ITALY. 



sir 



J4;.:.! 



Eecdino. 



Wwsvy. strongest citie* in Tuscany, was taken ; and the Pisans, 

 v "Y * after repeated defeats, obliged to beg a peace. 

 A.D. 11**. Innocent IV. was succeeded in the pontificate by 

 Alexander I V. who, although of a more moral and re- 

 ligious character than his predecessor, was by no means 

 equal to him in talents. His first public act was to 

 preach a crusade against Eccelino Romano ; this was 

 entrusted to Philip, archbishop of Ravenna, who pro- 

 ceeded to Venice, and there collected the Paduans and 

 other exiles who had fled from the tyranny of Eccelino. 

 He also received considerable assistance from the Ve- 

 netian*, and was joined by the Marquess Azzo of Este, 

 and the Femrese, the republic of Bologna, Count 

 Louis de San Bonifazio, lord of Mantua, and the citi- 

 zen* of Trent, who had revolted against Eccelino. On 

 the other hand, that tyrant was master of Verona, Vi- 

 cenza. Padua, Feltra, and Belluna; had secretly re- 

 conciled himself with his brother Alberico, who go- 

 verned Treviso; and had made an alliance with the 

 Oberto IVllavicino, and Buoao da Dosra, the 

 podeetas of Cremona. The crusaders were 

 at first victorious'; and having defeated the governor of 

 Padua, they entered that city with the fugitives, took 

 possession of it, and Uying open the dungeons, deli- 

 vered nearly 1008 victims of the cruehy of Eccelino. 

 But the unfortunate citizens of Padua, who were ser- 

 ving in his army, felt the weight of his vengeance, and 

 of 11,000 men scarcely 200 escaped alive. In the 

 tnrm time, Alberico Romano arrived with an army, 

 and, offering his aid, wished to be admitted into Padua ; 

 but the legate, discovering that he attempted to raise a 

 mutiny among hit troops, wisely rejected his assistance. 

 The troops of Eccelino, and his Cremoneae allies, had 

 now made themselves masUn of Brescia ; but the lat- 



at being defrauded of their share of the 

 id the former, and soon after joined 

 vea with the papal army. The last victory of 

 Eceetino was the capture of the castle of Friola in' the 

 territory of Vicenza. The unfortunate garrison had their 

 eves torn out, and their noses and legs cut oaf; nor were 

 the women, the children, or the priests exempted from 

 this moat dreadful mutilation. But the monster had 

 now Billed up the measiirv of his crimes, and the hour 

 of vengeance, so long delayed, was at hand. Having 

 marched into the Milanese, he was met at the bridge 

 of Caaaano, over the Adda, by Azso of Este, with the 

 of Ferrara, Mantua, and Cremona. Deserted 

 the battle by the Breeeian cavalry, his srmy 

 into confusion. His German soldiers, in- 

 still made a desperate resutance; but Freeh**, 

 Mag severely weaauUd by a brother of one of his mu- 

 tilated captives, was taken prisoner, and a total route 

 Tint* el ensued The captive tyrant maintained a sullen "**yf, 

 >** and, fixing Ini iWu*. looks on the ground, seemed 

 insensible to the shouts of joy of his conquerors. Re- 

 fusing food and medical asMstanc*, he tore open bit 

 A.D. ItM- wounds, and died at Soncino 1 1 days after his defeat. 

 He wea in Ma 66th year, and his reign of blood had 

 lasted S4 yearv 



The papal army was immedisteiy admitted into the 

 under his power ; Vicenza received a podeata 

 Padua ; and Verona elected to that office Marti no 

 iScaia, who afterwards became their sovereign lord, 

 expelled from Treviso, took refuge 

 in the castle of San Xeno, among the Euganean moun- 

 tains, but the Guelphe determined utterly to extirpate 

 a smsfm-soisMty detested, and commanded by the mar- 



Alberico waa re. 



duced by famine to surrender, imploring the compas- Hutory. 

 sion of Este for his six sons and two daughters, one of "" V' 

 whom was the widow of Rinaldo of Este, his brother, 

 but in vain ; the whole family were put to death, and 

 their mangled limbs sent to the cities which had endu- 

 red the tyranny of Eccelino. The extinction of the fa A. D. 1*60. 

 mily of Romano, and the fall of the tyrant, which occa- 

 sioned universal exultation, were followed by a general 

 peace in Lombardy ; and the attention of the pope was 

 turned solely to the affairs of the kingdom of Naples. 



Manfred, in the midst of his victories, wag informed Manfred . 

 of the death of his nephew Couradin in Germany ; made k 'g 

 and immediately, at the desire of the Sicilian nobility, of Naples. 

 assumed the title, and was crowned king of the two 

 Sicilies. The arrival of dispatches from Conradin soon 

 proved the falsehood of the report ; but Manfred in* 

 formed the messengers that, having now accepted the 

 crown, he could not surrender it, but declared that 

 Conradin should be his heir, and invited him to reside 

 at his court At this period, the Ghibeline nobility had 

 been, by the increasing influence of the democratic 

 party, banished from Florence ; and, taking refuge at 

 Sienna, easily obtained the protection of that republic. 

 The Florentines immediately declared war against Si- 

 enna, and that state was obliged to beg assistance from 

 king Manfred. The reinforcement granted by him 

 was so small, that, in the first combat with the Floren- 

 tines, the German troops were cut to pieces, and the 

 standard of the king of Naples conveyed in triumph to 

 Florence. Indignant at this disgrace, and excited by 

 Farinata 1,'berti, the able chief of the Florentine exiles, 

 Manfred immediately sent to Sienna a considerable 

 body of cavalry under the command of Count Giordano 

 d'Anglone, who, joined by their Tuscan auxiliaries, 

 awaited the approach of the Florentines. Uberti had, 

 in the meantime, carried on a secret correspondence 

 v. itli those of the Ghibelines, who still remained in Flo- 

 rence, and persuaded them, on the first opportunity, to 

 deem the standard of their country. He had contri- 

 ved to persuade the anziani, or chief magistrates, that, 

 on their appearance before the gates of Sunna, it would 

 be immediately surrendered. His stratagem was suc- 

 cessful ; the anziani conducted the army, reinforced by 

 the troops of Bologna, and all the forces of Lucca, and 

 the other Tuscan cities, to the plain of Arbia, five miles 

 from Sienna, and there awaited the promised surrender. 



On a sudden the gates of the city were thrown Battle of 

 open, and the Neapolitan cavalry, followed by the Sien- Arbia. 

 nese and the Ghibeline exiles, made a desperate charge 

 on the main body of the Florentines. While the as- 

 tonished magistrates attempted to rally their disorder- 

 ed troops, the Ghibeline gentlemen in the array seized 

 the opportunity, and, cutting down the standard*- bearer, 

 carried off the Florentine colours, and deserted to the 

 enemy. This act of treachery decided the battle ; the nj, g 

 Guelph army was totally defeated j and 10,000 of the 1260. 

 Florentines and their allies were left dead on the field. 

 Such was the terror occasioned by this defeat, that the 

 whole Guelph population deserted Florence and retired 

 to Lucca; and this example was followed by all the ci- 

 ties and towns of Tuscany. Guido N'ovello, count of 

 Caaentino, was appointed podesta of Florence, and the 

 Neapolitan troops were ordered to be paid out of it* 

 revenues. Such was the inveteracy of the Pisans and 

 Siennese, that, at a diet of the Ghibeline cities, they 

 even urged the demolition and total destruction of Flo- 

 rence. This proposition had even met with the con- 

 currence vf the Ahseinbly ; but the patriotic firmness 



