The Italian War of 1542–1546 was a conflict late in the Italian Wars, pitting Francis I of France and Suleiman I of the Ottoman Empire against the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Henry VIII of England. The course of the war saw extensive fighting in Italy, France, and the Low Countries, as well as attempted invasions of Spain and England; but, although the conflict was ruinously expensive for the major participants, its outcome was inconclusive. The war arose from the failure of the Truce of Nice, which ended the Italian War of 1536–38, to resolve the long-standing conflict between Charles and Francis—particularly their conflicting claims to the Duchy of Milan. Having found a suitable pretext, Francis once again declared war against his perpetual enemy in 1542. Fighting began at once throughout the Low Countries; the following year saw the Franco-Ottoman alliance's attack on Nice, as well as a series of maneuvers in northern Italy which culminated in the bloody Battle of Ceresole. Charles and Henry then proceeded to invade France, but the long sieges of Boulogne-sur-Mer and Saint-Dizier prevented a decisive offensive against the French. Charles came to terms with Francis by the Treaty of Crépy in late 1544, but the death of Francis's younger son, the Duke of Orléans—whose proposed marriage to a relative of the Emperor was the cornerstone of the treaty—made it moot less than a year afterwards. Henry, left alone but unwilling to return Boulogne to the French, continued to fight until 1546, when the Treaty of Ardres finally restored peace between France and England.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_War_of_1542%E2%80%931546

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

622:

Muhammad and his followers completed their Hijra from Mecca to Medina to escape religious persecution. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijra_%28Islam%29

1180:

The Byzantine Empire is weakened by the death of Emperor Manuel I Komnenos. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_I_Komnenos

1789:

The First United States Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789, establishing the U.S. federal judiciary and setting the number of Supreme Court Justices. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judiciary_Act_of_1789

1841:

The Sultan of Brunei granted Sarawak to British adventurer James Brooke. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Sarawak

1877:

The Imperial Japanese Army commanded by Kawamura Sumiyoshi defeated Saigō Takamori and the Satsuma clan samurai at the Battle of Shiroyama in Kagoshima, the decisive engagement of the Satsuma Rebellion. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Shiroyama

1903:

Alfred Deakin became the second Prime Minister of Australia, succeeding Edmund Barton who left office to become a founding justice of the High Court of Australia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Deakin

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

loricate (adj): (microbiology) Possessing an enclosing shell or test http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/loricate

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

At any rate, let us love for a while, for a year or so, you and me. That's a form of divine drunkenness that we can all try. There are only diamonds in the whole world, diamonds and perhaps the shabby gift of disillusion. --F. Scott Fitzgerald http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/F._Scott_Fitzgerald