THE KING OF FRANCE GOES ON A PILGRIMAGE TO THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY HANDKERCHIEF IN CHAMBERY.—A TREATY OF PEACE CONCLUDED BETWEEN HIM AND THE ARCHDUKE KING OF SPAIN.
About Whitsuntide, in this year of 1516, the king of France departed from Lyon, accompanied by many gentlemen, to fulfil a vow he had made of a pilgrimage to the church of the Holy Handkerchief in Chambery. As he had vowed to perform it on foot, he set out accordingly, with his train of attendants. They formed a handsome spectacle; for they were all splendidly dressed in fancy habiliments, decorated with plenty of feathers. Thus they followed the king on foot as far as Chambery, where he met the duke of Bourbon on his return from Italy. This meeting gave much joy to both,—and the king was entertained at Chambery, during his stay there, by the duke of Savoy.
At this time, a treaty was concluded between the Spaniards and the garrison in the castle of Brescia, who marched away with their arms and baggage. The Venetians, to whom the place belonged, immediately took possession of the town and castle, conformably to an agreement made with the late king of France, Louis XII. Somewhat prior to this, several counts in Germany collected bodies of men, and entered Lorraine, where they committed much mischief. The cause of this warfare was a claim the Lansquenets made on certain mines in that country, on the borders of Germany, which they attempted to gain; but the duke of Lorraine repulsed them, and nothing more was done. These counts waited afterwards on the king of France, at Tours, and were presented to him by the lord de Florenge, son to the captain de la Marche.
On the king's return from Savoy, he went into Touraine. About this time, the king of Navarre died: he was son to the lord d'Albret, and had been driven out of his kingdom by Ferdinand the Catholic, as has been before mentioned. A treaty of peace was now concluded between the king of France and the archduke king of Spain, which was proclaimed at Paris and throughout the realm. One of the conditions was, that the king of Spain should marry the princess Louisa, only daughter to the king of France.
A conference on the subject of peace was holden at Noyon. The commissioners from the king of France were, the grand master, the bishop of Paris, the president Olivier, and others,—and the great lords of Flanders and of Spain, on the part of the king of Spain. The lord de Ravenstein was afterwards sent by him, as his ambassador to the king of France, grandly accompanied by the barons of Picardy.
On Saturday, the 6th day of October, in the before-mentioned year, the king arrived in his good city of Paris, where he was received with the usual demonstrations of joy. On the morrow, he departed for the abbey of St Denis, in order to replace the saints in their shrines, which, at his request, had been taken down for the general welfare of his realm, and to return them his humble thanks for the great victory he had obtained through their means and intercessions. This was the usual custom for the kings of France to perform, in person, on their return from foreign wars.