Venice: May 1584 | British History Online

Calendar of State Papers Relating To English Affairs in the Archives of Venice, Volume 8, 1581-1591. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1894.

Citation:

'Venice: May 1584', in Calendar of State Papers Relating To English Affairs in the Archives of Venice, Volume 8, 1581-1591, ed. Horatio F Brown( London, 1894), British History Online https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/venice/vol8/pp92-96 [accessed 25 November 2024].

May 1584



May 1. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives.	215. Vincenzo Gradenigo, Venetian Ambassador in Spain, to the Doge and Senate.
	Don Bernardino de Mendoza has lately arrived. He has not yet had an audience of his Majesty, from whom he waits orders to go to Aranjuez. They say his Majesty is well satisfied and will reward him.
	Madrid, 1st May 1584.
	[Italian.]
May 8. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives.	216. Giovanni Francesco Moresini, Venetian Ambassador in Constantinople, to the Doge and Senate.
	The French Ambassador tells me he has been with the Aga of the Janizzaries, with whom he has discussed the question of England. The Aga said that he had frequently spoken to the Sultan, but his Majesty was not disposed to expel the English Ambassador; in fact he thought the case hopeless, as the Sultan had said he would never expel from his Porte the foes of his foes (che egli non voleva scacciar dalla sua Porta li inimici delli sui inimici). That the Queen of England was the foe of the Pope and of the King of Spain, who had tried to poison her, as her own Ambassador had stated. That it suited him to have her Ambassador at his Porte, for the Ambassador would keep him informed of the designs of his foes and had already begun to do so (che la Regina di Inghilterra era inimica del Papa et del Re di Spagna, cha haveva voluto farla avvenenare, come il medesimo Ambasciatore li haveva fatto intendere; che però era bene haverlo alla sua Porta, perche da lui intenderia sempre li dissegni delli sui inimici come ha gia prencipiato di fare).
	Dalle Vigne di Pera, 8th May 1584.
	[Italian; deciphered.]
May 22. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives.	217. Giovanni Francesco Moresini, Venetian Ambassador in Constantinople, to the Doge and Senate.
	As regards the affair of the English Ambassador my previous letters will have informed you of the answer given by the Aga of the Janizzaries to the French Ambassador. All the same I shall continue to act as instructed by your Serenity. The English Ambassador has been to the Pasha, and has lodged a vigorous complaint, alleging that the other Ambassadors go about saying that he is a merchant and not entitled to the rank of Ambassador; he explained to the Pasha that he was a great noble, greater than any other Ambassador here; and that even if he were not so they had no right to consider his private position but only the greatness of the Queen, his mistress, who was most powerful, nor was she hated by the other Princes of Ohristendom, except for the reason that she alone deserved the name of Christian (il sudetto Ambasciator d'Inghilterra è stato ultimamente dal Magnifico Bassà, et ha fatto seco una gagliardissima querella, dicendo che li Ambasciatori di Principi che sono a questa Porta, vanno dicendo che egli è un mercante et che non è degno di tener luogo di Ambasciator, et che lui faceva intendere a sua Magnificentia che egli era tanto nobile, et più di qual si voglia altro Ambasciatore che vi sia, et che quando anco non fosse tale, che non dovevano mirare alla sua particolar persona, ma alla grandezza della sua Regina). They tried to assassinate her, and she had been obliged to dismiss the Spanish Ambassador on this account (per la qual causa è stata astretta scacciar da se l'Ambasciator di Spagna) because he had a hand in the plot against her life.
	To these representations I am told that the Pasha replied very coldly, saying to the Ambassador that he should let people say what they liked; for him it should be enough that he was recognised as an Ambassador by the Sultan, All the same the Ambassador has presented a note to the Sultan, who instructed the Pasha to treat him with all courtesy, because he was the foe of the Pope and the King of Spain, and therefore a good, friend to the Sultan.
	Dalle Vigne di Pera, 22nd May 1584.
	[Italian; deciphered.]
May 22. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives.	218. Giovanni Francesco Moresini, Venetian Ambassador in Constantinople, to the Doge and Senate.
	Orembey tells me that the Grand Duke of Tuscany will certainly make an alliance with the Porte. An Ambassador was expected here to treat of this subject. I said if that were so there would be another quarrel with the French Ambassador, such as he had raised with the English Ambassador. To which Orembey replied, “Let an Ambassador come from the Grand Duke, from any Prince you choose, were he even the devil himself, neither the Ambassador of France nor all the world could prevent the Sultan from receiving him with open arms, for so the circumstances and the inclination of the Sultan both required.”
	Dalle Vigne di Pera, 22nd May 1584.
	[Italian; deciphered.]
May 22. Copy of Original Despatch, Venetian Archives.	219. Hieronimo Lippomano, Venetian Ambassador in Germany, to the Doge and Senate.
