# CHAPTER V

CHAPTER V

New occasions of war in Italy--Differences between the marquis of
Ferrara, and the Venetians--The king of Naples and the Florentines
attack the papal states--The pope's defensive arrangements--The
Neapolitan army routed by the papal forces--Progress of the Venetians
against the marquis of Ferrara--The pope makes peace, and enters into
a league against the Venetians--Operations of the League against the
Venetians--The Venetians routed at Bondeno--Their losses--Disunion among
the League--Lodovico Sforza makes peace with the Venetians--Ratified by
the other parties.

The invasion of the Turks had deferred the war which was about to break
forth from the anger of the pope and the Venetians at the peace between
the Florentines and the king. But as the beginning of that invasion was
unexpected and beneficial, its conclusion was equally unlooked for and
injurious; for Mahomet dying suddenly, dissensions arose among his sons,
and the forces which were in Puglia being abandoned by their commander,
surrendered Otranto to the king. The fears which restrained the pope and
the Venetians being thus removed, everyone became apprehensive of new
troubles. On the one hand, was the league of the pope and the Venetians,
and with them the Genoese, Siennese, and other minor powers; on the
other, the Florentines, the king, and the duke, with whom were the
Bolognese and many princes. The Venetians wished to become lords of
Ferrara, and thought they were justified by circumstances in making
the attempt, and hoping for a favorable result. Their differences arose
thus: the marquis of Ferrara affirmed he was under no obligation to
take salt from the Venetians, or to admit their governor; the terms of
convention between them declaring, that after seventy years, the city
was to be free from both impositions. The Venetians replied, that so
long as he held the Polesine, he was bound to receive their salt
and their governor. The marquis refusing his consent, the Venetians
considered themselves justified in taking arms, and that the present
moment offered a suitable opportunity; for the pope was indignant
against the Florentines and the king; and to attach the pope still
further, the Count Girolamo, who was then at Venice, was received with
all possible respect; first admitted to the privileges of a citizen,
and then raised to the rank of a senator, the highest distinctions the
Venetian senate can confer. To prepare for the war, they levied new
taxes, and appointed to the command of the forces, Roberto da San
Severino, who being offended with Lodovico, governor of Milan, fled to
Tortona, whence, after occasioning some disturbances, he went to Genoa,
and while there, was sent for by the Venetians, and placed at the head
of their troops.

These circumstances becoming known to the opposite league, induced it
also to provide for war. The duke of Milan appointed as his general,
Federigo d'Urbino; the Florentines engaged Costanzo, lord of Pesaro;
and to sound the disposition of the pope, and know whether the Venetians
made war against Ferrara with his consent or not, King Ferrando sent
Alfonso, duke of Calabria, with his army across the Tronto, and asked
the pontiff's permission to pass into Lombardy to assist the marquis,
which was refused in the most peremptory manner. The Florentines and
the king, no longer doubtful about the pope's intentions, determined to
harass him, and thus either compel him to take part with them, or
throw such obstacles in his way, as would prevent him from helping
the Venetians, who had already taken the field, attacked the marquis,
overran his territory, and encamped before Figaruolo, a fortress of the
greatest importance. In pursuance of the design of the Florentines and
the king, the duke of Calabria, by the assistance of the Colonna family
(the Orsini had joined the pope), plundered the country about Rome
and committed great devastation; while the Florentines, with Niccolo
Vitelli, besieged and took Citta di Castello, expelling Lorenzo Vitelli,
who held it for the pope, and placing Niccolo in it as prince.

