47 István Brodarics to Sigismund I Rome, 4 July 1525 Manuscript used: BN T. 6. fol. 43r–v. 1 Published: Acta Tomiciana VII. 304–305. 1. He has received Sigismund’s letter dated 12 June. The matter of the Duchy of Bari is going well, he was informed that it was passed to the representative of Sigismund. Regardless of this, he will do everything that Sigismund and Bona Sforza commit him to do. Cardinal Salviati will represent Sigismund in front of the Emperor in the case of the Duchy of Bari following instructions from Dantiscus. – 2. He does not travel to the Emperor in Spain. He himself does not know the reason; the Pope says that the relevant letter from King Louis arrived late. He would have been happy to serve the cause of peace among Christian rulers there too, and would have worked hard on setting King Francis free as instructed by King Louis. Such a mission would have been useful for the Polish and the Hungarian causes alike, because the prestige of the two Kings who carry the burden of war against Turkey by themselves could have helped reconciliation more than anybody else’s. – 3. The Pope received Sigismund’s excuses for starting peace negotiations with the Turks and the Teutonic Order with understanding. He would not be surprised if Louis II acted likewise. He knows that it is not their fault, since they have been containing enemies of Christianity for years by themselves, but it is the fault of other rulers who were impossible to persuade about the necessity of peace among them. – 4. The Pope’s position on the Knighthood has not changed and whatever he may write after the College of Cardinals, his intention is the same. Brodarics wishes King Louis followed Sigismund’s example in the matter of armistice with the Turks because if he does not do this in the hope of some support, the country’s fall is to be feared. – 5. He has no news on King Francis being taken to Spain. Hope for peace has not evaporated completely, but has diminished considerably. Janissaries in Constantinople rose demanding higher pay. Several houses were ransacked, that of Pasha Ibrahim among them. The Sultan suppressed the revolt with great difficulties and had to fulfil the demands of the soldiers. King Francis is said to have arrived in Barcelona on 17 June. 5 Serenissime Princeps et Domine, Domine mihi Clementissime. Post mei et servitiorum meorum in gratiam Vestrae Maiestatis humillimam commendationem.

[1.] Accepi nudius tertius litteras Vestrae Maiestatis XII. Iunii ad me datas et cum his simul litteras ad Sanctissimum Dominum Nostrum, 2 ad reverendissimum dominum Sanctorum IIII 3 et quosdam alios, in quibus scribit mihi Vestra Maiestas de negotio ducatus Barensis et de mea in Hispanias profectione. 26 sustineamus correxi ex: sustinemus 7  Presumably Sigismund’s response to Brodarics’ letter on 17 May 1525. 1  Further manuscripts: BK 213 fol. 535–539; BOss 177 fol. 297r–299r; BJ 6549 fol. 569–572; Libri Legationum vol. XXIII, fol. 502–505; BCzart TN 37. fol. 343–348. 2  Pope Clement VII. 3  Cardinal Lorenzo Pucci.

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Negotium ducatus accepi iam esse in eo statu, ut non sit pro hac magnopere laborandum, admissum esse in possessionem ducatus servitorem Vestrae Maiestatis. Quae si vera sunt, prout mihi pro verissimis sunt relata, non dubito Vestram Maiestatem iam de hoc factam certiorem. Ego tamen sub hoc dubio non omisi tam apud Sanctissimum Dominum Nostrum, quam alibi facere omnia ea, quae hic fieri per me poterant, quaeve mihi a Maiestate Vestra et ab Serenissima et Gratiosissima Domina Mea, Sacratissima Reginali Maiestate fuerunt commissa, et quoniam ipse non sum ad caesarem iturus, egi apud Sanctissimum Dominum Nostrum, ut causam hanc reverendissimo domino, cardinali Salviato legato, diligentissime committeret, qui iuxta instructionem oratoris Vestrae Maiestatis apud caesarem exsistentis 4 agere deberet.

