His offer was
received with joy, and he was made Captain-General of the Galleys of
France. In his new capacity he sailed for the coast of Provence, which was
being devastated by the fleet of Charles V. He sank several of the Spanish
vessels, captured others, and secured sufficient booty to pay his soldiers
and sailors--a fact most welcome to Francis, who was in desperate straits
for money.
Eventually, however, a dispute arose between Francis and Doria, which was
to have disastrous effects for the King. At this time Charles V. was
suzerain of Genoa, which was held for him by the Adorno. Philippin Doria,
nephew of the admiral, met at sea with Hugo de Moncada outside the Gulf of
Salerno; a battle ensued, in which Philippin was victorious and Moncada was
slain. Amongst others who were captured was the Marquis de Guasto and
Camille Colonna; these high officers, together with three of the captured
galleys, were sent by Philippin to his uncle at Genoa.
In the meantime some malcontents reached the Court of France and complained
to the King that Andrea Doria had not captured Sicily, which they averred
he could easily have done. These men were backed up by a certain number of
the courtiers, who were bitterly jealous of the fame of Doria and the
esteem in which he had been held by Francis. The monarch, easily swayed by
any determined and persistent attack, decided to levy a fine on the
inhabitants of Genoa as a punishment for the supineness of their
countryman, who was his Captain-General of the Galleys; his argument being
that they must pay him for the plunder Doria had missed by not taking
Sicily when he should have done so.
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