CHRISTINA, DUCHESS OF MILAN
1533-1535
I.
In the letter which the Emperor wrote to Mary of Hungary on his
nephew's death, he remarked that the best way of consoling his little
nieces for their brother's loss would be to find them husbands.
The marriages of these youthful Princesses had already engaged his
attention for some time past. While Christina was still a babe in her
nurse's arms, the Regent Margaret had been planning marriages for her
great-nieces. In 1527 Wolsey proposed King Henry's illegitimate son,
the Duke of Richmond, as an eligible suitor for one of them, but the
idea of such a union was scouted by the imperial family.[79] A marriage
between Dorothea and her second cousin, King James V. of Scotland, was
discussed during many years, and only abandoned eventually owing to
the fickle character of the young monarch. After Prince John's death,
this Princess inherited her brother's claims to the Danish throne, and
King Frederic went so far as to propose that she should wed his younger
son John, offering to recognize him as heir to Denmark, and leave the
duchies of Schleswig-Holstein to his elder son Christian. But the
Emperor and Mary of Hungary were both reluctant to treat with the
usurper who had deposed their brother-in-law, and the death of Frederic
in April, 1533, put an end to the scheme.[80]
[Sidenote: 1533-35] FRANCESCO SFORZA]
Another suitor now came forward in the person of Francesco Sforza,
Duke of Milan. This Prince was the younger brother of Massimiliano
Sforza, who as a boy had spent several years at the Court of Malines,
and had been deposed by Francis I. after a brief reign of three years.
Born at Milan on the 4th of February, 1495, when his father, Lodovico,
was at the height of his glory, and named after his grandfather, the
great Condottiere, Francesco II. had been the sport of Fortune from
his childhood. Before he was two years old, his mother, the brilliant
Duchess Beatrice, died, and when he was five his father lost both
throne and freedom. While the unfortunate Moro ended his days in the
dungeons of Loches, his young children were brought up in Germany
by their cousin Bianca, the second wife of the Emperor Maximilian.
Francesco spent most of his time at Innsbruck, and, after the brief
interlude of his brother's reign at Milan, retired once more to Trent.
His opportunity came in 1521, when Leo X., in his dread of France,
joined with Charles V. to place the younger Sforza on his father's
throne. A gallant soldier and cultivated man, Francesco II. won the
hearts of all his subjects, who rejoiced to see a Sforza Duke again
among them. But misfortune dogged his footsteps. In 1523 Milan was
once more taken by the French, and after their defeat at Pavia the
Duke incurred the Emperor's displeasure, and was deprived of his
State, chiefly owing to the intrigues of his Chancellor, Morone,
with Pope Clement VII. It was only in December, 1529, when Charles
came to Bologna for his coronation, that, at the intercession of the
Pope and the Venetians, he consented to pardon Francesco, and give
him the investiture of Milan for the enormous sum of 900,000 ducats.
But it was a barren realm to which the Duke returned. His subjects
were ruined by years of warfare, his own health had suffered severely
from the hardships which he had undergone, and he had been dangerously
wounded by the poisoned dagger of an assassin. At thirty-eight he was
a broken man, prematurely old and grey. The Venetian chronicler Marino
Sanuto, who saw the Duke at Venice in October, 1530, describes him
as looking very melancholy, and being only able to walk and move his
hands with difficulty.[81] He applied himself, however, manfully to
the almost hopeless task of relieving the distress of his subjects and
restoring order and prosperity. With great difficulty he succeeded in
raising 400,000 ducats, the first installment of the payment for the
investiture of Milan, upon which the Castello was restored to him. His
loyalty and modesty had gone far to recover the Emperor's confidence,
and Charles treated him with marked favour and kindness.
[Sidenote: 1533-35] THE DUKE'S COURTSHIP]
This encouraged Francesco to aspire to the hand of a Princess of the
imperial house. His subjects were exceedingly anxious to see their Duke
married, and already more than one suitable bride had been proposed.
But Margherita Paleologa, the heiress of Montferrat, whom her mother
would gladly have given Francesco in marriage, was wedded to his
cousin Federico, Duke of Mantua, in October, 1531, and the Pope's
niece, the Duchessina Caterina de' Medici, another prize who had been
dangled before the Duke of Milan's eyes, was betrothed to the Duke
of Orleans in the following year. Before this event was announced,
in January, 1532, the Milanese Ambassador, Camillo Ghilino, who had
accompanied Charles to Brussels, ventured to ask the Emperor, on
his master's behalf, for the hand of one of his nieces. Charles was
evidently not averse to the proposal. It was part of his policy to
consolidate the different Italian dynasties, and he was alive to the
advantage of drawing the Duke of Milan into his family circle. But he
returned an evasive answer, saying that Princess Dorothea was already
destined for the King of Scotland, while her sister Christina was too
young, and that he could arrange nothing without the consent of her
father, the King of Denmark, who had gone to Norway to try and recover
his kingdom.[82] When Francesco met Charles at Bologna in the following
December, and was admitted to the newly-formed League of Italian
States, he renewed his suit, and once more asked for Christina's hand.
On the 10th of March Charles came to Milan, and spent four days in
the Castello, after which he accompanied the Duke on a hunting-party
at Vigevano, and enjoyed excellent sport, killing two wild-boars and
three stags with his own hand.[83] During this visit the marriage was
arranged, and on the 10th of June, 1533, the contract was signed at
Barcelona by the Emperor on the one hand, and the Chancellor of Milan,
Count Taverna, and the ducal Chamberlain, Count Tommaso Gallerati, on
the other. Christina was to receive 100,000 ducats out of the sum due
to the Emperor, as her dowry, and in the event of Dorothea succeeding
to the throne of Denmark another 100,000 was to be settled on her.
Hawkins, the English Ambassador, who wrote home from Barcelona to
announce the conclusion of the marriage, remarked that the Milanese had
left well pleased, but that the Duke was somewhat to be pitied, since
he was only to have the younger sister, and no fortune with her. "Dower
getteth he none."[84]
In spite of this drawback, the Milanese received the news with
great rejoicing, and any regret which they might have felt at the
substitution of the younger for the elder sister was dispelled by the
Spaniards in the Emperor's suite, who informed the Duke's Ambassadors
that Christina was taller and far more beautiful than Dorothea.
Francesco himself wrote to an old friend in Cremona, Giorgio Guazzo,
saying that he would lose no time in telling him of his great good
fortune in winning so high-born and attractive a young lady for his
bride.[85] At the same time he agreed with the Emperor to send Count
Massimiliano Stampa, his intimate friend, to the Netherlands, to wed
the Princess in his name, and bring her to Milan that autumn. Meanwhile
the news of the marriage was received with much less satisfaction
in the Low Countries. Mary had taken the motherless children to her
heart, and was especially attached to Christina, who resembled her in
character and tastes. She inherited the family passion for riding and
hunting, and combined her aunt's intelligence and ability with her
mother's sweetness of disposition. The idea of marrying this charming
child of eleven to a half-paralyzed invalid old enough to be her
father was repulsive, and Mary did not hesitate to protest against the
Emperor's decision with characteristic frankness.
