ITALY (HISTORY.) 



165 



tinned the war on their own account, ravaging the 

 vhole country with fire and sword ; such as the bands 

 jf the count of Werner (1348) and of Montreal (1354). 

 3. The Fisconti. John Visconti, archbishop and 

 lord of Milan, and his successors, were checked in 

 their dangerous projects for extending 1 their power, 

 not so much by Charles IV.'s expedition through 

 Italy, and by the exertions of innumerable papal 

 legates, as by the wisdom and intrepidity of the re- 

 publics, especially of the Florentine. Charles ap- 

 peared in 1355, overthrew in Pisa the Gambacorti, 

 elevating the Raspanti, destroyed in Sienna the do- 

 tniniou of the Nine, to which succeeded that of the 

 Twelve, subjected for the moment all Tuscany, and 

 compelled Florence itself to purchase the title of an 

 imperial city. In 1363, he effected but little against 

 the Visconti, freed Lucca from the Pisanese power, 

 and overthrew the Twelve in Sienna ; but his attacks 

 on the liberty of Pisa and Sienna failed in conse- 

 quence of the valour of the citizens. Pope Innocent 

 VI. succeeded in conquering the whole of the States 

 of the Church by means of the cardinal legate Egidius 

 Albornoz (135469) ; l:ut, reduced to extremities, 

 by the oppressions of the legates, and encouraged by 

 Florence, the enemy of all tyranny, the conquered 

 cities revolted in 1375. The cruelties of cardinal 

 Robert of Geneva (afterwards Clement VII.), and of 

 his band of soldiers from Bretagne, produced only a 

 partial subjugation ; and in the great schism, the 

 freedom of these cities, or rather the power of their 

 petty tyrants, was fully confirmed. The Visconti, 

 meanwhile, persisting in their schemes of conquest, 

 arrayed the whole strength of Italy in opposition to 

 them, and caused the old factions of Guelfs and Ghibe- 

 lines to be forgotten in the impending danger. 

 Genoa submitted to John Visconti (1353), who had 

 purchased Bologna from the Pepoli (1350) ; but his 

 enterprise against Tuscany failed through the resis- 

 tance of the confederated Tuscan republics. Another 

 league against him was concluded by the Venetians 

 (1354) with the petty tyrants of Lombardy. But the 

 union of the Florentines with the Visconti against the 

 papal legates (1375) continued but a short time. In 

 Florence, the G uelfs were divided into the parties of 

 the Ricci and the Albiz/.i. The sedition of the 

 Ciompi (1378), to which this gave rise, was quelled 

 by Michael di Lando, who had been elected gonfal- 

 oniere by themselves, in a way no less manly than 

 disinterested. The Venetians, irritated with Carrara 

 on account of the assistance he had given the Genoese 

 in the war at Chiozza (1379), looked quietly on while 

 John Galeazzo Visconti deprived the Delia Scala and 

 Carrara of all their possessions (1387 and 1388), and 

 Florence alone assisted the unfortunate princes. 

 Francis Carrara made himself again master of Padua 

 (1390), and maintained his advantages, till he sunk 

 under the enmity of the Venetians (1406), who. 

