Palestina (in Venetian Pelestrina) is an island about six miles beyond Murrano, another islet situated about a mile from Venice, where Le Fornaci (the kilns, or glasshouses) are situated. ↩
Lewis of Burgundy, making an expedition into Italy, was conquered by the Emperor Berengarius I and made prisoner, but set at liberty on his taking an oath never more to invade Italy. The Burgundian, afterwards forgetting his oath, renewed hostilities, and being again taken prisoner by Berengarius II, was, as a punishment for his breach of faith, deprived of his sight; and in this condition he returned Ome. ↩
Hugh, count of Arles, called in by the Italians to their assistance against the Berengarii: he succeeded greatly at first, but, being afterwards overpowered, was constrained to ask for peace, and retired to Arles, leaving his son, Lothario behind him, who soon after died. ↩
Pope Clement IV invited Charles of Anjou, brother of St. Lewis, king of France, against Manfred, an enemy to the church, who had usurped the kingdom of Naples and Sicily. Charles arriving, overthrew Manfred at Benevento, slew him, took possession of Sicily. Conradine, to whom the kingdom belonged in right of succession, brought a force from Germany and engaged Charles, but was defeated, made prisoner, and beheaded. Charles reigned in Sicily, and the French began to exercise great tyranny over the Sicilians, and, among other enormities, committed violence on their women. Hence a plot was concerted all over the island, that as soon as the vesper bell rang, the inhabitants, ready armed, should sally forth from their houses, and fall upon their oppressors. This was put into execution, and eight thousand French were slain to revenge the dishonour offered to the Sicilians in the persons of their wives. ↩
The count of Armagnac came with twenty thousand French soldiers in aid of the Florentines and Bolognese, against Galeazzo, duke of Milan, who, having left a numerous garrison in Alexandria, with the rest of his forces attacked the enemy, at the same time that they were attacked by those from the city, and cut all the Franks to pieces; the count dying soon after of his wounds in prison. ↩
Joan, queen of Naples, took for her husband James, count of Marca, who was descended from the kings of France, on condition that he should he contented with the title of prince of Tarantò, duke of Calabria, and vicar of the kingdom, and that the administration of public affairs should remain with her. But he, attempting to seize the whole government, calling himself king, she, with the assistance of Francis Sforza, deprived him of all, Ludovico, Rinieri, and John of Anjou, asserting their pretensions to the crown, were severally defeated by Alphonso and Ferrando: these the poet calls the Angioini or Anjouites. ↩
Charles VIII, king of France, assisted by Ludovico Sforza, duke of Milan, a mortal enemy to Alphonso of Arragon, king of Naples, came, with all the French nobility and a vast army, into Italy. Alphonso, giving way to the better fortune of Charles, left the kingdom to his son Ferrando, and retired with his treasures to Sicily. Ferrando, unable to make head against the Franks, was soon divested of all his fortresses and places except the Isle of Ischia, gallantly defended by Inigo del Guasto. At length all the princes of Italy, alarmed at the rapid victories of Charles, entered into a league against him: and the Neapolitans, detesting the haughty government of the Franks, recalled Ferrando, who, assisted by the Venetians, recovered the kingdom. ↩
Ischia. ↩
Nereus was a Grecian commander, celebrated for the beauty of his person by Homer. Ladas was the name of a messenger of Alexander the Great, remarkable for his swiftness, mentioned by Catullus, Martial, and Solinus. ↩
After the departure of Charles VIII, King Ferrando was received into Naples, and only one castle held out for the Franks, when a Moorish slave devised a scheme to introduce the Arragonese into the church of the Santa Croce. This treacherous Moor, calling the marquis one night to a parley on the walls, shot him with an arrow in the throat. ↩
Lewis XII, king of France, successor to Charles VIII, and a constant enemy to Ludovico Sforza, had resolved to take from him the government; for which intent he made a league with Pope Alexander VI, with the Venetians, and with Ferrando, king of Spain. He thus drove Ludovico from his government, who fled to the emperor of Germany.
Under the symbol of a mulberry-tree the poet figures the above-mentioned Ludovico Sforza, who was called il Moro (a mulberry-tree) from the darkness of his complexion. ↩
The Swiss, being corrupted by the bribes of the French, betrayed Ludovico to them; who was carried into France, where he died, after five years’ imprisonment. ↩
Caesar Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI, who, by the favour of Lewis XII, king of France, took to wife Charlotte d’Alabrette of the blood royal, he having renounced the cardinal’s hat. ↩
The saw was the arms of the Bentivogli, and the acorns those of Pope Julius II. ↩
The Genoese having created Paulo de Nove doge, a man taken from the dregs of the people, and asserted at the same time that Genoa was not subject to any prince, Lewis marched against them with a powerful army, and the city surrendered