[Sidenote: 1533-35] MARY'S PROTEST]
"MONSEIGNEUR," she wrote to Charles on the 25th of August,
"I have received Your Majesty's letters with the copy of the
treaty which you have been pleased to make between our niece,
Madame Chrétienne, and the Duke of Milan, on which point I must
once for all relieve my conscience. I will at least show you
the difficulties which to my mind lie in the way, so that Your
Majesty may consider if any remedy can be devised before the
matter is finally arranged. As for our said niece, I have no
doubt that she will agree to whatever you please to wish, since
she regards you as her lord and father, in whom she places
absolute trust, and is ready to obey you as your very humble
daughter and slave. The child is so good and willing there will
be no need for any persuasion on my part, either as regards
the Count's coming or anything else that you may please to
command; but on the other hand, Monseigneur, since the words of
the treaty clearly show that the marriage is to be consummated
immediately, and she will have to take her departure without
delay, I must point out that she is not yet old enough for
this, being only eleven years and a half, and I hold that it
would be contrary to the laws of God and reason to marry her at
so tender an age. She is still quite a child, and, whatever may
be the custom in yonder country, you are exposing her to the
risk of bearing a child at this tender age, and of losing both
her own life and that of her issue. Monseigneur, I am saying
more than I ought to say, and speaking with a freedom which I
can only beg you to forgive, because both my conscience and the
love which I bear the child constrain me to write thus. On the
other hand, seeing that this treaty requires the two sisters to
make certain promises, I do not think that she is old enough to
enter into these engagements, while her sister, although turned
twelve, is very young of her age, and should hardly make
these promises without the consent of her father, who is still
living. I know that I am meddling with other people's business
by writing to you of those matters which are not, strictly
speaking, my affair. But I feel that I must send you these
warnings, not from any wish to prevent the marriage, if Your
Majesty thinks it well, but in order to give you a reason for
breaking it off, if any difficulties should arise. For it seems
to me, that as people often try to discover the fifth wheel in
the coach, where there is no reason to make any difficulty, it
would be easy to find some excuse for embroiling matters, when
so good a cause exists. I quite understand that it may not be
easy to alter the treaty at this hour, but, since I had not the
opportunity of speaking to you on the subject before, I feel it
to be my duty to warn you of these things, and to remind you of
the child's tender age, of which Your Majesty may not have been
aware. However this may be, Monseigneur, I have written this to
fulfil my duty to God, as well as to Your Majesty, my niece,
and the whole world, and can only beg you not to take what
I have said in bad part, or to believe that any other cause
could have led me to speak so plainly; and I take my Creator to
witness that this is true, begging Him to give you health and
long life, and grant your good and virtuous desires:
"Your very humble and obedient sister,
"MARIE.
"From Ghent, August 25, 1533."[86]
Charles answered the Queen's protest in the following brief letter,
which showed that his mind was made up, and that he would allow no
change in his plans:
"MADAME MY GOOD SISTER,
"I have received your letter, and will only reply briefly, as I
am writing to you at length on other matters by my secretary,
and also because my niece's affair is rather a matter for
priests and lawyers than for me, and I have desired Granvelle
to satisfy your objections. So I will only tell you that, as
the children's father is more dead to them than if he had
ceased to live, I signed the marriage treaty before I left
Barcelona. As for the question of issue, I fear that the Duke's
advanced years will prove a greater barrier than my niece's
tender youth. I am sure that you will act in accordance with my
wishes, and I beg you to do this once more.
"From Monzone, September 11, 1533."[87]
There was clearly nothing more to be said; but Mary had secretly
determined, whatever happened, not to allow the actual marriage to take
place until the following year, and in the end she had her way.
II.
[Sidenote: 1533-35] STAMPA'S MISSION]
When the Emperor wrote this letter to his sister, Count Massimiliano
had already started on his journey. He left Milan on the eve of St.
Bartholomew, taking Count Francesco Sfondrati of Cremona and Pier
Francesco Bottigella of Pavia with him, and travelled by Trent and
Spires to Louvain, where he arrived on the 12th of September. The
next day he was conducted to Ghent by Monsieur de Courrières, the
Captain of the Archers' Guard, and met at the palace gates by Monsieur
de Molembais, the Queen's Grand Falconer, who informed him that Her
Majesty was laid up, owing to a slight accident out hunting, and
could not receive him at present. After many delays, Stampa at length
succeeded in obtaining an audience, and begged the Queen earnestly
to satisfy his master's impatience, and allow the marriage to be
concluded without delay. Mary replied very civilly that, since this
was Cæsar's will, she would certainly put no obstacle in the way, but
explained that affairs of State compelled her to visit certain frontier
towns, and begged the Count to await her return to Brussels. She then
sent for the Princesses, and Stampa was presented and allowed to kiss
their hands. But, as he only saw them for five minutes, all he could
tell his master was that Christina seemed very bright and lively, and
was much better-looking than her sister.[88]
In spite of the courtesy with which he was entertained by De Courrières
and the Duke of Aerschot, Stampa clearly saw that it was Mary's
intention to delay the marriage as long as possible, and began to
despair of ever attaining his object. Fortunately, by the end of the
week the Emperor's confidential Chamberlain, Louis de Praet, arrived
at Ghent. De Praet had been Ambassador in England and France, and was
now sent from Spain to represent His Majesty at the wedding and escort
the bride to Milan. When he had seen Stampa's copy of the Treaty of
Barcelona, he advised him to join the Queen at Lille and deliver his
credentials. Here the Count accordingly presented himself on the 18th
of September, and was graciously received by Mary, who assured him
that the affair which lay so near his heart would shortly be arranged.
He was conducted into a room where he found the Princesses and their
governess, Madame de Fiennes, and conversed with them for half an hour.
When the Queen rose to attend vespers, she touched the Count's sleeve
and made him walk at her side as far as the chapel, and thanked him
for the fine horse which the Duke had sent her, telling him how fond
she was of hunting. The next day Stampa was invited to supper, and
afterwards ventured to ask if he might see the Princesses dance. To
this request the Queen gave her consent. The flutes and tambourines
struck up a merry tune, and the Princesses danced first a _ballo al
francese_, then a _branle_, and a variety of French and German dances,
in which the gentlemen and ladies-in-waiting took part. The Count was
about to take his leave, since the hour was already late, when De Praet
told him he must first see the Princesses dance a _ballo all'italiano_,
upon which the two sisters rose and, joining hands, danced an Italian
ballet with charming grace. The Ambassador was delighted, and wrote to
tell his master what a favourable impression Christina had made upon
him and his companions:
"She is hardly shorter than her sister, and much handsomer and
more graceful, and is indeed as well built and attractive a
maiden as you could wish to see. God grant this may lead to a
happy marriage!"[89]
The next morning business began in good earnest. Prolonged negotiations
were held between Stampa and the Queen's Councillors--Aerschot, De
Praet, and other nobles--and the rights of the Princess Dorothea and
the condition of Denmark were fully discussed. While the Count was at
dinner, De Praet came in, and, to his surprise, informed him that Her
Majesty wished the wedding to be celebrated on the following Sunday,
the 28th of September. The Count asked nothing better, and hastened to
send the good news to Milan.
[Sidenote: 1533-35] CHRISTINA'S WEDDING]
On Saturday evening Christina signed the marriage contract before an
illustrious assembly in a hall of the palace at Lille, which was hung
with black and gold damask for the occasion, and between four and five
on Sunday afternoon the wedding was solemnized by the Bishop of Tournay
in the chapel. Count Massimiliano, gallantly arrayed in cloth of gold,
was conducted to the altar by De Praet and the great officers of State;
the violins and drums sounded, and the bridal procession entered, the
Queen leading her niece by the hand. "As the Bishop placed the nuptial
ring on the bride's finger," wrote Stampa to his lord, "she received it
with evident pleasure, and all the Court displayed great satisfaction."
When the ceremony was over, the bride retired, and Stampa spent some
time in conversation with the Queen, vainly endeavouring to persuade
her to fix a date for the Duchess's journey. But on this point Mary was
inflexible. De Praet, who visited him the next day, explained that the
Queen could not allow this youthful lady to be exposed to the perils
and fatigue of so long a journey in winter, and that her departure must
therefore be put off till the following spring. This was a grievous
disappointment to the Count, who knew how anxious the Duke was to see
his wife. But he had to accept the situation, and could only try and
console his master by repeating the Queen's assurances of good-will and
affection.
