116 The Swiss and Their Neighbours, 1460–1560
Failure to reach a settlement prompted another round of talks, but the participants
could not even agree on the venue.406 For his part, Duke Charles continued to
insist that Bern and Fribourg had no right to conclude a Burgrecht with Geneva.407
News reached Bern that the duke had in fact unilaterally abrogated the Burgrecht,
much to Geneva’s alarm.408 His anger against the city had mounted on learning
that a band of citizens had broken into the ducal mint and roughed up his mon-
eyer.409 In July Count Jean II de Gruyère, a Savoyard vassal, agreed (with some
reluctance) to preside over the negotiations410 and in October handed down a
judgement at Payerne which declared the Burgrecht incompatible with the terms of
the 1519 treaty.411 Bern and Fribourg felt they had no option but to acquiesce.412
Solothurn, by contrast, argued that those Savoy subjects granted citizenship before
the conclusion of the Burgrecht should retain their status; in any case, it had never
been signed by Fribourg.413
By 1530 there were signs that Duke Charles was pursuing a new tactic, namely
to drive a wedge between Catholic Fribourg and Protestant Bern.414 In May that
year Savoy opened separate negotiations with the Catholic city: while not willing
to recognize its Burgrecht with Geneva, Savoy indicated that it wished to have good
neighbourly relations with Fribourg if the latter would refrain from intervening on
Geneva’s behalf.415 Bern became particularly exercised by rumours that Fribourg
was seeking an alliance with the V Catholic cantons, which was also to embrace
Savoy and the Valais.416 When the time came in July for Bern to renew its Burgrecht
with Fribourg it was perturbed that its ally insisted on sticking to the traditional
wording of the oath which included invocation of the saints and recognition
of papal authority. In the end the Burgrecht was reaffirmed with both clauses
406 EA IV, 1b, 214–15 (no. 116) (June 1529); 244–53 (no. 134: a) (June–July 1529).
407 EA IV, 1b, 245–6 (no. 134: c, 1) (June–July 1529).
408 EA IV, 1b, 311–12 (no. 150: I; III) (Aug. 1529), Bern to Duke Charles, 1 Aug. 1529: Nous
sommes advertis comme le bruit soit en vos pays, que la bourgeoisie quavons avec ceux de Geneve, soit
par sentence annullee et cassee, et que sur la cite de Geneve doije aller en ruine, de quoi nous mervillions
et ne pouvons croire que votre excellence soit de tieulle intention.
409 BA, Abschriftensammlung XIX Torino: Archivio di Stato, Lettere Ministri Esteri: Svizzera,
vol. 1, no. 5: Duke Charles to his Swiss envoy, Maréchal François Noël de Bellegarde, 5 June 1529:
De ceulx de Geneve ilz sont en plus maulvaise voulente quilz ne furent jamais et se mocquent
publiquement et par cries tant de moy que de mes subiectz....
410 AEF, Missivale 9, fo. 55r (July 1529). In August he complained at being given insufficient time
to reach a decision and was granted a month’s extension. EA IV, 1b, 314–16 (no. 153) (Aug. 1529);
SABE, Teutsche Missiven-Buch 20 R, fo. 365r (Aug. 1529).
411 EA IV, 1b, 376–8 (no. 195: I) (Oct. 1529). The count was well aware that his judgement would
be unpopular. Documenti di Storia Sabauda, 198–9, no. 35: Je suis en gros dangier quilz ne me usent de
quelque violence.
412 EA IV, 1b, 429–30 (no. 217: 1; 3) (Nov. 1529).
413 SASO, Ratsmanuale 18, pp. 411–13, 11 Sept. 1529. In any future arbitration, it added, Count
Jean de Gruyère should not be involved.
414 Documenti di Storia Sabauda, 57.
415 EA IV, 1b, 666–8 (no. 330) (May 1530). This alliance was to be renewed every three years at
Moudon. The articles of alliance are contained in an undated memoir entitled ‘Sensuit le mode de
vivre entre Monseigneur le duc et messeigneurs de Berne et de Fribourg’, but Bern is mentioned
nowhere in the text!
416 EA IV, 1b, 696–7 (no. 347: 1) (July 1530).