Page 161 - sfogliabile 49

«No great glory in chasing a pirate». The manipulation of news during the 1535 427

Francis I turn to them as Christian princes appreciated. Even the joint
campaign of 1543-4 and the use of Toulon as a Muslim base did not
result in universal condemnation of Francis I . The king instructed
50
La Forêt and other officials to disseminate information highlighting the
power of the Ottomans and their allies, their many victories over the
Persians, and Barbarossa’s powerful defences in Tunis. They claimed
there were 150,000 men under Barbarossa’s command and that
further reinforcements from Istanbul were on their way to Tunis . At
51
the same time they emphasised the emperor’s weakness. Ultimately,
Francis I’s strategy was to heighten fear of the Muslims to put pressure
on the emperor to give him back Milan in exchange for aid against the
Turks . It did not work. Charles V was supremely confident of his
52
forces. The Venetians reckoned Christendom had not seen such a
force for a long time and that Barbarossa would not withstand an
attack .
53
Ever the pragmatist, once he knew that Charles V was on his way
to Tunis, Francis I sent a secret envoy (Baugé) to the imperial court
with two sets of instructions. One was to be used if Charles V
decisively defeated Barbarossa and destroyed the Muslim fleet, gaining
total dominance of the sea; the other if Barbarossa survived and
gained the upper hand. Evidently, they reckoned there would be a
decisive outcome but could not predict the winner . The French
54
council continued to debate what could be done about Milan if
Barbarossa was conclusively defeated. To prepare for this eventuality
they proposed a meeting between Queen Leonor, and her sister Mary
of Hungary, governor of the Low Countries. Presented as a family
reunion, it was universally understood as a political summit which
might be used to initiate negotiations . Despite a flurry of diplomatic
55
activity during June and July 1535, Christian Europe was in a state
of suspended animation: «all are waiting for the result of the Emperor’s

50 M.J. Rodríguez-Salgado, A masterclass in Justification: Francis I, Charles V and
Pope Paul III in the 1540s, in J.C. D’Amico, J.-L. Fournel, M. Merluzzi (eds.), François Ier
et l'espace politique italien : états, domaines et territoires, École Française de Rome,
Rome, 2018, pp. 397-420.
51 Ang, Carpi, p. 39, Carpi to Ricalcato, 6 June 1535.
52 Du Bellay, II, Instructions, 24 June 1535.
53 In Venice his forces were given as 450 sail, 30,000 foot, 2,000 horse, plus soldiers
in the ships and large numbers of adventurers, LP, viii, n. 874, Harvel to Thomas
Starkey, 15 June 1535.
54 Ang, Carpi, p. 50, Carpi to Ricalcato, 10 July 1535: «porta gran commissione per
servirsene co/ S.M. Cesarea in caso peró che quella totalmente extirpasse Barbarossa,
et sua armada et restasse patron del mare, et ancora per valersene contrariamente se
per sorte Barbarossa restasse vivo et il disopra». The experienced envoy, Baugé, was one
of Montmorency’s men.
55 Ang, Carpi, p. 50 (cit.), Carpi to Ricalcato, 15 July 1535, repeated in p. 54.

Mediterranea - ricerche storiche - Anno XVII - Agosto 2020
ISSN 1824-3010 (stampa) ISSN 1828-230X (online)