Holbein's Duchess, it is evident, was a striking figure, and her life deserves more attention than it has hitherto received. Brantôme honoured her with a place in his gallery of fair ladies, and the sketch which he has drawn, although inaccurate in many details, remains true in its main outlines. But with this exception Christina's history has never yet been written. The chief sources from which her biography is drawn are the State Archives of Milan and Brussels, supplemented by documents in the Record Office, the Bibliothèque Nationale, the Biblioteca Zelada near Pavia, and the extremely interesting collection of Guise letters in the Balcarres Manuscripts, which has been preserved in the Advocates' Library at Edinburgh. A considerable amount of information, as will be seen from the Bibliography at the end of this volume, has been collected from contemporary memoirs, from the histories of Bucholtz and Henne, and the voluminous correspondence of Cardinal Granvelle and Philip II., as well as from Tudor, Spanish, and Venetian State Papers.
In conclusion, I have to acknowledge the kind help which I have received in my researches from Monsignor Rodolfo Maiocchi, Rector of the Borromeo College at Pavia, from Signor O. F. Tencajoli, and from the keepers of English and foreign archives, among whom I must especially name Signor Achille Giussani, of the Archivio di Stato at Milan, Monsieur Gaillard, Director of the Brussels Archives, and Mr. Hubert Hall. My sincere thanks are due to Count Antonio Cavagna Sangiuliani for giving me permission to make use of manuscripts in his library at Zelada; to Monsieur Leon Cardon for leave to reproduce four of the Habsburg portraits in his fine collection at Brussels; and to Mr. Henry Oppenheimer for allowing me to publish his beautiful and unique medal of the Duchess of Milan. I must also thank Sir Kenneth Mackenzie and the Trustees of the Advocates' Library for permission to print a selection from the Balcarres Manuscripts, and Mr. Campbell Dodgson and Mr. G. F. Hill for the kindness with which they have placed the treasures of the British Museum at my disposal. Lastly, a debt of gratitude, which I can never sufficiently express, is due to Dr. Hagberg-Wright and the staff of the London Library for the invaluable help which they have given me in this, as in all my other works.
JULIA CARTWRIGHT.
Ockham,
Midsummer Day, 1913.
CONTENTS
| BOOK I | PAGE |
|---|---|
| Isabella of Austria, Queen of Denmark, the Mother of Christina: 1507-1514 | [1] |
| BOOK II | |
| Christian II., King of Denmark, the Father of Christina: 1513-1523 | [17] |
| BOOK III | |
| Kings in Exile: 1523-1531 | [36] |
| BOOK IV | |
| Christina, Duchess of Milan: 1533-1535 | [71] |
| BOOK V | |
| The Widow of Milan: 1535-1538 | [111] |
| BOOK VI | |
| The Courtship of Henry VIII.: 1537-1539 | [144] |
| BOOK VII | |
| Cleves, Orange, and Lorraine: 1539-1541 | [207] |
| BOOK VIII | |
| Christina, Duchess of Lorraine: 1541-1545 | [256] |
| BOOK IX | |
| Christina, Regent of Lorraine: 1545-1552 | [298] |
| BOOK X | |
| The French Invasion: 1551-1553 | [354] |
| BOOK XI | |
| Christina at Brussels: 1553-1559 | [382] |
| BOOK XII | |
| The Peace of Câteau-Cambrésis: 1557-1559 | [419] |
| BOOK XIII | |
| The Return to Lorraine: 1559-1578 | [450] |
| BOOK XIV | |
| The Lady of Tortona: 1578-1590 | [496] |
| Appendix: A Selection of Unpublished Documents | [516] |
| Bibliography | [528] |
| Genealogical Tables | [533] |
| Index | [541] |