 changing their policy, became henceforth, instead of 

 the opponents, the rivals of the ambitious views of 

 the Visconti. John Galeazzo obtained from the em- 

 peror Wenceslaus the investiture of Milan as a 

 duchy (1395), purchased Pisa (which his natural son 

 Gabriel bargained away to Florence, 1405) from the 

 tyrant Gerard of Appiano (who reserved only the 

 principality of Piombino), and subjugated Sienna 

 (1399), Perugia (1400) and Bologna (1402), so that 

 Florence, fearfully menaced, alone stood against him 

 in the cause of liberty. On his death (1402), the 

 prospect brightened, and during the minority of his 

 sons, a great portion of his states was lost. When 

 Ladislaus of Naples, taking advantage of the schism, 

 made himself master of all the Ecclesiastical States, 

 and threatened to conquer all Italy (1409), Florence 

 ain alone dared to resist him. But this danger 

 was transitory ; the Visconti soon rose up again in 



opposition. Duke Philip Maria reconquered all his 

 states of Lombardy, by means of the great Carmag- 

 nola (1416 20). Genoa, also, which was some- 

 times given up, in nominal freedom, to stormy fac- 

 tions (of the Fregosi, Adorni, Montalto, Guarco), and 

 at other times was subject to France (1396), or to the 

 marquis of Montferrat (1411), submitted to him 

 (1421). Florence subsequently entered into an al- 

 liance against him with the Venetians (1425) ; and 

 by means of Carmagnola, who had now come over 

 to them, they conquered the whole country as far as 

 the Adda, and retained it in the peace of Ferrara 

 (1428). In Perugia, the great condottiere Braccio 

 da Montone, of the party of the Baglioni, succeeded 

 in becoming master of this city and of all Umbria, 

 and. for a period, even of Rome (1416). In Sienna, 

 the Petrucci attained a permanent dominion (1430). 

 4. Balance of the Italian States. After Milan had 

 been enfeebled by the Venetians and Florentines, and 

 while Alphonso of Arragon was constantly disturbed 

 in Naples (see Naples) by the Anjou party, no danger- 

 ous predominance of power existed in Italy, though 

 mutual jealousy still excited frequent wars, in which 

 two parties among the Italian mercenary soldiers, the 

 Bracheschi (from Braccio da Montone) and the 

 Sforzeschi (so called from Sforza Atteiulolo), con- 

 tinued always hostile to each other, contrary to the 

 custom of those mercenary bands. After the 

 extinction of the Visconti (1447), Francis Sforza 

 succeeded in gaining possession of the Milanese 

 state (1450). (See Milan.) The Venetians, who 

 aimed at territorial aggrandizement, having formed 

 a connexion with some princes against him, he 

 found an ally in Florence, which, with a change 

 of circumstances, wisely altered her policy. About 

 this time, the family of the Medici attained to power 

 in that city by their wealth and talent. (See 

 Medici.) Milan (where the Sforza had established 

 themselves), Venice (which possessed half of Lom- 

 bardy), Florence (wisely managed by Lorenzo 

 Medici), the States of the Church (for the most 

 part restored to the holy see), and Naples (which 

 was incapable of employing its forces in direct 

 attacks on other states), constituted, in the fifteenth 

 century, the political balance of Italy, which, during 

 the manifold feuds of these states, permitted no one 

 to become dangerous to the independence of the rest, 

 till 1494, when Charles VIII. of France entered Italy 

 to conquer Naples, and Louis Moro Sforza played 

 the part first of his ally, then of his enemy, while 

 the pope, Alexander VI. eagerly sought the friend- 

 ship of the French, to promote the exaltation of his 

 son, Caesar Borgia. 5 Contest of foreign Powers 

 for Provinces in Italy. Charles VIII. was compelled 

 to evacuate Naples and all Italy ; his successor, 

 Louis XII. was also expelled, by Ferdinand the 

 Catholic, from Naples (conquered in 1504). He was 

 more successful against Milan, which, supported by 

 hereditary claims, he subjected to himself in 1500. 

 Caesar Borgia's attempts to acquire the sovereignty of 

 Italy were frustrated by the death of his father 

 (1595); when the warlike pope, Julius II. completed 

 the subjugation of the States of the Church, not, 

 indeed, for a son or nephew, but in the name of the 

 holy see. He concluded with Maximilian I. Ferdi 

 nand the Catholic, and Louis XII. the league of 

 Cambray (1508) against the ambitious policy of the 

 Venetians, who artfully succeeded in dissolving the 

 league, which threatened them with destruction. 

 Tlie pope then formed a league with the Venetians 

 themselves, Spain, and the Swiss, for the purpose of 

 driving the French from Italy. This holy league 

 (1509) did not, however, then attain its object, 

 although Julius was little affected by the French 

 and German council held at Pisa to depose him. 



