Spain: November 1546, 1-15 | British History Online

Calendar of State Papers, Spain, Volume 8, 1545-1546. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1904.

Citation:

'Spain: November 1546, 1-15', in Calendar of State Papers, Spain, Volume 8, 1545-1546, ed. Martin A S Hume (London, 1904), British History Online https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/spain/vol8/pp495-503 [accessed 19 April 2025].

November 1546, 1–15



8 Nov. Vienna. Imp. Arch.	342. The Emperor to Van der Delft.
	Your letters of 7th and 17th ultimo have been duly received. We note the conversation you had with the King of England, and subsequently with Secretary Paget, on his behalf, in which he expresed his intention to continue in his friendship and alliance with us. His ambassador here has addressed us to a similar effect in very handsome terms, such as Paget used to you. We have been much gratified at this; and have requested the ambassador to convey to his master our very cordial thanks. You will also thank the King warmly on our behalf, on the first opportunity, assuring him of our entire and sincere reciprocity by the truest and most perfect friendship on our side. In order the more fully to testify this, we have consented, entirely out of consideration for him and in spite of the frequent statements we have received from Spain of the maltreatment of our subjects in England, to relax, against security, the embargoes placed on English property in Spain, in accordance with the request made to you by Secretary Paget. We are sending orders to this effect with all possible speed by special courier, although Renegat has not yet restored that which he has unjustly taken from us. Ton will continue your efforts to obtain restitution of the latter, and will not slacken in your demands until it be given. You may also tell the King that those who told him those stories would have ventured to question directly the sincere and perfect friendship between the King and ourselves, only that by so doing they would have made it known that they do not consider their friendship in England secure, and that they are seeking every opportunity for gaining what they desire without making any return for it. But we consider the King, our good brother, to be so extremely prudent and experienced, that he will remain constantly vigilant and on his guard.
	Nothing of importance has happened here since our last, except some skirmishes of little effect. The enemy remains still in the same place, whilst we, more for convenience in obtaining supplies than anything else, decided not to remain any longer at the place where we were, but to pitch our camp here. You will be informed of what else may happen. Camp at Laningen, (fn. 1) 8 November, 1546.
12 Nov. Vienna. Imp. Arch.	343. The Queen Dowager to Van der Delft.
	We informed you by our letter of 14th September of the action of Secretary Strick in Scotland, and sent you a duplicate of his letters. He has since returned hither, and has handed us a report of his mission, of which we also enclose copy herewith. You will see that the Scots are extremely anxious to treat with us; their wish being, however, to negotiate quite independently, without any reference to the English. We do not intend to consent to this, in order not to contravene clause 13 of the treaty of alliance; although the English in their treaty with France have included the Scots on the conditions stated, without the slightest reference to the rights of the Emperor and his subjects, who went to war with the Scots entirely on account of the King of England, as we explained to you fully in our letter of 15th August. We are informed that the Scots are deferring the doing of justice to the Emperor's subjects until a reply is received from us on the subject, and we have consequently despatched the bearer of this letter to Scotland with our answer, of which we send you herewith a copy. You will, in his Majesty's name, request the King of England to grant a passport for this bearer to proceed through England to Scotland, without being searched. This is the more important, as he is carrying with him several safe-conducts for Scotsmen; and we are very anxious that they should not fall into the hands of the English officers. If the English ministers wish to know the reason for the sending of this bearer, you will tell them that he is carrying letters to the Regent of Scotland, asking for a raising of the embargo, and the restoration to the owners, of the property belonging to the Emperor's subjects seized by the Scots; this demand being in conformity with the recent peace treaty between England and France. You may say that the man is a mere messenger, and that no difficulty should be raised to letting him pass, any more than we raise to the passage of the King of England's messengers sent through these territories to Italy and Germany. If, as we can hardly believe, you meet with any real difficulty in obtaining these passports you will order the messenger to deliver the safe-conducts to you, and will write to Mr. David Paniter, Bishop-elect of Boss, secretary and councillor to the Queen of Scotland, telling him that the bearer was instructed to hand to him 70 safe-conducts, sixty of which were to be distributed at the discretion of the Regent, and ten at the pleasure of the said bishop; with certain private letters from us to the latter, explaining this more fully. In consequence, however, of the difficulty you have encountered in obtaining the passports for the messenger, and to prevent the said safe-conducts being taken from him on the English and Scottish border, you have retained the safe-conducts for the purpose of returning them hither and having them sent to Scotland by sea. You will in such case return them to us, and we will send them to Scotland. We see by your letters to the Emperor in September that the Scots had sent to ask the King of England for safe-conducts for the Scottish privy seal, a great master and a secretary, with a train of 40 horsemen, to come on an embassy to the King of England; but you have said nothing to us about it since. We request you to inform us if this embassy has arrived, or if any change has occurred; and if you have not discovered the reason why the embassy has tarried so long: seeing that Secretary Strick has informed us that so long ago as when he was in Scotland he heard of the intention to send it to England; rather with the object of temporising than anything else.
