On Whether the Venetians Should Ally with the Emperor or Stick to the Alliance with the King of France
Keyword(s):
The One
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This chapter considers how, once again, the Venetians had found themselves under steady pressure from two sides — this time between the new king of France, Francis I, and Charles of Habsburg, the king of Spain as well as the Holy Roman Emperor. Although they had not come to a clear rupture with the Emperor, the Venetians had dutifully performed their role in the war on the French side, and were now rather at sea as to what they should do next. On the one hand, Francis incited them to hold on, for he would soon send another army into Italy; on the other hand, Charles was trying to detach them from the French alliance with various reassurances and offers.