Renaissance Diplomacy in Practice: the Case of Gregorio Casali, England’S Ambassador to the Papal Court, 1525-33

Renaissance diplomacy in practice: the case of Gregorio Casali, England’s ambassador to the papal court, 1525-33 Catherine Lucy Fletcher Royal Holloway, University of London Thesis presented for the award of PhD 1 I confirm that the work contained in this thesis is entirely my own. Catherine Fletcher 23 April 2008 2 Abstract THIS thesis investigates the day-to-day practice of Renaissance diplomacy through a case-study of Gregorio Casali, one of a number of Italians in the Roman diplomatic corps who served foreign princes, in Casali’s case King Henry VIII of England. It outlines and analyses the key elements of the resident ambassador’s role, shifting the focus of study from the traditional emphasis on official negotiations and such formal sites for the exercise of power to consider too informal relationships and arenas for diplomacy. Chapters consider the diplomat’s role in Rome (the most developed diplomatic centre of its day); the relevance of family and friendship networks in Casali’s career; the importance of hospitality and liberality in diplomatic life; gift- giving and ‘bribery’. Drawing on recent scholarship relating to such issues as the house, household and gift-giving, the thesis situates Renaissance diplomacy in its broader social context. It thus contributes to the new trend among historians of diplomacy to adopt methods from social and cultural history, but, in applying the methodology of microhistory, takes this to a new level. As well as raising new questions about the role of the resident ambassador and his interaction with other diplomatic and political actors, the case of Casali and his family draws attention to the important issue of the employment of foreigners in diplomatic service during this period, allowing a consideration of how loyalty was understood and allegiances were managed. The thesis argues that the literature to date has failed to acknowledge the variety of advantages that such men afforded to their employers. In identifying some key patterns of diplomatic practice during these years, this study aims to contribute some benchmarks against which historians can in future assess particular diplomatic missions, variations in the practice of different countries and changes in the structure and practice of diplomacy over time. 3 Contents Introduction 8 1. “No actors or jesters to be present at Consistory”: the functioning of the diplomatic corps at Rome 27 2. Diplomacy as a family business: the career of Gregorio Casali, Henry VIII’s man in Rome 1525-36 65 3. ‘The liberal port that Your Grace’s servant does keep’: hospitality, the house and the household 108 4. ‘Those who give are not all generous’: gift-giving in diplomatic practice 146 5. ‘He is of their own nation here and therefore hath the more credit’: the foreign state servant in Renaissance diplomacy 182 Conclusions 216 Bibliography 219 Appendix 1: English embassies to Pope Clement VII, 1525-33 236 Appendix 2: Diplomatic roles of the Casali family 238 Appendix 3: Paride Grassi, extract from De Oratoribus Romanae Curiae 239 List of figures Figure 1: The Casali family: summary genealogy 89 Figure 2: The Casali block in Bologna 133 4 Acknowledgements VERY many people have offered advice, comments and support in the course of my research for this thesis. It is impossible to list them all here. My greatest debt is to my supervisor, Dr Sandra Cavallo, who throughout this project not only offered academic insight but showed wholehearted belief and confidence in the value of this study. My thanks go to her and to all the staff of the Department of History at Royal Holloway who have offered their support over the past three and a half years and during my earlier MA studies. An Arts and Humanities Research Council studentship provided the major funding for this research, and a six-month Scouloudi Fellowship at the Institute of Historical Research helped me to complete the writing-up. Allowances from the AHRC and grants from the Society for Renaissance Studies, the Royal Historical Society and the Department of History at Royal Holloway assisted with overseas research and conference attendance. My former employers at the BBC allowed me to take a career break, just in case I changed my mind about the value of doctoral study; I hope they will not be too disappointed that I did not. Papers based on sections of the thesis were presented at a number of conferences and seminars, and I am grateful to the many people who proffered ideas and suggestions, including members of the Early Modern Rome Research Network, the AHRC Centre for the Study of the Domestic Interior and the IHR Late Medieval and Early Modern Italy seminar. Especial thanks are due to Jennifer DeSilva, Megan Williams, Paul Dover and Brian Maxson, with whom I gave papers and exchanged ideas at two Renaissance Society of America annual meetings. The Casali family of Piacenza and the Isolani-Lupari family of Bologna very kindly allowed me to visit their