She even begged the Count to join her in a hunting expedition at
Brussels in the following week. But this Stampa firmly declined, saying
that he must return to Milan without delay. On the same evening he had
the honour of a parting interview with the Duchess, and presented her
with a fine diamond and ruby ring and a length of costly brocade in
her lord's name. Christina's eyes sparkled with delight at the sight
of these gifts, and she thanked Count Massimiliano with a warmth which
captivated him. Then he took leave of the Queen, who started at break
of day in torrents of rain, to hunt on her way to Brussels, leaving the
Princesses to return by Tournay. The Count himself went to Antwerp to
raise money for his journey, and despatched a messenger to Milan with
full accounts of the wedding.
"All this Court and the Queen herself," he wrote, "are
delighted with this happy event. And Your Excellency may
rejoice with good reason, and may rest assured that you have
the fairest, most charming and gallant bride that any man could
desire."[90]
These despatches reached Milan on the 13th of October, and were
received with acclamation. Guns were fired from the Castello, the bells
of all the churches were rung, and the Senate went in solemn procession
to give thanks to God in the Duomo. "It was indeed good tidings of
great joy," wrote the chronicler Burigozzo, "and such rejoicing had not
been known in Milan for many years."[91] Francesco's own satisfaction
was considerably diminished by hearing that his bride was not to
set out on her journey until the following February. But he took
the Queen's decision in good part, and wrote to express his eternal
gratitude to her and Cæsar for giving him their niece.
"However anxious I naturally am to have my wife with me," he
added, "I recognize the gravity of the reasons which have made
you put off her journey to a more convenient season, and think,
as you say, this should take place next February."[92]
[Sidenote: 1533-35] THE DUKE'S APPEAL]
The Duke sent this letter by a special messenger, and received in reply
the following brief note in Italian from Christina:
"MOST ILLUSTRIOUS CONSORT,
"It gave me great pleasure to hear of Your Excellency's good
health from Messer Sasso, and I can assure you that my wish
to join you is no less ardent than your own. But it is only
reasonable that we should bow to the decision of the Most
Serene Queen, who orders everything wisely and well. I will
only add how sincerely I hope that you will keep well, and love
me as much as I love you.
"Your Excellency's most loving consort,
"CHRISTIERNA, DUCHESS OF MILAN.
"From Brussels, November 4, 1533."[93]
On the last day of January, 1534, the Duke held a Council of State to
consider the best means of raising the £100,000 due to Cæsar, which was
assigned to his niece for dower, and the citizens agreed cheerfully to
new taxes on grain and wine in order to provide the necessary amount.
But it was not until the 31st of March that Francesco was able to issue
a proclamation informing the Milanese that his wife had started on her
journey. The Duchess, he told them, would be among them by the end of
April, and he could count on his loyal subjects to receive her with
due honour; but, knowing as he did their poverty, he begged that the
customary wedding gift should be omitted. The Milanese responded with
enthusiasm to their Duke's appeal, and prepared to give his bride a
worthy reception. Their example was followed by the citizens of Novara,
Vigevano, and the other towns along the route between Savoy and Milan.
The roads, which were said to be the worst in the duchy, were mended,
triumphal arches were erected, and lodgings were prepared for her
reception. The following quaintly-worded memorandum was drawn up by
Councillor Pier Francesco Bottigella, to whom these arrangements were
entrusted:
"(1) Mend the roads and clean the streets through which the
Lady Duchess will pass, and hang the walls with tapestries
and carpets, the largest and widest that you can find. (2)
Paint her arms on all the gates through which she passes. (3)
Provide a baldacchino to be carried over her head. (4) See that
lodgings are prepared for her at Novara, either in the Bishop's
palace or in the ducal hunting-lodge, and let these be cleansed
and decorated. (5) Prepare rooms in the town for the Duchess's
household. (6) Let this also be done in the Castello Vecchio at
Vigevano. (7) Desire that no gifts of any kind should be made
to the Duchess at Novara, Vigevano, or any other place."[94]
When these instructions had been duly carried out, Bottigella, who had
accompanied Stampa on his mission to the Low Countries, and was already
acquainted with the chief members of the Duchess's suite, set out for
Chambéry by the Duke's orders, to meet the bride on the frontiers of
Savoy and escort her across the Alps.
III.
[Sidenote: APRIL, 1534] A WEDDING JOURNEY]
Christina had now completed her twelfth year, and Mary of Hungary could
no longer invent any excuse to delay her journey to Milan. The bridal
party finally set out on the 11th of March, conducted by Monseigneur
de Praet, the Emperor's representative, and Camillo Ghilino, the
Duke's Ambassador, with an escort of 130 horse. Madame de Souvastre,
one of Maximilian's illegitimate daughters, whose husband had been one
of the late Regent's confidential servants, was appointed mistress
of the Duchess's household, which consisted of six maids of honour,
six waiting-women, four pages, and ten gentlemen. Christina herself
rode in a black velvet litter, drawn by four horses and attended by
six footmen, and her ladies travelled in similar fashion, followed by
twenty mules and three waggons with the baggage. Mary had taken care
that the bride's trousseau was worthy of a daughter of the imperial
house, and the chests were filled with sumptuous robes of cloth of
gold and silver, of silk, satin, and velvet, costly furs, jewels and
pearls, together with furniture and plate for her table and chapel, and
liveries and trappings for her servants and horses. The Duchess's own
lackeys and all the gentlemen in attendance wore coats and doublets
of black velvet, and the other servants, we learn from John Hackett,
the English Ambassador at Brussels, were clad in suits of "medley
grey," trimmed with velvet, all "very well accounted."[95] The imposing
cortège travelled by slow stages through the friendly duchy of Lorraine
and across the plains of the imperial county of Burgundy, taking
journeys of twelve or fifteen miles a day, until, on the 12th of April,
it halted at Chambéry, the frontier town of Savoy. The reigning Duke,
Charles III., was the Emperor's brother-in-law and stanch ally, and the
travellers were hospitably entertained in his ancestral castle on the
heights. Here Bottigella was introduced into Christina's presence by
his old friend Camillo Ghilino, and found her on the way to attend Mass
in the castle chapel.
"The Duchess," wrote the Councillor to his lord, "received
me in the most friendly manner, and asked eagerly after you,
and was especially anxious to know where you were now. I told
her that you were at Vigevano, but would shortly return to
Milan, to prepare for her arrival. Mass was just beginning,
so I had to take my leave, but hope for another opportunity
of conversing with her before long, and can see how eager she
is to ask a hundred questions. She is very well and lively,
and does not seem any the worse for the long journey. She has
grown a great deal since I saw her last September, and is as
beautiful as the sun. M. de Praet hopes to reach Turin in seven
days, and will start again to-morrow."[96]
[Sidenote: APRIL, 1534] BEATRIX OF SAVOY]
The most arduous part of the journey now lay before the travellers.
Leaving Chambéry, they penetrated into the heart of the Alps, through
the narrow gorge of the Isère, between precipitous ravines with
castles crowning the rocks on either side, until they reached the
impregnable fortress of Montmélian, the ancient bulwark of Savoy,
which had resisted all the assaults of the French. After spending the
night here, they rode up the green pastures and pine-clad slopes of S.
