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THE ROMANCE OF A 
 MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
Other Works by the Same Author 
 
 CHARLES DE BOURBON, HIGH CONSTABLE 
 OF FRANCE. 
 
 COURTS AND CAMPS OF THE ITALIAN 
 
 RENAISSANCE. 
 
 LIFE OF LOUIS XL OF FRANCE. 
 
 LIFE OF THE ILLUSTRIOUS MARGUERITE 
 OF AUSTRIA. 
 
 A QUEEN OF QUEENS AND THE MAKING 
 OF SPAIN. 
 
 DANTE THE WAYFARER. 
 
 THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LADIES OF THE 
 ITALIAN RENAISSANCE. 
 
 FELICITA, A ROMANCE OF OLD SIENA. 
 ETC., ETC. 
 

 
 /s„ 
 
 w//i//e 
 
 
THE ROMANCE OF 
 A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 BEING THE TRUE STORY OF GIOVANNI 
 DELLE BANDE NERE, TO WHICH 
 IS ADDED THE LIFE OF HIS SON, 
 COSIMO I., GRAND DUKE OF TUSCANY 
 
 *A STUDY IN HEREDITY 
 
 BY 
 
 CHRISTOPHER HARE 
 
 With Photogravure Frontispiece and 
 Sixteen other Illustrations 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 
 
 153-157 FIFTH AVENUE 
 1910 
 
JIG 5+1 
 
 • AM* 
 
 PRINTED BY 
 
 HAZELL, WATSON AND VINET, LD. 
 
 LONDON AND AYLESBURY, 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 Br exchange 
 Army & Navy Olub 
 
 JUN 2 2 1840 
 
GIOVANNI, THE MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 " La guerre est ma patrie. 
 
 Mon harnois est ma maison, 
 Et en toute saison 
 Combattre c'est ma vie." 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PART I 
 
 PROLOGUE 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Concerning Caterina Sforza, the Madonna of Forli ... 15 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 The coming of Caterina Sforza to Florence, July 1501, after 
 her captivity in Rome — Caterina meets her son, the child 
 Giovanni . 26 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 Caterina Sforza in Florence — Her strife with Lorenzo dei Medici 
 for the possession of her boy Giovanni — He is hidden in a 
 convent — Death of Lorenzo — Peaceful days for Caterina 
 before her end 38 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 The home of Giovanni in the mountain castle of Trebbio — His 
 passion for hunting — A turbulent youth in Florence and 
 Rome — The return of the Medici to power in Florence — 
 Cardinal dei Medici becomes Pope as Leo X. . .49 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 The death of Giuliano dei Medici — Leo X. summons Giovanni to 
 Rome — His first taste of real war — Marriage of Giovanni 
 dei Medici with Maria Maddalena Romola Salviati — Giovanni 
 wins fame in the war against Urbino 64 
 
 7 
 
8 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 PAQB 
 
 Evil news for Maria — In defence of one of his men, Giovanni 
 has defied the Lord Camillo d'Appiano and slain two of 
 his servants — Giovanni escapes to Castello and thence to 
 Ferrara — Sentence of banishment from Florence for five 
 years is passed upon him 79 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 Leo X. finds warlike employment for Giovanni — Birth of his son 
 Cosimo — Great satisfaction of the Medici Pope — Giovanni 
 in high favour at Rome — Letters of Maria to him — She makes 
 sad complaint— His splendid training of his famous bands . 92 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 Family life in the mountain Castle of Trebbio — Giovanni most 
 successful in guerilla warfare — He distinguishes himself 
 greatly in the war of Urbino — His exploits — Death of Pope 
 Leo X. — Giovanni takes service with the French king . .107 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 Letter from Maria — Time of peace, in which Giovanni looks 
 after his estates — Pope Adrian VI. — Giovanni at Aulla in 
 the Lunigiano — An unwelcome neighbour — The Medici Pope 
 Clement "VTI. elected — Maria seeks his favour for her hus- 
 band and son — Giovanni returns to the imperial and Papal 
 side in the following war 122 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 Maria Salviati at Rome — She and Cosimo in high favour with 
 Clement VII. — Giovanni greatly distinguishes himself 
 against the French, who retreat over the Alps — Peace is 
 fatal to the Black Bands and to their condottieri— Pietro 
 Aretino joins Giovanni — Francois I. invades Italy . .137 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 With the Pope's consent, Giovanni passes over to the French 
 — Siege of Pavia — The reckless and marvellous valour of 
 Giovanni in his skirmishes — Giovanni is wounded — He is 
 sent to Piacenza to be cared for — Letter of Cardinal Salviati 
 to Maria — Francois I. defeated and taken prisoner at Pavia 153 
 
CONTENTS 9 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Trouble with the Malespini — Giovanni takes to the life of a 
 corsair at Fano, on the Adriatic — When war begins, he 
 enters the service of France and the Pope — His marvellous 
 exploits at the siege of Milan 170 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 Coming of Frundsberg and the landsknechte — Giovanni checks 
 their crossing the Po — He is wounded — Carried to Mantua 
 through the snow — Tragic story of his fortitude — Death 
 of Giovanni dei Medici (delle Bande Nere) — His monuments 
 and his fame 183 
 
 PART II 
 
 A few words of introduction to Cosimo his son .... 203 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 Concerning Maria Salviati, the widow of Giovanni delle Bande 
 Nere, and Cosimo his son — After Giovanni's death — Cosimo 
 sent to Venice for safety, with his tutor Riccio — The child's 
 education — Maria shows her gratitude to her husband's 
 friends — Revolution in Florence against the Medici . . 206 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 Anecdote of Cosimo's childhood — His mother, Maria Salviati, 
 joins him at Venice — Sack of Rome, 1527 — A catastrophe 
 for all the Medici — Plague at Florence — Maria and Cosimo 
 at the Trebbio — Their narrow escape and flight — Charles V. 
 crowned Emperor at Bologna, 1530 217 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 Alessandro dei Medici becomes Duke of Florence — Cosimo and 
 his mother return home — Maria Salviati accompanies 
 Caterina dei Medici to France for her marriage — Murder 
 of Duke Alessandro by his cousin Lorenzino, 1537 — 
 Cosimo's diplomacy — He is elected to succeed Duke Ales- 
 sandro as Lord of Florence 229 
 
10 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 tkQM 
 
 Cosimo defeats the exiles from Florence (the Party of Freedom, 
 with Filippo Strozzi at their head) at the battle of Monte- 
 murlo, in July 1537 — The patriots are brought prisoners 
 to Florence and put to death — Cosimo marries Eleonora de 
 Toledo— Sad fate of Filippo Strozzi 248 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 i 
 
 The Turkish corsairs attack the coast of the Mediterranean — 
 Cosimo meets the Emperor at Genoa — Takes part in defence 
 of the shores of Tuscany — Dispute for precedence between 
 the Dukes of Florence and Ferrara — Cosimo at last obtains 
 command of his citadels from the Emperor — Birth of Fran- 
 cesco, the Duke's eldest son — Quarrels with Pope Paul IV. 
 — Death of Maria Salviati — Her son's ingratitude . . 264 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 The story of Siena at this period — The people rise in arms against 
 the Governor appointed by the Emperor, 1543 — They are 
 free for five years — Mendoza sent to rule the city — His cruel 
 treatment — Builds a citadel — Another rebellion, in which 
 the French take part — Siena besieged by the Emperor and 
 Florence — Heroic defence, for fifteen months, in which the 
 ladies take part — City yielded to Cosimo in 1559 — He 
 becomes Duke of the whole of Tuscany . . . .281 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 Dispute between the Emperor and Pope Paul IV. — Great floods 
 in Florence — Cosimo sends his eldest son, Francesco, to 
 do homage to the Emperor at Genoa — Abdication of Charles 
 V. — His son Philip II. is Kingof Spain ; his brother Ferdinand 
 becomes Emperor — Death of Cosimo's eldest daughter 
 Maria — His third daughter Lucrezia marries Alfonso, heir 
 of Ferrara— Election of Pope Pius IV., 1569 — Cosimo founds 
 the Order of Knights of San Btefano to defend the coast of 
 Tuscany against the Turks 291 
 
CONTENTS 11 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Duke Cosimo builds bridges, fortresses, etc. — The Palazzo Veccbio 
 had been embellished for him ; then he rebuilds the Pitti 
 Palace for his abode — Patronage of art — Benvenuto 
 Cellini and others — Domestic troubles — Tragic death of his 
 two sons, Cardinal Giovanni and Garzia — The Duchess 
 Eleonora dies of grief — Strange rumours — His daughter 
 Isabella marries a Roman noble, the Duke of Bracciano . 305 
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 Marriage of Francesco, the Duke's eldest son, to the Arch- 
 duchess Joanna, daughter of the Emperor Ferdinand — 
 Story of Bianca Capello — Cosimo takes his son into a share 
 of the government — Election of Pope Pius V. ; fierce 
 inquisitor — Pietro Carnesecchi, a Florentine, impeached 
 for heresy, betrayed by his friend Duke Cosimo, who is 
 rewarded by the Pope with the title of Grand-Duke of 
 Tuscany — Death of Cosimo I., 1574 — His character . .317 
 
 Epilogue—" A Study of Heredity " 330 
 
 Genealogies. Table I. The earlier Medici, showing Giovanni's 
 connection with Lorenzo, the Magnificent, with the Popes 
 Leo X. and Clement VII., Maria Salviati, Duke Alessandro, 
 Lorenzino, etc 333 
 
 Table II. Cosimo L, his family and connection .... 334 
 
 Index 335 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 Giovanni delle Bande Nebe. Titian : Uffizi, Florence 
 
 Frontispiece 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Caterina Sforza. Vasari : Palazzo Vecchio, Flor- 
 ence 33 
 
 Pope Leo X. and Cardinals. Raphael : Pitti Gallery, 
 
 Florence 51 
 
 Catherine dei Medici. School of Vasari: Palazzo 
 
 Vecchio, Florence 69 
 
 Cardinal Ippolito dei Medici. Titian: Florence . 87 
 
 Charles V., Emperor. Titian: Prado, Madrid . . 105 
 
 Maria Salviati, Wife of Giovanni delle Bande Nere. 
 
 Vasari: Palazzo Vecchio, Florence . . . 123 
 
 Pope Clement VII. and Fran 901s I. of France. Vasari : 
 
 Palazzo Vecchio, Florence 141 
 
 Bust of Giovanni delle Bande Nere. San Gallo: 
 
 Bargello, Florence 159 
 
 Fllippo Strozzi. Titian: Vienna 177 
 
 Cosmo I. dei Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Bron- 
 
 zino : Florence 195 
 
 Eleonora de Toledo, Wife of Cosimo. Bronzino : 
 
 Wallace Collection 213 
 
 13 
 
14 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Garzia dei Medici, Son of Cosimo I. Allori : Prado, 
 
 Madrid 231 
 
 Maria dei Medici, Daughter of Cosimo I. Bronzino : 
 
 Florence 249 
 
 The Perseus. Cellini: Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence . 267 
 
 Pope Paul III. Titian: Turin 285 
 
 Bianca Capello, Wife of Grand Duke Francesco, Son 
 
 of Cosimo I. Bronzlno : Florence .... 303 
 
THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI 
 WARRIOR 
 
 PART I 
 PROLOGUE 
 
 Concerning Caterina Sforza, the Madonna of Forli 
 
 Of the warrior women whom Italy delights to honour, 
 one stands forth supreme above all others : Caterina 
 Sforza, known to fame as the great Madonna of 
 Forli. She was the illegitimate daughter of Galeazzo 
 Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan ; was born in 1462, and 
 brought up with tender affection by his mother, 
 Bianca Visconti, until she was eight years old, when, 
 on the marriage of Galeazzo with Bona of Savoy, 
 she, like a dutiful wife of those days, received the 
 child of his mistress Lucrezia into her home as one 
 of her own family. 
 
 During five years Caterina lived in luxury, and 
 received the elaborate education of the eldest princess 
 of her house, until the first tragedy of her eventful 
 life took place : the murder of her father at the 
 porch of San Stefano, as he was about to hear High 
 Mass on Christmas day, while the anthem rang out : 
 " Sic transit gloria mundi." 
 
 Before his death, Galeazzo had arranged a marriage 
 for his favourite daughter with Girolamo Riario, 
 the nephew of Pope Sixtus IV. Caterina was barely 
 
 15 
 
16 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 fifteen when, after a magnificent wedding, she rode 
 in state across Italy to her new home, the splendid 
 palace of the Corsini on the banks of the Tiber, at 
 Rome. She was a beautiful girl, full of spirit and 
 energy, and she soon became so high in favour with 
 the Pope that she was looked upon as the very 
 fountain of honour, and petitions for place and power 
 had to pass through her hands. During her life 
 in the Papal city, four children were born to the 
 Countess Riario, the eldest a daughter named Bianca, 
 while the others were boys, Ottaviano the heir being 
 born in 1479. 
 
 Two years later, in 1481, the city and domain of 
 Forli in Romagna, between the Adriatic and the 
 Apennines, was bestowed upon Girolamo by the 
 Pope, who loaded him with honours and wealth. 
 When the Count and Countess set forth to their 
 new possession, we are told that for a whole week 
 long trains of laden mules might have been seen 
 passing out of Rome, guarded by men-at-arms, 
 bearing immense treasure of costly stuffs, tapestries, 
 jewels, gold and silver plate, and untold riches, over 
 the rough mountain bridle-paths and on by the 
 Via Emilia to Forli. 
 
 In this brief sketeh we cannot follow the wars in 
 which Riario as Generalissimo of the Pope took part, 
 and the crafty diplomacy by which he obtained 
 Ravenna, Cervia, Imola, and all the country round. 
 When Pope Sixtus died, Caterina was on a visit to 
 Rome, and in the tumult and disorder which followed, 
 she showed her fearless temper and masterly craft 
 by at once taking possession of the Castello St. 
 Angelo and, from that stronghold, making terms for 
 her husband with the jealous cardinals. She thus 
 
CATEKINA SFORZA 17 
 
 obtained for him a large sum of money and a safe- 
 conduct for himself and his family to Forli. Girolamo 
 now devoted himself to beautifying the old cathedral 
 and to strengthening the fortress of Ravaldino, the 
 strong castello which commanded the whole of 
 the city. For this purpose he had to raise heavy 
 taxes, which caused growing discontent amongst the 
 people, and when he lightened their burden, he could 
 no longer satisfy his greedy courtiers nor pay his 
 mercenary soldiers. 
 
