Italian War of 1551–1559

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Italian War of 1551-1559
The Battle of Scannagallo in 1554 by Giorgio Vasari, in the Palazzo Vecchio of Florence.
Location France, Flanders, and Italy Result Spanish victory; Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis
Belligerents
France Republic of Siena Ottoman Empire	Spanish Empire  Holy Roman Empire England Duchy of Florence Duchy of Savoy
Commanders
Henry II of France Piero Strozzi Suleiman the Magnificient	Phillip II of Spain Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor Mary I Cosimo I de' Medici Emmanuel Philibert
Strength
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Casualties and losses
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v • d • e Italian War of 1551–59 Tripoli – Mirandola – Metz – Ponza – Corsica – Marciano – Renty – St. Quentin – Calais – Gravelines

v • d • e Italian Wars 1494–98 – 1499–1504 – League of Cambrai – Urbino – 1521–26 – League of Cognac – 1536–38 – 1542–46 – 1551–59 Full list of battles

The Italian War of 1551 (1551–1559), sometimes known as the Habsburg-Valois War, began when Henry II of France, who had succeeded Francis I to the throne, declared war against Charles V with the intent of recapturing Italy and ensuring French, rather than Habsburg, domination of European affairs.

Contents 1 Operations 1.1 Mediterranean campaigns 1.2 Land campaings 2 Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis (1559) 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References

[edit] Operations

[edit] Mediterranean campaigns

Henry II sealed a treaty with Suleiman the Magnificient in order to cooperate against the Habsbourg in the Mediterranean.^[1] This was triggered by the conquest of Mahdiya by the Genoese Admiral Andrea Doria on September 8, 1550 , for the account of Charles Quint. The alliance allowed Henry II to push for French conquests towards the Rhine, while a Franco-Ottoman fleet defended southern France.^[2]

The Ottoman Siege of Tripoli was the first step of the all-out Italian War of 1551–59 in the European theater, and in the Mediterranean the French galleys of Marseilles were ordered to join the Ottoman fleet.^[3] In 1552, when Henry II attacked Charles V, the Ottomans sent 100 galleys to the Western Mediterranean,^[4] which were accompanied by three French galleys under Gabriel de Luetz d'Aramon in their raids along the coast of Calabria in Southern Italy, capturing the city of Reggio.^[5] In the Battle of Ponza in front of the island of Ponza, the fleet met with 40 galleys of Andrea Doria, and managed to vanquish the Genoese and capture 7 galleys. This alliance would also lead to the combined Invasion of Corsica in 1553.

[edit] Land campaings

On the Continental front, an early offensive into Lorraine was successful, with Henry capturing the three episcopal cities of Metz, Toul, and Verdun, but the French invasion of Tuscany in 1553, in support of Siena attacked by an imperial‐Tuscany army, was defeated at the Battle of Marciano by Gian Giacomo Medici in 1554. Siena fell in 1555 and eventually became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany founded by Cosimo I de' Medici.

The Treaty of Vaucelles was signed on 5 February 1556 between Philip II of Spain and Henry II of France. Based on the terms of the treaty, the territory of the Franche-Comté was relinquished to Philip. However, the treaty was broken shortly afterwards.

After Charles' abdication in 1556 split the Habsburg empire between Phillip II of Spain and Ferdinand I, the focus of the war shifted to Flanders, where Phillip, in conjunction with Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy, defeated the French at St. Quentin. England's entry into the war later that year led to the French capture of Calais, and French armies plundered Spanish possessions in the Low Countries. Nonetheless, Henry was forced to accept a peace agreement in which he renounced any further claims to Italy.

The wars ended for other reasons, including the Double Default of 1557, when the Spanish Crown, followed quickly by the French, defaulted on their debts. In addition, both sides had to confront Protestantism at home, which they both hoped to crush.^[6]

[edit] Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis (1559)

The Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis was signed between Elizabeth I of England and Henry II of France on 2 April and between Henry II and Philip II of Spain on 3 April 1559, at Le Cateau-Cambrésis, around twenty kilometers south-east of Cambrai. Under its terms, France restored Piedmont and Savoy to the Duke of Savoy, and Corsica to the Republic of Genoa, but retained Saluzzo, Calais and the bishoprics of Metz, Toul, and Verdun. Spain retained Franche-Comté, but, more importantly, the treaty confirmed its almost complete influence over Italy, both directly (through control of Milan, Naples, Sicily, Sardinia, and the State of Presidi) and indirectly (through dominance of the rulers of Tuscany, Genoa, and other minor states of northern Italy). The Pope was also their natural ally. The only truly independent entities on the Italian peninsula were Savoy and the Republic of Venice. Spanish control of Italy lasted until the early eighteenth century.

Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy married Margaret of France, Duchess of Berry, the sister of Henry II of France. Phillip II of Spain married Elisabeth, the daughter of Henry II of France. Henry died during a tournament when a sliver from the shattered lance of Gabriel Montgomery, captain of the Scottish Guard, pierced his eye and entered his brain.

[edit] See also

• Franco-Ottoman alliance
• States of Italy in 1559
• [[3]]Elizabeth_I_of_England

PIE

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• William Miller The Ottoman Empire and Its Successors, 1801-1927 Routledge, 1966 ISBN 0714619744