Jean de Maurienne, and began the ascent of the Mont Cenis, over "those
troublesome and horrid ways" of which English travellers complained
so bitterly, where loose stones and tumbled rocks made riding almost
impossible. "These ways, indeed," wrote Coryat, "are the worst I
ever travelled in my life, so much so that the roads of Savoy may be
proverbially spoken of as the owls of Athens, the pears of Calabria,
or the quails of Delos."[97] On the summit of the pass De Praet and
his companions saw with interest the Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows,
where a few years before the famous Constable of Bourbon had offered
up his sword on the altar of the Virgin, as he led the imperial armies
across the Alps. Then they came down into a smiling green valley, with
walnut woods and rushing streams, and saw the medieval towers of Susa
at their feet. Here they were met by the Emperor's Ambassador at the
Court of Savoy, who came to pay his respects to the Duchess, bringing
with him two elegant litters of crimson brocade, sent by Charles's
sister-in-law, Beatrix of Portugal, Duchess of Savoy, for Christina's
use. At Rivoli, two stages farther on, fifty Councillors from Turin,
with the Bishop of Vercelli at their head, appeared on horseback to
escort the Duchess to the city gates. Here Christina mounted her horse
and rode up the steep ascent to the citadel, with De Praet walking at
her side. The beautiful Duchess Beatrix herself awaited her guest at
the castle gates, and, embracing Christina affectionately, led her by
the hand up the grand staircase into the best suite of rooms in the
palace. The travellers spent two days in these comfortable quarters,
and enjoyed the brief interval of rest, although the Duchess, as
Bottigella was careful to tell the Duke, seemed the least tired of the
whole party, and was in blooming health and high spirits.
On the following Sunday Christina rode into Novara, on a brilliant
spring morning, and was lodged in the Bishop's palace, and received
with the greatest enthusiasm by her lord's subjects. At Vigevano, the
birthplace and favourite home of Lodovico Sforza, the nobles, with
Massimiliano Stampa at their head, rode out to welcome the Duke's
bride, and carried a rich baldacchino over her head. Nevertheless,
halfway between Novara and Vigevano, De Praet complained to the Count
that neither the reception of the Duchess nor the rooms prepared
for her were sufficiently honourable--"in fact, he found fault with
everything." The Count expressed some surprise, since both the Emperor
Maximilian and Charles V. himself had stayed at Vigevano, and the
latter had greatly admired the buildings and gardens laid out by
Bramante and Leonardo. But, to pacify the exacting priest, Stampa
proposed that the Duchess should only take her _déjeuner_ in the
castle, and push on to his own villa of Cussago, where she was to spend
some days before entering Milan. But De Praet replied that the Duchess,
not being yet accustomed to this climate, felt the heat of the sun,
and must on no account ride any farther till evening. So all the Count
could do was to send Bottigella on to see that the Castello was adorned
with wreaths of flowers and verdure, and that a good bed was prepared
for the Duchess.[98]
[Sidenote: MAY, 1534] CHRISTINA'S HUSBAND]
At least, De Praet could find nothing to grumble at in Stampa's
country-house at Cussago, the ducal palace and hunting-grounds which
had been given him by Francesco II. in reward for his unwavering
loyalty. The beauty of the spot, the delicious gardens with their sunny
lawns and sparkling fountains, their rose and myrtle bowers, their
bosquets and running streams, enchanted the travellers from the north.
The villa had been adorned with frescoes and marble doorways by the
best Lombard masters of the Moro's Court, and was once the favourite
country-house of Beatrice d'Este, the present Duke's mother, who often
rode out from Milan to hunt in the forests of the Brianza or play at
ball on the terraces. Now her son's child-bride saw these green lawns
in all the loveliness of early summer, and the frescoed halls rang once
more to the sound of mirth and laughter. Music and dancing enlivened
the days, and a drama--_La Sposa Sagace_--was acted one evening to
amuse Christina. At nightfall the guns of the Castello, firing salutes
in her honour, were heard in the distance, and the bonfires on the
towers of Milan lit up the evening sky with crimson glow. Count
Massimiliano took care that nothing should be lacking to the enjoyment
of the Duchess, and begged De Praet to attend to her comfort in every
particular, but, as he told the Duke, it was not always easy to satisfy
these gentlemen.
One day Christina and her ladies received a visit from the great
Captain Antonio de Leyva, the Duke's old enemy, who now came, cap in
hand, to pay homage to the Emperor's niece. Another day there was
a still greater stir at the villa, for the Duke himself appeared
unexpectedly, having ridden out almost alone, to pay a surprise visit
to his bride. The first sight of her future lord must have given
Christina a shock, and her ladies whispered to each other that this
wan, grey-haired man, who could not walk without the help of a stick,
was hardly a fit match for their fair young Princess. But Francesco's
chivalrous courtesy and gentleness went far to atone for his physical
defects, and nothing could exceed the kindness which he showed his
youthful bride. After all, she was but a child, and the sight of this
new world that was laid at her feet with all its beauties and treasures
was enough to dazzle her eyes and please her innocent fancy.
On Sunday, the 3rd of May, the Duchess made her state entry into Milan.
Early in the afternoon she rode in her litter to S. Eustorgio, the
Dominican convent outside the Ticino gate, where she was received by
the Duke's half-brother, Giovanni Paolo Sforza, mounted on a superb
charger, and attended by all his kinsmen, clad in white and gold.
After paying her devotions at the marble shrine of S. Pietro Martive,
the Prior and friars conducted her to partake of refreshments in the
guests' hall, and receive the homage of the Bishop and clergy, of the
magistrates and senators. At six o'clock, after vespers, the procession
started from the Porta Ticinese. First came the armourers and their
apprentices, in companies of 200, with coloured flags in their hands
and plumes to match in their caps. One troop was in blue, the other in
green. At the head of the first rode Alessandro Missaglia, a splendid
figure, wearing a silver helmet and shining armour over his turquoise
velvet vest, and mounted on a horse with richly damascened harness. The
green troop was led by Girolamo Negriolo, the other famous Milanese
armourer. Then came 300 archers in pale blue silk, and six bands of
trumpeters and drummers, followed by a great company of the noblest
gentlemen of Milan, all clad in white, with flowing plumes in their
hats and lances in their hands, riding horses draped with silver
brocade. Visconti, Trivulzio, Borromeo, Somaglia--all the proudest
names of Milan were there, and in the rear rode the veteran Antonio de
Leyva, with the Emperor's representative, De Praet, at his side.
[Sidenote: MAY, 1534] THE BRIDE'S ENTRY]
Immediately behind them, under a white and gold velvet baldacchino,
borne by the doctors of the University, rode the bride, mounted on
a white horse with glittering trappings, and wearing a rich white
brocade robe and a long veil over her flowing hair--"a vision more
divine than human," exclaims the chronicler who witnessed the sight;
"only," he adds in an undertone, "she is still very young." At the
sight of the lovely child the multitude broke into shouts of joy,
and the clashing of bells, the blare of trumpets, and sound of guns,
welcomed the coming of the Duchess. Close behind her rode Cardinal
Ercole Gonzaga, the Duke's cousin, and on either side a guard of twelve
noble youths, with white ostrich feathers in their caps, so that Her
Excellency "appeared to be surrounded with a forest of waving plumes."
In the rear came Madame de Souvastre and her ladies in litters,
followed by a crowd of senators, bishops, and magistrates.
Six triumphal arches, adorned with statues and paintings, lined the
route. Peace with her olive-branch, Plenty with the cornucopia,
Prosperity bearing a caduceus, Joy crowned with flowers, welcomed the
bride in turn. Everywhere the imperial eagles were seen together with
the Sforza arms, and countless mottoes with courtly allusions to the
golden age that had at length dawned for distracted Milan. "Thy coming,
O Christina, confirms the peace of Italy!" On the piazza of the Duomo,
a pageant of the Seasons greeted her--Spring with arms full of roses,
Summer laden with ripe ears of corn, Autumn bearing purple grapes, and
Winter wrapt in snowy fur; while Minerva was seen closing the doors of
the Temple of Janus, and Juno and Hymen, with outstretched arms, hailed
Francesco, the son of the great Lodovico, and Christina, the daughter
of Dacia and Austria. At the steps of the Duomo the long procession
halted. Cardinal Gonzaga helped the Duchess to alight, and led her to
the altar, where she knelt in silent prayer, kissed the _pax_ held up
to her by the Archbishop, and received his benediction. The walls of
the long nave were hung with tapestries, and the choir draped with
cloth of gold and adorned with statues of the patron saints of Milan.
