A History of Diplomacy in the International Development of Europe Volume 2 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1906 Excerpt: ... which His Majesty would literally have had nothing to eat."' It was to Charles, therefore, that the Emperor looked for the means to carry on his campaign; but the young King of Spain had just ungratefully dismissed Cardinal Ximenes, who had secured for him his Castilian throne; all Spain was in revolt against his Flemish advisers and opposed to his imperial ambitions; and, to express their displeasure, his new subjects were refusing to grant him subsidies unless he would agree to recognize their liberties and remain in Spain. For Charles, therefore, as for his grandfather, ready money--beyond the ninety-four thousand florins he had sent from the Netherlands before he set out for Spain--was absolutely unattainable. If he were to compete with Francis, it was only by means of credit that he could hope to outbid his rival. The Diet of When, therefore, in February, 1518, the Diet began to 1618 assemble in Augsburg, the chances of Francis I for the im perial succession seemed well assured; and Leo X, determined if possible to unite Christendom in a campaign against the Infidel, was ready to throw his influence upon the side of the candidate most likely to promote this cause. To preach, the holy war, a papal legate, Thomas de Vio, Cardinal Cajetan, was present, by whose well-known eloquence the Pope expected to revive the spirit of the crusades. A moment more inopportune could not, however, have been chosen; for Germany, on the point of insurrection against the Papacy, was not in a mood to accept the plans of Leo X, whom the followers of Martin Luther--whose work as a reformer had just begun--were disposed to regard as an enemy more worthy of opposition than the Turk. 1 See Ehrenberg, Das Zeitalter der Fugger, I, p. 100. In truth, it was felt that it was Fra...