FRA 
The firft endeavours of Anne were exerted to conci¬ 
liate the friendfhip, and difarm the refentment, of her 
competitors. The duke of Bourbon was gratified by 
the /word of conftable ; but the duke of Orleans, whole 
pretentions were more formidable, was at fit ft deeply im- 
prefied by his difappointment ; but he afterwards became 
inftmmental in negociating a fuccefsful treaty of marriage 
between the youthful king of France, and Anne duchef's 
of Brittany, which was folemnized at Langeais in Tou- 
raine, A.D. 1491,' by which Brittany became annexed to 
the crown of France. As the mental endowments of 
Charles began to expand with the increafe of his years, 
and meliorated and improved by the brilliant endowments 
of his amiable conlort, his fubjefts difeerned a difpofition 
fir different from that of his father. Inftead of the dark 
and crafty Louis, they beheld a king whofe fancy was 
lively, though his judgment was weak; who poffetfed a 
temper the moft ferene and gentle; and a heart which 
even power could not corrupt to the commiffion of a 
crime. Fond of pleafure, though ealily inflamed with 
the love of glory, he facrificed alternately to both ; and 
the pretenfions which, as heir to the lioufe of Anjou, he 
inherited on the kingdom of Naples, formed a plaufible 
and flattering objeft to a youthful and heroic mind. 
Ludovico Sforza, furnamed the Moor, governed Milan 
in the name of his nephew Galeazzo, the duke ; an au¬ 
thority which depended on the favour of another, but ill 
fuited with the ambitious mind of Sforza ; he formed 
the defign of depofing his unfufpecting kin (man, and rent¬ 
ing himfelf on the ducal throne. So daring a project lie 
was confcious mult excite againft him a combination of 
the Italian powers, who would arm .in thefupport of the 
injured prince. To fecure himfelf a protestor, and di¬ 
vert the attention of Italy from the chaftifement of his 
perfidy, he negociated, in 1493, with the king of France, 
and invited him to the conqueft of Naples; a kingdom, 
the claim to which had been bequeathed to Louis XI. 
by Charles of Anjou, count of Maine and Provence. 
Ferdinand I. who then filled the throne of Naples, was a 
natural foil of Alfonfo V. king of Arragon and Naples, 
furnamed the Wife and Magnanimous. He had already 
palfed his feventieth year, and on the firft report of the 
hoftile defigns of Charles, the aged monarch, in an em- 
haffy the moft ftibmiffive, offered to pay homage, and an 
annual tribute of fifty thoufand crowns. Tliefe condi¬ 
tions, fo advantageous to France, were rejected by the 
king, who was ambitious of the fame of a conqueror ; 
Ferdinand, doubtful of the fidelity of his fubjects, op- 
preifed by years, and fenlible of the calamities which 
impended over his country, was feized with an apoplexy, 
which terminated his life, and devolved his crown on his 
fon Alfonfo 11 . 
The remonftrances of his late guardian Anne, the fifier 
of Charles, againft the Italian expedition, were received 
with cold negleft. The army with which he propofed 
to crofs the Alps and Apennines, confided of twenty 
thoufand men ; gallant indeed and courageous, butunac- 
cuftomed to the fatigues of long and toilfome campaigns. 
After a number of delays, unavoidable at the commence¬ 
ment of fuch an enterprife, Charles began his march, 
A.D. 1494. While lie waited at Aft, in Piedmont, for 
liis artillery, which was obliged to be dragged over the 
mountains, lie was feized with the fmall-pox, from which 
he recovered after the moft imminent danger of his life ; 
but the fatisfadtion arifing from the return of Charles’s 
health was damped by the diftrefs of the army. Amidft 
the various preparations, money, the finews of war, had 
either been negledled, or was exiiaufted in gratifying the 
avarice of his allies : no funds were provided for future 
contingencies; and the king was reduced to borrow at 
Turin the jewels of the duchefs of Savoy, as he did at 
Cafal thole of the marchionefs of Montferrat, to fupply 
the neceftary expences of the enterprife. The naval 
forces of Charles, commanded by the duke of Otleans, 
triumphed over the fleet of Naples; and the king of 
N C E. 695 
France advanced to Vigeve, where he had an interview 
with Ludovico Sforza ; who, after a fupply of money, 
left him to take pofl'eflion of Milan, which lie feized on 
the death of Galeazzo his nephew, though that prince 
had left an infant fon, and heir to the dukedom. The 
moft fagacious nriniftersof Charles advifed him topunifh 
the unnatural urn le, and to occupy Milan himfelf, which 
belonged of right to the family of Orleans; but the king, 
like a young knight-errant, had a favourite objeftin view: 
regardlefs of the rigours of winter, he purfued through 
depths of fnow his rapid career towards Naples. 