private archives. Anna Riva of the Archivio di Stato di Piacenza first drew my attention to the existence of the Casali archive and I am particularly grateful to her and to Carlo Emanuele Manfredi, who arranged my access. Cesarina Casanova and Armando Antonelli offered advice on the archives in Bologna; Renata Ago, Marie-Charlotte Le Bailly and Tessa Storey were similarly helpful in relation to Rome. I cannot list the numerous staff of archives and libraries who assisted me along the way, but they deserve the warmest thanks. Sociability is as important to academic life as it is to diplomacy. Jessica Lutkin and I met in Clive Burgess’ Royal Holloway Latin class, and later for cups of tea in the IHR; Sarah Cockram shared an aperitivo in Mantua and later in Chicago; Laura Schwartz drank coffee with me in the British Library. In Rome Andrea Spreafico helped me perfezionare my Italian over numerous coffees and lunches but is in no way responsible for any mistakes that remain. Mark Sandell provided support and distraction in equal measure, not to mention fine wine and good cooking. To all of them I am grateful. It goes without saying that any errors are entirely my own. 5 Note on names, spelling and transcriptions The spelling of names has, as far as possible, been standardised in line with the Dictionary of National Biography for English names and the Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani for Italian names. Except in the case of monarchs for whom standard English names exist (Charles V, Francis I) I have avoided anglicising foreign names, so, for example, Gregorio Casali and Pietro Vanni are used in preference to Gregory Casale and Peter Vannes. In quoting from printed collections, I have maintained the conventions of spelling and transcription employed by the editors. In transcriptions, original spelling has been maintained, punctuation has been modernised and abbreviations have been silently expanded, except where the meaning is obvious, as in D ni for Domini or R mi for Reverendissimi. Square brackets have been used to indicate my suggestions in cases where there is damage to the manuscript. Except where stated, all translations are my own; when quoting directly or paraphrasing closely from a non-English source I have included the original language in a footnote. 6 Abbreviations The following abbreviations have been used in the thesis: ACdM Archivio dei Casali di Monticelli d’Ongina ASB Archivio di Stato di Bologna ASF Archivio di Stato di Firenze ASMn Archivio di Stato di Mantova ASMo Archivio di Stato di Modena ASR Archivio di Stato di Roma ASV Archivio Segreto Vaticano ASVe Archivio di Stato di Venezia BAV Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana BNF Bibliothèque Nationale de France BL British Library BUB Biblioteca Universitaria di Bologna Burnet Gilbert Burnet, History of the Reformation of the Church of England Contarini Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, Venice, Codices Italiani VII, 1043 (=7616) Lettere di Gasparo Contarini (1528-1529) CSP Sp Calendar of Letters, Despatches and State Papers relating to the negotiations between England and Spain CSP Ven Calendar of State Papers and Manuscripts relating to English affairs existing in the archives and collections of Venice DBI Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani DNB Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Dolet Étienne Dolet, ‘Étienne Dolet on the functions of the ambassador, 1541’ L&P Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, of the Reign of Henry VIII LPL Lambeth Palace Library Mattingly Garrett Mattingly, Renaissance Diplomacy Molini Giuseppe Molini (ed.), Documenti di Storia Italiana Pocock Nicholas Pocock (ed.), Records of the Reformation: The Divorce 1527- 1533 Sanudo Marin Sanudo, I Diarii St P State Papers Published under the Authority of Her Majesty’s Commission: King Henry the Eighth Theiner Augustinis Theiner, Vetera Monumenta Hibernorum et Scotorum: Historiam Illustrantia TNA The National Archives Wall Thomas Wall, The Voyage of Sir Nicholas Carewe to the Emperor Charles V in the year 1529 b. busta c. carta (leaf) f. folio. Full publication details of the works listed above are given in the bibliography. When referring to the Letters and Papers and Calendars of State Papers , I have given document numbers, except in the case of the unnumbered Chamber Accounts, where a page reference is given. When citing Sanudo’s diaries, I have given column numbers. For ease of reference, I have cited the relevant Letters and Papers number alongside details of the manuscript and printed sources. 7 Introduction Renaissance diplomacy in practice: the case of Gregorio Casali, England’s ambassador to the papal court, 1525-33 Surrey [to Wolsey]: Item, you sent a large commission To Gregory de Cassado, to conclude, Without the King’s will or the state’s allowance, A league between his highness and Ferrara. William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, All Is True [Henry VIII] Act 3, Scene 2.

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