"When you entered the doors," wrote the chronicler, "you seemed to be
in Paradise."
Then the Duchess mounted her horse again, and the procession passed
up the Goldsmiths' Street to the Castello. Here the decorations were
still more sumptuous. One imposing arch was adorned with a painting
of St. John leaning on the bosom of Christ, copied from Leonardo's
"Cenacolo" in the refectory of S. Maria delle Grazie. Another bore a
figure of Christ with the orb and sceptre, and the words "Mercy and
Truth have kissed each other." On the piazza in front of the Castello,
a colossal fountain was erected, and winged children spouted wine and
perfumed water. The Castello itself had been elaborately adorned. The
arms of Denmark and Milan were carved in fine marble over the portals,
the walls were hung with blue draperies studded with golden stars and
wreathed with garlands of myrtle and ivy, and on either side of the
central doorway two giant warriors leaning on clubs supported a tablet
crowned with the imperial eagles, and inscribed with the words: "The
wisest of Princes to-day weds the fairest of Virgins, and brings us the
promise of perpetual peace."[99]
[Illustration: CHRISTINA, DUCHESS OF MILAN (1534)
(Oppenheimer Collection)]
[Illustration: FRANCESCO SFORZA, DUKE OF MILAN (1534)
(British Museum)
_To face p. 92_]
[Sidenote: MAY, 1534] IN THE CASTELLO]
As the procession reached the gates of the Castello, a triumphant burst
of martial music was sounded by the trumpeters on the topmost tower,
and Count Massimiliano, the Castellan, presented the golden keys of
the gates to the Duchess, on bended knee. Christina received them with
a gracious smile, and, accepting his hand, alighted from her horse,
amid the cheers of the populace, who, rushing in on all sides, seized
the baldacchino, tore the costly brocade into ribbons, and divided the
spoil. Meanwhile the Duke, leaning on a stick, received his wife with
a deep reverence, and led her by the hand into the beautiful suite of
rooms, hung with mulberry-coloured velvet and cloth of gold, which had
been prepared for her use.[100] Cardinal Gonzaga and De Praet supped
with the bride and bridegroom that evening, to the sweet melodies of
the Duke's flutes and viols. The gates of the Castello were closed,
enormous bonfires blazed on the walls, and rockets went up to heaven
from the top of the great tower. Thousands of torches illumined the
darkness, and the streets were thronged with gay crowds, who gladly
took advantage of the Duke's permission and gave themselves up to mirth
and revelry all night long. Long was that day remembered in Milan.
Old men who could recall the reign of Lodovico, and had witnessed the
coming of Beatrice and the marriage of Bianca, wept, and thanked God
that they had lived to see this day. But their joy was destined to be
of short duration.
IV.
At six o'clock on the evening of the 4th of May the marriage of the
Duke was finally celebrated in the hall of the Rocchetta, which was
hung with cloth of gold beautifully decorated with garlands of flowers.
Among the illustrious guests present were the Cardinal of Mantua, the
Legate Caracciolo, Antonio de Leyva, and the chief nobles and senators.
The Bishops of Modena and Vigevano chanted the nuptial Mass, and
Monseigneur de Praet delivered a lengthy oration, which sorely tried
the patience of his hearers. No sooner had he uttered the last words
than the Duke took the bride's hand, and brought the ceremony to an
abrupt conclusion by leading her into the banquet-hall. There a supper
of delicate viands, fruit, and wines, was prepared, and the guests were
entertained with music and songs during the evening.[101]
[Sidenote: MAY, 1534] ALFONSO D'ESTE]
Letters of congratulation now poured in from all the Courts of Europe.
Christina's own relatives--Ferdinand and Anna, the King and Queen of
Hungary and Bohemia, the King and Queen of Portugal, the Elector of
Saxony and the Marquis of Brandenburg--all congratulated the Duchess
on her safe arrival and happy marriage; while the Pope, the Doge of
Venice, and other Italian Princes, sent the Duke cordial messages.
One of the most interesting letters which the bridegroom received was
an autograph epistle from his cousin, Bona Sforza, Queen of Poland,
who would probably herself have been Duchess of Milan if Massimiliano
Sforza had reigned longer. It had been the earnest wish of her widowed
mother, Isabella of Aragon, to effect this union, and it was only
after the French conquest of Milan in 1515 that her daughter became the
wife of King Sigismund. From her distant home Bona kept up an active
correspondence with her Italian relatives, and now sent Francesco the
following friendly letter:
"DEAREST AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS COUSIN,
"I rejoice sincerely to hear that your most illustrious wife
has reached Milan safely. I feel the greatest joy at your happy
marriage, and trust that Heaven will send you a fine son. My
husband and children join with me in wishing you every possible
happiness.
"BONA, QUEEN.
"From Cracow, July 15, 1534."[102]
Another of Francesco's illustrious kinsfolk, Alfonso d'Este, Duke
of Ferrara, came to Milan in person to offer his congratulations to
his nephew, although he preferred to remain incognito, and his name
does not figure among the guests who were present at the wedding
festivities. But Ferrarese chroniclers record that the Duke went to
Milan on the 30th of April, to attend the wedding of Duke Francesco
Sforza, who took for wife Madame Christierna, daughter of the King
of Dacia, and returned home on the 6th of May.[103] Forty-four years
before, Alfonso, then a boy of fourteen, had accompanied his sister
Beatrice to Milan for her marriage, and escorted his own bride, Anna
Sforza, back to Ferrara. Now his long and troubled life was drawing to
a close, and he died a few months after this last journey to Milan,
on the 31st of October, 1534. By his last will he left two of his
best horses and a pair of falcons to his beloved nephew, the Duke of
Milan.[104] Some writers have conjectured that Alfonso brought his
favourite painter, Titian, to Milan, and that the Venetian master
painted portraits of the Duke and Duchess on this occasion.[105] No
record of Titian's visit, however, has been discovered, and he probably
painted the portraits of Francesco and Christina from drawings sent to
him at Venice.
[Sidenote: MAY, 1534] TITIAN'S PORTRAIT]
Titian's friend, Pietro Aretino, was in constant correspondence with
Count Massimiliano Stampa, who rewarded his literary efforts with gifts
of gold chains, velvet caps, and embroidered doublets. "I shall be
clad in your presents all through the summer months," he wrote in a
letter, signing himself, "Your younger brother and devoted servant."
Aretino was not only profuse in thanks to this noble patron, but sent
him choice works of art, mirrors of Oriental crystal, medals engraved
by Anichino, and, best of all, a little painting of the youthful
Baptist clasping a lamb, "so life-like that a sheep would bleat at
the sight of it."[106] The wily Venetian was exceedingly anxious to
ingratiate himself with the Duke of Milan, and not only dedicated a
"Paraphase" to him on his marriage, but, according to Vasari, painted
portraits of both the Duke and Duchess. These pictures were reproduced
by Campo in the "History of Cremona," which he published in 1585, while
Christina was still living. The portrait of Francesco was at that
time the property of the Milanese noble Mario Amigone, while that of
Christina hung in the house of Don Antonio Lomboni, President of the
Magistrates.[107] This last portrait was afterwards sent to Florence
by order of the Grand-Duke Ferdinand, who married the Duchess's
granddaughter, Christine of Lorraine.
"I send Your Highness," wrote Guido Mazzenta in January, 1604,
"the portrait of the Most Serene Lady, Christina, Queen of
Denmark, and grandmother of the Most Serene Grand-Duchess,
painted by Titian, by order of Duke Francesco Sforza, when he
brought her to Milan as his bride."[108]
Unfortunately, this precious portrait was afterwards sent to Madrid,
where it is said to have perished in a fire. In Campo's engraving the
youthful Duchess wears a jewelled cap and pearl necklace, with an
ermine cape on her shoulders. Her serene air and thoughtful expression
recall Holbein's famous picture, and give an impression of quiet
happiness and content which agrees with all that we know of her short
married life.
