# CHAPTER III

CHAPTER III

The Florentines prepare for war against the pope--They appeal to
a future council--Papal and Neapolitan movements against
the Florentines--The Venetians refuse to assist the
Florentines--Disturbances in Milan--Genoa revolts from the duke--Futile
endeavors to effect peace with the pope--The Florentines repulse their
enemies from the territory of Pisa--They attack the papal states--The
papal forces routed upon the borders of the Lake of Perugia.

The Florentines now prepared for war, by raising money and collecting
as large a force as possible. Being in league with the duke of Milan
and the Venetians, they applied to both for assistance. As the pope had
proved himself a wolf rather than a shepherd, to avoid being devoured
under false accusations, they justified their cause with all available
arguments, and filled Italy with accounts of the treachery practiced
against their government, exposing the impiety and injustice of the
pontiff, and assured the world that the pontificate which he had
wickedly attained, he would as impiously fill; for he had sent those
whom he had advanced to the highest order of prelacy, in the company
of traitors and parricides, to commit the most horrid treachery in the
church in the midst of divine service and during the celebration of the
holy sacrament, and that then, having failed to murder the citizens,
change the government, and plunder the city, according to his intention,
he had suspended the performance of all religious offices, and
injuriously menaced and injured the republic with pontifical
maledictions. But if God was just, and violence was offensive to him, he
would be displeased with that of his viceregent, and allow his injured
people who were not admitted to communion with the latter, to offer
up their prayers to himself. The Florentines, therefore, instead of
receiving or obeying the interdict, compelled the priests to perform
divine service, assembled a council in Florence of all the Tuscan
prelates under their jurisdiction, and appealed against the injuries
suffered from the pontiff to a future general council.

The pope did not neglect to assign reasons in his own justification, and
maintained it was the duty of a pontiff to suppress tyranny, depress
the wicked, and exalt the good; and that this ought to be done by
every available means; but that secular princes had no right to detain
cardinals, hang bishops, murder, mangle, and drag about the bodies of
priests, destroying without distinction the innocent with the guilty.

Notwithstanding these complaints and accusations, the Florentines
restored to the pope the cardinal whom they had detained, in return for
which he immediately assailed them with his own forces and those of
the king. The two armies, under the command of Alfonso, eldest son of
Ferrando, and duke of Calabria, who had as his general, Federigo, count
of Urbino, entered the Chianti, by permission of the Siennese, who sided
with the enemy, occupied Radda with many other fortresses, and having
plundered the country, besieged the Castellina. The Florentines were
greatly alarmed at these attacks, being almost destitute of forces, and
finding their friends slow to assist; for though the duke sent them aid,
the Venetians denied all obligation to support the Florentines in their
private quarrels, since the animosities of individuals were not to be
defended at the public expense. The Florentines, in order to induce the
Venetians to take a more correct view of the case, sent Tommaso Soderini
as their ambassador to the senate, and, in the meantime, engaged forces,
and appointed Ercole, marquis of Ferrara, to the command of their army.
While these preparations were being made, the Castellina was so hard
pressed by the enemy, that the inhabitants, despairing of relief,
surrendered, after having sustained a siege of forty-two days. The
enemy then directed their course toward Arezzo, and encamped before San
Savino. The Florentine army being now in order, went to meet them,
and having approached within three miles, caused such annoyance, that
Federigo d'Urbino demanded a truce for a few days, which was granted,
but proved so disadvantageous to the Florentines, that those who had
made the request were astonished at having obtained it; for, had it been
refused, they would have been compelled to retire in disgrace. Having
gained these few days to recruit themselves, as soon as they were
expired, they took the castle in the presence of their enemies. Winter
being now come, the forces of the pope and king retired for convenient
quarters to the Siennese territory. The Florentines also withdrew to
a more commodious situation, and the marquis of Ferrara, having done
little for himself and less for others, returned to his own territories.

At this time, Genoa withdrew from the dominion of Milan, under the
following circumstances. Galeazzo, at his death, left a son, Giovan
Galeazzo, who being too young to undertake the government, dissensions
arose between Sforza, Lodovico, Ottaviano, and Ascanio, his uncles, and
the lady Bona, his mother, each of whom desired the guardianship of the
young duke. By the advice and mediation of Tommaso Soderini, who
was then Florentine ambassador at the court of Milan, and of Cecco
Simonetta, who had been secretary to Galeazzo, the lady Bona prevailed.
The uncles fled, Ottaviano was drowned in crossing the Adda; the rest
were banished to various places, together with Roberto da San Severino,
who in these disputes had deserted the duchess and joined the uncles
of the duke. The troubles in Tuscany, which immediately followed,
gave these princes hope that the new state of things would present
opportunities for their advantage; they therefore quitted the places to
which their exile limited them, and each endeavored to return home. King
Ferrando, finding the Florentines had obtained assistance from none but
the Milanese, took occasion to give the duchess so much occupation
in her own government, as to render her unable to contribute to their
assistance. By means of Prospero Adorno, the Signor Roberto, and the
rebellious uncles of the duke, he caused Genoa to throw off the Milanese
yoke. The Castelletto was the only place left; confiding in which, the
duchess sent a strong force to recover the city, but it was routed by
the enemy; and perceiving the danger which might arise to her son and
herself if the war were continued, Tuscany being in confusion, and the
Florentines, in whom alone she had hope, themselves in trouble, she
determined, as she could not retain Genoa in subjection, to secure it
as an ally; and agreed with Battistino Fregoso, the enemy of Prospero
Adorno, to give him the Castelletto, and make him prince of Genoa, on
condition that he should expel Prospero, and do nothing in favor of her
son's uncles. Upon this agreement, Battistino, by the assistance of the
Castelletto and of his friends, became lord of Genoa; and according to
the custom of the city, took the title of Doge. The Sforzeschi and the
Signor Roberto, being thus expelled by the Genoese, came with their
forces into Lunigiana, and the pope and the king, perceiving the
troubles of Lombardy to be composed, took occasion with them to annoy
Tuscany in the Pisan territory, that the Florentines might be weakened
by dividing their forces. At the close of winter they ordered Roberto
da San Severino to leave Lunigiana and march thither, which he did, and
with great tumult plundered many fortresses, and overran the country
around Pisa.

