Charles V and Francis I Make Peace

This fresco from the Palazzo Farnese in the town of Caprarola, north of Rome, shows French king Francis I and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (shown pointing his finger) agreeing to the Truce of Nice in 1538, one of many peace agreements made and then broken during the wars between the Habsburgs and the Valois. Pope Paul III, who negotiated the truce, stands behind and between them. Charles is on the right pointing to Francis. The truce is the one celebrated in the Tlaxcala pageant described at the start of this chapter. (From the fresco Sala del Consiglio Trento, by Taddeo Zuccaro [1529–1566] and Federico Zuccaro [1542–1609] / Palazzo Farnese, Rome, Italy / Bridgeman Images.)