[2.] Consilium enim meae ad caesarem profectionis fuit mutatum, cuius mutationis vix scirem ego ipse dicere certam causam. Hoc scio, pontificem, ut ad Vestram Maie statem scripseram, fuisse in ipso mei huc adventus principio huius meae profectionis cupidissimum. Nunc vero non ita, neque aliam causam affert, nisi litteras et mandata serenissimi et gratiosissimi domini mei regis serius quam oportebat venisse. Si me illuc ire contigisset, nihil mihi optatius certe fuisset, quam Vestrae Maiestati tam in hoc negotio Barensi, si nondum confectum fuisset, quam in aliis, quae mihi commissa fuissent, servire. Pro pace autem et concordia illorum principum, pro liberatione Christianissimi regis (nam et hoc mihi per clementissimum regem meum fuerat commissum) totis viribus elaborassem. Et ego ita certe existimo, Sapientissime et Clementissime Rex, non futuram fuisse hanc vel meam vel alterius et prudentioris et maioris me Vestrarum Maiestatum servitoris illuc profectionem a statu praesentium rerum atque ab illorum principum nunc inter se tractatibus alienam. Non enim dubito Vestrarum Maiestatum auctoritatem, qui soli cum vestris subditis sustinetis pondus diei et aestus, multum potuisse illos monere, et plus quam omnium reliquorum principum auctoritatem. Sed ego haec me prudentioribus relinquo iudicanda. Ego is sum, cui quicquid per Vestras Maiestates oneris, quod humeri mei ferre possint, iniungetur, libens feram etiam si longe ultra Hispanias mihi esset in servitiis Vestrarum Maiestatum eundum. Et quidem de his ac de negotio Barensi hactenus. Venio ad alia.

[3.] Cum pontifex litteras de foedere per Vestram Maiestatem cum Turca inito et de pace cum illustrissimo magistro Prussiae facta perlegisset, et cum ego paucis verbis utriusque rei causas, quas et antea a me audiverat, ei exposuissem, multa mecum et reverendissimo domino cardinali Caesio, 5 qui pro reverendissimo domino cardinale Sanctorum IIII 6 nunc absente aderat, est locutus. Quorum omnium illa est summa: sese Vestram Maiestatem de foedere cum Turca inito habere excusatam, neque miraturum, si rex etiam Hungariae Vestrae Maiestatis exemplum secutus idem faciet. Nam et de hoc dominum etiam meum clementissimum idem tractare pontifex non est nescius. Totam hanc rem, quomodocunque cadat, non Vestris Maiestatibus, quae a tot annis hostes Christianae reipublicae solae sustineretis, sed principibus Christianis, qui nullo modo ad pacem induci possent, esse inputandam. 4  5  Johannes Dantiscus. On him see notes for the previous letter. Paulo Emilio Cesi (1481–1537), Cardinal of Umbrian origin. 6  Cardinal Lorenzo Pucci.

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[4.] De negotio vero Prutenico repetivit illa eadem, quae superioribus diebus dixerat et quae ego ad Vestram Maiestatem perscripseram 7 multa tamen questus de magistro, 8 qui Sede Apostolica inconsulta religionem a sola Sede Apostolica dependentem hoc pacto profanavisset: il*lum il*lum 9 in Sedem Apostolicam gravissime deliquisse. Quibus de rebus pontifex et ipse scribit ad Vestram Maiestatem, quae litterae adhuc expediri non potuerunt, mittentur per primam mittendi occasionem. Sed quicquid pontifex ex sacri fortasse collegii inductione, nam cum eis est rem communicaturus, scripserit, illam esse sciat Vestra Maiestas pontificis mentem, quam perscripsi et nullam aliam. Utinam clementissimus dominus meus factum Vestrae Maiestatis in foedere cum Turca ineundo sequeretur. Quod si non fiat, timeo, ne omnino actum sit de nobis. Qua de re neque praesens destiti assidue apud eos, ubi id faciendum videbatur, loqui et clamare, neque hinc scribere. Deus det suae maiestati et dominis meis suae maiestatis consiliariis talem mentem, ne illud nobilissimum ac potentissimum regnum sub spe nescio quarum expeditionum amittant.

