Page 165 - sfogliabile 49

«No great glory in chasing a pirate». The manipulation of news during the 1535 431

ambassador in Rome. The courier also brought packets of correspon-
dence from other ambassadors and individuals in Tunis for their
patrons and friends in Rome and beyond, but Cifuentes refused to
release these until he had an audience with the pope and delivered
fresh details directly from Charles V. This was usual practice as it
enabled the ambassadors to put their own spin on the information
before sovereigns had access to the accounts of their envoys. Raince
accused him of exaggerating for effect during the audience and in the
triumphalist account he subjected Raince to when he came to pick up
the dispatch that Vély and Baugé had sent for the French authorities .
73

Francis I’s response to Charles V’s victories in Tunis

On July 10 the French court was in a state of anxiety because they
had no idea of Charles V’s whereabouts; five days later they knew he
had arrived in Africa. A courier on his way from Spain to the Low
Countries claimed that the emperor had won a victory and destroyed
part of the Muslim fleet, putting Barbarossa to flight. Few believed
him . By 26 July Francis I was overwhelmed with news from all sides
74
but as «no two reports about the emperor and his forces have ever
been the same» he had no idea what was happening . News of the
75
taking of La Goleta and fall of Tunis quickly spread from Naples to
Rome on 28 July and from there to other parts . The pope refused to
76
believe it until confirmation arrived from his nuncio in Tunis, or the
commander of the papal galleys there, the count of Anguillara . This
77
was normal practice, but often such delay was a tactic to gain time to
consider the implications and decide the best way to react. The
imperial ambassador in Venice communicated the «splendid victory»
to the Doge on 9 August on the basis of unnamed correspondents from
Sicily . The French court had reliable first-hand accounts by then. A
78
report from Vély dated 15 July probably arrived on or before 7 August
with Richard Pate’s dispatch describing the conquest of La Goleta,
Barbarossa’s escape with part of the fleet, and the emperor’s march to

73 Ivi, p. 272.
74 Ang, Carpi, p. 50, Carpi to Ricalcato, 10 July 1535; p. 53, (15 July), pp. 54-5 (18
July).
75 Du Bellay, II, p. 29: «je n’ay jamays eu de quelque cousté que ce soit deux advis
semblables de l’Empereur ne de son armee, dont je ne me puis trop esmerveiller»,
Francis I to Du Bellay, 26 July 1535.
76 LP, viii, n. 1144, News from Rome 28 July, from Bologna, 30 July; n. 1155, Sir
Clement West [to Cromwell, 31 July], with accurate details.
77 Ang, Carpi, p. 59, Ricalcato to Carpi, 3 August 1535.
78 Csp SP 5(1), n. 192, Lope de Soria to Charles V, 9 August 1535.

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