	Please also let us know how the English are bearing themselves towards the Scots, and if there is free intercourse between the two countries, or an appearance of enmity is still kept up; and if so, on what pretext, since the Scots have accepted the conditions imposed on their inclusion in the treaty of peace. One of these conditions was that the English should not again commence war against them, unless fresh cause was given. Has any new dispute arisen, or has war on either side been reopened since the signing of the treaty?
	We are fully informed by your letter of 6th ultimo of the particulars of your interview with the King of England, respecting the reinstatement in their estates in the Boulognais of such subjects of the Emperor as possessed them before the war; and we note that Secretary Paget told you that it was the King's intention to refer the investigation of such claims to deputies chosen by himself and the King of France respectively; and that after hearing the evidence he would deal with the matter justly, to our satisfaction. You will do well to refer to the subject again in conversation with Paget, and get to know whether the King has appointed any representatives yet. Inform us of what you can learn, as we are daily being importuned by the gentlemen interested, who, grieved as they are at their losses, will not have patience. Some of them, moreover, are very angry that they aided the King in his conquest of Boulogne, as they expected a very different recompense from being despoiled of their property. Ascertain from Paget whether it would be well to stir up the King about it again; so that he may understand that the matter cannot be allowed to remain in its present condition. Perhaps you may have better luck next time than when you spoke to him before on the subject. Advise us fully of what you do. We do not know whether Paget informed you that he spoke by the King's orders when he communicated to you the proposal advanced by the French and the Rheingrave, about which you sent to us your Secretary, who has recently returned to England. (fn. 2) If Paget spoke for the King it would be courteous to thank the latter on our behalf; and to tell him that we have already conveyed the information to the Emperor, who will also be certainly very much obliged to him; and that it is by such good offices as these that the King proves his sincere friendship for the Emperor and his subjects. You may tell him that our absence has prevented us from writing about it previously; but you will be governed by what you may learn, or have learnt, from Paget, and by your knowledge, as to whether the King wishes to know if we have been informed or not. Of course if Paget gave his information in a way which signified that the King did not desire to know that it was communicated to us, you will not say anything about it to the King.
	Brussels, 12 November, 1546.
12 Nov. Vienna. Imp. Arch.	344. The Queen Dowager to Van der Delft and Van der Burgh.
	We have caused the Council here to consider the report of the negotiations you have been conducting in England with the King's Commissioners, respecting the general and specified complaints made by the Emperor's subjects; and the conclusion has been arrived at here that the English have no great desire to mend matters, but would prefer to continue in the old way. They are conceding less now than they did at the Bourbourg conference, and there seems no probability that Van der Burgh's further stay in England will produce any good fruit. We therefore think that it will be better for him to announce that he has orders to return hither, asking them (the English Commissioners) to give him a written statement of the points, so far agreed upon, as set forth in your report to us. The English should also be requested to give a reply on the points which they undertook to lay before the King or Council, in order that they also may be put in writing and settled as soon as possible. You (Van der Burgh) will promise to report to us the points still in dispute, and to write afterwards to Van der Delft the further steps to be taken about them. If you find that the English Commissioners wish still longer to delay the matter, in consequence of your request for the written agreement on the points already settled, you will, with all possible politeness and kindness, tell them that they should recollect that you, Van der Burgh, were in England a long while before the English envoys were sent hither; that these envoys have some time since returned home, and yet you are unable to obtain a decision or despatch. You are afraid, therefore, that the intention is to concede less to you than was conceded by the English Commissioners at Bourbourg. But, nevertheless, you must content yourself with what answers they choose to give you, for the purpose of going and reporting the same to us; and you may tell them that you will wait three or four days longer, if they will work at the affair during that period; but at the end thereof you intend to obey our orders and return hither, since the English Commissioners sent to us have been recalled. You will act accordingly, and stay there no longer: and we may remark that, when the English Commissioners took leave here they did so with a sufficiently bad grace, saying that they were going; and would tarry no more. When they were begged to stay until our return from Hainault, whither we had gone hunting, they refused, but asked to be allowed to go to us thither, without the ambassador, to take their leave, which, in consideration of their importunity, we allowed them to do.