The pope now found himself in very great straits; for the city of Rome
was disturbed by factions and the country covered with enemies. But
acting with courage and resolution, he appointed Roberto da Rimino to
take the command of his forces; and having sent for him to Rome, where
his troops were assembled, told him how great would be the honor, if
he could deliver the church from the king's forces, and the troubles in
which it was involved; how greatly indebted, not only himself, but all
his successors would be, and, that not mankind merely, but God himself
would be under obligations to him. The magnificent Roberto, having
considered the forces and preparations already made, advised the pope to
raise as numerous a body of infantry as possible, which was done without
delay. The duke of Calabria was at hand, and constantly harassed the
country up to the very gates of Rome, which so roused the indignation
of the citizens, that many offered their assistance to Roberto, and
all were thankfully received. The duke, hearing of these preparations,
withdrew a short distance from the city, that in the belief of finding
him gone, the magnificent Roberto would not pursue him, and also in
expectation of his brother Federigo, whom their father had sent to him
with additional forces. But Roberto, finding himself nearly equal to the
duke in cavalry, and superior in infantry, marched boldly out of Rome
and took a position within two miles of the enemy. The duke, seeing his
adversaries close upon him, found he must either fight or disgracefully
retire. To avoid a retreat unbecoming a king's son, he resolved to face
the enemy; and a battle ensued which continued from morning till midday.
In this engagement, greater valor was exhibited on both sides than
had been shown in any other during the last fifty years, upward of a
thousand dead being left upon the field. The troops of the church were
at length victorious, for her numerous infantry so annoyed the ducal
cavalry, that they were compelled to retreat, and Alfonso himself would
have fallen into the hands of the enemy, had he not been rescued by a
body of Turks, who remained at Otranto, and were at that time in his
service. The lord of Rimino, after this victory, returned triumphantly
to Rome, but did not long enjoy the fruit of his valor; for having,
during the heat of the engagement, taken a copious draught of water,
he was seized with a flux, of which he very shortly afterward died. The
pope caused his funeral to be conducted with great pomp, and in a few
days, sent the Count Girolamo toward Citta di Castello to restore it
to Lorenzo, and also endeavor to gain Rimino, which being by Roberto's
death left to the care of his widow and a son who was quite a boy, his
holiness thought might be easily won; and this certainly would have
been the case, if the lady had not been defended by the Florentines,
who opposed him so effectually, as to prevent his success against both
Castello and Rimino.

While these things were in progress at Rome and in Romagna, the
Venetians took possession of Figaruolo and crossed the Po with their
forces. The camp of the duke of Milan and the marquis was in disorder;
for the count of Urbino having fallen ill, was carried to Bologna for
his recovery, but died. Thus the marquis's affairs were unfortunately
situated, while those of the Venetians gave them increasing hopes of
occupying Ferrara. The Florentines and the king of Naples used their
utmost endeavors to gain the pope to their views; and not having
succeeded by force, they threatened him with the council, which had
already been summoned by the emperor to assemble at Basle; and by
means of the imperial ambassadors, and the co-operation of the leading
cardinals, who were desirous of peace, the pope was compelled to turn
his attention toward effecting the pacification of Italy. With this
view, at the instigation of his fears, and with the conviction that the
aggrandizement of the Venetians would be the ruin of the church and of
Italy, he endeavored to make peace with the League, and sent his nuncios
to Naples, where a treaty was concluded for five years, between the
pope, the king, the duke of Milan, and the Florentines, with an opening
for the Venetians to join them if they thought proper. When this was
accomplished, the pope intimated to the Venetians, that they must desist
from war against Ferrara. They refused to comply, and made preparations
to prosecute their design with greater vigor than they had hitherto
done; and having routed the forces of the duke and the marquis at
Argenta, they approached Ferrara so closely as to pitch their tents in
the marquis's park.

