.512 



I T A L V. 



HiXurr. 



A. D. 117G. 



Battle of 

 Lignano. 



29th May, 

 1176. 



termined to reduce by blockade. In this he persevered 

 v "V 1 "' for four months, in the very depth of winter, notwith- 

 t * d , e . standing the sufferings of his soldiers from the cold and 

 *" scarcity, and the inundations of the rivers. The diet 

 of the League, however, immediately dispatched their 

 troops with a supply of provisions, for the relief of the 

 Alexandrians. A truce during Passion- week, had, in 

 the mean time, been concluded ; but the emperor, ap- 

 prised of the approach of the Lombard troops, deter- 

 mined treacherously to break his agreement, and at- 

 tempted to assault the town during the night. Fortu- 

 nately his design was discovered, and the Germans re- 

 pulsed with loss. Frederic the next day marched to 

 Pavia; the Lombard army, from a remaining respect 

 for the imperial dignity, not impeding his retreat. His 

 repulse had made him readily listen to the negotiation 

 for a peace; and it was agreed that both armies should 

 be disbanded, and six commissioners appointed to ar- 

 range their differences. At the conferences for this 

 A. D. 1175. purpose, held at Pavia, three legates from the pope 

 attended, but their attempts to promote a reconciliation 

 were unavailing ; and the emperor, having ordered ano- 

 ther army to be raised in Germany, was apprized of 

 their arrival at Como early in the following spring. 



Putting himself at the head of the troops of Como, 

 Pavia, and Montferrat, he joined the main army, and 

 proceeded to attack the castle of Lignano, 1 5 miles from 

 Milan. The Milanese immediately prepared for a vigo- 

 rous resistance; and, with their own troops and those 

 of Placentia, and a few battalions of light infantry 

 from Verona, Brescia, and Novara, marched to meet 

 the emperor. The battle began by a skirmish between 

 the cavalry of the advanced guards; but the whole 

 German horse, having charged the Lombards, were re- 

 pulsed, and fell back in confusion on the main body, 

 pursued by the emperor. But the troops entrusted 

 with the care of the carroccio, perceiving the danger to 

 which it was exposed, at this moment charged the im- 

 perialists with such fury, that Frederic was obliged to 

 save himself by flight, and a total route ensued. The 

 Germans were pursued for eight miles, and completely 

 dispersed ; the troops of Como almost all cut to pieces ; 

 and Frederic, after wandering in disguise for several 

 days, arrived alone at Pavia. He now began seriously 

 to think of peace ; and a congress for that purpose was 

 agreed to be held at Venice. He, however, succeeded 

 previously in negotiating a separate peace with Cre- 

 mona and Tortona. 



A. D. 1177. The pope having arrived at Venice, after much diffi- 

 culty, a truce was agreed on ; the duration of which 

 was to be fifteen years with the king of Naples, and 

 six with the Lombard League. The years of the truce 

 were spent by the emperor in endeavouring to disunite 

 the League : but in this he was unsuccessful ; and the 

 only towns that joined him were Tortona and Alexan- 

 dria, to the latter of which, the name of Cesarea was 

 given. In the year 1 183, a general diet of the empire 

 was held at Constance, where the emperor's son, Hen- 

 ry VI. was associated with him in the government; 

 and the deputies of the Lombard cities having attended 

 it, a definitive treaty was at length concluded, in which 

 the emperor acknowledged and restored the rights of 

 the free states; and Italy at length enjoyed peace. 

 The calm which followed the treaty of Constance was 

 not of long duration. The tranquillity of the free Ita- 

 lian states was soon disturbed by petty wars with their 

 neighbours and the nobility, or by the usurpation of 

 ambitious individuals or families, and the fury of con- 

 tending factions among themselves. To enter particu- 

 5 



Congress 

 tor peace. 



Treaty of 

 Constance 



larly into the history of these, would be impracticable History. 

 in a work of this nature >and besides, not very interest- "*- 'V 

 ing to the generality of readers. We must, therefore, 

 content ourselves with taking occasionally a general re- 

 view of their effects in the respective states ; or slightly 

 entering into their details, when productive of any 

 Listing or general results. 



In the year following the peace of Constance, Fre- A. D. 1184 

 deric visited Italy for the last time. His object was 

 to negotiate a marriage between his son Henry, and 

 Constance, daughter of Roger I. king of Sicily and 

 Naples, the aunt of William 1 1. the present king ; and, 

 from his want of family, considered the heiress pre- 

 sumptive of the crown. The emperor was, on this oc- 

 casion, received with general respect by the Lombard 

 cities; and, desirous to secure their support in the 

 event of the Sicilian succession being contested, his ef- 

 forts were directed to maintain their union, and pro- 

 mote their prosperity. 



An event which took place soon after, tended still 

 more to continue this good understanding, and for a 

 time to occasion a general cessation of hostilities through- 

 out Europe. This was the capture of Jerusalem by ?d Oct. 

 Saladin, from King Guy of Lusignan, and the crusade 1187. 

 undertaken for its recovery, in consequence of the ex- 

 ertions of the popes Gregory VIII. and Clement III. 

 The Italian status obeyed with zeal the mandates of 

 their pontiffs ; and the aged emperor himself, with his 

 son Frederic, took the cross, and, at the head of an 

 army of 90,000 men, marching through Hungary and 

 Bulgaria, crossed at Gallipoli into Asia, and having ta- P reil eric 

 ken Iconium, advanced into Armenia, where he died, j \ 

 having, while bathing in the little river Salef, been ei- i 0tn j\ lne 

 ther drowned, or struck with apoplexy, from the cold- 1190. 

 ness of the water. 



The death of Frederic was deplored, even by those 

 very cities whose liberties he had invaded ; and the 

 Milanese themselves acknowledged his magnanimity 

 and fortitude. Their knowledge of his successor in- 

 creased their regrets ; as, without possessing his father's 

 talents, Henry's character was infamous in war for 

 brutal ferocity, and in peace for his perfidy and breach 

 of his promises. William II. King of Sicily, died a 

 few months before Frederic ; and Henry now prepared 

 to take possession of his wife's inheritance. But the 

 Sicilians, averse to a foreign sway, had chosen for their 

 king, Tancred, grandson of King Roger, being the ille- 

 gitimate offspring of his eldest son ; and the emperor 

 was obliged to assert his rights by force of arms, For 

 this purpose, he solicited the assistance of the Italians, 

 especially the maritime republics. To the Genoese he 

 even promised to cede the city of Syracuse and its de- 

 pendencies. Having, in consequence, obtained a con- 

 siderable fleet from them and the Pisans, he proceeded 

 to invade Sicily. But his expedition \vas unfortunate ; 

 he himself escaped with difficulty ; and his empress fell 

 into the hands of Tancred, by whom, however, she 

 was immediately sent back without ransom. 



This prince survived a short time only after this ge- 

 nerous action ; his death being occasioned by grief for A. D. 119* 

 the loss of his eldest son. The Sicilians then submit- 

 ted to the emperor ; but were treated by him in the 

 most cruel and tyrannical manner, and he became 

 the object of general detestation. He incurred, like- 

 wise, the resentment of the Genoese, by not performing 

 his promises to them ; and even depriving them of the 

 privileges which they had formerly enjoyed in the 

 Neapolitan ports. His subjects were soon enfran- 

 chised, however, by his sudden death ; which was fol- A. D. 11 



