Semper de Sextis diruta Roma fuit.
To Adrian succeeded Clement the Seventh of the Family of the Medici, who conserving the wonted ambition of this Family encreased their revenues and power with all his industry, insomuch that after he had been imprison’d and extraordinarily ill us’d by the Emperour Charles the Fifth, he nevertheless entred into a confederacy with him, upon condition that he should give his bastard Daughter Margaret in Marriage to Alexander of Medici, Lawrens his Son, and by force of Arms oblige the Florentines to acknowledge him for their Lawful Prince. All this was accordingly executed, the Emperor having sent the Prince of Orange with a very great Army to settle the Medici in their new principality.
And Clement not content with this; as soon as the Emperour was gone into Spain, made a new league with Francis the First of France, and to strengthen it, Henry the Second, the Daulphin of France, married Catharina of Medicis Daughter to Laurens; the wedding was kept at Marseillis, where the King and the Pope were both present.
The Pope having thus happily setled his family, returned to Rome, and there died: In September 1534. and in the same year, in the Month of October, Paul the Third was chosen to fill his place, with great joy and applause of the people of Rome. He was Alexander Farnese Cardinal, and one who shewed himself worthy of so eminent a dignity.
His first work was to find out means to advance his Family; and therefore in December following he created two of his Nephews Cardinals; one Alexander Fernese, Son to Pietro luigi Farnese his own Son, for the Pope had been married before he was Cardinal; and the other Guido ascanso Forza Costanza his daughters Son. Alexander being suddenly dead, the Cardinal Hippolito Medici was made Vice-Chancellour of the Church, and Vice-Chamberlain after the death of Cardinal Spinola. Thus from day to day, as places and offices became vacant, the Popes Nephews were sure to have them.
Paul was very desirous to procure a meeting between the Emperour and the King of France, where he desir’d to be present in person also; which thing being carried on by his Legat, Cardinal Carpi was well accepted and agreed of by both Princes, the Town of Nizza in Provence, but belonging to the Duke of Savoy: was chosen for the place of meeting, as being conveniently situated upon the Sea side.
The Pope, though old, was the first that came to the place appointed, having endured very great inconveniencies in his journey; and yet he was disappointed at last of his desires; for these two Princes having penetrated into the Popes design, found that it was not out of any love to Christendome, but only out of a fond affection to his family that he had desir’d their company. So they refused to see one another in his presence, but came separatly, and kiss’d the Popes feet with no small mortification to his Holiness, being thus deluded and almost derided.
And indeed this interparly was not desired nor procur’d by the Pope, either with a design of appeasing the differences in Religion, or of making a League betwixt the Christian Princes against the Turk, though this were the pretext, but with a purpose to get Margaret of Austria, the widdow of Alexander Medici, for Octavio Farneze his Grandchild; and following the example of Clement the Seventh, give Victoria, afterwards married to Guido Ubaldo Duke of Urbin, his Neece, to some Prince of the blood of France, having chosen out the Duke of Vendosme, who was a young Prince of great merit and hopes: but for this time the Pope was forced to return to Rome without having effected his designs, as the King of France went to his own Kingdome, and the Emperour to Marseilles, where he visited the French King.
Some time after the Pope obtained from the Emperour the City of Novarre for his Son Pietro Luigi, and made up the match between his Grandchild Octavio and the Princess Margaret Daughter to the Emperour, and widdow of Alexander Medici; this done, the Pope undertook the recovery of the City of Lamerino, which he pretended to be devoted to the Church by the death of Giovani Maria Varrano, who had receiv’d the investiture of that place from Leo the Tenth, and dyed without any male children, and upon this Title made warre against the young Guido Ubaldo da Feltro, who by the Womens side pretended a right to it, but not being able to maintain it, was fain to fly and leave the place to the Pope, who having taken it, presently gave the investiture to his Grand-child Octavio Farneze, making him Duke of Camerino, and Receivour General of the Church, having before made him Prefect of Rome in the place of the Duke of Urbin.
But this Popes ambition swell’d much higher, for he went about to buy the Dutchy of Millan of the Emperour with the Churches money, and make an unalienable Patrimony of the Family of the Farnezes. But the Emperour, though very necessitous and extreamly sollicited by the Pope with a vast summe of ready mony, was nevertheless so prudent as not to dismember from his Empire so considerable a part of it.