One of Henry's major problems was the Spanish Road which traversed Spanish territory through Savoy to the Low Countries. His first opportunity to cut the Spanish Road was a dispute over the ownership of the Marquisate of Saluzzo. The last marquis left Saluzzo to the French crown in 1548 (when Savoy was occupied by France), but the territory became disputed during the chaos of the Wars of Religion. The pope was asked to arbitrate between the claims of France and the Duke of Savoy. The Duke offered to cede Bresse to France if he could retain Saluzzo. Henri IV accepted this, but Spain objected that Bresse was a vital part of the Spanish Road, and persuaded the Duke to reject the decision. Henry IV was already at Lyon and had soldiers ready, and four days later he marched fifty thousand men against the duchy, occupying almost all of its area west of the Alps. In January 1601, Henry accepted another offer of papal arbitration and gained not only Bresse, but Bugey and Gex. Savoy retained a narrow corridor through the Val de Chézery. This still allowed Spanish troops to cross from Lombardy to Franche Comté without going through France, but it created a choke point where the Spanish Road was a single bridge across the Rhône River.
One of Henry's major problems was the Spanish Road which traversed Spanish territory through Savoy to the Low Countries His first opportunity to cut the Spanish Road was a dispute over the ownership of the Marquisate of Saluzzo The last marquis left Saluzzo to the French crown in 1548 (when Savoy was occupied by France) but the territory became disputed during the chaos of the Wars of Religion The pope was asked to arbitrate between the claims of France and the Duke of Savoy The Duke offered to cede Bresse to France if he could retain Saluzzo Henri IV accepted this but Spain objected that Bresse was a vital part of the Spanish Road and persuaded the Duke to reject the decision Henry IV was already at Lyon and had soldiers ready and four days later he marched fifty thousand men against the duchy occupying almost all of its area west of the Alps In January 1601 Henry accepted another offer of papal arbitration and gained not only Bresse but Bugey and Gex Savoy retained a narrow corridor through the Val de Chézery This still allowed Spanish troops to cross from Lombardy to Franche Comté without going through France but it created a choke point where the Spanish Road was a single bridge across the Rhône River