	With regard to the complaints of the merchants here against those of the Staple at Calais, which complaints the English Commissioners wish to palliate, on the ground that these complaints are all covered by the commercial treaties of 1499 and 1522, (fn. 3) you may see by the advices received from Lille, Armentiers, etc., that, although certain points are covered by the provisions of these commercial treaties, the English fail to observe the treaties; and continually defraud the merchants here, for which no redress whatever can be obtained. You will endeavour, by urging for a final reply on this matter, to obtain some sort of remedy for the systematic evasion of the treaties in question; but you must not on this account delay the return of Van der Burgh, unless you see that the English are disposed to deal more freely than they have hitherto done.
	We observe the excuse made by the English Commissioners to your first complaint on account of the merchants here against those of the Staple, and we find it very tame (sobre). No doubt you will have given them a suitable answer, to the effect that the proceedings of those of the Staple do not accord, as they allege, with freedom of trade, but constitute a veritable monopoly in favour of the members of the Staple, who have a statute amongst themselves that no one may have a sample of wool (avoir montre de laines) unless he buys. Otherwise he is not again admitted to the Staple. When they sell new wools, moreover, they must also sell old wools, and the merchants are not allowed to buy otherwise. This is a violation of the free intercourse in merchandise established by the treaties. They (the members of the Staple) also compel the merchants here to take old wools when they desire to buy new; and when the purchasers, after they have bought, wish to abandon the old wools and only to transport the new, they are not allowed to do so, but are forced to despatch and pay the imposts on the old wool. This is quite unreasonable. If on this side we liked to set up a rival monopoly they would soon find a way to redress matters; but this would be inadvisable, as a violation of the commercial treaties, and would militate against the perfect friendship between the two sovereigns; who ask that their respective subjects should be well and fairly treated. You will therefore endeavour to obtain some remedy for the evils complained of.
	Having regard to the fact that the English commissioner who was here did not make any great effort to obtain a settlement of the various private claims presented formerly by the English Commissioners at Bourbourg, we fear there is no hope that they (the English) intend to make any favourable settlement of similar claims of ours. You, Van der Burgh, will consequently not delay your departure on this account. After we have considered here your report on the questions still pending, we will send to you (Van der Delft) instructions for future proceedings.—Brussels, 12 November, 1546.
13 Nov. Vienna. Imp. Arch.	345. Van der Delft to the Queen Dowager.
	I arrived here to-day from Windsor, and the Lords of the Council have just sent one of their Secretaries to me to inform me that two ambassadors from Scotland have come hither. These ambassadors have not yet had access to the King or to the Council; and consequently the purport of their mission is not known: but as soon as the King is in possession of the information, it shall be communicated to me, together with his decision upon the matter, before the latter is conveyed to the said ambassadors, this being in accordance with the terms of the Treaty of Alliance (i.e., between Henry and the Emperor). They (the Councillors) assure me that nothing shall be negotiated with them (the Scots) without my knowledge, in order that the Treaty may be kept inviolate and the King's friendship maintained. I have thanked the Lords of the Council through their secretary, who also told me that the King had expressly ordered that a special messenger should be sent to Windsor with the information, in case I had not arrived in London. As your Majesty wrote to me that when these ambassadors arrived you would send me instructions as to what you require of the Scots before consenting to a peace with them, I shall be glad to learn your Majesty's pleasure. In the meanwhile I will do my best to learn what is being done.
	London, 13 November, 1546.
13 Nov. Vienna. Imp. Arch.	346. Van der Delft to Loys Scors.
	I received from Jehan du Bois the packet from the Emperor, and, as regards the letter of credence sent to me to enable me to declare to this King the progress of events in Germany, I have had no opportunity of doing this, in consequence of the King's having left Windsor to visit some private houses; besides which they have already received fresher news here from that quarter. I have, however, given an account of such intelligence as I had to the Council. (Thanks Scors for the good news he sends with regard to the writer's private affairs, etc.)
	I am expecting the arrival of the envoy the Queen (Dowager) was sending to Scotland. I do not write to her Majesty, as there is nothing particular to say at present. It is said that two ambassadors have arrived here from Scotland; but as I have only just arrived myself at Windsor, I have not had time to ascertain the truth of it. I will find out to-morrow.
	My brother, Fernando de Bernuy, has not received the money advanced for the Emperor's service. Pray favour me by endeavouring to get the assignment he holds on the Naples revenue rendered effective.
