ITALY. 



Ifis death. 



tlth Aug. 

 13U. 



Battle of 

 Atonteca- 

 tiiii. 



Robert, ntl acknowledged him as their protector and 

 lord, were included in the same condemnation. The 

 emperor having now formed an alliance with Frederic, 

 king of Sicily, and received an additional body of Ger- 

 man troops, and the promise of aid from the Pisan 

 and Genoese fleets, proceeded to invade the kingdom 

 of Naples. But these preparations were rendered nu- 

 gatory, by the sudden death of Henry, while 'on his 

 nvirrh at lionconvento, near Sienna ; and this unexpect- 

 ed event occasioned the immediate dispersion of his ar- 

 my. The body of the deceased emperor was magnifi- 

 cently entombed at Pisa ; and that republic, justly 

 alarmed for its safety, took into pay about 1000 Ger- 

 man soldiers, under the command of Uguccione della 

 Faggiuola, on whom they conferred the lordship of 

 their city. 



This general proceeded to attack Lucca, which he 

 surprised, and gave up to pelage. He next laid siege 

 to the castle of Montecatini, but was attacked by the 

 Florentines, under the command of Philip, prince of 

 Tarento, brother to Robert of Naples. But the Pisan 

 A. D. 1313. troops were victorious; and after a severe engagement, 

 in which Peter, prince of Naples, and Charles, son of 

 Philip of Tarento, were slain, the Florentines were put 

 to flight, with the loss of 2000 killed, and 1500 prison- 

 ers, 



But the tyranny of Uguccione, after this victory, soon 

 occasioned his downfal. The people of Lucca, indig- 

 nant at the arrest of their brave countryman Castraca- 

 ni, were the first to revolt; and while Uguccione 

 marched with his troops against that city, its example 

 A. D. 1316. was followed by Pisa : and thus excluded from both 

 states, he was forced to take refuge at the court of 

 Cane Grande della Scala, at Verona. His retreat was 

 A. D. 1317. followed by a general peace in Tuscany. 



In Lombardy, the prince of Verona had made him- 

 self master of Vicenza, then under the government of 

 Padua, the only remaining free state of Lombardy ; 

 and obliged the latter state to accede to an unfavoura- 

 ble treaty. But the Paduans having infringed the 

 treaty, were so powerfully attacked, that, feeling the 

 want of a leader, they were obliged to confer the sove- 

 reignty on James of Carrara, in whose family it long 

 continued. Not long after, Cremona was taken by Ga- 

 leazzo Visconti, and added to the territory of Milan. 

 When the Lombards lost their liberties, they lost with 

 them their former enterprizing spirit of commerce, 

 which was transferred to the still flourishing republics 

 of Tuscany ; and, although encouragement was given 

 to poetry and the arts, at the courts of the petty sove- 

 reigns of Lombardy, it is remarkable that the objects 

 of it were generally natives of other states. 



At this period, the succession to the empire was con- 

 tested by Louis of Bavaria, supported by John, king 

 of Bohemia, son of the late emperor ; and Frederic of 

 Austria. 



Pope Clement V. having died at Avignon, was suc- 

 ceeded by John XXII. who directed his chief attention 

 to raise again the Guelph party in Lombardy, and 

 humble the rising power of the Visconti, but without 

 success; for Galeaxzo, son of Matthew Visconti, retain- 

 ed the power of his father, and was assisted by Louis 

 of Bavaria, who had defeated his rival. The pope, in- 

 dignant at this protection given by Louis, notwith- 

 standing his protestations, proceeded to depose and ex r 

 A. B. 1324. communicate him. Louis had, however, now acquired 

 an adherent, whose victories made more impression 

 than the papal anathemas. This was Castruccu Cas- 

 tracani of Lucca, who had made himself master of Pis. 



. D. 13 



toia ; and, assisted by Visconti, had completely defeat- History. 

 ed the Florentine army,;nul t;iken then- general Rai- ]T"7J Y ^!j 

 mond de Cardone prisoner, who^n he conducted in ' ' 

 triumph to Lucca, after insulting the Florentines by 

 encamping under the walls of the city, and actually ce- 

 lebrating games there. The Florentines now had re- 

 course to the king of Naples, on whose son, Charles, 

 duke of Calabria, they conferred, for ten years, the mi- 

 litary government. In the mean time, Louis arrived 

 at Trent, where, at a meeting of the Ghibeline deputies, 

 he openly accused the pope of heresy. At Milan he 

 received the iron crown ; but jealous of Visconti, who 

 had so eminently served him, he expelled him from the 

 city, and imprisoned his adherents. He- next forced Pisa 

 to open her gates to him ; and, accompanied by Cas- 

 truccio, whom he created duke of Lucca and Pistoia, 

 proceeded to Rome, where he was invested with the 

 imperial crown,' without the authority of the pope. In 

 the mean time, the duke of Calabria having taken Pis- 

 toia, Castruccio returned to Tuscany, and was success- 

 ful in recovering it; but died, in consequence of the 

 fatigue he underwent, aged 47. Galeazzo Visconti, A. 

 who served in his army, fell also a victim to fatigue ; 

 and their deaths were soon followed by that of the 

 duke of Calabria : and the republic of Florence was 

 released at once from the dread of a powerful antagon- 

 ist, and a foreign lord. 



The conduct of the emperor now rendered him ha- jf ean co 

 ted and despised in Italy. Having deprived the child- duel of t 

 ren of Castruccio of Lucca, he actually set it up to emperor. 

 sale, and disposed of it to a Genoese nobleman ; and 

 his conduct to his other allies was no less disgraceful. ( 



Milan was regained by Azzo Visconti, who refused ad- 

 mittance to Louis ; and that prince, still farther weak- 

 ened by the death of Cane della Scala of Verona, re- t 

 tired to Bavaria, to defend himself against the attacks 

 of the Austrian family. On the retreat of Louis, John, 

 king of Bohemia, son of the emperor Henry VII. en- 

 tered Lombardy, and in one year made himself lord of 

 many of the principal cities. His success was but 

 transient; the king of Naples, and. the republic of Flo- 

 rence, first attacked him, and were even joined by their 

 ancient antagonists, the Ghibeline princes of Lombardy, 

 and the emperor; and the king of Bohemia, unable to 

 withstand such a confederacy, retired to Paris, having 

 first sold the sovereignty of the states which had sub- A. 

 mitted to him. 



During the pontificate of Benedict XII. the succes- 

 sor of John XXII. the rising power of Florence is the 

 chief object worthy attention. Having obtained, in 

 addition to their former allies, the assistance of the re- 

 public of Venice, they succeeded in humbling Mastino 

 d?lla Scala of Verona, who had made himself master of 

 Lucrt ; and soon after purchased from him that city, 

 of which, however, the Pisans -contrived to gain pos- 

 session, and defeated the Florentines. Walter de Bri- 

 enne, titular duke of Athens, the general of the troops 

 of Florence, h;id, by his intrigues, persuaded the peo- 

 ple to appoint him lord of the city ; and, desirous to 

 make himself completely sovereign, betrayed the in. 

 terests of the state, by making peace with the Pisans, 

 and giving up all claims on Lucca. His power, how- 

 ever, was not of long continuance ; the citizens rose in Duke 01 

 a body, and, having put to death the ministers who Athens 

 had been the tools of his tyranny, forced him to take C* Uwl f ' 

 refuge in his palace ; from which he fled privately on or v rc> 

 the 26th July, 1 343 : a day, whose anniversary conti- 

 nued to be held sacred at Florence. 

 The expulsion of the duke of Athens, was followed 



. D. 1 



, D. i: 



