Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis

Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis, peace treaty signed on April 3, 1559 in Cateau-Cambrésis (now Le Cateau), France, by Henry II of France and Philip II of Spain. The treaty ended the Italian wars, a series of wars which had been fought intermittently for more than a century over conflicting territorial claims. The treaty was also signed by England, who had fought briefly as an ally to Spain. By the terms of the treaty, France returned most of its Italian conquests, including Piedmont (Piemonte) and Savoy which it had taken from Spain. Against the claims of the English, France retained the port of Calais and the bishoprics of Toul, Verdun, and Metz. The treaty reaffirmed Spanish control over the greater part of the Italian Peninsula.