A Popular History of France from the Earliest Times, Volume 3Guizot, François
History
A Popular History of France from the Earliest Times, Volume 3
Guizot, François
France -- History
would be exhibited towards him by the Venetians if he encountered any
embarrassment in his expedition to Naples. Nothing of the kind happened
to him during the first month after King Frederick III.’s abandonment of
the kingdom of Naples. The French and the Spaniards, D’Aubigny and
Gonzalvo of Cordova, at first gave their attention to nothing but
establishing themselves firmly, each in the interests of the king his
master, in those portions of the kingdom which were to belong to them.
But, before long, disputes arose between the two generals as to the
meaning of certain clauses in the treaty of November 11, 1500, and as to
the demarcation of the French and the Spanish territories. D’Aubigny
fell ill; and Louis XII. sent to Naples, with the title of viceroy, Louis
d’Armagnac, Duke of Nemours, a brave warrior, but a negotiator inclined
to take umbrage and to give offence. The disputes soon took the form of
hostilities. The French essayed to drive the Spaniards from the points
they had occupied in the disputed territories; and at first they had the
advantage. Gonzalvo of Cordova, from necessity or in prudence,
concentrated his forces within Barletta, a little fortress with a little
port on the Adriatic; but he there endured, from July, 1502, to April,
1503, a siege which did great honor to the patient firmness of the
Spanish troops and the persistent vigor of their captain. Gonzalvo was
getting ready to sally from Barletta and take the offensive against the
French when he heard that a treaty signed at Lyons on the 5th of April,
1503, between the Kings of Spain and France, made a change in the
position, reciprocally, of the two sovereigns, and must suspend the
military operations of their generals within the kingdom of Naples.
“The French general declared his readiness to obey his king,” says
Guicciardini; “but the Spanish, whether it were that he felt sure of
victory or that he had received private instructions on that point, said
that he could not stop the war without express orders from his king.”
And sallying forthwith from Barletta, he gained, on the 28th of April,
1503, at Cerignola, a small town of Puglia, a signal victory over the
French commanded by the Duke of Nemours, who, together with three
thousand men of his army, was killed in action. The very day after his
success Gonzalvo heard that a Spanish corps, lately disembarked in
Calabria, had also beaten, on the 21st of April, at Seminara, a French
corps commanded by D’Aubigny. The great captain was as eager to profit
by victory as he had been patient in waiting for a chance of it. He
marched rapidly on Naples, and entered it on the 14th of May, almost
without resistance; and the two forts defending the city, the Castel
Nuovo and the Castel dell’ Uovo surrendered, one on the 11th of June and
the other on the 1st of July. The capital of the kingdom having thus
fallen into the hands of the Spaniards, Capua and Aversa followed its
example.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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