The change was great from Malines and Brussels, and Christina often
missed her old playmates. But her simple, docile nature became easily
accustomed to these new surroundings, and the affectionate little
letters which she sent to her aunt and sister all breathe the same
strain. "We are as happy and contented as possible," she writes to
Dorothea; and when Camillo Ghilino was starting for Germany, she sends
a few words, at her lord's suggestion, to be forwarded to Flanders,
just to tell her aunt how much she loves and thinks of her.[109]
Certainly, when we compare her lot with that of her mother, and
remember the hardships and sorrows which the young Queen had to
endure, Christina may well have counted herself fortunate. Her husband
treated his child-wife with the greatest kindness. Her smallest wish
was gratified, her tastes were consulted in every particular. The
rooms which she occupied in the Rocchetta, where his mother, Duchess
Beatrice, had lived, were hung with rich crimson velvet; the walls
of her bedroom were draped with pale blue silk; a new loggia was
built, looking out on the gardens and moat waters. The breaches which
French and Spanish guns had made in the walls were repaired, and the
Castello resumed its old aspect. Three state carriages, lined with
costly brocades and drawn by four horses draped with cloth of gold,
were prepared by the Duke for his wife, and were first used by the
Duchess on Ascension Day, when, ten days after her wedding, she made
her first appearance in public. As she drove to the Duomo, followed by
the Legate and Ambassadors, and escorted by a brilliant cavalcade of
nobles, the streets were thronged with eager crowds, who greeted her
with acclamation, and waited for hours to catch a sight of her face.
On Corpus Christi, again, a few weeks later, the Duke and Duchess both
came to see the long procession of Bishops and priests pass through the
streets, bearing the host under a stately canopy from the Duomo to the
ancient shrine of S. Ambrogio.
[Sidenote: JUNE, 1534] FRANCESCA PALEOLOGA]
The popularity of the young Duchess soon became unbounded. Her tall
figure, dark eyes, and fair hair, excited the admiration of all her
subjects, while her frank and kindly manners won every heart. Although
prices went up in Milan that year, and the tolls on corn and wine were
doubled, the people paid these dues cheerfully, and, when they sat down
to a scanty meal, remarked that they must pay for Her Excellency's
dinner.[110] Fortunately, by the end of the year there was a
considerable fall in prices, and a general sense of relief and security
prevailed.
To the Duke himself, as well as to his people, the coming of the
Duchess brought new life. For a time his failing health revived in
the sunshine of her presence. He threw himself with energy into the
task of beautifying Milan and completing the façade of the Duomo. At
the same time he employed painters to decorate the Castello and Duomo
of Vigevano, and an illuminated book of the Gospels, adorned with
exquisite miniatures and bearing his arms and those of the Duchess, may
still be seen in the Brera.
Hunting-parties were held for Christina's amusement both at Vigevano
and in Count Massimiliano's woods at Cussago. Madame de Souvastre
and most of the Duchess's Flemish attendants had returned to the
Netherlands with De Praet, and Francesco took great pains to provide
his wife with a congenial lady-in-waiting. His choice fell on Francesca
Paleologa, a lady of the noble house of Montferrat, and cousin of the
newly-married Duchess of Mantua. Her husband, Constantine Comnenus,
titular Prince of Macedonia, had served under the Pope and Emperor; and
her daughter, Deianira, had lately married Count Gaspare Trivulzio, a
former partisan of the French, who was now a loyal subject of the Duke.
From this time the Princess of Macedonia became Christina's inseparable
companion, and remained devotedly attached to the Duchess throughout
her long life. At the same time Francesco appointed one of his
secretaries, Benedetto da Corte of Pavia, to be master of the Duchess's
household, and to teach her Italian, which she was soon able to speak
and write fluently.
The Milanese archives contain several charming little notes written in
Christina's large, round hand to the Duke during a brief visit which he
paid to Vigevano, for change of air, in the summer of 1535:
"MY LORD AND DEAREST HUSBAND,
"I have received your dear letters, and rejoice to hear of your
welfare. This has been a great comfort to me, but it will be a
far greater pleasure to see you again. I look forward to your
return with such impatience that a single hour seems as long as
a whole year. May God keep you safe and bring you home again
very soon, for I can enjoy nothing without Your Excellency. I
am very well, thank God, and commend myself humbly to your good
graces. Signora Francesca is also well, and commends herself to
Your Highness.
"Your very humble wife,
"CHRISTIERNA.
"Milan, June 7, 1535.
"The bearer of this letter has been very good to me."
Francesco's health had lately given fresh cause for anxiety. He
suffered from catarrh and fever, and was frequently confined to his
bed. A Pavian Envoy who had been promised an audience had to leave the
Castello without seeing His Excellency, and a visit which he and the
Duchess had intended to pay to Pavia in the spring was put off, to
the great disappointment of the loyal citizens. Now his absence was
prolonged owing to a fresh attack of illness, and the young wife wrote
again at the end of the month, lamenting the delay and expressing the
same impatience for his return:
"MY DEAREST HUSBAND,
[Sidenote: JUNE, 1535] DOROTHEA OF DENMARK]
"I was delighted, as I always am, with your dear letter of the
20th instant, but should have been much better pleased to see
you and enjoy the pleasure of your presence, as I hoped to
do by this time, especially as these Signors assured me that
your absence would be short. But they were, it is plain, quite
wrong. However, I must be reasonable, and if your prolonged
absence is necessary I will not complain. I thank you for your
kind excuses and explanations, but I will not thank you for
saying that I need not trouble to write to you with my own
hand, because this at least is labour well spent, and I am only
happy when I can talk with Your Excellency or write to you, now
that I cannot enjoy your company. I commend myself infinitely
to your remembrance, and trust God may long preserve you, and
grant you a safe and speedy return.
"Your very humble wife,
"CHRISTIERNA.
"From Milan, June. 1535."[111]
But the warm-hearted young wife's wish remained unfulfilled, and four
months after these lines were written Christina was a widow.
V.
[Sidenote: JAN., 1535] THE PALATINE]
The chief event of Christina's brief married life was the marriage of
her elder sister, the Princess of Denmark. Dorothea was by this time
an attractive girl of fourteen, shorter and slighter than her sister,
and inferior to her in force of character, but full of brightness and
gaiety. She was very popular in her old home at Malines, and often
shot with a crossbow at the meetings of the Guild of Archers. Several
marriages had been proposed for her, and King James of Scotland had
repeatedly asked for her hand; but the Emperor hesitated to accept his
advances, from fear of offending King Francis, whose daughter Magdalen
had long been pledged to this fickle monarch, while the difficulty
of providing a dower and outfit for another portionless niece, made
Mary reluctant to conclude a second marriage. But, a few months after
Christina's marriage, a new suitor for Dorothea's hand came forward
in the person of the Count Palatine, who had vainly aspired to wed
both Eleanor of Austria and Mary of Hungary. Frederic's loyal support
of Charles's claims to the imperial crown, and his gallant defence of
Vienna against the Turks, had been scurvily rewarded, and hitherto all
his attempts to find another bride had been foiled. When, in 1526,
after the King of Portugal's death, he approached his old love, the
widowed Queen Eleanor, his advances were coldly repelled; and when
he asked King Ferdinand for one of his daughters, he was told that
she was too young for him. After Mary of Hungary's refusal, he left
the Imperial Court in anger, and told Charles V. that he would take
a French wife;[112] but Isabel of Navarre, Margaret of Montferrat,
and the King of Poland's daughter, all eluded his efforts, and when
he asked for Mary Tudor's hand, King Henry told him that he could not
insult his good friend and cousin by offering him a bride born out of
wedlock.[113] Now Ferdinand, unwilling to lose so valuable an ally,
suddenly proposed that the Palatine should marry his niece Dorothea,
saying that both he and Charles would rejoice to see him reigning over
the three northern kingdoms. At first Frederic hesitated, saying that
he was a grey-headed man of fifty, little fitted to be the husband of
so young a lady, and had no wish to reign over the turbulent Norsemen.
