Read Online Henri II: His Court and Times by H Noel Williams - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: H Noel Williams
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Alcazar. 08 She was dressed all in white, on
account of the recent death of her husband, the Duc d'Alençon,
and her face was stained with tears. Charles embraced her
and begged her not to despair, and then conducted her to
François's apartment, where he left the brother and sister
together, and set out for Toledo, at which city the conferences
with the French envoys were to be held.
The visits and assurances of the Emperor and the presence
of his devoted sister served to arouse François from the depths
of discouragement into which he had fallen. But, though
Charles appears to have been under the impression that his
illness was due far more to moral than to physical causes, this
was certainly not the case. The King was suffering from an
abscess in the head (
un' appostema nella testa
) 09 and, three days after the departure of his "good brother," he had so
serious a relapse, that both his own and the Emperor's
physicians held out no hope of his recovery. According to oneof the French envoys, the Président de Selve, all the signs of
approaching death were evident, and he lay for several hours
without speaking or recognising any one.
Believing that the end was at hand, Marguerite caused
an altar to be set up in the sick-room, summoned all her
own and his Majesty's attendants, and directed the Arch-
bishop of Embrun to celebrate Mass, and afterwards, if
possible, to administer the Holy Sacrament to the King.
"At the moment of the elevation," writes Selve, "when the
archbishop exhorted him to regard the Host, my sovereign
lord (who neither saw nor heard) turned his head, raised
his hands, and murmured: 'It is my God, who will restore
me both in body and soul. I entreat you to let me receive
Him.'" As it was doubtful whether he would be able to
swallow the consecrated wafer, his sister suggested that it
should be divided into two portions, one of which she
received herself, while the other was given to the King, who
received it very devoutly, amid the tears of all present. 10
The agitation caused by his receiving the Holy Sacrament had a salutary
effect upon the sick man, for the abscess in the head opened, happily in an
outward direction, and though he remained for some time in a very weak state, he
was soon out of danger; and Marguerite was able to proceed to Toledo with the
French envoys, for the conferences which she hoped would soon restore her brother
to liberty.
We shall not dwell upon the tedious negotiations which
followed. The obstacle to a settlement was, of course, the
question of Burgundy. The duchy had reverted to the
Crown of France on the death of Charles the Bold, without
male heirs, in 1477, when the Estates had at once recognised
Louis XI as their liege lord. But the Emperor, as the son of
Charles the Bold's daughter, Mary, had always regarded it as
his lawful inheritance, of which he had been unjustly despoiled,
and, for sentimental as well as political reasons, he
was determined to recover it. The French negotiators, on
the other hand, were instructed to resist to the uttermost a
demand which, if conceded, would not only deprive France
of one of her largest and most wealthy provinces, but wouldplace her redoubtable enemy within striking distance of the
capital. They suggested, however, that the case should be
submitted to arbitration, with the understanding that, if
Burgundy were assigned to Charles, it should form the dowry
of his sister Eleanor, whom the King should then take to wife.
To this proposal Charles refused to consent, and when, towards the end of November, the Duchesse d'Alençon
returned to France, matters were in much the same state as they had been on her
arrival, and it seemed as though François's captivity would be indefinitely prolonged.
Before his sister's departure, the King had bethought him
of an expedient which would prove as fatal to the hopes of
Charles V as the death of his prisoner, and drew up and
signed a deed of abdication, in which he declared that "we
have willed
account of the recent death of her husband, the Duc d'Alençon,
and her face was stained with tears. Charles embraced her
and begged her not to despair, and then conducted her to
François's apartment, where he left the brother and sister
together, and set out for Toledo, at which city the conferences
with the French envoys were to be held.
The visits and assurances of the Emperor and the presence
of his devoted sister served to arouse François from the depths
of discouragement into which he had fallen. But, though
Charles appears to have been under the impression that his
illness was due far more to moral than to physical causes, this
was certainly not the case. The King was suffering from an
abscess in the head (
un' appostema nella testa
) 09 and, three days after the departure of his "good brother," he had so
serious a relapse, that both his own and the Emperor's
physicians held out no hope of his recovery. According to oneof the French envoys, the Président de Selve, all the signs of
approaching death were evident, and he lay for several hours
without speaking or recognising any one.
Believing that the end was at hand, Marguerite caused
an altar to be set up in the sick-room, summoned all her
own and his Majesty's attendants, and directed the Arch-
bishop of Embrun to celebrate Mass, and afterwards, if
possible, to administer the Holy Sacrament to the King.
"At the moment of the elevation," writes Selve, "when the
archbishop exhorted him to regard the Host, my sovereign
lord (who neither saw nor heard) turned his head, raised
his hands, and murmured: 'It is my God, who will restore
me both in body and soul. I entreat you to let me receive
Him.'" As it was doubtful whether he would be able to
swallow the consecrated wafer, his sister suggested that it
should be divided into two portions, one of which she
received herself, while the other was given to the King, who
received it very devoutly, amid the tears of all present. 10
The agitation caused by his receiving the Holy Sacrament had a salutary
effect upon the sick man, for the abscess in the head opened, happily in an
outward direction, and though he remained for some time in a very weak state, he
was soon out of danger; and Marguerite was able to proceed to Toledo with the
French envoys, for the conferences which she hoped would soon restore her brother
to liberty.
We shall not dwell upon the tedious negotiations which
followed. The obstacle to a settlement was, of course, the
question of Burgundy. The duchy had reverted to the
Crown of France on the death of Charles the Bold, without
male heirs, in 1477, when the Estates had at once recognised
Louis XI as their liege lord. But the Emperor, as the son of
Charles the Bold's daughter, Mary, had always regarded it as
his lawful inheritance, of which he had been unjustly despoiled,
and, for sentimental as well as political reasons, he
was determined to recover it. The French negotiators, on
the other hand, were instructed to resist to the uttermost a
demand which, if conceded, would not only deprive France
of one of her largest and most wealthy provinces, but wouldplace her redoubtable enemy within striking distance of the
capital. They suggested, however, that the case should be
submitted to arbitration, with the understanding that, if
Burgundy were assigned to Charles, it should form the dowry
of his sister Eleanor, whom the King should then take to wife.
To this proposal Charles refused to consent, and when, towards the end of November, the Duchesse d'Alençon
returned to France, matters were in much the same state as they had been on her
arrival, and it seemed as though François's captivity would be indefinitely prolonged.
Before his sister's departure, the King had bethought him
of an expedient which would prove as fatal to the hopes of
Charles V as the death of his prisoner, and drew up and
signed a deed of abdication, in which he declared that "we
have willed
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