ITALY. 



took up their rcfidence in France, fo that Rome feemed 

 eijually loll to the popes and the emperors. Sicily was in 

 pofTolTion of the honfe of Arragon, in confequence of the 

 maiTacre called the '• Sicilian vei'pers," which delivered that 

 ifland from the tyranny of the French. Carobert, king of 

 Hungary, difputcd the kingdom of Naples with his uncle 

 Robert. The old league of the Italian cities no longer 

 fubfilled. It had been formed with no other view than to 

 oppofe the emperors ; and iince they had neglefted Italy, 

 the cities were wholly employed in aggrandizing tliemfclves 

 at the expence of each other. In the midtl of thefe troubles, 

 Henry VII. appeared in Italy in i:;ii, and caufed himfelf 

 to be crowned king of Lombardy at Milan. But the 

 Guelphs had concealed the iron crown of the Lombard 

 kings, as if they regarded the right of reigning as attached 

 to a circlet of metal. Henr\', however, was not to be put 

 off under fuch a pretence : he ordered a new crown to be 

 made, with which the royal ceremony was performed. 

 Henry was unable to reflore the imperial power in Italy, 

 and his reign was terminated in a few months. From this 

 time, the authority of the emperor in that country confiited, 

 in a great meafiire, in the conveniency which the Gibellines 

 found in oppofing their enemies imder the fanftion of his 

 name. The power of the pope was of the fame nature, and 

 he was probably lefs regarded in Italy than in any other 

 country in Chrillendom. There was likewife a party who 

 called theinfelves Guelphs ; but they affetied this diftiniftion 

 only to keep themfelves independent of the imperiaUils. 

 The mod defperate wars were carried on bv the different 

 cities again 11 each other: but it would be contrary to our 

 plan to attempt to give a detail of them ; and this is the lefs 

 neceffary, as nothing material was effetted by their valour. 

 35y degrees this martial fpirit fubfidcd ; and in the year 1 492, 

 tlie Italians were fo little capable of refilling an enemy, that 

 Charles VIII. of France conquered tlie whole kingdom of 

 Naples in fix weeks ; and he might eafily have fubdued the 

 ■vvliole country, if it had not been for his own imprudence. 

 Another attempt on Italy was made by Louis XII. ; a third 

 by Francis I. ; and during the reigns of Louis XIII. and 

 XIV., an obllinate war was carried on between the French 

 and the Spaniards, in which the Italian ilates bore a con- 

 lidcrable (hare. The war concluded in 1660, with very 

 little advantage to the French, who had never been very 

 fuccefsful in liicir Italian wars. A fimilar want of fuccefs 

 attended them in the war which commenced fourfcore years 

 afterwards : but the farther particulars relating to thefe 

 other contelts belong properly to the hiftory of the different 

 ilates into which that country was divided. 



At prcfent, tlie whole of Italy is fubjeft to the control 

 of the French emperor, who led his viftorious troops over 

 the Alps, and made himfelf mailer of the Auftrian do- 

 minions in Italy. The battle of Lodi decided the fate of 

 Lom.bardy. Verona, Tortona, Bologna, and Urbino, 

 quickly yielded to his arms. He even menaced imperial 

 Rome. The pope, incapable of refuling his power, begged 

 for peace, which was granted him on the humiliating con- 

 ditions, that his holmefs fliould furrender to the conquerors 

 a great many pifturts, and ftatues, and a multitude of cu- 

 rious MSS. from the Vatican. With thefe the general was 

 for the prcfent content : h.e retired from Rome, perhaps, 

 however, defirous of fome new caufes to enable bin-, to en- 

 rich his country with farther fpoil. A pretence was foon 

 given him. lie had fcarcely reached the boundaries of 

 France, when he learned that the terms of the treaty had 

 been wantonly broken by the fubjc-fts of his holincf?. In 

 the following year, 1797, he entered Italy again, and in one 

 battle, well contclled, decided tlie fate of the eccleiialtical 



ftate. The banners of France now waved triumphant over 

 the patrimony of the church. The pope was obliged to 

 fubmit to whatever terms the conqueror (hould diftate. 