At this time, ambassadors came to Florence from the emperor, the king of
France, and the king of Hungary, who were sent by their princes to the
pontiff. They solicited the Florentines also to send ambassadors to the
pope, and promised to use their utmost exertion to obtain for them an
advantageous peace. The Florentines did not refuse to make trial, both
for the sake of publicly justifying their proceedings, and because they
were really desirous of peace. Accordingly, the ambassadors were sent,
but returned without coming to any conclusion of their differences. The
Florentines, to avail themselves of the influence of the king of France,
since they were attacked by one part of the Italians and abandoned
by the other, sent to him as their ambassador, Donato Acciajuoli, a
distinguished Latin and Greek scholar, whose ancestors had always ranked
high in the city, but while on his journey he died at Milan. To relieve
his surviving family and pay a deserved tribute to his memory, he was
honorably buried at the public expense, provision was made for his sons,
and suitable marriage portions given to his daughters, and Guid' Antonio
Vespucci, a man well acquainted with pontifical and imperial affairs,
was sent as ambassador to the king in his stead.

The attack of Signor Roberto upon the Pisan territory, being unexpected,
greatly perplexed the Florentines; for having to resist the foe in the
direction of Sienna, they knew not how to provide for the places about
Pisa. To keep the Lucchese faithful, and prevent them from furnishing
the enemy either with money or provisions, they sent as ambassador Piero
di Gino Capponi, who was received with so much jealousy, on account of
the hatred which that city always cherishes against the Florentines
from former injuries and constant fear, that he was on many occasions in
danger of being put to death by the mob; and thus his mission gave fresh
cause of animosity rather than of union. The Florentines recalled the
marquis of Ferrara, and engaged the marquis of Mantua; they also as
earnestly requested the Venetians to send them Count Carlo, son of
Braccio, and Deifobo, son of Count Jacopo, and after many delays, they
complied; for having made a truce with the Turks, they had no excuse
to justify a refusal, and could not break through the obligation of the
League without the utmost disgrace. The counts, Carlo and Deifobo, came
with a good force, and being joined by all that could be spared from
the army, which, under the marquis of Ferrara, held in check the duke
of Calabria, proceeded toward Pisa, to meet Signor Roberto, who was with
his troops near the river Serchio, and who, though he had expressed his
intention of awaiting their arrival, withdrew to the camp at Lunigiana,
which he had quitted upon coming into the Pisan territory, while Count
Carlo recovered all the places that had been taken by the enemy in that
district.

The Florentines, being thus relieved from the attack in the direction of
Pisa, assembled the whole force between Colle and Santo Geminiano. But
the army, on the arrival of Count Carlo, being composed of Sforzeschi
and Bracceschi, their hereditary feuds soon broke forth, and it was
thought that if they remained long in company, they would turn their
arms against each other. It was therefore determined, as the smaller
evil, to divide them; to send one party, under Count Carlo, into the
district of Perugia, and establish the other at Poggibonzi, where
they formed a strong encampment in order to prevent the enemy from
penetrating the Florentine territory. By this they also hoped to compel
the enemy to divide their forces; for Count Carlo was understood to have
many partisans in Perugia, and it was therefore expected, either that
he would occupy the place, or that the pope would be compelled to send
a large body of men for its defense. To reduce the pontiff to greater
necessity, they ordered Niccolo Vitelli, who had been expelled from
Citta di Castello, where his enemy Lorenzo Vitelli commanded, to lead a
force against that place, with the view of driving out his adversary
and withdrawing it from obedience to the pope. At the beginning of the
campaign, fortune seemed to favor the Florentines; for Count Carlo made
rapid advances in the Perugino, and Niccolo Vitelli, though unable to
enter Castello, was superior in the field, and plundered the surrounding
country without opposition. The forces also, at Poggibonzi, constantly
overran the country up to the walls of Sienna. These hopes, however,
were not realized; for in the first place, Count Carlo died, while in
the fullest tide of success; though the consequences of this would have
been less detrimental to the Florentines, had not the victory to which
it gave occasion, been nullified by the misconduct of others. The death
of the count being known, the forces of the church, which had already
assembled in Perugia, conceived hopes of overcoming the Florentines, and
encamped upon the lake, within three miles of the enemy. On the other
side, Jacopo Guicciardini, commissary to the army, by the advice
of Roberto da Rimino, who, after the death of Count Carlo, was the
principal commander, knowing the ground of their sanguine expectations,
determined to meet them, and coming to an engagement near the lake,
upon the site of the memorable rout of the Romans, by Hannibal, the
Carthaginian general, the papal forces were vanquished. The news of the
victory, which did great honor to the commanders, diffused universal
joy at Florence, and would have ensured a favorable termination of the
campaign, had not the disorders which arose in the army at Poggibonzi
thrown all into confusion; for the advantage obtained by the valor of
the one, was more than counterbalanced by the disgraceful proceedings
of the other. Having made considerable booty in the Siennese territory,
quarrels arose about the division of it between the marquis of Mantua
and the marquis of Ferrara, who, coming to arms, assailed each other
with the utmost fury; and the Florentines seeing they could no longer
avail themselves of the services of both, allowed the marquis of Ferrara
and his men to return home.