ITALY. 



351 



Nntarr. Sicilians, indignant at this treaty, crowned Frederic as 

 "^r " their king. In Tuscany, the rivality of the factions of 

 the Bianchi and Neri at Pistoia had spread to Florence 

 and Lucca. In Florence, the Bianchi were headed by 

 Vieri Cerchi, and the Neri by Corso Donati, and the 

 cities presented the same scene of confusion as during 

 the fttnTrttt of the Guelpli* and Ghiheline*. By the in- 

 tervention of Pope Boniface, the chiefs of both parties 

 were exiled from Florence ; but the Bianchi returning 

 immediately, took possession of the city, and oppressed 

 . D. 1301. t j, e j r antagonists. At Lucca, the N'eri were more power- 

 ful, and expelled the Bianchi, among whom was Cas- 

 truccio Caatracani, who retiring to England, entered in- 

 to the army of that country. The pope now invited 

 to the assistance of the King of Naples against Sicily, 

 Charles of Valois, on whom he conferred the title of 

 Count of Romagna. On entering Tuscany, he was re- 

 ceived into Florence on condition of not interfering 

 with the politics of the state ; but no sooner was he 

 admtUnd, than he recalled the exiles ; and having ar- 

 rested the Bianchi, plundered their houses, and ba- 

 nished their chief leader*. Among the latter, were the 

 poet Dante, and the father of Petrarch. Valois then 

 left Florence to carry on the war in Sicily ; but the 

 prudence and valour of Frederic overcame all the at- 

 tacks made upon him, and a peace was at length con- 

 *" eluded, when his title was acknowledged by the pope, 

 and his marriage with Eleonora, daughter of Charles II. 

 ut' Naples, united the interests of the rival famine*. 



The pride and violence of Boniface had now raised 

 again t him powerful enemies in the Colonna family, 

 whom be had excommunicated, and in Philip the Fair, 

 king of France, whom he had offended by interfering 

 with the right* of the Gallican church. At length Wil- 

 liam de Nagaret, a French gentleman, incensed by hit 

 ineolence, baring mllarud a few soldiers, surprised 

 Boniface in Anagni, and mane himeelf matter of hi* 

 person and treasure. He was however rescued by the 

 people of Anagni, and returning to Rome, put himself 

 nder the protection of the Orsini. But indignation at 

 the late insult offered him, had aggravated the violent 

 panioas of the pope He soon took offence at his pro- 

 tectors, and wa* preparing to leave them, when he was 

 prevented by the Orsini, and confined to his apart- 

 ment. Boniface wa* now rawed to a pitch of insanity ; 

 >"* be refuted all sustenance, and the following rooming 

 wa* found dead in hi* chamber, having repeatedly 

 dashed hi* head again* the wall 



Into the transaction* of Lombardy at this period, it 

 M impoasibU for us to eater at large, from the intri- 

 cacy of it* revolutions, and the rapid change* in the 

 government of it* ckies : it was at present engaged in 

 ineffectual struggles against it* tyrants. The king of 

 the Remaas, Albert of Austria, fully occupied inVom- 

 bating hi* German rivals, could take no interest in the 

 affairs of Italy, and the king of France alone possessed 

 any influence. Benedict XI. who succeeded Boniface, 

 having retired from Rome, where hi* power wa* 

 thwarted by the cardinals of the Orsini and Colonna 

 families, took up hi* residence at Perugia, where hi* 

 fir*t act wa* to excommunicate those concerned in the 

 outrage* offered to his predecessor. But Philip, who 

 MBBosed himself included in this sentence, ana dread- 



snore decided opposition, contrived to have a poison 

 ,D.1 *H. administered to Benedict, which occasioned hi* death 

 in a few days. 



- contest in the conclave lasted nearly a year, hut 

 at length the artifices of Philip prevailed, and the new 

 pofe, Clemrhl V. took up his residence in France, and 



shewed himself completely devoted to the interests of History. 

 the king. At his request the Emperor Andronicus was """V^ 

 excommunicated, and the order of the Knights Temp- 

 lars, whose riches had excited the cupidity of Philip, 

 were cruelly proscrilied. 



The party of the Neri, now triumphant at Florence, A.D. 1306. 

 had, after a long siege, made themselves masters.of 

 Pistoia, and dispersed an army, led by Cardinal Orsini 

 against them. In Lombardy, Matthew Visconti had 

 been expelled from Milan, and most of the other cities 

 were distracted by internal commotions ; and the death 

 of Azzo VIII. had involved his states in a war between A.D. 1308- 

 his natural and legitimate children. Charles II. of 

 Naples was also dead, and was succeeded by his se- 

 cond son Robert, by the decision of the pope, who set 

 aside the right of Caribert, king of Hungary, the son 

 of Robert's elder brother. 



On the assassination of Albert of Austria by his ne- 

 phew, Henry count of Luxemburg was nominated 

 king of the Romans ; and having secured for his son 

 John the kingdom of Bohemia, prepared to pass into 

 Italy. He first endeavoured to conciliate the friend- 

 ship of the pope, by confirming the grants of his pre- 

 decessors to the church. 



Having then proceeded to Lausanne, he was met by Henry I. 

 the deputies of most of the Italian states, who vied with ""''* Iul ' r ' 

 each other in their professions of attachment ; and the 

 Pisans, especially, having laid at his feet 60,000 florins, 

 urged him immediately to visit Tuscany. The only 

 powers who did not send deputies were the king of 

 Naples, and the republics of Florence, Lucca, Sienna, 

 and Bologna. These feared, lest, by publicly acknow- 

 ledging his authority, they should afford him a pretext 

 lor interfering with their affairs, and recalling the ex- 

 ile*. Henry then arrived at Asti, where he was joined 

 by the Ixwnbard lords ; and from thence to Milan, the 

 gate* of which were, after some hesitation, opened to 

 him by Guido delta Torre. At Milan he received the 

 iron crown of Lombardy ; and, having received the oath 

 of fidelity from the state*, succeeded in most of them .\.D. 1311. 

 in pacifying the factions. But a sedition was soon ex- 

 cited at Milan, by a demand of a considerable contri- 

 bution, which the poverty of Henry rendered necessa- 

 ry ; and although it was quelled by the expulsion of 

 Guido della Torre and his family, yet it spread to the 

 other towns ; and Henry was obliged to reduce Lodi, 

 Como, and Cremona. But Brescia resisted him, and 

 only capitulated after a tedious siege. Genoa was next 

 visited by Henry, where he met a similar reception ; 

 loyal at first, but they, too, were disgusted by his 

 rapacious exaction. In the mean time, the king of 

 Naples and the Florentines prepared for war ; and it 

 was only by mean* of Count Guido, and the Ghibclines 

 of Tuscany, that Henry escaped the Florentines, while 

 on hi* way to Pisa. At that city his pecuniary wants 

 were supplied ; and, after being treated with the great- 

 eat respect for two months, he proceeded to Rome, at 

 the head of an army of exiles of the Ghibeline and Bian- 

 chi factions. The troops of Naples had, however, ta- 

 ken possession of the Vatican ; and the ceremony of his 

 coronation was performed, in the church of the Lateran, 

 by three cardinals appointed by Clement for this pur- A.D. 131*. 

 pose. He then returned to Tuscany, and sat down be- 

 fore Florence ; but, although that state had received 

 considerable reinforcements, it did not venture to attack 

 him. Having thus defied Florence, the emperor en- 

 camped at Poggibonzi, where he solemnly pronounced 

 entence against the king of Naples ; and the Floren- 

 tine*, who had now entered into a solemn treaty with 