 In the spring of 1487, Girolamo was dangerously 
 ill at Imola, about sixteen miles to the north-east 
 of Forli, and his wife was nursing him when there 
 came news, one night, that the seneschal of the 
 palace at Forli had murdered the castellan and 
 seized Fort Ravaldino. Caterina instantly ordered 
 her horse, by desperate riding reached Forli at mid- 
 night with a small escort straggling after her, and 
 demanded from the seneschal an account of his 
 conduct. Codronchi, in dismay, parleyed awhile, 
 but admitted her into the fortress with one attendant 
 at daybreak. There is no record of what took 
 place within those grim walls, but the undaunted 
 princess came forth in safety, appointed a trusty 
 friend, Tommaso Feo, as castellan of the citadel, 
 and rode back to Imola with the rebel seneschal. 
 " And the next morning, two hours after sunrise, 
 the Lady Caterina gave birth to a son/' says the 
 chronicler. 
 
 This amazing adventure gives us some idea of 
 the gallant spirit and courage of the Countess of 
 Forli. These were shown with still more striking 
 force, in the terrible tragedy which took place a few 
 months later, 
 
 2 
 
18 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 One April day of the year 1488, Caterina was resting 
 in the secluded quiet of her private chamber in the 
 palace of Forli, when of a sudden there rose a muffled 
 clamour in the distance, and the sound grew until she 
 could distinguish the sound of many voices and 
 tramping feet. Then came a violent knocking at her 
 door, which was flung open and a young knight in 
 hunting costume broke in abruptly. He stood there 
 a moment gasping for breath and staring at her with 
 wild eyes, and she recognised him as a special favourite 
 of her husband. 
 
 " Speak your message, man ; I am ready ! " cried 
 the Countess, whose instinct warned her of some 
 fearful disaster. 
 
 Andreas Ricci threw himself at her feet. 
 
 " Madonna, I beseech you, flee at once ! " he gasped. 
 " The Count Girolamo is basely murdered . . . cast 
 headlong from an upper chamber into the piazza as I 
 rode by . . . The people rise in tumult . . . Beware 
 the Or si ; they are at my heels. . . /' 
 
 " No ; flight is impossible ! There are my helpless 
 children. But listen, Andreas. The citadel is ours 
 and the castellan is faithful ! 3i she added, with 
 a ring of battle in her voice. " Go thither this 
 instant and bid Tommaso Feo hold out to the last 
 extremity, and never yield the Fort of Ravaldino, 
 though I myself implore him on my knees to do so ! 
 Command that he straightway send couriers to Benti- 
 voglio, Lord of Bologna, and to my Uncle Lodovico at 
 Milan/' 
 
 " Madonna, let me save you first ! 3i pleaded 
 Andreas. " I will bar the door and sell my life 
 dearly to keep back the traitors while you escape/ ' 
 
 " This is madness ! " she cried. " Our only hope 
 
CONSPIRACY IN FORLI 19 
 
 is in Feo ; his guns command the city, and while 
 he holds out, none will dare to touch us. Go, I 
 command," and she stamped her foot, pointing to 
 the door with an imperious gesture. 
 
 The young man had no choice but to obey, and 
 Caterina hastened in search of her children. Her 
 face was white and drawn, but there was a dauntless 
 flash in her eye. This was the hour for action ; 
 there would be a lifetime for tears hereafter. Already 
 the alarm had spread and she met fugitives of the 
 household, who slunk away shamefaced at the sight 
 of their mistress ; but she wasted no reproaches on 
 the cowardly crew, and had barely joined her children 
 before armed men dashed in upon them. The Lady 
 of Forli faced them with cool courage, erect and 
 stately, a splendid figure of avenging fate. This was 
 the moment which Lorenzo Orsi, the chief conspirator, 
 had dreaded, for his followers shrank before that 
 imperious glance which ere now had quelled the rage 
 of a rebellious mob. Caterina was quick to seize 
 her opportunity, and with strong, fearless words she 
 accused the conspirators of their crime and called 
 down the vengeance of Heaven upon them. 
 
 " Did you think to find a weak, defenceless woman 
 and children upon whom you might complete your 
 murderous hate ? Beware ! for if you but touch 
 one of us, my castellan will bombard your city until 
 not one stone remains upon another." 
 
 It was a tragic moment, the crisis of her fate, upon 
 which hung the future of her house, but she passed 
 through it in triumph. " Who is your leader ? " 
 she asked, and her voice rang through the room with 
 an accent of sharp, stinging disdain. She turned 
 upon Lorenzo Orsi. " Take us to a place of security, 
 
20 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 and bear it well in mind that you will answer for us 
 with your own life." 
 
 Sounds of a tramping multitude had ere now 
 reached her ears ; she knew that the work of pillage 
 and destruction had already begun in the palace, 
 and that her appeal was not a moment too soon. 
 The scowling Lorenzo consulted his brother Cecco, 
 and for very shame they consented. They knew 
 that by so doing they would have the whole Riario 
 family in their power, and with one blow could 
 destroy them on the morrow ; so they were taken in 
 stealthy haste through the riotous streets to the 
 Orsi Palace and securely locked up in the dungeon. 
 
 Meanwhile the conspirators found the castellan 
 resolute in his refusal to give up the keys of the 
 citadel, that massive building, with its central keep 
 and four round towers, which stood at the apex of the 
 fan-shaped city, and commanded the whole of it. 
 Lorenzo and Cecco Orsi began to be alarmed at their 
 position, and, in a fit of panic, they rode off that 
 night to Cesena, about twelve miles to the south, 
 and there and then they offered the city and territory 
 of Forli to the Holy See, in the person of Cardinal 
 Savelli. 
 
 The good man was much perturbed in mind, but 
 he dared not refuse so rich a gift and " thus cause 
 loss to the Pope." An escort was hurriedly collected, 
 the bishop's nag was saddled, and he reluctantly 
 left his comfortable home to amble back to Forli 
 in the dark hours of the night with the Orsi brothers, 
 nothing doubting that he was thus doing good ser- 
 vice to his spiritual lord. 
 
 The next day he hastened to call upon the deposed 
 Countess, and was startled by her strong language. 
 
GALLANT DEFENCE OF THE CITADEL 21 
 
 He found that she had not the slightest intention of 
 handing over her possessions to the Pope. 
 
 " My noble husband having been treacherously 
 murdered, our son Ottaviano is now Count of Forli, 
 and as he is of tender years — scarcely nine — I am 
 regent, and bear rule in his name. You have taken 
 a perilous step, Monsignore, for if I know the Holy 
 Father aright, he is a man of peace and friendly to 
 our house : not one to have dealings with mur- 
 derers." 
 
 This was a home thrust, for the night had brought 
 counsel, and the Cardinal was not without mis- 
 givings of his own. But he had now gone too far 
 to draw back, and when, later on, Pope Innocent's 
 bull of acceptance being unduly delayed, the good 
 man took upon himself to forge one — the end was 
 very different from what he had expected. 
 
 Meantime he did his best for the prisoners, and 
 suggested that they should be taken from the power 
 of the Orsi, their enemies, and placed for their better 
 security in the gate-house above San Pietro, under 
 the care of certain trustworthy citizens he himself 
 would select. To this Caterina readily agreed, and 
 that night the whole party was removed by torch- 
 light to the gate-house chamber and there strongly 
 guarded. But the Fort of Kavaldino still held out, 
 with its guns pointed in defiant menace upon the city, 
 and the conspirators compelled the Countess to send 
 a written order to the castellan that he should resign 
 the keys. When this failed, the Orsi were in desperate 
 straits, and Caterina was conducted to the barred 
 gate of the fortress that she might repeat her demand 
 in person. Again Tommaso Feo, summoned to the 
 ramparts, met every appeal with a curt refusal. 
 
22 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 There were muttered imprecations around her 
 when Cardinal Savelli, with a vivid remembrance 
 of her personal influence, proposed that the Countess 
 should have a private interview with her contumacious 
 servant, and insist upon his obedience. There was 
 some demur at this, but at length the Orsi, in their 
 extremity, gave consent, knowing that they held 
 the Riario children as hostages ; but they made 
 the stipulation that three hours should be the extreme 
 limit of time allowed for the meeting. 
 
 A time of breathless suspense followed. When at 
 length the hour struck and the great bell of the 
 cathedral rang to announce that the decisive moment 
 had come, a tremendous shout of excitement uprose 
 from the assembled crowd and half drowned the flare 
 of trumpets. But there was no response from the 
 citadel until the noise below grew to a tumult, and 
 the trumpets blew louder and more furious blasts. 
 Then Tommaso Feo slowly mounted behind the battle- 
 ments and, as soon as he could make his voice heard, 
 gravely assured the people of Forli that their sovereign 
 lady, overcome by all the grief and horror of these 
 last days, was taking some needful repose and he 
 dared not disturb her slumber. 
 
 At this astounding statement the rage of the 
 conspirators was unbounded, and they threatened 
 instant death to all the Riario family. Guards were 
 sent in haste to fetch all the children of the Countess 
 to the foot of the tower, while again the summons 
 to surrender was repeated with the most bloodthirsty 
 threats. This time a defiant reply was hurled down 
 by Caterina herself ; she dared her foes to do their 
 worst, for children might be more easily replaced 
 than a citadel — yet should one hair of their heads be 
 
THE WARRIOR PRINCESS 23 
 
 touched, a worse fate awaited the city of Forli than 
 ever befell those of Sodom and Gomorrah ! 
 
 She probably felt sure that the Cardinal could not 
 permit the cold-blooded murder of helpless children ; 
 and so it proved, for the desolate little company was 
 taken safely back to the gate-house prison. 
 
 After this events progressed rapidly. The couriers 
 despatched to Bologna and Milan had sped well ; 
 troops were soon on the way to put down the in- 
 surgents ; the leaders of the conspiracy found their 
 position hopeless, and were compelled to flee by 
 night. The young prince Ottaviano was proclaimed 
 Count of Forli, with his mother as Regent, and she 
 ruled the land with the utmost vigour and ability 
 until the evil days came upon her, and the boundless 
 ambition of the Borgia Pope aimed at nothing less 
 than dominion of all Italy. Caterina Sforza had to 
 fight, as never woman fought before, for the very 
 existence of her little state, hemmed in and threat- 
 ened on every side. She fortified her citadels, she 
 recruited her soldiers ; while ever on horseback, she 
 directed the manoeuvres of her army and lived a 
 warrior's life. 
 
 As a relaxation from these arduous pursuits, 
 Caterina was twice married — first to Jacomo Feo, 
 and then to Giovanni dei Medici, son of Pietro Fran- 
 cesco, nephew of Cosimo (II Vecchio) dei Medici.* 
 The handsomest man of his day, this young prince 
 had been chosen by Florence as ambassador to the 
 Lady of Forli, and their choice was justified by the 
 favour which he won. 
 
 We remember those prophetic words of the daunt- 
 
 * Cosimo il Vecchio was the grandfather of Lorenzo the Magnificent. 
 See Table I. 
 
24 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 less woman when threatened with the murder of her 
 sons — that she could replace them — and in due 
 time she made good her defiant retort. On April 6 
 1498, there was born to this famous " virago/' in 
 the Citadel of Forli, a man-child who was to resemble 
 her more than all her other sons, who was to be the 
 true Sforza, the supreme heir of that valiant race 
 of condottieri, filled with their lust of battle, their 
 matchless audacity and courage — renowned to all 
 ages as the great warrior, Giovanni delle Bande Nere. 
 
 After the birth of this son, troubles thickened 
 around the Sforza princess : first the loss of her 
 young husband, the popular Medici, then the plague 
 at Forli which decimated the city and threatened 
 her child's life, and finally the long and terrible siege 
 of her last refuge, the citadel, by that ravening wolf, 
 Caesar Borgia, supported by all the might of the Papal 
 army and the French troops of Louis XII. In vain 
 did Caterina defend her castello with such heroic 
 courage as to call forth the warm admiration of 
 the very soldiers who fought against her and who 
 " almost hoped she would win/' The struggle was 
 hopeless from the first, yet the gallant Countess 
 held out longer than her neighbours, the Malatesti, 
 the Manfredi, and other lords of Romagna ; and not 
 until the beginning of the year 1500 was she driven 
 from her last defences, wounded as she fought like a 
 lioness at bay, and compelled to own herself van- 
 quished. 
 
 Caterina was taken captive to Rome, cast into 
 the prison of Saint Angelo, and treated by the Borgia 
 Pope with shameful cruelty in the hope of breaking 
 her proud spirit and perchance silencing her for ever 
 in the oblivion of death. During sixteen months 
 
A CAPTIVE IN HOME 25 
 
 the unfortunate lady endured unspeakable misery 
 while her foes played with her as a cat with a mouse, 
 until at length she owed her freedom to the chivalry 
 of an unlooked-for friend. The French general, 
 Yves d'Allegre, rode into Rome with only three 
 companions to demand the release of the Countess 
 of Forli, declaring, in the name of France, that " on 
 n'emprisonne pas les dames." 
 
 The French army was close by, at Viterbo, and 
 Alexander VI. had no choice but to set his prisoners 
 free ; and thus it was that on June 30, 1501, Caterina 
 Sforza came forth from the grim dungeon of the 
 Castel St. Angelo, with her few faithful followers, 
 and rested awhile in the Riario Palace to renew her 
 failing strength. 
 
 Her children were all safe in Florentine territory, 
 which was now her only safe refuge, and she longed 
 above all things for the sight of her beloved youngest 
 born, her Giovanni, who was at present in the power 
 of his uncle Lorenzo dei Medici, and whom she had 
 not seen for sixteen long, weary months. 
 
CHAPTER I 
 
 The coming of Caterina Sforza to Florence, July 1501, after her 
 captivity in Rome — Caterina meets her son, the child Giovanni. 
 
 One golden afternoon of mid- July, in the year 1501, 
 the people of Florence, ever hungering to see and 
 hear some new thing, made their way in eager groups 
 towards the ancient Porta Romana. News had spread 
 far and wide through the City of the Lilies that a 
 herald had but now arrived in haste, to claim from 
 the Signoria a welcome for the Most Noble and 
 Illustrious Princess Caterina Sforza, the great Madonna 
 of Forli — a citizen of the Republic of Florence, being 
 the widow of the Magnificent Giovanni dei Medici, 
 the Populani, son of Pietro Francesco. . . . 
 