Mary, however, welcomed her brother's proposal, regarding it as a
means of strengthening the Emperor's cause in Northern Europe. In
Denmark the succession of Frederic's son Christian III. was disputed,
and a Hanseatic fleet had seized Copenhagen, while Christopher of
Oldenburg, a cousin of the captive King, had invaded Jutland. With
the help of these allies it might be possible for the Palatine to
recover his wife's inheritance. But the execution of this plan was full
of difficulties, as Prince John's old tutor, the wise Archbishop of
Lunden, told Charles V. in a letter which he addressed to him in the
autumn of 1534:
"MOST SACRED CÆSAR,--I know Denmark well, and am convinced that
the Danes will never recognize Christian II. as their King.
Count Christopher's expedition will prove a mere flash in the
pan, and when he can no longer pay his men, the peasants, who
flocked to his banner at the sound of their old King's name,
will return to their hearths. Then the nobles will have their
revenge, and the proud Lübeck citizens will seize Denmark and
establish the Lutheran religion in the name of Christopher or
King Henry of England, or any other Prince, as long as he is
not Your Majesty; and if they succeed, the trade of the Low
Countries will be ruined."[114]
The bait held out to the Palatine, however, proved too alluring, and
he easily fell a victim to the snare. The Emperor sent him flattering
messages by Hubert, the faithful servant who has left us so delightful
a chronicle of his master's doings, and promised his niece a dowry of
50,000 crowns. It was late on New Year's Eve when Hubert reached his
master's house at Neumarkt, on his return from Spain, and Frederic was
already in bed; but he sent for him, and bade him tell his news in
three words. The messenger exclaimed joyfully: "I bring my lord a royal
bride, a most gracious Kaiser, and a sufficient dowry." Upon which the
Palatine thanked God, and bade Hubert go to the cellar and help himself
to food and drink.[115]
One of Charles's most trusted Flemish servants, Nicholas de Marnol,
was now sent to Milan, to obtain the consent of the Duke and Duchess
to Dorothea's marriage. After a perilous journey over the Alps in snow
and floods, Marnol reached Milan on the 10th of January, 1535, and
received a cordial welcome. Francesco approved warmly of a union which
would insure the Princess's happiness and serve to confirm the peace of
Germany, but quite declined to accept the Emperor's suggestion that he
should help to provide a pension for Christina's brother-in-law, saying
that this was impossible, and that His Majesty would be the first to
recognize the futility of making promises which cannot be kept.
After a short stay at Milan, Marnol went on to Vienna, and advised the
Palatine to go to Spain himself if he wished to settle the matter.
Frederic, always glad of an excuse for a journey, travelled by way
of Brussels and France to Saragossa, and accompanied the Emperor to
Barcelona, where Charles signed the marriage contract on the eve of
sailing for Africa.
[Sidenote: MAY, 1535] A HAPPY MARRIAGE]
On the 18th of May, 1535, the marriage was solemnized at Brussels, and
Frederic consented to leave his bride with her aunt until her outfit
was completed. Queen Eleanor expressed the liveliest interest in her
old lover's marriage, and insisted on seeing Dorothea before she
went to Germany. At length the wedding-party reached Heidelberg, on
the 8th of September, where the gallant bridegroom, who, in Hubert's
words, "loved to shine," rode out in rich attire to meet his bride, and
escorted her with martial music and pomp worthy of a King's daughter
to the famous castle on the heights. The next day the nuptial Mass
was celebrated by the Bishop of Spires, and a series of splendid
entertainments were given by Frederic's brother, the Elector Louis,
after which the Count took his bride to his own home at Neumarkt, in
the Upper Palatinate.[116]
"Now at length," wrote Hubert, "my lord thought that he had attained a
haven of rest, and found a blessed end to all his troubles; but he was
grievously mistaken, and soon realized that he had embarked on a new
and tempestuous ocean."[117]
The splendid prospects of recovering his wife's kingdom were destined
to prove utterly fallacious, and only involved him in heavy expenses
and perpetual intrigues. The Emperor, as he soon discovered, "had no
great affection for the enterprise of Denmark,"[118] and before long
Copenhagen surrendered, and Charles and Mary were compelled to come
to terms with Christian III. and acknowledge his title. Fortunately,
in all other respects his marriage proved a happy one. Dorothea was
greatly beloved by her husband's family and subjects, and made him a
devoted wife, although, as Hubert soon found out, she was as great a
spendthrift as her lord, and confessed that she was never happy until
she had spent her last penny.[119] The very frivolity of her nature
suited the volatile Count. She shared his love of adventure, and was
always ready to accompany him on perilous journeys, to climb mountains
or ford rivers, with the same unquenchable courage and gaiety of
heart. Even when, in her anxiety to bear a child, she imitated the
example of Frederic's mother, the old Countess Palatine, and went on
pilgrimages and wore holy girdles, "this was done without any spirit
of devotion, but with great mirth and laughter. And how little," adds
the chronicler, "either pilgrimages or girdles profited her, we all
know."[120]
VI.
Before the Palatine and his bride reached Heidelberg, Europe was
thrilled by the news of the capture of Tunis, and the flight of the
hated Barbarossa before his conqueror. It was the proudest moment of
the Emperor's life. Twenty thousand Christian captives were released
that day, and went home to spread the fame of their great deliverer
throughout the civilized world. The news reached Milan on the 2nd of
August, and was hailed with universal joy. _Te Deums_ were chanted
in the Duomo, bells were rung in all the churches, and the guns of
the Castello boomed in honour of the great event. Camillo Ghilino
was immediately sent by the Duke to congratulate the Emperor on
his victory, and thank His Majesty once more for all the happiness
which the generous gift of his niece had brought Francesco and his
people.[121]
[Illustration: FREDERIC, COUNT PALATINE
Ascribed to A. Dürer (Darmstadt)
_To face p. 106_]
[Sidenote: NOV., 1535] FRANCESCO SFORZA'S DEATH]
The late Pope, Clement VII., had already expressed his intention of
rewarding Ghilino's services with a Cardinal's hat, and his successor,
Paul III., would probably have kept his promise, but the Ambassador
fell ill in Sicily, and died at Palermo in September, to the Duke's
great sorrow.[122] Soon after receiving the news, Francesco himself
fell ill of fever, and once more lost the use of his limbs. All through
October he grew steadily worse, and by the end of the month the people
of Milan learnt that their beloved Prince was at the point of death. On
Monday, the Feast of All Saints, the public anxiety was at its height,
and silent crowds waited all day at the gates of the Castello to hear
the latest reports. At length, early in the morning of All Souls' Day,
they learnt that the last Sforza Duke was no more. Christina watched
by his bedside to the end, and wept bitterly, for, in the chronicler's
words, "they had loved each other well."[123] All Milan shared in her
grief, and nothing but sobbing and wailing was heard in the streets.
Everyone lamented the good Duke, and grieved for the troubles and
misery which his death would bring on the land. But the city remained
tranquil, and there was no tumult or rioting. This was chiefly due to
Stampa, who, by the Duke's last orders, took charge of the Duchess, and
administered public affairs in her name, until instructions could be
received from Cæsar.
A messenger was despatched without delay to the Emperor at Palermo,
with letters from the Count and a touching little note from Christina,
informing her uncle how her dear lord's weakness had gradually
increased, until in the early morning he passed to a better life. The
dead Prince lay in state for three days in the ducal chapel, clad in
robes of crimson velvet and ermine, on a bier surrounded by lighted
tapers. But the funeral was put off till the 19th of November, in
order, writes the chronicler, to give the people time to show the love
they bore their lamented master, and also because of the difficulty of
obtaining sufficient black cloth to drape the walls of the Castello
and put the Court in mourning. It was a sad time for the young widow.
