Pierre de Piton was a French colonel of the 16th century, and an ambassador to the kingdom of

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

. He was sent in 1533 by

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...

, initiating France-Morocco relations. Pierre de Piton sailed to Morocco to the harbour of

Larache Larache ( ar, العرايش, al-'Araysh) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast, where the Loukkos River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Larache is one of the most important cities of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region. Many ...

on the royal

galleass Galleasses were military ships developed from large merchant galleys, and intended to combine galley speed with the sea-worthiness and artillery of a galleon. While perhaps never quite matching up to their full expectations, galleasses neverthel ...

''Le Saint-Pierre'', equipped with 28 cannons, and captained by the Genoese Baptiste Auxyllia. Pierre de Piton was accompanied by 5 men, as well as French trader Hémon de Molon, who had brought enthusiastic reports from Morocco in a trip there in 1531–32, as well as a letter from the Sultan to Francis I. Following Pierre de Piton's embassy, in a letter to Francis I dated August 13, 1533, the Wattassid ruler of

Fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...

, Ahmed ben Mohammed, welcomed French overtures and granted freedom of shipping and protection of French traders. France started to send ships to Morocco in 1555, under the rule of Henry II, son of

. The Genoese captain later betrayed Pierre de Piton during the time he was in

Fes Fez or Fes (; ar, فاس, fās; zgh, ⴼⵉⵣⴰⵣ, fizaz; french: Fès) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fès-Meknès administrative region. It is the second largest city in Morocco, with a population of 1.11 mi ...

, by going to the Portuguese in

Arzila Asilah (; ar, أزيلا or أصيلة; pt, Arzila; es, Arcila) is a fortified town on the northwest tip of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about south of Tangier. Its ramparts and gateworks remain fully intact. History The town's history da ...

and claiming that de Piton was selling weapons to the Sultan."The captain, one Baptiste Auxyllia by name, forsook the ambassador and went over to Arzila, where he denounced Colonel de Piton to the Portuguese occupying the town, alleging that he had delivered contraband war supplies to the Sultan" in ''Ecrits de Paris: revue de questions actuelles'' Centre d'études des questions actuelles, politiques, économiques et sociales (Paris, France) - 1953 (in English)

Notes

{{reflist 16th-century French diplomats