 Well might the fame of the great Countess of 
 Forli have preceded her, for all Europe was still 
 ringing with the tragic story of her exploits and her 
 misfortunes. She was the heroine of the hour, and 
 the citizens were prepared to receive her with acclama- 
 tion alike for her own sake as for the memory of her 
 husband, their favourite Medici, the Populani. 
 
 It was a long and tedious journey in those days 
 from Rome to Florence, embarking at the mouth of 
 the Tiber, following the coast-line to Livorno, and 
 from thence more than sixty miles of riding through 
 the hot plains of Tuscany. Yet although weak and 
 exhausted with long suffering, Qaterina knew that 
 
 26 
 
CATERINA COMES TO FLORENCE 27 
 
 each moment of weariness, of faintness and oppres- 
 sion, brought her nearer to her heart's desire, and her 
 courage rose high once more as she beheld from afar 
 the fair city of Florence, with her towers and grey 
 battlements and stately campanile rising majestic 
 through the dim haze of summer mist. 
 
 A cry of excitement rose from the waiting crowd 
 as a company of horsemen was at last seen approach- 
 ing through a veil of quivering dust raised by the 
 tramping hoofs. " See, she comes ! The Lady of 
 our beloved Populani, the Countess of Forli ! " 
 
 At the head of her faithful escort rode Caterina 
 Sforza, pale and travel-worn yet proud and erect as 
 ever, on her favourite white war horse, clad in a 
 sweeping robe of black velvet with her face partly 
 hidden by the flowing widow's veil. She was met 
 at the entrance of the Porta Romana by the chief 
 officers of the Signoria, preceded by the banner of 
 the Republic, and she received their homage with 
 stately courtesy. Soon the cavalcade was joined by 
 various influential friends of Giovanni dei Medici, 
 such as the Salviati and others, but the widowed 
 lady's brow darkened as she noted the absence of 
 her brother-in-law. She imperiously demanded the 
 reason of this disrespect, and was told that the 
 Magnificent Lorenzo dei Medici was about to meet her 
 on her arrival at the Palazzo Scali, there to hold con- 
 verse concerning her inheritance. 
 
 This was to her a matter of supreme importance 
 and, full of anxious thought, Caterina scarcely noticed 
 the cries of enthusiasm or the deep murmur of interest 
 and curiosity which greeted her as she rode slowly 
 onwards, by the banks of the broad, shining Arno, 
 
28 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 glittering like silver in the sunlight, into the shadowed 
 street of the Poi Santa Maria with its grim palaces 
 on either side. Through the crowded Vachereccia 
 passed the cavalcade, turned round the Piazza della 
 Signoria, and skirted the frowning fortress of the 
 Bargello. One thought, one hope now filled the heart 
 of the warrior Countess ; she was about to see once 
 more the child for whom she craved with such hungry 
 longing, the boy Giovanni, dearer to her than all her 
 elder sons, the tame Riario troop, who were safely 
 bestowed in the mountain fastness of Trebbio. 
 
 She had known bitter fear when news had reached 
 her that Giovanni was to be placed under the guardian- 
 ship of his Uncle Lorenzo, but of late the child had 
 been in the care of Bianca Riario, the eldest-born and 
 only daughter of Caterina, who for this purpose 
 had been suffered to leave the convent where she 
 had found shelter in those troublous times, while 
 awaiting her marriage with Troile, Count of San 
 Secondo. This gentle girl had watched over her 
 precious little half-brother with loving care, in the 
 Palazzo of Giuliano Scali, and had written constant 
 letters to her mother to assure her of his well-being. 
 Now the moment was at hand when she was to give 
 a last proof of her devotion by delivering over the 
 boy in safety. 
 
 In the dim grandeur of a stately tapestried chamber, 
 Bianca was anxiously awaiting the coming of her 
 mother, to whom she looked up with adoring rever- 
 ence not unmixed with awe. This girl, who had now 
 reached the mature age of twenty-three, was strangely 
 like Caterina Sforza, but we gather from her portraits 
 that all the features were blurred and exaggerated, 
 
THE GUAKDIANS OF GIOVANNI 29 
 
 while at the same time the face was made attractive 
 by the expression, full of charm and sweetness. So 
 at least thought the companion who shared her hour 
 of anxious waiting, the old friend and confident of 
 the family, Francesco Fortunati, Priest of Cascina 
 near Pisa and Canon of San Lorenzo at Florence. 
 This good man had been devoted to the service of 
 Giovanni dei Medici, and had watched over his last 
 hours at the Baths of San Pietro near Padua, in 
 September 1498. Faithful to the vow made by his 
 master's death-bed, Fortunati had thenceforth dedi- 
 cated his life to the watchful care of the infant son — 
 that firebrand who was to rouse and startle all Italy, 
 and to outdo all the warlike deeds of his Sforza 
 ancestors. 
 
 But as yet all this was hidden in the dim future, 
 although it needed no prophet to foretell that Gio- 
 vanni was not cast in the same mould as other boys. 
 
 As the priest rose from his carved cedar chair and 
 stood in the full light of the high west window, his 
 was a face and figure to command attention and 
 respect in any society. Past middle age, with 
 grizzled hair falling low on his broad forehead, his 
 piercing blue eyes glowed with perennial youth, while 
 his mobile countenance reflected every passing mood, 
 now puckered with anxious thought and then, in a 
 flash, beaming radiant with broad humour. He had 
 been roused from his quiet talk by shouts of merry 
 laughter from the secluded garden of the Palazzo, 
 far below, and as he looked down through the open 
 window, he cried out with eager delight : 
 
 " Quick, my Lady Bianca ! Come and see our 
 little Giovanni ! He has driven that good patient 
 Anna with reins and whip through the myrtle bushes, 
 
30 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 and now nothing will serve but he must bridle the 
 marble lions of the fountain and ride them one 
 after the other, with sounding blows of his wooden 
 sword ! If his lady mother could but see him now ! 7 
 
 The young girl joined him with a slow, graceful 
 sweep of her tall, slim figure, and looked on for a few 
 moments in silence. Then a wistful smile crept over 
 her face as she spoke in a low, troubled voice : 
 
 " Then you think I have done right, my father, to 
 leave him to his play until the last moment ? There 
 is no holding him quiet within four walls, and if the 
 boy were restless and angry, what might not happen 
 when he meets his mother ? It is not possible that he 
 can remember her after all these months, a child of 
 little more than three years old. ^Tiat if he should 
 strike her ? . . ." 
 
 " Have no fear, my dear lady," interrupted 
 Fortunati. " Our little Giovanni is the apple of her 
 eye and can do no wrong. They will be fitly matched, 
 the mother and son." 
 
 " You are right there, my father," replied Bianca 
 thoughtfully. " Madonna never cared for the other 
 boys as she does for this little half-brother. I can see 
 her now with the scorn in her eyes, as she drove Otta- 
 viano from her presence when he had tamely suffered 
 Messire Feo, his stepfather, to smite him on the 
 face." 
 
 " Upon my soul, she did well ! " exclaimed Fortu- 
 nati, with his rich, quiet laugh. " They are not 
 worthy of her, that smug Riario brood. They paid 
 abject court to the Pope while he treated their 
 illustrious mother with such cruelty, until I could 
 not refrain from telling them that I hoped God 
 would forgive their perfidy, as it seemed to me that 
 
CATEKINA MEETS HER DAUGHTER 31 
 
 the devil had deprived them of all feeling and 
 memory ! Truly they have their reward. What 
 of Ottaviano, who has waxed so fat that Giovanna de 
 Montefeltro refuses to give him her daughter in 
 marriage ? He may well fawn upon his uncle the 
 Cardinal to make him Bishop of Viterbo, and I hear 
 that Caesar is to be Archbishop of Pisa. Our little 
 prince yonder will not amble through life in such 
 peaceful style as those precocious gluttons ! " 
 
 " No, indeed," said his sister warmly. " In him 
 his mother lives again, with all the warlike spirit of 
 our ancestor, the Attendolo Sforza." 
 
 " May I live to see him a great leader of men ! " 
 cried the priest in his deep, vibrating voice. " May he 
 seize the sword when it falls from the hand of the 
 great Madonna, and avenge her wrongs ! . . " 
 
 At that moment, a triumphal peal rang out from 
 the campanile of the Piazza dei Pinti close at hand, 
 and the eager listeners soon heard the tramp of hoofs 
 on the cobble stones as the cavalcade drew near, then 
 came to an abrupt halt outside the great gateway. 
 Bianca Riario had risen to her feet and stood tremulous 
 with expectation until the massive door was thrown 
 open ; she looked up to see her mother, the most 
 illustrious Countess of Forli, enter with slow steps, 
 supported by her chancellor, who guided her to the 
 inlaid chair of state placed ready in the centre of the 
 chamber. She was followed by a splendid wolf- 
 hound which, after a distrustful glance around, took 
 up its position on guard at the feet of his mistress. 
 
 It was a moment of painful revelation to poor 
 Bianca, for she would scarcely have recognised that 
 pale, thin face, haggard with fever and fasting, worn 
 almost to a shadow with the terrible suffering of long 
 
32 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 sleepless nights in the Papal dungeon, with rage and 
 anxiety and sorrow. The warrior Princess of Forli 
 was changed into an old woman, yet that stirring, 
 eventful life had been crowded into thirty-nine years 
 as we measure time by the calendar. 
 
 All these impressions had passed through the 
 young girl's mind in a flash of insight, as she came 
 forth with tender respect, to fall on her knees and 
 kiss the hand of her mother who bent forward to 
 clasp her in a warm embrace. 
 
 " My good Bianca, tell me where is he ? When 
 shall I see him ? " she asked in breathless haste. 
 
 But before her daughter had time to reply the great 
 door was again thrown open and " His Magnificence, 
 the Lord Lorenzo dei Medici M was pompously an- 
 nounced. Bianca shrank back timidly to the side of 
 the watchful Fortunati, who had not yet had oppor- 
 tunity for a word of greeting to his mistress. The 
 newcomer was a man about middle height, imposing 
 in his splendid doublet of green brocade with a 
 jewelled collar, and a richly embroidered band from 
 which hung his sword with enamelled silver hilt. 
 His thin, pallid face, with the shifty eyes and pursed- 
 up mouth, had none of the charm and beauty which 
 had distinguished his brother the " Populani," 
 although Caterina could not ignore a certain haunting 
 family likeness. Lorenzo came forward with easy 
 assurance, and a broad sweep of his plumed velvet 
 " berretta," as with ostentatious humility he bent to 
 make obeisance and lightly touch with his lips the 
 hand of his undaunted sister-in-law. She drew 
 herself up with proud dignity, and barely inclined 
 her head in greeting, while the wolf-hound at her 
 feet gave a low growl. 
 
Brogi. photo 
 
 Vasari : Florence. 
 
 CATERINA SFORZA, MADONNA OF FORLI. 
 
THE MEDICI INHERITANCE 35 
 
 Quite undisturbed by this unpropitious reception, 
 the head of the Medici waited for no invitation to be 
 seated, but threw himself into a massive carved chair 
 and began, in a somewhat aggressive manner : 
 
 " Madonna Caterina, you have received due notice 
 of my proposals, through the notary Leonardo Strozzi, 
 with regard to the succession of my deeply mourned 
 brother, Giovanni of sacred memory. But you are 
 no doubt aware that large sums were advanced to 
 him from our joint property, to the great detriment 
 of his patrimony, and were spent by him in reckless 
 extravagance at Forli, in princely gifts of silks, 
 velvets, brocades, jewels. . . ." ' 
 
 " All these expenses have no concern with you, 
 Signor Lorenzo," interrupted the Countess im- 
 periously. These generous gifts of my dear husband 
 were paid for from his private purse, and must not be 
 charged on the great commercial enterprises and 
 funds which are in your care and of which the half 
 belongs to my son Giovanni as heir to his father. 
 But first of all I claim for myself, by special be- 
 quest, the Villa of Castello, which from its situation 
 and nearness to Florence is so well suited for my 
 abode." 
 
 " Madonna, it has ever been my desire to act both 
 justly and generously towards you and my nephew ; 
 but surely you know that, in our division, the Castle 
 of Trebbio, the Palace at Florence, that of Castel del 
 Bosco and the estates around are assigned to you, 
 but no mention has been made of the Villa Castello, 
 which remains in my possession. . . " 
 
 " Do you think, my brother Lorenzo, that I will 
 suffer my boy to be robbed of his birthright, as is 
 the way of loving uncles ? " broke in the Countess of 
 
 3 
 
36 THE KOMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 Forli, with fierce vehemence, and a battle royal was 
 imminent when Fortunati came to the rescue. 
 
 He had watched the contest with keen anxiety, as 
 
 the suave, level tones of Lorenzo so dangerously 
 
 excited the hot temper of his mistress, but as his 
 
 imploring signs had no effect, he now came boldly 
 
 forward, and with wonderful tact and discretion 
 
 poured oil upon the troubled waters. He had just 
 
 promised to meet on the morrow Leonardo Strozzi, 
 
 the notary of his Magnificence, and to discuss fully 
 
 all the questions in dispute, when a sudden deep 
 
 growl from the wolf-hound distracted the attention 
 
 of his listeners. The dog's threatening gaze was 
 
 fixed upon the door, which opened at that moment 
 
 to reveal a splendid little figure — a sturdy boy like 
 
 a pictured St. John, with curly hair and dark glowing 
 
 eyes. But before Caterina had risen with a cry to 
 
 welcome her darling, a small terrier sprang from the 
 
 child's arms and ran forward, yelping with the 
 
 impertinence of a spoiled pet at the intruder, who 
 
 with one spring seized the noisy cur in his great 
 
 fangs. Quick as lightning, the boy fearlessly rushed 
 
 forward in defence and caught the wolf-hound by the 
 
 throat with his baby hands. 
 
 Furiously the fierce animal shook off the stifling 
 grasp and turned upon the child ; Bianca lost her 
 presence of mind and screamed aloud, while Fortunati 
 overcame his mortal dread and blindly stumbled 
 across the great chamber, to find that the Countess 
 herself, with a word and a blow, had mastered her 
 dog and caught the struggling Giovanni in her strong 
 arms. In vain he kicked her with all his might and 
 fought out with his clenched fists, while the Magnifi- 
 cent Lorenzo quietly watched the scene with cynical 
 
MOTHER AND SON 37 
 
 amusement and the others looked on with trembling 
 dread. But a few minutes later the indomitable 
 Madonna had achieved another victory ; she had 
 tamed the fiery spirit so nearly akin to her own, and 
 the child of her passionate love sat happily on her 
 knee and laughed up in her face. 
 