[5.] Novi nihil est, nisi quod de regis Franciae in Hispaniam adventu nihil adhuc habemus, neque scimus, quid speremus aut quid desperemus. Nuper, quod Vestrae Maiestati scripseram, in maximam spem pacis erecti eramus, quae non est illa quidem adhuc penitus sublata sed certe non parum diminuta. Venerunt nova de Constantinopoli, quae Vestra Maiestas intellexisse potuit. Milites prae torianos, quos Ianyczeros vocant, seditione facta, quod augeri sibi stipem annuam postu labant, plures domos et inter ceteras Imbraym bassae et nonnullorum aliorum diripuisse atque in praedam vertisse, adortos deinde locum, in quo thesaurus imperatoris servatur, eum locum expugnare non potuisse, imperatorem aegre tandem seditione oppressa coactum id facere, quod milites postulaverant. Haec pro re vera et certa huc scripta fuerunt. 10 50 Reverendissimus dominus Premisliensis habet has notas in marg. eadam manu add. 17  multa tamen ... gravissime deliquisse – this is written in cipher in the original. (I am indebted for decoding the cipher to Hanna Vámos and István Vadai.) 18  Albrecht von Brandenburg (1490–1568), Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, brother of Georg von Brandenburg who played an important role in Hungary. Maximilian I appointed him Grand Master of the Knights in 1510. As such, he broke the peace pact signed in Toruń in 1466 and provoked a war with Poland that lasted between 1519–21. This ended in a heavy defeat for the Knighthood. Later he became Evangelical Lutheran, secularised estates of the Knighthood, and created a secular state in its place by the name of Prussian Duchy. In April 1525 he gave fealty to the Polish King. More about this: Marian Biskup, Das Ende des Deutschordensstaates Preussen im Jahre 1525 = Josef Flenckenstein–Manfred Hellman (hrsg.), Die geistlichen Ritterorden Europas, Sigmaringen, 1980, 403–416. 19  In the decoded text there is a graphic sign in the middle of the group of characters decoded as illum illum that is not a letter. We might conclude than that illum illum stands for the name of Albrecht von Brandenburg. 10  The riot of the janissaries, who had been discontent because there had been no campaigns since the occupation of Rhodos back in 1522, erupted in March 1525 in Istanbul. Rioters demanded resignation of the Grand Vizier and his house was looted. Suleyman’s personal bravery played an important part in suppressing the rebellion. Compare: Káldy-Nagy Gyula, Szulejmán... 62–63.

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Me et servitia mea in gratiam Vestrae Maiestatis rursus supplex commendo. Romae 4. Iulii 1525. Supervenerunt litterae ex Hispania, regem Christianissimum XVII. mensis Iunii proxime praeteriti ad portum Barcinonae appulisse. Eiusdem Vestrae Sacratissimae Maiestatis humillimus minimus servulus Stephanus Brodericus praepositus Quinqueecclesiensis On the outer side: Sacratissimae regiae maiestati Poloniae, magno duci Lithvaniae etc. domino mihi clementissimo.

Interpretatio schedae oratoris domini regis Hungariae per cifram scriptae 1 Si Maiestas Vestra habet aliquam bonam occasionem faciendae pacis cum Turca, fortasse non erit malum, non pendere a spe istius pacis inter Christianos, quae parva est, immo nulla, neque credo aliquid secuturum. In causa est, quod rex Angliae ma nam partem Galliae petit, a quo non poterit separari. Caesar, licet his diebus exorti g fuerint quidam contrarii rumores, qui iam rursus non creduntur esse veri, de quibusdam alienationibus mentium inter caesarem et Anglum et meliori spe pacis, quae omnia credo esse vana. Si Maiestas Vestra faciet pacem, et si non vult extremum excidium nepotis sui et regnorum eius, includendus videtur ipse quoque et regna illius in hanc pacem.

It is not placed with the text of the letter but in a separate volume (BN. T. 28. fol. 164r). We do not have the slip of paper with the cipher, only the deciphered text can be read. At the same time, the legate mentioned is definitely Brodarics, since the reference is to the younger cousin of Sigismund, Louis II, and his envoy was Brodarics. The fact that this slip of paper belongs to this particular letter follows from subsequent manuscripts (BK 213 fol. 539; BJ 6549 fol. 572). Another manuscript: BCzart TN 37. fol. 869.