1

t

Heg. 948.

J.C. 1541 interrupted the commerce of his dominions, than of conquering Hungary for his brother. The army of Rogendorf, beaten and difperfed, could not spring up again from its afhes. Ferdinand tried the voice of negociation; he flattered himself, that this fiery Ottoman, who refused to have a child for vaffal, would voluntarily receive the homage of a king of the Romans, fucceffor to the emperor of the Weft. He fent to Buda two ambaffadors, charged with magnificent prefents. The emperor received this propofal with all the pomp and splendor that could flatter his vanity. Ferdinand's ambaffadors were admitted to a public audience. Solyman heard from his throne the harangue which one of them made in German, and which the fame inftant a druggerman tranflated by word of mouth into Turkish. When a } numerous affembly had heard with astonishment how much the king of the Romans abased himself, the fultan put off his answer for two days, at the end of which, he replied by his grand vizier to the Austrian ambassadors, that, if the archduke would have peace with the fublime Porte, he must give up all the places that he ftill had in Hungary, and pay a fmall tribute for those estates which he poffeffed in Auftria, from which his troops had dared come and attack the fultan. After this haughty answer, Solyman fet out for Conftantinople. He faid aloud, that Ferdinand was not an enemy of fufficient confequence to have the

honor

Heg. 948.

honor of fighting against the emperor of the JC.1541. Turks in perfon.

Barbaroffa

Charles V.

This haughtinefs was fed by new fucceffes. Succefs of He learned that Charles V. had loft a hundred against and forty veffels on the coaft of Barbary; that the elements, which had confpired against that prince, had protected Barbaroffa, and that this general, equally great by fea and land, had obliged Charles V. to re-embark the broken remains of his army in what veffels he had left, after having loft a great number of brave foldiers before the walls of Algiers; that Andrew Doria, againft whofe advice the emperor of the Weft had undertaken this enterprife, had had much difficulty to fave the person of his master. This increase of victories confirmed Solyman in the refolution which he had already taken, not to command in perfon during the year 1542.

Heg. 949.

'army into

which does

.but waite

Ferdinand, who never loft fight of his object, J.C.154. went and folicited from the diet of Nuremburg Ferdinand what he was unable to obtain from Charles V. fends an The king of the Romans laid before the Ger- Hungary, manic corps the neceffity of driving from the nothing frontiers the moft powerful and dangerous enemy away. of Chriftendom. It was refolved, that all the free towns fhould contribute to furnish the king of Hungary with thirty thousand foot, and seven thousand horfe. The Hungarian cavalry amounted to fifteen thousand. Ferdinand added to this number ten thousand foot. He gave the command C

VOL. II.

of

J.C. 1542 of this army to Joachim, marquis of Brandenburg,

Heg. 949.

troops of the finest appearance, Joachim could
not obtain the leaft fuccefs. He befieged Peft,
a town ftrongly fortified, and Buda, which Soly-
Inan had likewife caufed to be furrounded with
large ditches and a thick rampart. The Turks
oppofed with indefatigable courage the efforts of
this army of confederates, who foon disagreed a-
mong themselves. The general knew but little of
his foldiers, and the latter had no confidence in a
man who was recommendable by no brilliant ac-
tion, and appeared ignorant of war.
In fine,
during a whole campaign, as bloody as fatiguing,
the confederates did not take one town, nor even
an inch of ground. The Turks, who had orders
to keep on the defenfive, never appeared in battle
array. The champaigns of Hungary were too
much defolated, and had been fo for too long a
time, to be able to furnish fubfiftence for nu-
merous troops. Ferdinand, who had been
drained by the levies, had neither been able to
prepare nor fill the magazines; he confumed his
forces, whilft the Turks fpared theirs, and Soly-
man, from the middle of his feraglio, took plea-
fure in feeing his enemies deftroy themselves.

The Turkish emperor received at Conftantinople a new embaffy from Francis I. who folicited his affiftance against Charles V. After the truce folemnly entered into between the emperor of the Weft and the king of France, the latter

had

Heg. 949.

fends an

Conftanti

join in a

with the

against

occafioned

faffination

on the per

of his mi

had recalled Rinçon (that was the name of his JC. 1542. minister at the Porte) and had fince charged him with a negociation between the republic of Ve- Francis I. nice and Solyman, which had no other object embally to than the maritime commerce. Without doubt nople to this new voyage of Rinçon's, both to Venice and league Conftantinople, appeared fufpicious to Charles V. Turks Be that as it may, the French minifter, who, on Charles V. leaving Venice, had embarked to enter the Po by an af without miftruft, unarmed, and unefcorted, be- committed cause it was in the midft of peace, was boarded fon of one by two barks covered with branches and filled nifters. with armed Spaniards, who entered his vessel and maffacred him and all his retinue. This outrage, committed in the midst of peace, by Chriftians on a man in a public character, whilft Charles V. three years before, had experienced the fincerity of Francis I. when he traversed all his dominions to go and reduce the rebels of Flanders, raised the indignation of all Europe as well as of the king whom it wounded. It was not doubted that it was done by order of Charles V. What minifter, or what officer would have dared order it, unless he had his mafter for accomplice ? Francis I. refolved to revenge it, by entering into a clofe alliance with the emperor of the Turks. He fent to the Porte Anthony Paulin, a man of ability, and of a quick, penetrating understanding. Paulin paffed through Venice, where he at tempted to exafperate the fenate against Charles C 2

VOL. II.

V.

Heg. 949.

J.C.1542. V. The Venetians gave him a galley, which carried him to Dalmatia, from whence the French minifter went to join Solyman, who was returning from Hungary to Conftantinople. Paulin did his utmost to engage the Turks in a war with Charles V.; he offered, from his master, to join his forces to thofe of the Porte, and to give Barbaroffa free admittance into the ports of France, when he should come there with the Ottoman fleet. The fultan was to fend to Venice an ambaffador to ratify the peace concluded with the republic. Paulin obtained, that the Turkish minifter fhould propose to the Venetians to join in this confederacy, in order to humble the house of Auftria. Solyman's ambaffador was received at Venice with great honors.

This republic, as we have feen, had reafon to be diffatisfied with, Charles V. and was fo in fact; but the fenate did not judge it prudent to enter upon a new war. The liberty of commerce was too advantageous to the Venetians, to bring on themselves a powerful enemy by fea. They were equally afraid of the Auftrians, the Turks, and the French; and without being attached to either of these powers, the republic wished to be on good terms with them all. Paulin returned to France to give an account to his mafter of the intention of Solyman and of the Venetians. All thefe treaties took up a whole year; Barbaroffa's fleet was not ready 'till the fpring of the

year