 He agreed to the cefiion of Avignon, part of Venice, the 

 cities and territories of Bologna, Fcrrara, and Romagna : 

 and to prevent the future power of the Roman pontiffs, the 

 ncv.ly ceded territories, together with Reggio and Modcra, 

 were formed into one republic called the Cifalpine, and after- 

 wards the Itahan republic ; wliile the Milanefe, and other 

 dillnfts of Lombardy, were formed into another called the 

 Ligurian republic. Thus the power and importance once 

 annexed to the fee of Rome were annihilated, and the in- 

 fluence of France in Italy eftabliflied on the fureft founda- 

 tioa. In 1801 the Itahan republic was, at the dcfire of 

 Bonaparte, divided into twelve departments. We have fecn, 

 under the article Fn.\N"Ci-:, in what manner Bonaparte, as 

 well by a train of fortunate circumftances, as by his talents, 

 obtained the honours of a confuHhip, in imitation of the of- 

 fice held in ancient Rome ; and how he advanced from ilep to 

 llep, till he was proclaimed " emperor of the French," with 

 unlimited powers. This event occurred on the 2d cf De- 

 cember 180J, when he fwore in the prefence of the pope 

 (Pius VL), whom he had brought to Paris to be the wit- 

 nefs of his own humiliation, " to govern folely with a view 

 to the intereft, the happinefs, and glory of the French na- 

 tion." He boluly alierted, in the prefence of all the prin- 

 cipal perfonages then afTembled, that he afccnded the tlirone 

 by the unanimous wiflies of the fenate, the people, and the 

 army, whole happinefs or mifery had conllituted, and would 

 for ever conftitute the fources of his own pleafures and 

 pains. " My defcendants,'' faid he, " fliall long preferve 

 this throne. In the field, they will be the firft foldiers of 

 the army, facrificing their lives for the defence of their 

 country. As magillrates,' they will never forget that con- 

 tempt of the laivs, and the confufion of focial order, are 

 ofily the refult of the imbecility and uncertainty of princes." 

 The fplendour of this fiiow was introduftory to a fimilar dif- 

 play in Italy. He had before been regarded as the chief of 

 the Italian republic ; but the name of a republic probably 

 carried with it ideas abhorrent to his heart, and the very 

 word grated on his ears. In the month of April iScj, he 

 affumed at Milan the title of " king of Italy ;" in tliis city 

 he placed the iron crown on his own head, while fenators 

 from almoft all the ancient ilates were aiTembled as witnelTes 

 ot his elevation, and their own degradation. On tiiis occa- 

 fion he related all that he had done as a conqueror and a 

 great ftatefman ; faying, that the power of the French em- 

 pire had neverthelel's been furpaffed by the moderation 

 which prefided in its political tranfa£lions. " We had con- 

 quered," faid he, " Holland, three-fourths of Germany, 

 Switzerland, all Italy ; but of fo many provinces, we have 

 only kept what was necefiary to preferve us at the fame 

 point of confideration and power which France has always 

 poflefTed. The partition of Poland, the loiTes fultained by 

 Turkey, the conquefl of the Indies, and almoft all our co- 

 lonies, had dellroyed the balance of power to our difadvan- 

 tage." He next recounted ail his glorious deeds, and all 

 his generofity with regard to Germany, Holland, and Swit- 

 zerland ; and adds, " Th.e union of the Italian republic to 

 the French would have been an advantage to our agriculture ; 

 nevcrthclefs, after the fecond conqueft, we, at Lyons, con- 

 fii-med its independence. We novi- do more. We proclaim 

 the principle of the feparation of the crowns of France and 

 Italy, by fixing for that feparation the moment it can be 

 done, and without danger to our people of Italy. Vv^e have 

 accepted, and will place upon our head, the iron crown of 

 the ancient Lombards, in order to re-temper and confolidate 



5 i'; 