During three weeks not a ray of light was allowed to penetrate the
gloom of the funereal hall where she sat with her ladies, while solemn
requiems and Masses were chanted in the chapel.
It had been Francesco's wish to sleep with his parents in the Church
of S. Maria delle Grazie, where the effigies of Lodovico and his lost
Beatrice had been carved in marble. But when this became known there
was a general outcry. The people would not allow their beloved Duke to
be buried anywhere but in the Duomo with the great Francesco and the
other Sforza Princes. So it was decided only to bury the Duke's heart
in the Dominican church. His body was laid in a leaden casket covered
with black velvet, and a wax effigy, wearing the ducal crown and robes,
was exposed to public view.
[Sidenote: NOV., 1535] FUNERAL RITES]
Late on Friday, the 19th of November, an imposing funeral procession
passed from the Castello to the Duomo, through the same streets
which, only eighteen months before, had been decked in festive array
to receive the late Duke's bride. First came the Bishops and clergy
with candles and crosses, then the senators, magistrates, and nobles,
wearing long black mantles and hoods. After them gentlemen bearing
the ducal standard, cap, and baton, and Francesco's sword and helmet,
and what moved the spectators more than all, the white mule which he
had ridden daily, led by four pages, "looking just as it did when
His Excellency was alive, only that the saddle was empty." Then the
bier was carried past, under a gold canopy, and the wax effigy of the
dead man, was seen clad in gold brocade and ermine, with a vest of
crimson velvet and red shoes and stockings. Immediately behind rode the
chief mourner, Giovanni Paolo Sforza, followed by Antonio de Leyva,
the Imperial and Venetian Ambassadors, the Chancellor Taverna, Count
Massimiliano Stampa, and the chief Ministers and officials. After
them came a vast multitude of poor, all in mourning, bearing lighted
tapers, and weeping as they went. A catafalque, surrounded with burning
torches, had been erected in the centre of the Duomo, and here, under a
canopy of black velvet, the Duke's effigy was laid on a couch of gold
brocade, with his sword at his side and the ducal cap and baton at his
feet--"a thing," says the chronicler, "truly marvellous to see."[124]
The next morning the funeral rites were celebrated in the presence of
an immense concourse of people, and a Latin oration was delivered by
Messer Gualtiero di Corbetta. During three days requiems were chanted
at every altar in the Duomo, and the great bell, which had never been
rung before, was tolled for the space of three hours, accompanied by
all the bells of the other churches in Milan. "And there was no one
with heart so hard that he was not moved to tears that day," writes
Burigozzo, the chronicler who was a living witness of the love which
the citizens bore to their dead Duke.[125] At the end of the week the
casket containing Francesco's remains was finally laid in a richly
carved sarcophagus, which had been originally intended to receive
the ashes of Gaston de Foix, the victor of Ravenna, and which was now
placed against the wall of the choir, "for a perpetual memorial in the
sight of all Milan."[126]
No one loved the Duke better and lamented his loss more truly than
Count Massimiliano Stampa, and Pietro Aretino, who realized this,
condoled with his noble friend, and at the same time paid an eloquent
tribute to the dead Prince, in the following letter:
"The Duke is dead, and I feel that this sad event has not only
taken away all your happiness, but part of your own soul.
I know the close intimacy in which you lived, nourished in
your infancy at the same breast, and bound together in one
heart and soul. But you must take comfort, remembering that
His Excellency may well be called fortunate in his end. His
wanderings began when he was barely six years old, and he was
driven into exile before he was old enough to remember his
native land. After so many wars and labours, after experiencing
famine and sickness himself, and seeing the cruel misery
and affliction endured by his subjects, he lived to see
perfect tranquillity restored in his dominions, and to enjoy
the passionate affection of all Milan. Now, secure in the
friendship of Cæsar and the love of Italy, he has given back
his spirit to God who gave it. Rejoice, therefore, and render
praise and glory to Francesco Sforza's name, because by his
wisdom and virtue he conquered fortune, and has died a Prince
on his throne, reigning in peace and happiness over his native
land. So, my dear lord, I beg you dry your tears, and meet
those who love you as I do with a serene brow. The fame of your
learning and greatness is known everywhere. Rise above the
blows of fate, and console yourself with the thought of your
Duke's blessed end. There lies His Excellency's corpse. Give it
honourable burial, and I meanwhile will not cease to celebrate
him dead and you who are alive."[127]
FOOTNOTES:
[79] Calendar of Spanish State Papers, ii. 146.
[80] Schäfer, iv. 204, 209.
[81] "Diarii," liii. 231.
[82] Altmeyer, "Relations," etc., 298; Sanuto, lv. 389, 414.
[83] Sanuto, lvii. 610, 637.
[84] State Papers, Record Office, vii. 465.
[85] M. Sanuto, lvii. 157; A. Campo, "Storia di Cremona," 107.
[86] Lanz, ii. 87, 88.
[87] Lanz, ii. 89.
[88] Archivio di Stato, Milan, Carteggio Diplomatico, 1533.
[89] Archivio di Stato, Milano, Carteggio Diplomatico, 1533.
[90] Carteggio Diplomatico, 1533, Archivio di Stato, Milan.
[91] G. M. Burigozzo, "Cronaca Milanese," 1500-1544, p. 516; "Archivio
Storico Italiano," iii. (1842).
[92] Potenze Sovrane, 1533-34, Archivio di Stato, Milan.
[93] Autografi di Principi Sforza, Archivio di Stato, Milan.
[94] Potenze Sovrane, Archivio di Stato, Milan.
[95] State Papers, Record Office, vii. 545.
[96] Potenze Sovrane, Archivio di Stato, Milan.
[97] T. Coryat, "Crudities," i. 215; "Hardwick Papers," i. 85.
[98] Potenze Sovrane, Archivio di Stato, Milan.
[99] M. Guazzo, "Historie d'Italia," 272-275; P. Avenati, "Entrata
Solemne di Cristina di Spagna"; MS. Continuazione della Storia di
Corio, O. 240 (Biblioteca Ambrosiana).
[100] C. Magenta, "I Visconti e gli Sforza nel Castello di Pavia," i.
750; Nubilonio, "Cronaca di Vigevano," 131.
[101] MS. Continuazione di Corio, O. 240 (Biblioteca Ambrosiana).
[102] Autografi di Principi: Sforza. Archivio di Stato, Milan.
[103] F. Roddi, "Annali di Ferrara" (Harleian MSS. 3310).
[104] E. Gardiner, "A King of Court Poets," 355.
[105] Crowe and Cavalcaselle, "Titian," i. 355.
[106] P. Aretino, "Lettere," i. 214.
[107] A. Campo, 107.
[108] Gaye, "Carteggio," iii. 531.
[109] Autografi di Principi: Sforza, Archivio di Stato, Milan.
[110] Burigozzo, 521.
[111] Autografi di Principi: Sforza, Archivio di Stato (see Appendix
I.).
[112] Lanz, i. 419.
[113] H. Thomas, 310.
[114] Altmeyer, "Relations Commerciales," etc., 317; Lanz, ii. 120.
[115] H. Thomas, 328.
[116] Henne, vi. 132.
[117] H. Thomas, 350.
[118] Lanz, ii. 659.
[119] H. Thomas, 350.
[120] "Zimmer'sche Chronik," iv. 145.
[121] Burigozzo, 525.
[122] G. Ghilino, "Annali di Alessandria," 141.
[123] Potenze Sovrane, Archivio di Stato.
[124] Burigozzo, 525.
[125] _Ibid._, 529.
[126] M. Guazzo, 312.
[127] P. Aretino, "Lettere," i. 43.