	An English Ambassador is expected here. The object of his mission is not known precisely, but those who pretend to know say that the Queen is very much afraid that, if the affairs of Flanders are settled, King Philip will turn his arms against her, both because of the Pope's solicitations and because of his ancient quarrel about the dismissal of Don Bernardino de Mendoza, for which cause he refused to receive the Ambassador whom the Queen recently sent to him to explain that event.
	Prague, 22nd May 1584.
	[Italian.]
May 22. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives.	220. Giovanni Francesco Moresini, Venetian Ambassador in Constantinople, to the Doge and Senate.
	As regards the request made by the Queen-Mother of France that the Sultan would assist Don Antonio of Portugal, the answer was that the Sultan would supply one hundred and fifty galleys for next year, fifty at his own charges and one hundred to be paid by Don Antonio or by the King of France. The French Ambassador endeavoured to remove this condition, affirming that at the time of Sultan Suliman, when assistance was granted to France, no mention was made of payment, but he did not succeed.
	Dalle Vigne di Pera, 22nd May 1584.
	[Italian; deciphered.]
May 25. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives.	221. Giovanni Mono, Venetian Ambassador in France, to the Doge and Senate.
	The French Ambassador in England has not gone to Scotland. The Queen managed to hinder his departure, and he was without money both for his journey and for his salary. The Queen has stirred the rebels in Scotland into action. They have seized Stirling. All this the Scotch Ambassador has detailed to the King of France, painting the Queen of England in sinister colours, in the hope of persuading him to undertake the protection of the King of Scotland. But the Scotch Ambassador in ordinary, who knows the temper of this Court, and expects little from the King who will not put his hand in his pocket, is hardly satisfied with his colleague, and has complained to him of his conduct, and urged that these negotiations can do no good, and may do harm, by enraging the Queen of England. The King of France professed himself distressed at the rebellion in Scotland, but confined himself to words. He returned vague answers on two points raised by the Ambassador; one requesting a pension for the King of Scotland, and other begging for a company of troops to be kept in Scotland at the charges of the French, as the Scotch Kings had long been accustomed to have from the Crown of France.
	Paris, 25th May 1584.
	[Italian.]
Enclosed in Despatch of May 29, 1584.	222. Summary of the Commission of Signor Segurio, Majordomo, Councillor and Ambassador of the King of Navarre, to the Marquis George of Brandenburg, Elector.
	That the King had intended to come into Germany in person, to treat with the Princes of the Religion, but unforeseen occupations had prevented him; and he resolved to send an Ambassador Extraordinary in his place, with instructions to co-operate with the Saxon Ambassador in bringing about a council of Protestant Princes to arrange the differences between Calvinism and Lutheranism. The King promised that he would not only accept himself the results of the Council, and would answer for the French churches of which he could dispose, but he would also guarantee that the Queen of England and the King of Denmark would support the Council with their arms.
	The King deeply regretted the opinion held in Germany that the doctrine of the French churches was defiled with all sorts of heresies, and held to be worse than that of the Roman Pontiff. He desired the Council, in order that the French churches might amend after God's word, if they were in error. All the more so as the question of the Lord's Supper was not so difficult but that a synod might resolve it.
	The King also desired that the Council should take into consideration that many in Italy and Spain, being subject to the tyranny and inquisition of the Anti-Christ in Rome, do not dare to declare their reformed faith.
	That owing to the operation of the Jesuits the English have frequently contemplated rebellion, but had always been suppressed by the great prudence of that Queen. They had not failed to subvert the whole of Scotland by machinations carried on from Rome, with a view to putting Scotland and England in a blaze together.
	The affairs of Flanders are going from bad to worse; there is danger that the country will fall again under the yoke. Flemish churches are exposed to Pontifical cruelty.
	In Switzerland, owing to the bribes of the Roman monster and the preaching of the Jesuits, a serious flame had burst out.
	Owing to the Jesuits Sweden was all devoted to Pontifical rites; and the Jesuits had such free access to the chambers of the King that there was danger of some further plot.
	The same was going on in Poland and Russia, where the Pope had insinuated himself as mediator.
	In Cologne the Papal designs had succeeded. In view of all these events the King desired to make a league between the Queen of England, the King of Denmark, the Electors of Saxony and Brandenburg, the Princes of the Empire, and himself. He pledged his word that he would accept the decisions of the Council. The league was not intended to attack the Pope, but only to protect the members from insults.
	As a pledge the King sent by his Ambassador some money, and jewels and plate, which should be stored away in some safe place, and used for the needs of the churches, principally for that of Cologne.
	If the German Princes were willing to enter the league, he begged the Electors of Brandenburg and Saxony to name the time and place of meeting, as all would depend upon those Princes to whom the eyes of all Germans, and of all foreigners as well, were now turned.
	[Italian.]