 Breathless and triumphant, Caterina had become 
 herself once more and, with her flushed cheeks and 
 shining eyes, for the moment she had cast off the 
 weight of her years and sorrows. The gentle Bianca 
 turned aside to hide her tears of joy and relief that 
 the dreaded meeting had ended so well, while even 
 the sober and experienced Fortunati was aglow with 
 silent admiration of his beloved lady, and was now 
 relieved of his worst fear that an open rupture would 
 take place between her and her grasping kinsman. 
 
 In the joy of her satisfied love and pride, Caterina 
 Sforza listened with unwonted patience to the smooth 
 promises and courtly civility with which the astute 
 Lorenzo took his leave. The scene which had passed 
 before him, and the mother's amazing mastery of the 
 boy's temper, had made a strong impression upon the 
 uncle's calculating nature. 
 
 " The lion-cub will need a strong hand," he 
 muttered to himself, with the comfortable assurance 
 that he himself would be the lion-tamer for both 
 the mother and her son. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 Caterina Sforza in Florence — Her strife with Lorenzo dei Medici 
 for the possession of her boy Giovanni — He is hidden in a convent 
 — Death of Lorenzo — Peaceful days for Caterina before her end. 
 
 It was no bed of roses which Caterina Sforza, the 
 widow of the Magnificent Giovanni dei Medici, found 
 awaiting her in Florence, the city of her adoption. 
 The temporary trace with her brother-in-law Lorenzo 
 had not been of long duration, for she would yield 
 none of her rights and fought stoutly for them. 
 Above all, Caterina claimed the Villa of Castello, 
 her favourite amongst all the Medici homes ; so 
 conveniently near Florence, beautifully situated on 
 the sheltered slope of a hill, secluded in the midst 
 of lovely gardens such as Boccaccio loved to sing, and 
 which as we know in later days called forth the 
 enthusiasm of Montaigne and his companions. Weak- 
 ened as she was in health, the balmy air in those 
 groves of myrtle and arbutus, of oleanders and clam- 
 bering roses, had an invincible attraction for her, 
 until in a reckless hour, the undaunted warrior lady 
 took forcible possession of the coveted villa, and was 
 only driven thence by an armed force. 
 
 This was unwise on her part, for Lorenzo, furious 
 at her audacity, was driven to extreme measures, and 
 asserted his legal right to the guardianship of lu*r 
 precious Giovanni. The mother knew that if once 
 the boy were in the hands of his uncle, the worst 
 
 38 
 
GIOVANNI HIDDEN IN A CONVENT 39 
 
 might be feared, for a Medici would shrink from no 
 crime to achieve his ends. Once indeed the child was 
 snatched from her by a stratagem, but she followed 
 hot-foot on his tracks and regained him, in defiance 
 of Lorenzo and his minions. But that episode had 
 shaken all feeling of security, and although she still 
 had faithful friends like Francesco Fortunati, Caterina 
 had learnt that she was no longer supreme. Her 
 daughter Bianca had left her to become the wife 
 of the gallant young Troile dei Rossi, Count of San 
 Secondo, and she could look for no help from her 
 tame Riario sons. In so grave an emergency this 
 princess of the Renaissance saved her little hero by 
 a subterfuge copied from the antique. She may 
 have remembered how Achilles once found safety 
 amongst women, for she herself took the six-year old 
 Giovanni, at dead of night, to the Annalena Convent 
 in the Via Romana, opposite the gate of the Boboli 
 Gardens. It was a bold stroke to leave her precious 
 treasure to the care of the Dominican nuns, that he 
 might dwell amongst them and be clothed in the 
 dress of the order, like a novice of tender years ; but 
 here, under the all-powerful protection of the Church, 
 the young heir remained in safety during eight months. 
 We may imagine that this enfant terrible, exube- 
 rant with life and spirits, fearless and defiant, full 
 of the most audacious mischief, must have given 
 the sisterhood a very lively time. Still they were 
 devoted to the strange little guest, and Giovanni 
 never forgot their kindness, which secured them in 
 after-years not only his favour, but that of the 
 Grand Dukes his descendants. We may still see the 
 remains of that ancient Hospice, founded in 1455 by 
 Annalena the daughter of Galeotto Malatesta and his 
 
40 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 wife, Maria degli Orsini ; and we may pass under 
 the stone doorway on whose moss-grown architrave 
 is sculptured a bishop enthroned and two coats of 
 arms with the inscription : " Hospitium Rodolpho 
 Nobilis Famfflae." 
 
 With gallant courage the Countess of Forli still 
 struggled to hold her own, undaunted by the sea of 
 troubles which surged upon her on every side. She 
 was persecuted from afar by the Pope, worried by 
 constant demands from her Riario sons, while she had 
 the utmost difficulty in obtaining her nominal income 
 from her estates without the closest supervision. 
 But one day there came to her news which revived 
 her old spirit, for Lorenzo dei Medici (son of Pier 
 Francesco) was dead, leaving the vast possessions 
 which he had accumulated with such grasping 
 avarice to his incapable and weakly son Pietro 
 Francesco. Caterina was not one to make a cringing 
 show of lament over the death of her brother-in- 
 law ; rather was hers the fierce Pagan exultation 
 of one whose most dangerous foe had been removed 
 from her path. 
 
 She lost not a moment, but rode in haste to the 
 Annalena Convent and carried off her Giovanni from 
 the peaceful cloister where he had brought so rare 
 a breath of life and adventure. He would be safe 
 now, for the headship of the Medici family had fallen 
 to one who was no match for the Sforza princess. 
 Indeed she was soon firmly established in hex beloved 
 Villa of Castello, amidst her flowers and fruit, her 
 horses and dogs, her well-stocked farms, and a busy 
 crowd of prosperous dependants. The warrior lady, 
 who had once been a1 the head of an army and had 
 fought like a condottiere in defence of her besi< 
 
THE EDUCATION OF THE BOY 41 
 
 castle, now found an outlet for her restless energy in 
 this patriarchal life, the wise management, and minute 
 supervision of her estates. But her chief interest 
 was to watch over the training of her boy, whom 
 she would have made an accomplished scholar as 
 well as a great captain. Caterina herself, like other 
 high-born ladies of the Kenaissance, had received 
 the best classical education of the day, and desired 
 " to have Giovanni gifted with every talent, and to 
 procure for him masters who would render him expert 
 in every exercise suitable to his rank." But there 
 were some things beyond the power of even the 
 despotic Madonna. The child who had inherited her 
 dauntless courage, her fierce, passionate adventurous 
 nature, would have none of her learning, but fought 
 his teachers and absolutely refused all scholastic 
 instruction. He despised books ; he wanted horses 
 to break in, rivers to swim across, something to hunt 
 and kill, and the sheer lust of fighting drove him to 
 constant battle with all the boys on the estate who 
 would dare to face him. 
 
 This young barbarian would obey no one but his 
 mother ; he wore out his learned tutors, as later he 
 was to wear out his cuirasses and his swords. We 
 may form some idea of his indomitable nature when 
 we learn that the devoted Fortunati, in despair of 
 finding a man strong enough to tame this child of 
 seven, actually conceived the scheme of persuading 
 Michelangelo to take him in hand. We are not 
 surprised that the great sculptor declined so onerous 
 a task and preferred to carve the " David." 
 
 Meantime Caterina Sforza was almost at the end 
 of her strength, although her amazing vitality foretold 
 a long and painful struggle with death. To the very 
 
42 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 last she kept Giovanni under her firm sway, and was 
 the only living creature who could control his tur- 
 bulent boyhood. She had spent her vigour with 
 reckless prodigality, and the final scene was drawing 
 nigh. In vain was all the skill of her Jewish physician, 
 Messire Lazarus, and all the medical knowledge of 
 her times, of which we find so curious an epitome in 
 her famous Manuscript Book of Receipts for the cure 
 of every mortal complaint and ill that flesh is heir to, 
 from poisoning downwards. 
 
 The Countess was ill at Castello in April 1509, 
 but she insisted on moving to her palace on the 
 Corso in Florence, where she took to her bed, never 
 to rise again. Yet her undaunted spirit mastered 
 the worn-out body, and she sent for Messire Pietro 
 del Serra that she might dictate to him her will, 
 in the presence of three witnesses. She would be 
 buried without pomp or ceremony in the Convent 
 of the Muratori of the Clarice Sisters of Santa 
 Maria dei Reclusi, for whom she had a special 
 affection. The nuns had sent her pomegranates and 
 other fruits from their garden when she had seemed 
 forsaken by all the world in her Borgia prison. As 
 another token of her favour, she desired that her 
 little grandchild, the illegitimate daughter of her 
 eldest son Ottaviano, Bishop of Viterbo, should be 
 educated in this convent, which stands at the end 
 of the Via Ghibellina, behind Santa Croce. 
 
 As a citizen of Florence, Caterina left rich legacies 
 to the city charities, to Santa Maria degli Fiori, and 
 to the Convents of Fiesole. But the main bulk of 
 the Medici property came to her well-beloved bob 
 Giovanni, as his father's heir. Until his eighteenth 
 year he was to remain under the care of his guardians, 
 
DEATH OF CATEMNA SFOEZA 43 
 
 " the Venerable Messire Francesco Fortunati, priest," 
 and the " Spectabile Messire Jacopo son of Giovanni 
 Salviati," one of the noblest, wealthiest, and most 
 respected citizens of Florence. We find a Moorish 
 slave named Mora Bona left as a special bequest to 
 her youngest son. The Villa of Castel del Bosco is 
 given to Galeazzo Riario, her third son, as she 
 probably considered the two eldest well provided for 
 by their fat benefices. 
 
 Having thus settled all her worldly affairs and re- 
 ceived the last rites of the Church, the brave woman 
 calmly endured the long-drawn-out agony of a 
 splendid physique, fighting inch by inch to the very 
 last against death. The end came on May 28, 1509, 
 when the solemn tolling of the bells of San Lorenzo, 
 close by, gave notice to the world that the great 
 Sforza princess, the Madonna of Forli, was passing 
 away. She was only forty-six years of age, scarcely 
 beyond middle life, but her attenuated frame, her 
 drawn features, and snow-white hair, all bore witness 
 to her exhausting life of ceaseless contest and strain, 
 to be measured not by hours but by heart-throbs. 
 
 To her devoted friend, the priest Francesco 
 Fortunati, she had not only left the guardianship 
 of the heir Giovanni who was to avenge her wrongs 
 and carry on her dauntless course of unquenchable 
 energy, but he was entrusted with the care of " all 
 her books, writings, letters, and all other public and 
 private papers, whatever they might be, which were in 
 her possession." To the good canon's faithful fulfil- 
 ment of his important trust, we are most deeply in- 
 debted for the materials of her story. 
 
 When the funeral was over, Fortunati's first in- 
 stinct was to take his charge away to the simpler life 
 
44 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 at Castello, where he himself could carry out his 
 literary legacy in the midst of Caterina's books and 
 papers. The fame of this untamed boy of eleven had 
 spread far and wide amongst the diplomatic Medici, 
 and we find that from Rome itself, princes and cardinals 
 took quite a paternal interest in this half-fledged 
 warrior of their race. Giovanni was fortunate in 
 the affection of his other guardian, Jacopo Salvia ti, 
 whose wife Lucrezia, the daughter of the great 
 Lorenzo dei Medici, loved him as her own son and 
 sought to tame him with the society of her many 
 children. Troubled by the thought of the mother- 
 less boy at this crisis of his fate, the kind lady re- 
 solved to cheer his loneliness at Castello, and to take 
 her little daughter Maria, his favourite playfellow. 
 
 So it came about that a few days later, when the 
 young heir was wandering through the lovely gardens 
 of the villa, in gloomy depression, he came across 
 his friends riding up the great avenue of plane trees. 
 With a bound of delight, he joined the ladies and 
 conducted them with eager welcome to the sunny 
 rose-clad portico. 
 
 " You must come to look at the new mare/' cried 
 the boy ; "she is a perfect beauty ; and it was the 
 Cardinal dei Medici who sent her. You should see 
 her paces : as gentle as a dove and as swift as a 
 greyhound ! Come, Maria, for here is Messire For- 
 tunati to play the host to your mother. " 
 
 Madonna Lucrezia's permission was readily given 
 and the two children joyfully set forth to the stables, 
 where Maria was called upon to admire all the points 
 of the new favourite, La Savoya, to Feed it from hei 
 hand and stroke its velvet skin. Then Giovanni 
 called for a bridle, and springing on the bare back of 
 
GIOVANNI WITH THE SALVIATI 45 
 
 the little mare, he rode her round the meadow to show 
 ofT his splendid horsemanship, and brought her back, 
 gently curvetting, to the girl, who clapped her hands 
 with enthusiasm. Then nothing would satisfy him 
 but she must go round to the kennels and see and 
 admire the last wolf-hound puppies. Giovanni had 
 inherited his mother's passion for horses and dogs, 
 while if little Maria was inwardly afraid of some of 
 these formidable pets, she bravely hid her fears, and 
 was eloquent in her praise of all the creatures he 
 loved. 
 
 Presently they strayed away under the pleached 
 arbour, where the roses climbed and revelled in their 
 wild luxuriance ; on beyond the fresh and silvery 
 olive trees and the yellow holy thorn ; down into the 
 valley, where the first sweet hay was drying in the 
 balmy sunshine. There they rested on a shady 
 bank beneath the spreading fig branches and, en- 
 couraged by her companion's unwonted gentleness, 
 Maria found her opportunity to speak homely words of 
 comfort and give utterance to her burning sympathy. 
 
 " Giovanni, my friend, talk to me about your 
 mother. Were you with her at the last ? Tell me 
 all she said, all she would have you do." But the 
 boy's bereavement was too recent for him to speak 
 of it and so relieve the dumb oppression of his soul. 
 His eyes were fixed in dim abstraction on the river 
 below, winding in and out amongst the trees, gleaming 
 like silver in the sun. 
 
 No answer came, but softly Maria spoke again. 
 
