from Flanders to Spain, which was at that time off the coast. I do not know what effect these orders have had.—Canterbury, 7th January 1572.
Italian.	306. Extracts from a Summary Of Letters From Thomas Fiesco to Secretary Albornoz, dated 7th, 8th, 18th, and 21st January and 4th and 6th February 1572. In accordance with the disinclination of the Queen of England and her Council to do anything honest or good, after many demands, replies, and retorts carried on by the councillors in a most unworthy spirit, they sent a Secretary to him (Fiesco) and Zweveghem to tell them that the Queen had been induced to order the sale of the goods detained, for four reasons. First, that our goods should not be further damaged ; secondly, to follow the example of the duke of Alba ; thirdly, to pay the claims due in consequence of the duke of Alba's action to her own subjects ; and fourthly, because neither Fiesco nor Zweveghem had powers to arrange. When it was the King's will to send a person with proper authority, they would carry through the settlement of the treaty, but this compliment, it is quite certain, they only added because their alliance with France is not yet completed. When his Majesty should think fit to re-open trade and permit a reconciliation, in spite of so much injury and insult, it will be necessary, first, that the Queen should refrain from helping and receiving his Majesty's rebel subjects, in which case this sale might be passed over as there are three hundred thousand crowns belonging to Englishmen, in Flanders and here, i.e., Spain, and seeing the large quantity of our merchandise that is lacking altogether and the damage which is being sustained by what is left, it is just as well that the sale should go on, as with the aforesaid three hundred thousand crowns the King's subjects can be much better recompensed than by restitution. In this way, the princes and peoples might be mutually satisfied as regards the arrests and the question of re-opening trade might be approached later. Don Guerau was obliged to leave without waiting for the Duke's reply, and seeing the vile state of things here and that his Majesty and the Duke were being disregarded, Fiesco suggests that they (he and Zweveghem) might go over in the same ship as Don Guerau as there is nothing more for them to do there. Burleigh and the Council are making great efforts to persuade the people that they are proceeding in the sale of the merchandise through our fault, and, it is believed, that they will not fail to publish some document to persuade them the more to this, and Fiesco thinks that we ought to send another document on our part setting forth all that has happened in the matter, because it would not only be a consolation to those concerned to know where the fault really lay, but would also annoy the Queen and Council for their mean actions to be made known to the people. The Council having summoned some of the merchants to obtain their opinion respecting the sale of the merchandise, the latter replied that the goods should be kept for a month longer, in order to allow the owners time, in accordance with the permission already given, to come and. buy their own goods at a stated price. Fiesco, however, believes that the owners will not come, nor would the Duke allow them to do so, as he would gain no honour and they no profit thereby. When the agreement with Portugal was being discussed this point was submitted to the King, and, he having allowed the owners to come, these people think that his Majesty should do the same. It is most desirable, however, both for his Majesty's own dignity and the indemnity of his subjects' loss, that more rigorous measures should be taken. He, Fiesco, advises that, in addition to the hindering of the treaty with Portugal, all subjects of his Majesty should be prohibited from any communication with England and the use of English goods. This will not be sufficient if our ships are not also protected, and it is needful that there should be six or eight armed ships on the Biscay and Flanders coasts, kept at the cost of the merchants with some help from the King ; the expense of which will be a trifle in comparison with the advantage derived, therefrom. With these three points fulfilled, the English will be reduced shortly to such misery that they will easily be brought down to the same position towards his Majesty as, for the last three years, his Majesty has occupied towards them. They have brought from Canterbury a prisoner, Borghese, the steward of Don Guerau, and though Fiesco had used his influence for him, he had done so without success, and he was thought to be in danger, as they said they had many proofs against him of his having tried to kill Burleigh in union with two other gentlemen, Englishmen, whom they took at the same time, both of whom have been condemned and one of them accuses Borghese.