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AFranco-Hungarian alliance was formed in October 1528 between KingFrancis I of France and KingJohn Zápolya of Hungary.[1]
France had already been looking for allies inCentral Europe. Its ambassador,Antonio Rincon, was sent on several missions toPoland andHungary between 1522 and 1525. Since the 1522Battle of Bicocca, Francis has wanted to ally with KingSigismund I the Old of Poland.[2]
In 1524, aFranco-Polish alliance was signed between Francis and Sigismund,[3] but the agreement fell through after Francis was vanquished byCharles V at theBattle of Pavia in 1525.[2]
In 1526, Francis I again started to look for allies inCentral Europe, this time by turning his attention toHungary.[2] In 1528,John Zápolya was very vulnerable since he had been defeated byFerdinand of Austria, his rival claimant to the throne of Hungary, at theBattle of Tarcal in August 1527.[1] Besides the French alliance, Zapolya chose to become a vassal to theOttoman Empire in February 1528 through the negotiations ofJerome Laski.[1][4] Rincon went toIstanbul to bring the document,[5] which triggered the development of relations between France and the Ottoman Empire.[1]
The treaty was signed in France inFontainebleau andParis on 23 and 28 October 1528.[6] It was then ratified by Zapolya atBuda on 1 September 1529.[6] In the treaty, Francis promised to help Zapolya financially and through other means. In exchange, Zapolya agreed to continue the fight againstFerdinand of Austria and to provide Hungarian troops to Francis in Italy.[6]
In theLittle War in Hungary, France fought side by side with Zápolya andSuleiman the Magnificent against the Habsburgs. A French artillery unit was dispatched to the war in Hungary in 1543–1544 and was attached to theOttoman Army.[7][8][9]
Media related toFranco-Hungarian Alliance in 1528 at Wikimedia Commons