 " Madonna Caterina was so brave, so noble, like a 
 gallant soldier rather than a mere woman. I never 
 envied any one like your mother, Giovanni. No 
 danger could alarm her ; there was no foe she might 
 
46 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 not face. I love to hear my father tell the story of 
 her famous deeds; he says the world rang with 
 her fame. How proud you must be of her ! What 
 would I give for a lion heart like hers — I who am so 
 weak and timid ! " she sighed. 
 
 " I like you best as you are, Maria/' said the boy, 
 slowly and gravely. " Of course no one can be like 
 my mother. But you may rest content, for I will 
 take care of you always, and fight for you against all 
 the world. You will be useful in the home, and sit 
 at your needlework, and care for your flowers." 
 
 If the gentle Maria was not quite satisfied with 
 the part which she was expected to play, she made 
 no sign. It was possibly the strong contrast between 
 their characters which had drawn this boy and girl 
 together from their earliest years. Although the 
 little maiden was to thrill and shiver for many a 
 year at the story of her hero's fierce exploits, his 
 fighting, his reckless hunting, and his wild escapades, 
 yet she would not have had him otherwise, though 
 he should break her heart. 
 
 Another incident of that visit. Maria was destined 
 never to forget. While Fortunati was absorbed in 
 the task of going through the letters and papers of 
 his mistress, Messire Salviati, the boy's other guardian, 
 came to Castello to verify the inventory of his rich 
 inheritance. The many treasures of inlaid and 
 carved furniture, the gold and silver plate, the costly 
 tapestry, the rare books and manuscripts, even those 
 priceless pictures, the Prima vera and the Birth of 
 Venus, painted by Botticelli for his fat her — all these 
 roused but little interest in the young heir. But 
 when it came to a collection of old armour, Giovanni 
 grew excited, and with eager enthusiasm pointed out 
 
MARIA MADDALENA ROMOLA SALVIATI 47 
 
 • 
 
 to Maria the worn cuirasses dented with blows, the 
 bronze carbines, the straight cross-hilted swords 
 which had seen such good service, the battered 
 helmets, and other ancient arms. 
 
 Presently they came to an engraved casket from 
 which the boy eagerly drew forth a long shining 
 dagger, and cried, in ringing tones : "It was my 
 mother's greatest treasure, sent her by the Soudan. 
 Look, Maria ; take it in your hand. Did you ever 
 see such a marvel of workmanship ? Eight-sided with 
 notches, a blade forged of steel and silver as long as 
 my arm from the elbow to the wrist joint, and the 
 guard, a hollowed disk. Feel for yourself how 
 finely it is balanced." 
 
 The young girl held the wonderful dagger with 
 the kind of fascinated terror which she would have 
 felt if it were a snake. Still she found courage to 
 say, " Surely this delicate point, like a needle, 
 would break off at the first rude blow % " 
 
 ' Why, Maria, the spike is so strong that it would 
 pierce chain armour ! I wish I could show you." 
 But she hastily interrupted : 
 
 " What are those deep channels scored on each 
 side, towards the point ? " 
 
 " Those are channels for the blood to run down. 
 . . . There, give it me back, for you will never under- 
 stand unless you see me use it ! 9i cried Giovanni, 
 whose fierce lust of blood was roused by the mere 
 touch of this deadly weapon. 
 
 Maria had caught the wild look in his eye as he 
 turned towards the open doorway, and she instinc- 
 tively tightened her hold on the dagger, whose point 
 barely grazed her wrist in the slight unconscious 
 struggle. Extreme in all things, the boy's mood 
 
48 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 had changed to one of wild alarm ; he threw the danger- 
 ous thing on the ground and in a moment was on 
 his knees with his lips pressed to the wound. 
 
 " Maria, Maria ! how do we know that this Eastern 
 toy is not poisoned ? Let me suck out the venom ! " 
 he muttered in despair. 
 
 But the brave little maiden gave the lie to her pale 
 face, and hid her trembling fears with a merry laugh, 
 as she drew down her brocaded sleeve and vowed 
 that she had not even a scratch. She would have 
 done much more to win one passing smile of approval 
 from her gallant cousin, or to avert from him one 
 word of reproach. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 The home of Giovanni in the mountain castle of Trebbio — His passion 
 for hunting — A turbulent youth in Florence and Rome — The 
 return of the Medici to power in Florence — Cardinal dei Medici 
 becomes Pope as Leo. X. 
 
 The favourite home where the boy Giovanni dei 
 Medici spent most of his eager tempestuous boyhood 
 was the mountain fortress of Trebbio, perched high 
 like a falcon's nest in the wild valley of the Mugello. 
 It is thus described to us in an old chronicle : 
 
 " A fortified palace, situated in the Mugello, in the 
 County of Florence, the district of Santa Maria ; a 
 place called the Trebbio ; including a dwelling for the 
 lord with a tower and a little meadow, a garden, 
 stables and other buildings. Also an enclosure, 
 that is to say a closed place for wild animals with 
 a house near convenient to keep grain in and a 
 cellar and other buildings of less importance ; a wild 
 vine covering these last ; also a chestnut wood and 
 a church near the said palace and a fountain." 
 
 Trebbio was a true mediaeval fortress, the ideal 
 home for a young condottiere, with its massive stone 
 walls and high towers, a moat and draw-bridge, an 
 arsenal full of ancient arms, and a high look-out 
 tower which commanded the country round. Here 
 
 49 
 
50 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 the boy found the sword of his famous ancestor, that 
 Muzio Attendolo who first took the name of Sforza, 
 and on whose exploits Giovanni was never weary 
 of dwelling. The wild savage stronghold suited his 
 temper exactly; here, this lad of twelve was prac- 
 tically his own master, for he took but small account 
 of the unfortunate tutors who were provided for 
 him, in constant succession. The seneschal and 
 bailiff, Antonio Vaini, to whom the two guardians 
 from afar carefully doled out a certain amount of 
 money, had more influence over the young heir 
 than any one else. His great passion was for hunting, 
 and into this he threw himself with whole-hearted 
 devotion. 
 
 In that hilly country, then covered with thick forests 
 and rough brushwood stretching almost to the gates of 
 Florence, there was abundance of game, which round 
 shelter amidst the rocks and briars. Here Giovanni 
 flew his goshawks or went out with his dogs and had 
 excellent sport, for the valley of the Mugello was noted 
 for its exquisite quails and for the " tordi " — those 
 delicious thrushes of Tuscany, fed on juniper and 
 arbutus — which the good Fortunati so thoroughly 
 appreciated. 
 
 The young hunter made a special study of his dogs, 
 for which the Countess of Forli had always been 
 famous. He had a breed selected for their swiftness, 
 which meant a broad chest and long stretch, with 
 strong legs, not too short ; and he admired a finely 
 pointed muzzle, a good chin, and a skin like velvet. 
 His hounds must also be intelligent and run well in 
 couples. As for his falcons, he chose them strong 
 on the wing, of red plumage, well feathered, and with 
 short legs ; they should be free and willing in their 
 
Anderson, photo. Raphael: Pitti Gallery. Florence. 
 
 POPE LEO X. AND TWO CARDINALS. 
 
 51 
 
LIFE AT THE TREBBIO 53 
 
 flight, of great fierceness yet easy to hood, and with 
 a proud, upright carriage when borne on the wrist. 
 
 Wherever the young lord went through his wide 
 estates, his people loved him for his genial ways, his 
 open heart and hand like his mother. Everywhere 
 he was welcomed and feasted with fruit and simple 
 fare. The country folk delighted in his splendid vigour 
 and his manly love of sport ; they did not want a 
 scholar and a dilettante, like so many of the Medici. 
 This boy was never at a loss, for in the summer time 
 when other sport might fail, he would climb down 
 the steep rocky side of the Trebbio to bathe and 
 swim for hours with his young companions in the 
 Kiver Sieve — to the horror of the devoted Antonio 
 Vaini, who wrote despairing letters to his guardians 
 in Florence. 
 
 When he was persuaded to visit the city Giovanni 
 only found life tolerable if he could have his fill of 
 rough games, such as the pallone — played with a heavy 
 oval ball, struck with the hand over the houses in 
 the street — or the palla al calcio, a kind of violent 
 football played in the big meadow just inside the 
 Porta del Prato. Above all, the passion for fighting 
 was in his blood and he never missed the opportunity of 
 a hand-to-hand combat. The Salviati tried to restrain 
 him by causing him to wear in Florence the good old 
 citizen dress, without a cape or a " berretta " ; but the 
 boy simply folded his mantle like a noble's cape and 
 snatched a " berretta " from the head of a companion, 
 before setting forth on some turbulent street adven- 
 ture. He was in such deadly earnest that one day he 
 struck too hard and swung his antagonist heavily 
 into the gutter, where his head fell against a sharp 
 stone. The unfortunate fellow, a big, clumsy town 
 
 4 
 
54 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 boy named Pietro, never moved, and the other bov- in 
 alarm carried him to the Hospice close by. When 
 Giovanni learnt that his opponent was dead he 
 hurried in grief and dismay to the Salviati Palace. 
 It was always there that he brought his troubles, and 
 this was the most serious which had ever befallen 
 him. 
 
 " Maria ! Maria ! M was his cry. " I have killed 
 that big Pietro ! It was in fair fight and by mis- 
 chance he fell ; but I know not what will come of it. 
 Tell me what shall I do ? " 
 
 " You poor Giovanni ! M sobbed the young girl. 
 " My father is away at the Civic Council, but I will 
 call my mother/' 
 
 When Madonna Lucrezia had heard the whole story 
 she was quite as much distressed as her daughter. 
 
 " I would have given all my jewels that this should 
 not have happened, my dear boy ! M she said. " You 
 have been too wild already, and Messire Soderini has 
 threatened more than once to banish you ; but your 
 guardian has a voice in the affairs of the Republic 
 and he will not fail you now." 
 
 " Shall I go before the Council and tell how it came 
 about ? " asked the boy, who was never wanting in 
 courage. 
 
 " No, no, Giovanni, that would risk too much," 
 pleaded the good lady. " You will be safer at the 
 Villa Castello ; and you had best ride off at once 
 with your men, and abide there quietly until I send 
 you word." 
 
 It was with a heavy heart that the boy took his 
 leave, Maria's soft farewell ringing in his e. 
 " You will be ever in our thoughts,, dear Giovanni, 
 and we will pray for you ! M 
 
A DANGEKOUS MISCHANCE 55 
 
 An anxious time followed, but in the end, Salviati, 
 with much difficulty, obtained a mild sentence. The 
 young prince was to be banished from Florence itself, 
 but he might remain in his Villas of Castello and the 
 Trebbio. Of course his companions and flatterers 
 compared him to a hero of ancient days : "He was 
 like another Patroclus, the friend of Hercules, who 
 was banished when young for killing another boy, so 
 old Homeras saith." 
 
 With all bis passionate impulses there was a firm 
 foundation of honour and loyalty in the lad, for 
 when a certain flatterer said to him, " Let them 
 banish you now, Messire ! You will be Lord of 
 Florence one day ! " Giovanni impetuously drew 
 his dagger and cried : 
 
 " Never dare to suggest such treachery ! Do you 
 think I would ever oppress my dear city, when all I 
 ask is to protect her from her foes and destroy them ! " 
 
 A rumour was spread abroad that the turbulent 
 young Medici had been killed by a fall from his horse, 
 and the good priest Fortunati was in great anxiety. 
 But Salviati, his fellow guardian, soon set his mind 
 at rest. 
 
 "... Be of good cheer, our Giovanni is very 
 much alive, and in the best of tempers. He has been 
 with me to Pisa and Livorno ; he has seen something 
 of the country round and has had a very good time. 
 Believe me, he is like white wine, which needs much 
 knocking about ! " 
 
 So it seemed that the most dangerous adventures 
 only gained extra holidays for this favoured child of 
 fortune. The devoted Fortunati wrote him pages 
 of good advice. 
 
56 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 "... You must not stay in Pisa when the cruel 
 wintry weather comes, Giovanni; I dread the cold 
 rain and the snow for you. Come back to Castello, 
 my son. I send you six ducats for your pleasures, 
 but make Ser Jacobi keep an account of them. Yet 
 you must not let people think you shabby or 
 miserly ; I would have you free-handed and magni- 
 ficent, as is suitable to your condition. . . ." 
 
 There was really no reason for this last counsel, 
 as never did any one make his money fly more freely 
 than Caterina's son. He so loved all the good things 
 of life : horses, dogs, and falcons ; games, feasts, and 
 jests ; and, alas ! the most disreputable company. 
 Giovanni was at his best in his mountain home at 
 Trebbio, with his violent out-door sports and his 
 indefatigable pursuit of all that might fit him for 
 the art of war. We are told that he would fence, night 
 and day, with the tried old soldiers who had served the 
 Madonna of Forli, and they never could succeed in 
 wearing out his youthful energy. He became the most 
 expert horseman of his day ; he studied the use of 
 arms and of every means of siege and defence. When 
 the mood took him, he would give the most extra- 
 vagant village festivals, of which he himself was the 
 life and soul — running, throwing the bar, besides 
 jumping and wrestling with the villagers, who almost 
 worshipped their gay young lord. 
 
 We find Jacopo Salviati writing of him at this 
 time : 
 
 " Giovanni may be wild and passionate but hie lias 
 
 a good heart. We must have patience with him, 
 my dear Fortunati, in this flower of his age, and 
 
GIOVANNI GOES TO HOME 57 
 
 only use the bit with discretion to guide him as much 
 as possible. . . " 
 
 It was in September 1512 that an event took 
 place which made a great change in the position of our 
 hero. Eighteen years before, the Medici of the elder 
 branch had been cast down from their high estate as 
 rulers of Florence, and had been driven into exile. 
 Now, by a series of intrigues which we have no space 
 to describe, the men of Florence " once more returned 
 to their ancient chains/' and humbled themselves 
 before their former princes and tyrants. The trium- 
 phant partisans of the Medici could not forget 
 that Jacopo Salviati had been a friend of Savonarola, 
 the priest of Christian liberty and the foe of tyrants. 
 They could not attack him openly, so high was his 
 fame and reputation — moreover, his wife Lucrezia 
 was the daughter of the Magnificent Lorenzo dei 
 Medici — so Salviati was disposed of in the good old 
 fashion : sent away as an ambassador to Rome. 
 