The League found they must no longer delay rendering him efficient
assistance, and ordered the duke of Calabria to march to Ferrara with
his forces and those of the pope, the Florentine troops also moving in
the same direction. In order to direct the operations of the war with
greater efficiency, the League assembled a diet at Cremona, which was
attended by the pope's legate, the Count Girolamo, the duke of Calabria,
the Signor Lodovico Sforza, and Lorenzo de' Medici, with many other
Italian princes; and when the measures to be adopted were fully
discussed, having decided that the best way of relieving Ferrara would
be to effect a division of the enemy's forces, the League desired
Lodovico to attack the Venetians on the side of Milan, but this he
declined, for fear of bringing a war upon the duke's territories, which
it would be difficult to quell. It was therefore resolved to proceed
with the united forces of the League to Ferrara, and having assembled
four thousand cavalry and eight thousand infantry, they went in pursuit
of the Venetians, whose force amounted to two thousand two hundred
men at arms, and six thousand foot. They first attacked the Venetian
flotilla, then lying upon the river Po, which they routed with the loss
of above two hundred vessels, and took prisoner Antonio Justiniano, the
purveyor of the fleet. The Venetians, finding all Italy united against
them, endeavored to support their reputation by engaging in their
service the duke of Lorraine, who joined them with two hundred men at
arms: and having suffered so great a destruction of their fleet, they
sent him, with part of their army, to keep their enemies at bay, and
Roberto da San Severino to cross the Adda with the remainder, and
proceed to Milan, where they were to raise the cry of "The duke and the
Lady Bona," his mother; hoping by this means to give a new aspect to
affairs there, believing that Lodovico and his government were generally
unpopular. This attack at first created great consternation, and roused
the citizens in arms; but eventually produced consequences unfavorable
to the designs of the Venetians; for Lodovico was now desirous to
undertake what he had refused to do at the entreaty of his allies.
Leaving the marquis of Ferrara to the defense of his own territories,
he, with four thousand horse and two thousand foot, and joined by the
duke of Calabria with twelve thousand horse and five thousand foot,
entered the territory of Bergamo, then Brescia, next that of Verona,
and, in defiance of the Venetians, plundered the whole country; for it
was with the greatest difficulty that Roberto and his forces could
save the cities themselves. In the meantime, the marquis of Ferrara had
recovered a great part of his territories; for the duke of Lorraine, by
whom he was attacked, having only at his command two thousand horse and
one thousand foot, could not withstand him. Hence, during the whole of
1483, the affairs of the League were prosperous.

The winter having passed quietly over, the armies again took the field.
To produce the greater impression upon the enemy, the League united
their whole force, and would easily have deprived the Venetians of all
they possessed in Lombardy, if the war had been conducted in the same
manner as during the preceding year; for by the departure of the duke
of Lorraine, whose term of service had expired, they were reduced to
six thousand horse and five thousand foot, while the allies had thirteen
thousand horse and five thousand foot at their disposal. But, as is
often the case where several of equal authority are joined in command,
their want of unity decided the victory to their enemies. Federigo,
marquis of Mantua, whose influence kept the duke of Calabria and
Lodovico Sforza within bounds, being dead, differences arose between
them which soon became jealousies. Giovan Galeazzo, duke of Milan, was
now of an age to take the government on himself, and had married the
daughter of the duke of Calabria, who wished his son-in-law to exercise
the government and not Lodovico; the latter, being aware of the duke's
design, studied to prevent him from effecting it. The position of
Lodovico being known to the Venetians, they thought they could make it
available for their own interests; and hoped, as they had often before
done, to recover in peace all they had lost by war; and having secretly
entered into treaty with Lodovico, the terms were concluded in August,
1484. When this became known to the rest of the allies, they were
greatly dissatisfied, principally because they found that the places won
from the Venetians were to be restored; that they were allowed to
keep Rovigo and the Polesine, which they had taken from the marquis of
Ferrara, and besides this retain all the pre-eminence and authority over
Ferrara itself which they had formerly possessed. Thus it was evident
to everyone, they had been engaged in a war which had cost vast sums of
money, during the progress of which they had acquired honor, and which
was concluded with disgrace; for the places wrested from the enemy were
restored without themselves recovering those they had lost. They
were, however, compelled to ratify the treaty, on account of the
unsatisfactory state of their finances, and because the faults and
ambition of others had rendered them unwilling to put their fortunes to
further proof.