At this time died Ferdinand king of Arragon, who, during his reign, had made many conquests, more especially over the Moors, whom he had subjected to his obedience. At this period, also, died the magnificent Lorenzo de Medici, brother to pope Leo X., who had lately married a sister to the duke of Savoy, and sister also to the countess of Angoulême, mother to Francis I. king of France. He had been appointed generalissimo of the army of the church. Nearly at this period, a furious battle was fought between the Sophi, called Ishmael, and the grand Turk, and won by the latter, when more than one hundred and sixty thousand men were slain[66]. The Sophi, however, undismayed, collected fresh troops, and marched a considerable army against the Turk, whom he, in his turn, defeated, and drove him beyond the walls of Constantinople into Greece. The Sophi remained in possession of all the conquered country, while the Turk was like a captive within the territories of Christendom, and the war was continued on both sides. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 65: Is not this a mistake? was not Lautrec governor of the Milanese? and who offended the inhabitants by his severity.] [Footnote 66: In the 'Art de Verifier les Dates,' I find that Selim I. emperor of the Ottomans, marches in the year 1514 against Ishmael king of Persia, defeats him in the plain of Chaldéron, and gains Tauris. War was continued between them until the year 1516, when Selim turned his arms against Kansou sultan of Egypt.] CHAP. XLI. THE EMPEROR MAXIMILIAN ASSEMBLES A LARGE ARMY, TO ATTEMPT THE CONQUEST OF THE MILANESE, AND TO DRIVE THE FRENCH OUT OF ITALY.--THE CONSTABLE OF BOURBON, LIEUTENANT-GENERAL FOR THE KING IN ITALY, MARCHES AGAINST HIM. While the king of France was at Lyon, and toward the end of Lent, in the year 1516, another war broke out in Italy, through the usual manœuvres of the emperor Maximilian: he, at this time, was excited by the angels of king Henry of England, which had not for a long time flown in his country,--and by their means he subsidised the cantons of Swisserland and the Grisons. He also urged the citizens of Milan to revolt, principally through Galeas Visconti; and thinking every thing in a good train, he marched toward Milan with a body of troops that he had collected, under the brother of Maximilian Sforza, now resident in France according to the treaty that had been concluded with him after the battle of Marignano. The emperor having, as I have said, assembled an army, marched it from the plains of Verona to Lodi; but the constable, whom the king had left, as his lieutenant, in the Milanese, hearing of this, collected as many men together as the shortness of the time would allow, and advanced to meet the enemy. His numbers were not great, on account of this expedition of the emperor being unexpected, although he had received hints of his intention, some seven weeks before, but he was not certain of the truth.