 Thus it came about that Giovanni paid his first 
 visit to the Eternal City, for his guardian wished to 
 keep in touch with him. By the return of his family 
 to power, this boy had become an important person- 
 age : his banishment was at an end and all his short- 
 comings were blotted out. 
 
 There is a curious list, in the handwriting of Fran- 
 cesco Fortunati, of the magnificent equipment thought 
 needful for the young prince on his journey to Rome, 
 It is too long to copy in full, but we find : 
 
 " Two great Lombard coffers, of varnished black 
 leather, cased with plated mounts. 
 
 " Six embroidered shirts, of fine linen, new. Six 
 handkerchiefs with insertion, new. Ten handker- 
 
58 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 chiefs of fine linen, worn. Two feather pillows covered 
 with shot silk. 
 
 " Ten pairs of shoes of fancy leather. A dagger 
 with inlaid handle. 
 
 " A doublet of satin, al lacco, new. A doublet 
 of crimson velvet, new. 
 
 " Doublets of grey satin, of black satin, and two 
 of scarlet velvet, worn. 
 
 " A great robe of crimson velvet, the collar lined 
 with Spanish cat, new. 
 
 " A great robe of black velvet, lined with fur, new. 
 A surcoat of blue velvet lined with brown, new. A 
 surcoat of black damask, lined with brown, new, 
 and others. 
 
 " A cape of violet cloth, lined with silver-grey 
 damask, with a Spanish hood, and three others. A 
 surcoat of silver-grey felt, striped with black damask, 
 for the water. 
 
 " A pair of Lucca shoes, new. A pair of em- 
 broidered black cloth shoes, new, and a pair of white 
 cloth. A pair of velvet shoes, and a pair of morocco 
 shoes. A pair of morocco boots. A pair of strong 
 boots of calf. 
 
 " A white beaver hat, new. A broad hat lined 
 with black silk. A variety of caps, some of cloth of 
 gold." 
 
 Then follows an inventory of house linen, em- 
 broidered covers, hangings of silk and tapestry, arms 
 and travelling equipments, all on a sumptuous scale, 
 suitable for the young lord's high estate. 
 
 This boy of fourteen arrived in Rome on March 21, 
 1512, and lost no time in throwing himself headlong 
 into the varied, exciting, and corrupt life of the great 
 
ANXIOUS DAYS FOE FORTUNATI 59 
 
 city. His guardian soon had reason bitterly to regret 
 having sent for him, and took the curious step of 
 suggesting a visit to Naples, from whence, however, 
 Giovanni soon returned and behaved worse than ever. 
 Salviati wrote a long letter to old Fortunati, entering 
 fully into his troubles, and concluding : "If there is 
 no other remedy, I shall be obliged to send him 
 back to Florence." 
 
 Fierce and turbulent alike in his love and his hate, 
 the precocious lad was in serious danger, not only for his 
 morals but even for his life, in the haunts of evil which 
 made a byword of Papal Rome in the Renaissance. 
 His two guardians had no peace until some months 
 later, when he was safely back in Florence under the 
 eye of his business-like cousin Pietro Francesco, who 
 tried to interest him in the still unfinished division 
 of their property. However, Giovanni managed to 
 keep up a very gay life in his palace by the Corso, 
 and we can still see one of the orders he scribbled to 
 Fortunati at Castello : 
 
 " I pray you send by my man Toso, two couples 
 of good capons, some thrushes if possible, ten flasks 
 of wine and at least eight ducats, without fail. For 
 you know a feast costs money. . . ." 
 
 At the carnival of 1513, when the Medici were 
 having splendid festivities to keep the people of 
 Florence in good temper, Giovanni writes again to 
 the old priest : 
 
 " The Triumphs are going round to-night. Come, 
 therefore, it you want to see them. ..." 
 
 It was indeed a magnificent show, and we do not 
 
60 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 wonder that the genial old canon enjoyed it almost 
 as much as the boy of fifteen. They sat in state at 
 the first-floor window of the Medici Palace in the Corso, 
 gaily hung with banners and tapestry, while, again 
 and again, the procession paused to cheer the gallant 
 young prince of the reigning house. He had been 
 behind the scenes, and could explain everything. 
 
 " Look, my father ; there goes the Triumph of the 
 Diamond, and Messire Giuliano is at the head of it. 
 You see they are all clad as Romans of the old days. 
 The next one coming yonder is that of the Laurel 
 Trunk, from which we Medici sprang, and it is led by 
 our Messire Lorenzo. ..." 
 
 As the gorgeous painted cars passed by, resplendent 
 with gold and silver, with the shining armour, the 
 torches, the wondrous line of strange animals, the 
 boy clapped his hands and shouted with enthusiasm. 
 But Fortunati was still more interested by the 
 wonderful procession of the Age of Gold, in which 
 the gods and heroes were represented. There was 
 grim Saturn, and Janus with his two faces, and 
 King Numa, Torquatus, the Caesars, Cleopatra in 
 a car with her ladies, and endless real and fabulous 
 characters magnificently portrayed. One striking 
 figure was a little boy, gilt all over, to represent 
 the Golden Age, but this was a tragedy, for he 
 died of it. 
 
 The memory of this gorgeous Triumph had not 
 faded away before still greater glory awaited the 
 House of Medici. Before the end of March the 
 Cardinal Giovanni dei Medici became Pope under 
 the name of Leo X. Madonna Lucrezia Salviati, his 
 favourite sister, with her husband and family, were 
 in Rome to take part in his Coronation, the most 
 
THE MEDICI POPE, LEO X., ELECTED 61 
 
 splendid and triumphant which ever Pope had 
 enjoyed. Our young Giovanni was present of course, 
 and distinguished himself by the sumptuous mag- 
 nificence of his costume and equipage, and by his 
 incomparable horsemanship, which delighted the 
 populace. He at once gained high favour with 
 the Pope, who did not forget him, but in the general 
 rush for good appointments other members of the 
 family put in their first claim. 
 
 When Lorenzo returned to govern Florence in 
 August, Salviati accompanied him, and also the boy 
 Giovanni, who by that time was longing for his 
 Tuscan villas. He had already written long before to 
 Fortunati, or rather dictated a letter which he signed 
 with a flourish like a plume of feathers and a few 
 splashes like bullet marks. 
 
 " Most honoured and venerable father. . . . You 
 tell me that you have my room ready and I am 
 well pleased. ... I long to see those fresh streams 
 and also the ortolans. I pray you keep some for 
 me and I will show you a new way of cooking 
 them. . . . Give my respects to my dear lady 
 Lucrezia and also to la Maria 9S (who were at 
 Florence), " and tell them that I am well and I 
 hope they are also. . . . God keep you. 
 
 "Rome, June 11, 1513." 
 
 At length Giovanni's highest ambition was to be 
 gratified : he received a post, at the same time as 
 Pietro Salviati, in the armed militia of Giuliano dei 
 Medici, now Captain-General of Rome. The lad began 
 his training as a captain at once, and threw all the 
 fierce energy of his nature into this profession of arms. 
 
62 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOB 
 
 He aroused the greatest enthusiasm in his teachers, 
 and his progress -was watched with keen interest 
 by the crafty Lorenzo. Madonna Lucrezia shows her 
 satisfaction in a letter from Rome. 
 
 " My loving son, salutation ! . . . I look upon you 
 as one of my own children and will always treat you 
 as such. ... I hear every day how well you are 
 behaving and that you are always with the Magnificent 
 Lorenzo, which gives me great pleasure. . . . Believe 
 me that I only seek what is good for your body and 
 soul, therefore be of good courage and good will, for 
 you are ever in my heart, but you must have patience, 
 for time rules all things. . . . Keep in good health 
 and good temper, and live wisely as I am sure you do 
 and God will not forsake you. . . . Take care that 
 your letters are delivered into my own hands. I 
 recommend la Maria to you ; go and see her often. 
 
 " She who is like a mother to you, 
 
 •'•'Lucrezia Salviati dei Medici. 
 
 " Rome. April 8, 1514." 
 
 Maria was by this time quite recognised as his 
 future wife, and her position was no sinecure, for the 
 boy brought all his troubles to her, talking ever of 
 arms and armour and horses and fighting. He poured 
 out to her his burning ambition to prove his metal in 
 real fighting, to show off his hereditary valour and 
 his splendid horsemanship on the field of battle. 
 
 Meanwhile, to pass the time until his military 
 services should be in request, the young prince was 
 taking an interest in the management of hia estates 
 and sending imperious commands to }\i< steward-. 
 Thus he writes to Antonio Vaini, in July 1514 : 
 
THE BOY ENTEES MILITAEY SERVICE 63 
 
 " Messire Antonio, referring to your last letter, 
 I see that you were to send me wine and various 
 couples of fowls. You have not sent the fowls, I do 
 not know why. Do not forget to send me four or 
 five couples and as many more pigeons — in short a 
 full load for a donkey, from Trebbio. Also I require 
 a pan of lard and the rest of the flour. That is all for 
 to-day." 
 
 Giovanni went to his beloved Trebbio in the autumn 
 for the hunting and shooting, and we find Fortunati, 
 who was a decided epicure, writing to his dear boy to 
 send him partridges and also fish of which he heard 
 there was plenty. And in return he sent good 
 pasties and cucumbers from Castello. 
 
 In October there came a message full of hope from 
 Madonna Lucrezia. She sent word that Giovanni 
 was to hold himself in readiness, for she believed 
 there would soon be a post for him, and he must 
 come, quick, quick to Rome. But he must not start 
 until he should hear from her. And she signed her 
 letter proudly, 
 
 " Lucrezia Salviati, sister of our Serenissimo 
 Lord the Pope." 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 The Death of Giuliano dei Medici — Leo X. summons Giovanni to Rome 
 — His first taste of real war — Marriage of Giovanni dei Medici 
 with Maria Maddalena Romola Salviati — Giovanni wins fame 
 in the war against Urbino. 
 
 Giuliano dei Medici, the favourite brother of Pope 
 Leo, who could not do enough for him — Giuliano the 
 courtly Prince of the Cortegiano, Captain-General of 
 the Church, Due de Nemours, and recently married 
 to Philiberte, Princess of Savoy — was slowly dying at 
 Fiesole. As usual, poison was suspected ; did not his 
 nephew Lorenzo at Florence begrudge him the un- 
 bounded devotion of the Pope, who wished to make 
 a sovereign prince of his gentle brother ? In any 
 case Giuliano 's death was bitterly lamented by the 
 young Giovanni, who had looked upon him as his 
 leader to fame and conquest. All the service he 
 could now render to his lord was to take part in the 
 stately funeral procession, when the body of Giuliano 
 was borne from the Convent of San Marco, the home 
 of Fra Angelico and Savonarola, to his tomb in San 
 Lorenzo. 
 
 In the midst of that princely company of mourners — 
 where amongst the flaming torches and candles 
 waved the flags which the dead man had never used 
 on a field of battle — rode Giovanni dei Medici in a 
 long black silk mantle, raising in his hands the great 
 
 64 
 
DEATH OF GIULIANO DEI MEDICI 65 
 
 banner of the Church, slowly down the Via Larga. 
 The other standard was carried by Pietro Salviati, 
 and these two young condottieri especially attracted 
 the attention of the Florentine crowd. 
 
 Maria Salviati watched the splendid procession 
 from the Medici Palace, with other great ladies of her 
 family, and that evening Giovanni had thrilling news 
 for her. 
 
 " I am to go to Rome in a fortnight, Maria/' he 
 cried. " Your mother has been a true prophet, 
 and now His Holiness has sent for me." 
 
 " Then we shall be together, for now that my 
 sister is better, I am to return there with my mother 
 to-morrow. Tell me — will you stay with us ? " she 
 asked. 
 
 " No, my dear Maria ; the Serenissimo has provided 
 me with a palace of my own, and I am to take splendid 
 furnishing there, suitable for a great household. 
 You must advise me what to choose ? " 
 
 " You will take back all the wonderful gold and 
 silver plate which your mother brought from Rome, 
 and the tapestry with the Riario arms, and those 
 beautiful tapestry hangings with all the story of 
 Abraham worked in silk and gold. ..." 
 
 " Fortunati will see to all that ; I will write to him 
 to-morrow ; but I must have rich clothes, and armour, 
 and carpets, and linen for household use. . . . There 
 is one splendid suit of silver armour, with a helmet 
 and gauntlets all complete, which I would not leave 
 behind on any account. You must think of all the 
 fine things I shall need, for you see that I must 
 make a good show in Rome to do honour to His 
 Holiness." 
 
 " I will speak to my mother, and we will try to 
 
66 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 remember everything/' said Maria simply. ' How 
 proud we shall '■iovanni ! But all this 
 
 will cost a fortune ? " 
 
 "It is for my company that I want money.'' ex- 
 claimed the young warrior. M I have spent so much 
 on them already, and now my captains must have 
 embroidered gloves and armour and trappings for 
 their horses. I must show you the splendid suit I 
 have had made for my chestnut barb ; with collar and 
 breastplate and chamfret all complete. You see I 
 only care for all this as it brings me nearer to real 
 war" ! Think of it, Maria ! " 
 
 She did think of it, poor girl, and though she bravely 
 kept a smiling face, her great dark eyes grew dim 
 and the colour faded from her cheeks as she realised 
 that all this preparation would take her boy 
 one day into the midst of terrible fighting, and 
 battle, and wounds . . . and what would be the 
 end of it I 
 
 So Giovanni went to Rome, and installed himself 
 in magnificent style with a great household, and 
 sunned himself in the favour of the luxurious Medici 
 Pope. But little cared the young warrior about 
 rare tapestries and sumptuous house linen ; his whole 
 heart was devoted to the training of his company 
 and, with precocious wisdom, to winning the hearts 
 of his captains. Nothing was too good for them ; 
 
 !y armour and apparel, horses of the b< 
 dogs and falcons for hunting. He was their fountain 
 of honour rather than their master, and hereafter 
 they would follow him to the death. It was at this 
 time that the young condottiere made 
 of a certain Corsican captain named Tristan, and that 
 he first began to recruit his company from thuse brave 
 
LEO X. SUMMONS GIOVANNI TO ROME 67 
 
 islanders who, with their solid courage and splendid 
 endurance, were to become unconquerable under his 
 marvellous training. 
 
