the new pope was another Medici: Leo’s first cousin Giulio, a career churchman of long experience, who had taken the name Clement VII. Clement was almost as wary of Charles V as Francis was. He therefore officially relieved Francis of any undertakings he had given while an imperial prisoner. And there was more. Not only did Clement absolve Francis of his promises, he also committed the papacy to a formal alliance with France, the purpose of which was to drive Charles and his imperial influence out of the whole Italian peninsula. This alliance was called the League of Cognac; its members
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