	Just as I was closing this, one of the Secretaries of the Council came to me, and I have therefore written a few words to the Queen (Dowager) which you will see.
	Windsor, 13 November, 1546.
15 Nov. Paris. Archives Nationales. K. 1486.	347. St. Mauris to the Emperor.
	(A long recapitulation of previous letters sent and details of couriers, etc. The ardent desire of the King of France and all his Court to bring about the marriage (i.e. of Prince Philip and the French Princess Margaret). Details of the various conversations with the Duchess of Lorraine, Cardinal Lorraine and many other personages on this subject. St. Mauris, whilst professing great sympathy with the proposed marriage, had replied to the French ladies who had urged the matter upon him that he declined to address the Emperor on the subject, unless the King of France himself or his Ministers asked him to do so. The French do not mention the matter to the Queen, being distrustful of her Majesty, in consequence of her daughter the Infanta. (fn. 4) They think that her Majesty has dissuaded the Emperor from the match, and say so openly. She has consequently held herself quite aloof from all these importunities lately, whilst doing her duty, and taking every opportunity of showing her goodwill to the proposed match. She will, when occasion offers, converse with those who may assure the King and the Dauphin that their suspicious against her are unfounded. She has requested the writer to convey this to the Emperor, and to say that she hears from Mme. de Montpensier, who is the close confidante of Mme. d'Etampes, that the King is bringing forward this marriage now, in the belief that the Emperor will the more easily accept it, as he still at war with the Protestants and the latter are unsubdued. In order further to strengthen his hands in this business, the King of France has caused the Ambassadors from the Levant to arrive at this juncture, with the object of spreading the idea that the Turk may attack Germany this year. The writer gives, at great length, reasons for believing this view to be true. The French wish to see the Emperor in difficulties in the war, in order that they may come to his aid and so forward the marriage. When they heard from the writer recently the news of the Emperor's success they were much alarmed, as they had previously learnt that the Imperialists had retired with great loss, whereupon they rejoiced exceedingly. (fn. 5) The writer confirms his previous report that the King of France had secretly sent commissions to raise men in Burgundy, in case he should need them. He is also amassing money: retaining all the crowns he can get and paying his outgoings in French money. Some people say that this is to pay the King of England; but many believe that it is to attack the Emperor if he will not come to terms with them. There are still a great number of Protestants at Court who are favoured as if they were brothers, etc. Even Mme. d'Etampes in order to please the Protestants calls them her brother evangelists, and says that she has good reason for doing so, as they are doing a truly fraternal act towards France by opposing the Emperor. The writer is assured of this by the Queen, and quite believes it, as Mme. d'Etampes greatly inclines to the Lutheran discipline. When Barbarossa was in Provence the King of France called the Turks his brothers, so no surprise need be felt at this fraternising with Protestants.)
	“With regard to the King of England, I may add that the French, in view of his recent promises, are convinced that things cannot continue very long as they are. They (and especially the Admiral of France) say that no opportunity for regaining Boulogne would be so propitious as shortly after the decease of the King of England; their claims would continue against the Princess, his elder daughter. They count upon dissensions occurring upon the King's death; and consider that this will be their opportunity. Indeed they have already taken measures to prepare for war against England when the expected death of the King takes place; unless in the meanwhile they manage to recapture Boulogne, as they will endeavour to do. The King of England is well aware of this. As the French are so desirous of attacking England when the King dies, I am of opinion that their present policy is to draw your Majesty to a close alliance, in order the better to carry out their object. The fact is that they are all in such trouble about Boulogne that they will leave no stone unturned to recover the place. I hear from the Nuncio that the King of France has ordered the first instalment of the half of the last pension to be paid in England on the 1st instant, 50,000 crowns.” (Rumours that the King of France is supplying money to the German Protestants. Movements of the King of France. To pass Lent in Paris, and then go to Fontainebleau. He is travelling rapidly; as, notwithstanding the excessive rains, he went on some days seven or eight leagues, rising quite early, contrary to his custom. His haste on the road, accompanied by a large train, caused the death from cold of more than—persons, who were travelling on foot; and being unable to reach a lodging by day, an enormous number of baggage horses, etc., were left behind, as was the Dauphin himself. A large number of Lutherans have been burnt by the Court of Paris at Meaux, some of the principal people of the place, and as a permanent memorial of this they have demolished certain houses where the false doctrine was preached. A great storm at sea, which has destroyed much shipping belonging to the port of Dieppe. The godly say that this is a just judgment of God, as they were all corsairs, whose only resource was what they stole at sea. Gives particulars of certain Protestant spies in the Emperor's camp.)