 But all these military preparations were costly in 
 the extreme, and although Leo X. was lavish with his 
 promises, he was always short of money on account 
 of his personal extravagance. Giovanni, who spared 
 nothing for his soldiers, now began that fatal system 
 of borrowing from the rich Hospital of Santa Maria 
 Nuova, which was in time to devour all his fortune. 
 His first real taste of war was a kind of border-raid 
 upon the Orsini, under the Pope's orders, in which 
 he showed his reckless valour ; and he was then sent 
 to take possession of Sermonetta, that malarious 
 place in the Pontine marshes, where he was again 
 triumphantly successful. 
 
 More important service soon awaited him, for the 
 Medici Pope, in emulation of Alexander VI., wished 
 to make a " Caesar Borgia " of his nephew Lorenzo, 
 now that the more scrupulous Giuliano was dead. 
 So with the instincts of a brigand, supported by all 
 the wealth and power of the Church, Leo X. set 
 himself to rob the Princes of the Romagna, and 
 especially to conquer the dominions of Francesco 
 Maria, Duke of Urbino, for the profit of the weak 
 and crafty Lorenzo. In the summer of 1516 the 
 States of Urbino were invaded by the Papal forces 
 from three quarters, in such overwhelming strength 
 that the Duke, anxious to save his subjects from 
 a hopeless struggle, bowed before the storm and 
 yielded all but a few citadels, to await his time in 
 the future. The war only lasted twenty-two days, 
 but even in that short time Giovanni had learnt 
 much, and served his first apprenticeship to the great 
 
68 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 work of his life, as the supreme leader of his famous 
 bands. 
 
 The young knight of eighteen had won his spurs, 
 but he was being led into bad company in Rome, 
 through his intimacy with the Illustrious Lorenzo, 
 and it was thought well to carry out his long-arranged 
 marriage before the next war should break forth. 
 The Salviati had their time fully occupied between 
 Florence and Rome, where their son Pietro was 
 nominated Prior of the Eternal City. It was 
 on a November day of this year, 1516, that the 
 wedding ceremony took place between Giovanni 
 dei Medici and Maria Maddalena Romola Salviati. 
 The notaries on both sides had long been engaged 
 with the terms of so great an alliance — Maria was 
 to bring her husband a dowry of twenty thousand 
 gold ducats, the same as her sister Elena received 
 on becoming Princess of Piombino. Nothing was 
 neglected in the way of money matters, for Madonna 
 Lucrezia had all the business talent of her great 
 merchant family. She was a brave, energetic woman, 
 showing great talent and discretion in the management 
 of her ten children ; arranging princely marriages for 
 them and, between times, obtaining a Cardinal's 
 hat or a rich Priory for various sons. 
 
 When the great day arrived, all Florence was given 
 up to festivity, for the high position and youth of 
 the bride and bridegroom, both connected with the 
 reigning family, gave additional interest to the 
 splendid ceremony. At the corner of that gloomy 
 street of the old town, the Via Pandolfino, stands the 
 ancient church of San Procolo, enriched by the 
 works of Giotto and Filippo Lippi, where the Sal- 
 viati had their private chapel to the right of the high 
 
 
Erogi. photo. 
 
 School of Yasari : Palazzo Yecchio : Florence. 
 CATHERINE DEI MEDICI. 
 
 69 
 
GIOVANNI MARRIES MARIA SALVIATI 71 
 
 altar. Here it was that the handsome young Medici, 
 his broad, sturdy figure richly arrayed, proudly led 
 the slender Salviati maiden, of the delicate features, 
 the tender mouth, and the great dreamy dark eyes 
 which seemed already to forecast the tragedy of her 
 passionate love. 
 
 After the wedding mass the procession set forth 
 to the Salviati Palace in the Corso and, in stately 
 magnificence, passed under the spacious colonnade 
 recently decorated in the style of Michelozzi. The 
 girl-bride of seventeen, in her stiff white brocade 
 and pearls, sat between her father and mother, facing 
 the bridegroom, at the great banquet given in their 
 honour, and we are told that the guests were enter- 
 tained by buffoons between the courses. But after 
 the sumptuous repast they had to listen to a matri- 
 monial sermon, in which the young married lovers 
 were instructed in their duties. Next came the 
 supreme moment when Giovanni gave the ring to 
 Maria, and placed it on her finger, and she in turn 
 presented him with one. 
 
 The wedding festivities lasted for some days, as 
 the young warrior, in the joy of his heart, had pre- 
 pared a splendid series of jousts and tournaments 
 in honour of his lady. In these he gallantly dis- 
 tinguished himself above all his gay companions, by 
 his consummate skill and unrivalled valour. In the 
 enclosed space at the northern end of the lists was a 
 raised dais, hung with richly coloured hangings and 
 filled with ladies in gala dress. In the place of 
 honour sat the young bride who, in all that sea 
 of waving plumage, glittering helmets, and tall lances, 
 had eyes only for her hero. She watched him ride 
 into the lists to the sound of trumpets, clad in shining 
 
 5 
 
72 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 armour, his lance on the rest, and the great white 
 panache on his helmet swaying in the wind, while 
 her heart throbbed with pride to see the perfect 
 mastery with which he guided his magnificent war- 
 horse. But when the opposing knights closed in 
 fierce conflict with a great shock, and lances burst 
 into shivers and, amid the clash of arms, here and 
 there a knight was hurled to the ground, then the 
 gentle Maria — utterly modern and remote from her 
 own period, in her horror of bloodshed — could only 
 hold her breath and close her eyes. 
 
 In such a moment, she could realise with a bitter 
 pang how far asunder she must ever be from the 
 one she loved, the fierce young condottiere, to whom 
 this mere semblance of war was a passionate delight. 
 Dimly she foresaw that, to the end, she must hold 
 the second place, for her Giovanni was indeed one 
 of those who had " tolto la corazza per moglie " * 
 (wedded the cuirass). 
 
 Jacopo Salviati gave his palace in the Corso to 
 the young Medici, and it is curious to remember 
 that it was built on the site of the old house of Folco 
 Portinari, where Dante first saw his Beatrice. But 
 there was nothing in the warlike spirit of Giovanni 
 to recall the thoughts and aspirations of the poet. 
 Not his the high and heavenly love described in the 
 Vita Nuova ; the poet's dream, the holy calm of 
 that sacred vision were far beyond his conception. 
 We cannot even imagine him turning over the Leaves 
 of that splendid copy of Dante's works on vellum, 
 illustrated by Sandro Botticelli for his great kinsman 
 Lorenzo. 
 
 * Corlegiano, I. xvii. p. 40, edit. Cian. 
 
FIRST TASTE OF REAL WAR 73 
 
 A fighter from his birth, his chief delight will ever 
 be in waving banners, in glittering lances, and fleet 
 war-horses ; in the tumnlt of battle and the joy of 
 conquest. Maria, of the tender dark eyes — those 
 deep wells of passion — she will never hold him ; for 
 wife and home have no binding power to compare 
 with his lust of war. 
 
 It needed but a little while to show how true this 
 was. A passing illness kept him in Florence until 
 the middle of December, but within a month of his 
 wedding he left his young wife, not to meet her again 
 for many a day. He is in Rome, eagerly engaged 
 in training and making ready his company of a 
 hundred light horsemen, who with their attendants 
 made up eight hundred men. Francesco Maria, 
 with the help of foreign mercenaries, was making a 
 determined attempt to recover his dominions, and 
 the campaign against him commenced at the begin- 
 ning of the year 1517. Young Giovanni was so high 
 in the Pope's esteem that his company of light 
 horsemen was doubled in number, and he was also, 
 for the first time, placed in command of five hundred 
 foot-soldiers ; moreover, he was first in the field. 
 But before setting forth he received a letter from 
 Maria, written on January 3. In the rare epistles 
 which he sends to her, he addresses her simply as 
 " Consorte Mia " (My wife), very unlike the elaborate 
 ceremony with which his father wrote to Caterina 
 Sforza : " Most Illustrious, and Most Excellent 
 Lady, my only hope, most precious . . . , ,J 
 
 Giovanni has news again of his wife at Bologna ; 
 he is told that she is well, " that she is working at a 
 hood for a falcon, at a piece of tapestry, and that 
 her sister Elena is with her." But his chief corre- 
 
74 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 spondence is with Fortunati, from whom he insists 
 upon obtaining money at any price. 
 
 " My carissimo ... I inform you of my good 
 health. It has pleased the Signor Lorenzo to give 
 me a goodly number of light horsemen. I therefore 
 beg you to send me two hundred ducats at once. Do 
 not fail me for anything . . . seeing that I want them 
 immediately . . . even if I have to pawn my wife's 
 jewels ; I am writing to her and feel sure she will 
 do what you tell her. I pray of you not to fail me, 
 and to settle this as quickly as possible. . . . May 
 Christ keep you from harm. 
 
 " Giovanni dei Medici 
 " (With his own hand). 
 
 "January 13, 1517. In the Camp at Bologna." 
 
 Poor little Maria ! Here we have a glimpse at the 
 kind of love letters she received. His next letter 
 is to Duke Lorenzo, written in March, when he had 
 to defend the pass in the Apennines at Fiorenzuola. 
 " We are here on the watch," he says. The war 
 in those distant and rugged places was extremely 
 costly, and even more so when he had to cross the 
 mountains to Pesaro, where the gallant company 
 was destitute of everything. The young captain 
 writes to his faithful Fortunati : 
 
 " Reverend father ... I send my servant Toso. 
 . . . As is the way in war, these last days I have 
 lost my mules with the few trifles which I brought 
 from home. Tell them to send me a cape, a silk 
 doublet and shirts, with all that you find in the 
 house of mine. If they have been given away, 
 
LOVE LETTERS OF GIOVANNI 75 
 
 have others made. I have received from Madonna 
 four shirts, but that is not enough ; see that more 
 are sent. 
 
 " And besides, as I am badly mounted, you must 
 send me the best and finest Arab horses that you 
 can get in Florence, for mine are all out of condition. 
 
 " And besides, you will find a trumpet for my 
 trumpeter ; it must be a good one with a clear 
 sound. . . . You will also have a seal made with 
 the crest and my name ; the letters small on one 
 side, and larger on the other for the licenses and the 
 safe-conducts. Nothing more to say. Take care to 
 keep well, and commend me to my Lady, Madonna 
 Maria. 
 
 " Your Giovanni dei Medici, as your son. 
 
 "At the Camp in Pesaro. April 14, 1517." 
 
 Poor Fortunati did his best to obey the orders 
 of his imperious young lord, but it became more and 
 more difficult to borrow the needful money, and 
 worse was to come. This war was no mere dress 
 parade like the first attack upon Urbino, but a 
 serious campaign which lasted eight months. The 
 young Medici was the only leader who was in deadly 
 earnest, eager to win success at any price ; he alone 
 paid his men himself, and took no share of the booty 
 which fell to him by right of custom. The other 
 condottieri only thought of their own interests, 
 and were by no means anxious to end a war which 
 kept them and their companies so well. 
 
 Meantime Duke Lorenzo was glad to take advantage 
 of a slight wound, to retire to the safety of his 
 palace at Florence. He tried to keep command of 
 the war from afar, while other favourites of the Pope, 
 
76 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 especially Cardinal Bibbiena, were constantly inter- 
 fering, to the furious indignation of a real soldier like 
 Giovanni, who suffered more than once through their 
 blunders, enduring the loss of his camp, his horses, 
 and all his possessions, and barely escaping with 
 h s life. Even then, his most serious trouble was 
 the failure of his well-laid plans. We see this in his 
 violent complaints, although his passionate words 
 have evidently been smoothed down by a courtly 
 secretary. It was always the horses that the young 
 leader thought of first, and these endless and un- 
 necessary marches and counter-marches were utter 
 destruction to them. 
 
 From Cesena he writes to Fortunati : 
 
 " Salutation ! I desire that you have made for 
 me a silk banner with white and violet stripes ; and 
 send it me as soon as possible ; as soon as it is ready 
 give it to the bearer. 
 
 " I hear that my wife is ill. Comfort her for 
 the love of me. If I could leave, I would go and 
 see her. Make my excuses to her." 
 
 He received the standard four days later, with 
 a hundred gold ducats and a good Arab horse, but 
 at the same time a letter from his faithful friend, 
 who is in despair as to how he can raise or borrow 
 any more money. He adds : 
 
 " Maria has had two attacks of tertian fever, and 
 does not recover, and is very sad at heart. May 
 God help her, for no one else tries to do so ! . . . 
 " Ever yours, F. F., priest of Cascina." 
 
 Poor Maria might well fret herself into a fever 
 
THE YOUNG CONDOTTIERE 77 
 
 with anxiet}^ about her young husband, always in 
 peril of his life through his reckless daring. Daughter 
 of a race of bankers, she might well moan with 
 despair over his spendthrift waste of money in this 
 terrible war, and the ever-growing mountain of debt 
 which must bring ruin in the near future. For if 
 Giovanni refused to pay himself with booty, he 
 was also unlike the other Medici in not grasping 
 rich offices and gifts from the Pope. The young 
 condottiere was no courtier ; we have seen in what 
 terms he wrote about Cardinal Bibbiena, but worse 
 was to come. When Duke Lorenzo had reluctantly 
 put on the armour which Michelangelo had designed 
 for him, and drawn near the seat of war, his young 
 kinsman rushed into his presence at Oreiano,* and 
 thoroughly abused two captains who had interfered 
 with him the day before at Sorbolungo. 
 
 "It is your fault, your negligence, or your 
 cowardice, which lost us the chance of victory ! " 
 he cried, facing them with defiance. 
 
 In this war, which came to an end after eight 
 months without satisfaction on either side, and 
 where everything was on such a petty scale, Giovanni 
 learnt his profession and grew to his full stature 
 as a leader of soldiers. The aimless marches, the 
 entangled skirmishes, taught him the value of rapidity, 
 the secret of perfect discipline. He forged his own 
 instruments, as all great men have done. He would 
 replace the heavy cavalry, the cumbrous armour, 
 the slow, massive horses which it required, by light, 
 active Arab horses, easily managed and full of spirit, 
 ridden by agile men lightly equipped. He formed 
 
 * Eighteen miles below Pisa. 
 
78 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 for himself a staff of picked officers at a high pay, 
 who were absolutely under his command, whose 
 name and fame became one with his, and who were 
 faithful to him alone, until his death. This careful 
 cultivation of military talent was, in truth, the founda- 
 tion of those famous bands with which his name is 
 always associated. 
 
