Chapter 7: Political leaders A large union of devout Catholic believers working together for an honourable cause was how Rozée best liked to remember the but their history in the difficult years after Seize, 1589 could not be written without reference to influential leaders and supporters. The contributions of Mayenne, of two renowned ambassadors (Enrico Caetani and Bernardino de Mendoza) and of an outstanding general (Alexandre Farnèse, prince de Parme) are the focus of this chapter. We consider both the nature of the help they brought and Pierre assessment of its value. The does not yield easy answers. Rozée cared Histoire Rozée’s more for integrity than for status. Unlike other contemporary historians, he was not close to high politics. Moreover, he had des grands personnages du ‘une timidité avouée… vis-à-vis temps’. Rozée considered the motives of to be inscrutable; he would therefore limit les grands himself to reporting their actions and public statements. Perhaps he was naïve, but his approach also allowed the hiding of uncomfortable truths. Rozée surely knew and did not – wish to remind his readers that the imaginative writers of had had a La satyre ménippée – field day exposing the supposed motives of prominent supporters. Under the Ligue influence of the Spanish-administered drug catholicon, a standard galenical medical treatment, Mayenne had (by this que les armes pour la fiction) declared: ‘[D]epuis j’ai pris Sainte Ligue, toujours eu ma conservation en telle recommandation, que préféré de j’ai j’ai très bon mon intérêt particulier, à la cause de Later in the same speech he had cœur [Dieu]’. his sister, madame de Montpensier, and Caetani ont fait de signalés ‘honoured’ ‘[qui] services à par subtiles nouvelles & chantés à ont donné Te Deum l’Union, propos, …qui occasion à plusieurs de mourir allégrement de mal rage de faim, plutôt que parler de paix’.
Chapter 7: Political leaders A large union of devout Catholic believers working together for an honourable cause was how Rozée best liked to remember the Seize, but their history in the difficult years after 1589 could not be written without reference to influential leaders and supporters. The contributions of Mayenne, of two renowned ambassadors (Enrico Caetani and Bernardino de Mendoza) and of an outstanding general (Alexandre Farnèse, prince de Parme) are the focus of this chapter. We consider both the nature of the help they brought and Pierre Rozée’s assessment of its value. The Histoire does not yield easy answers. Rozée cared more for integrity than for status. Unlike other contemporary historians, he was not close to high politics. Moreover, he had ‘une timidité avouée… vis-à-vis des grands personnages du temps’. Rozée considered the motives of les grands to be inscrutable; he would therefore limit himself to reporting their actions and public statements. Perhaps he was naïve, but his approach also allowed the hiding of uncomfortable truths. Rozée surely knew – and did not wish to remind his readers – that the imaginative writers of La satyre ménippée had had a field day exposing the supposed motives of prominent Ligue supporters. Under the influence of the Spanish-administered drug catholicon, a standard galenical medical treatment, Mayenne had (by this fiction) declared: ‘[D]epuis que j’ai pris les armes pour la Sainte Ligue, j’ai toujours eu ma conservation en telle recommandation, que j’ai préféré de très bon cœur mon intérêt particulier, à la cause de [Dieu]’. Later in the same speech he had ‘honoured’ his sister, madame de Montpensier, and Caetani ‘[qui] ont fait de signalés services à l’Union, par subtiles nouvelles & Te Deum chantés à propos, …qui ont donné occasion à plusieurs de mourir allégrement de mal rage de faim, plutôt que parler de paix’.