The Italians, long undifturbed by the invufion of a fo¬ 
reign enemy, and accuftomed to adjuft the interefts of 
their different dates by the policy of negociation, in vain 
oppofed hi.> progrefs with their effeminate mercenaries, 
the only military force that remained in their country. 
The impemofity of the French was to them irrefiftible ; 
and the foie obftacles the king of France had to encoun¬ 
ter, were thofe prefented by nature. On his approach to 
the frontiers of Tnfcany, the Florentines, vvho afpired to 
freedom, expelled the family of Medici, and received the 
French king in military triumph into their city. Clad 
in complete armour, mounted on horfeback, his lance 
couchant, and his vizor lowered, he entered Florence as 
a conqueror. Pifa and Sienna hailed him as their deli¬ 
verer. His moft implacable adverfary pope Alexander VI. 
received the intelligence of his fuccefs with terror ; he 
haftily retired into the caftle of St. Angelo, and com¬ 
manded the gates of Rome to be thrown open to the vic¬ 
tor. Charles entered with the greateft ftate imaginable, 
and by torch-light, which added to the folemniiy of the 
feene ; but he refilled the importunities of thofe who ad¬ 
vifed him to depofe the turbulent Alexander, and fill the 
apoftolic chair with a more holy fucceffor. The king 
rejected their cottnfels, and concluded a treaty with the 
Roman pontiff, who folemnly granted him the invefiiture 
of Naples, crowned him emperor of Conftantinople, and 
delivered to him feveral ftrong places, with his fon Caefar 
Borgia as a pledge of the fincerity of his reconciliation. 
From Rome the French king preffed forward to Na¬ 
ples, where all was confufion and affright. Alfonfo IT. 
who fucceeded his father Ferdinand, had in former diffi¬ 
culties merited the character of an adtive and warlike 
prince ; he now for ever ftained that reputation, by the 
moft bafe and unmanly defertion of all the duties of a fo- 
vereign. While the French were yet at the diftance of 
fixty leagues, overcome by his fears he refigned his feep- 
tre to his fon Ferdinand II. and embarked on-board a 
veffel for Mefunn, where he ended his days in a convent. 
The new king was defeated in a flight engagement, and 
was obliged to fhelter himfelf in the ifle of Ifchia. Na¬ 
ples inftantly received the conqueror ; and of the whole 
kingdom only Brindifi, Reggio, and Gallipoli, continued 
to declare for Ferdinand. Dazzled with lb extraordinary 
a blaze of conqueft and glory, Charles began to meditate 
the attack of Conftantinople, and the fubverfion of the 
Ottoman empire; but while he inconfiderately wafted his 
time at Naples in feftivals and triumphs on account of It is 
fucceffes, a powerful combination was formed againft him 
of almoft all the Italian ftate , fupported by the emperor 
Maximilian, and Ferdinand king of Arragon. The Ita¬ 
lians, though unable fingly to refill bis arms, foon per¬ 
ceived that a confederacy might accompliftt what the fe- 
parate members of it durft not attempt. The example 
of the Roman pontiff, and republic of Venice were pre¬ 
valent; and even the pet fidious Sforza duke of Milan, 
incapable of gratitude, and bent on felf-intereft, acceded 
to the general league. 
Charles had fcarcely made his triumphal entry into 
Naples, before it was neceftary for him to retreat. His 
enemies affembled on every fide ; and rhe duke of Or¬ 
leans, who ought to have led a body of eight thoufand 
men to reinforce his fovereign, had imprudently engaged 
in an attempt againft Ludovico Sforza, and had furprized 
the city of Novara, where he was afterwards blocked tip. 
With 