 Giovanni returned in triumph from the war, with 
 his great banner waving proudly over the bridle- 
 paths of Romagna and the highway of the Caesars. 
 He brought nothing back with him but the dawning 
 rays of his coming greatness, and the whole-hearted 
 devotion of his soldiers, who knew that their young 
 leader was first in arms and valour above them all. 
 Had they not seen him, in that famous skirmish with 
 the hitherto unconquered Albanian, Andrea Gano, 
 spring upon his foe, snatch from him his mighty 
 battle-axe, and overthrow him in a moment ? And 
 that earlier time, when their hero had seized a prisoner 
 in his arms and with one great leap had carried 
 him off victoriously ? What other leader, save 
 Bayard, would have left the spoils of war to his men 
 and taken nothing for himself ? 
 
 In this futile and wasteful war, one deeper truth 
 had been revealed to the warrior Medici, which is 
 best set forth in the words of the historian Guic- 
 ciardini. 
 
 " It was the misfortune of our destiny that Italy 
 should be divided amongst so many princes and 
 states, so that with their various interests ... we 
 are destined to perpetual misfortune." 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 Evil news for Maria — In defence of one of his men, Giovanni has 
 defied the Lord Camillo d' Appiano and slain two of his servants — 
 Giovanni escapes to Castello and thence to Ferrara — Sentence of 
 banishment from Florence for five years is passed upon him. 
 
 Maria Salviati sat alone in the fair tapestried 
 chamber of the Villa Castello. The tall gilt clock 
 in the corner pointed to the hour of midnight, and 
 a wood fire smouldered on the marble hearth, for in 
 February the hours after sunset were still chilly. 
 As the young Princess dei Medici leant forward 
 in her carved high-backed chair, the light from 
 the silver lamp on her writing-table shone full upon 
 her face, and showed the ravages which anxiety 
 and fever had made in little more than one brief 
 year since her marriage. The ivory tint of her 
 complexion had become a sickly pallor, her cheeks 
 were thin and sunken, and there was almost a lurid 
 flame in her great dark eyes. Still only a girl of 
 eighteen, she had the look of a mature woman who 
 had suffered much. 
 
 When that terrible war of Urbino had come to an 
 end last autumn (1517), she had been full of hope 
 and eager expectation. Her Giovanni would come 
 back to her, and now would begin that blissful 
 married life to which she had so long looked forward ! 
 The ruinous expenses of the war would end ; now 
 there would be monev for the household expenses, 
 
 79 
 
80 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 and to pay the mean, harassing debts to the poor 
 farmers for their " corn, their wine, their firewood 
 and their meat/' 
 
 But how different had been the reality. Her 
 husband assured her that he must continue to pay 
 his best caj3tains and the pick of his company at 
 the risk of losing his high position, and that it was 
 peace which was ruinous to him, when there was 
 no chance of earning pay. The young Medici had 
 thrown himself gaily into the life of a great lord ; 
 in his palace in Florence he had never less than 
 fifty retainers, and kept more than thirty horses 
 in his stables and as many dogs for hunting. There 
 was constant feasting with his reckless companions, 
 and all his fortune, her dowry, and all the money 
 he could borrow, were melting away. And there was 
 still worse, for the young wife had indeed cause for 
 jealous indignation. 
 
 She had come across a letter, left carelessly in a 
 doublet which he had asked her to mend, in which 
 a person, who signed herself " Angelica/' had im- 
 plored the " Illustrious Lord Giovanni " to protect 
 her from her enemies, who had tried more than once 
 to set fire at night to the wooden windows of her 
 house in Florence. Then, one day when Maria was 
 attending Mass in her own church of San Procolo, 
 a painted woman, with noisy attendants, had flaunted 
 in and glanced at her with a contemptuous smile 
 . . . and her maid had told her this was the notorious 
 Angelica. . . . 
 
 But all these troubles had paled into insignificance 
 before the last terrible rashness and insubordination 
 of the young condottiere. On that inlaid table by 
 her side was the copy of a challenge which be had 
 
GIOVANNI'S CHALLENGE 81 
 
 sent three months before to a kinsman, the Lord 
 Camillo d/Appiano oVAragona, cousin of Jacopo V., 
 Prince of Piombino. 
 
 " Lord Camillo. These latter days there arrived 
 at Piombino a man who is in my service, called el 
 Corsetto [the Little Corsican] . . . and he asked if 
 you had any message for me. You made him wait ; 
 then you gave him five or six wounds in your own 
 house . . . and after that you call yourself a gentle- 
 man, when the greatest rascal in the world would 
 not have done such a shameful thing. And in order 
 to show you your error, I let you know that you 
 behaved badly and ignobly like a vile man of the 
 lowest rank . . . and I call upon you to meet me 
 in arms and I will punish you for your sin. If you 
 are an honourable man you will not fail in this, . . . 
 though I doubt if you will dare to fight me. ... I 
 will send you word of a safe meeting place, suitable 
 to people of our condition ; and if you do not accept 
 battle, I will do what a poor fellow of your sort 
 deserves. And let this suffice for you ; I give you 
 a limit of fifteen days, dating from the day when 
 you receive this letter. 
 
 " Given November 25, 1517. 
 
 "I, Giovanni dei Medici . . . and two witnesses." 
 
 The duel appears to have been absolutely forbidden 
 by the Duke Lorenzo and Jacopo V., Prince of Piom- 
 bino, but Giovanni's blood was roused. He would 
 listen to no remonstrances, and was driven nearly 
 wild with all the delays and correspondence, espe- 
 cially as he had obtained safe-conducts for himself 
 and his adversary from Luigi Gonzaga, Count of 
 
82 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 Rodigo, who gave them permission to meet, under 
 proper conditions of etiquette, at Gazzuolo (between 
 the Mincio and the Po, near Mantua), where he had 
 a palace. We may imagine the feelings of poor 
 Maria, who found herself in disgrace with all her 
 relations on account of this impossible husband of 
 hers, and was only too thankful to leave Florence 
 and take refuge at the Villa Castello. The only 
 person of any comfort to her was the priest Fortunati, 
 who never blamed the young wife or urged her to 
 worry the culprit into submission, but was full of 
 wise sympathy, and assured her that " our Giovanni 
 will work out his own salvation, and all will be 
 right in the end/ 3 
 
 But meantime Maria spent weary days and sleep- 
 less nights, and often sat up with her book or em- 
 broidery until the early hours of the morning. On 
 that night of the 18th of February, 1518, she had 
 risen to throw some fir-cones on the dying embers 
 of the fire when she was startled by the distant 
 sound of an approaching horseman. She could not 
 mistake that familiar tramp of hoofs in the plane- 
 tree avenue, and in another moment she had caught 
 up the silver lamp and, with hurried steps, had 
 passed into the outer hall, that she might show a 
 light to the benighted traveller. She knew who 
 was coming, for no one else would arrive at that 
 hour and in such furious, desperate haste. Her 
 throbbing heart told her that it was her Giovanni, 
 and that he brought evil tidings. But Maria Sal- 
 viati had learnt wisdom through suffering, and she 
 gave way to no wild outcry as she unbarred the 
 door with trembling hands. 
 
 In that moment of fearful suspense, the voice of 
 
DEFIANCE OF THE YOUNG PKINCE 83 
 
 the master rang out to rouse the stable men, and 
 she heard the sharp command : 
 
 " Pietro, bring round my new Arab in half an 
 hour, and make ready to follow me through the 
 night, with four trusty men." 
 
 Then a breathless and travel-stained man hurled 
 himself into the dimly lighted hall. 
 
 " I thought it was Fortunati who showed the light ! 
 Why are you not asleep at this hour, Maria ? " he 
 asked, in a tone of annoyance, as he turned to close 
 and carefully bolt the door. 
 
 " Tell me what has happened, my Giovanni \ " 
 she gasped, in ever-growing dismay, as she threw 
 her arms round her husband and drew him towards 
 the inner chamber. 
 
 " Give me wine and food ! " was the imperious 
 demand. " There is no time to lose ; they may be 
 already at my heels ! " 
 
 Maria obeyed in silence. She fetched a pasty and 
 white bread from the buttery, and poured out a 
 tankard of red wine from a silver beaker. Not 
 until he was refreshed did she dare to ask : 
 
 " I implore you, Giovanni, hide nothing from me ! 
 What is this new danger ? " 
 
 " That coward Camillo will have to fight me now ! 
 Listen, Maria ! The villain had the face to send two 
 of his creatures into Florence to bear lying tales 
 of me to my Lord Lorenzo. Before the assembled 
 Council they called me a cut-throat, a boor, a mis- 
 begotten hound. . . . Judge if it was not past 
 endurance ! So I went this night with il Corsetto 
 to their lodging at the Albergo del Guanto, in that 
 little street leading to the Arno, behind the Palazzo 
 Vecchio. We found the wretches in an upper 
 
84 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 chamber, and I gave them the lie in their throats 
 and fought them. . . . Upon my soul, I scarcely 
 know if I left them alive or dead . . . for my hand 
 is heavy when I am roused. . . ." 
 
 He paused, and the only sound which broke the 
 dreadful stillness was a stifled groan from the girl- 
 wife, who had listened with open-mouthed horror. 
 
 " Cheer up, my good Maria ! The slanderers only 
 got their deserts. Our horses were waiting in the 
 street below and we made a dash for the Porta San 
 Gallo. The Duke had given orders that no one 
 should leave the city, and had sent extra guards to 
 support all the door-keepers ; but you don't think they 
 could stop me ? I knocked down the door-keeper 
 and rode over Lorenzo's bullies, and here I am ! ' : 
 He laughed with real enjoyment as the scene rose 
 before him. 
 
 " But what will you do now ? " Maria found breath 
 to ask. " They will follow you, they will bring you 
 to trial. . . ." 
 
 " Of course they will if they can catch me ! I 
 only hope my poor Corsetto is safe ; I saw him 
 through the gate, but lost him in the darkness. 
 Now, Maria, listen ! I go at once to the Strozzi at 
 Ferrara, and write another challenge from thence 
 to Camillo, which he cannot refuse in honour. 
 You will send all that 1 need after me, for to-night 
 we must ride light. Give me all the money you 
 have in the house ; and if that is not enough, you 
 have some jewels left," he added, with serene 
 assurance that she would refuse him nothing. 
 
 It was not the moment to tell him that, except 
 for a few gold pieces which the devoted Fortunati 
 had lent her only yesterday, the great Medici lady 
 
GIOVANNI TAKES REFUGE AT FERRARA 85 
 
 was quite destitute. She gave him all the gold, and 
 added a few unconsidered trifles : a pair of diamond 
 earrings, a sapphire pendant, and a ring or two. 
 One painful duty remained ; Giovanni felt that he 
 must send an excuse to the Duke Lorenzo, and he 
 wrote a brief letter, scribbled in haste, with big 
 splashes for the letters and a signature like a plume 
 of eagle's feathers. In this he solemnly protested 
 that " his flight from Florence was only for the 
 safeguard of his honour, for his arrest would have 
 delayed the duel, which was more important to 
 him than his life." 
 
 After his departure, a terrible time of anxiety 
 and suspense began for Maria and Fortunati. Al- 
 though the offender was a young sprig of the reigning 
 house, it was felt that, for the honour of Florence, 
 there must be some sort of trial and sentence for so 
 bold an outrage. Both the Pope and Duke Lorenzo 
 required that the young condottiere should own his 
 fault and make submission to them before they 
 would exert themselves in his favour ; and in their 
 help was his only hope. Fortunati and all the 
 family tried to persuade him to be reasonable, and 
 we can see why his poor wife wrote him the most 
 imploring letters. 
 
 " Most illustrious and honoured husband/' she 
 dictated to the secretary Suasio ; " . . . I have sent 
 your letter and mine by Messire Francesco Fortunati 
 to the Duke, who was pleased with them and showed 
 them to Monsignore Cibo and my father, and he 
 said : ' If Giovanni does his duty ... I will not 
 forsake him/ Therefore my Lord, I pray V. S.* 
 
 * Vostra Signoria. 
 
86 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 to write at once to His Excellency and prove that 
 your submission is in earnest and that you will obey 
 him. Otherwise you may be certain that we shall 
 be ruined and utterly hopeless. As I think of it 
 my heart is breaking. ... If I cannot tru>t you 
 in this, I shall die of despair. . . . And if you do 
 not send me comfort at once, I will go to a convent 
 in my distress, never to leave it again. I pray and 
 supplicate and abjure you not to hasten thus to 
 your own destruction and mine at the same time. 
 
 " Now that there is a way of escape, I implore 
 you to take it ; do not wait for another opportunity 
 which may never come. My heart is breaking ; 
 I do not know what will become of me. . . . Give 
 some thought to our interests, for I promise you 
 that they need it . . . and ever remember your 
 distressed wife, who commends herself to you in 
 tears." 
 
 So much pressure was put upon Giovanni that at 
 length he was induced to write a letter of submission 
 to the Duke, dictated to him by Fortunati. 
 
 " Most Illustrious Prince, my only Lord ; I hear 
 that Your Excellency is going to France ; * and 
 as I desire to consecrate myself entirely to your 
 service, I pray you most earnestly to sutler me to 
 accompany you. ... I also pray you to give me 
 any punishment you think meet for the fault I have 
 committed, although I must say that what I did 
 was only to avenge myself for a great wrong. . . . 
 
 * To marry Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne, and to be Sponsor 
 to the infant son of Francois I. 
 
Anderson, photo. Titian : Florence. 
 
 CARDINAL IPPOLITO DEI MEDICI. 
 
 87 
 
SENTENCE OF BANISHMENT 89 
 
 I regret it from the bottom of my soul as I learn 
 that Your Excellency was so deeply offended. . . ." 
 
 It was not at all likely that the subtle, crafty Duke, 
 already in ill-health, would take such a fiery wild 
 companion as young Giovanni, yet his letter gave 
 great satisfaction. The Duke Lorenzo's mother, 
 Madonna Alphonsina, was very fond of the young 
 culprit, and she wrote to Maria, who had retired to 
 the Convent of St. Ursula, " that she was not to 
 distress herself, for all would be well/' 
 
 Giovanni was not likely to go wrong for want of 
 good advice, as everybody loaded him with it, from 
 the Pope downwards. A long and friendly letter 
 arrived from Leo X. on February 26, in which 
 Giovanni was commanded to come to Rome as soon 
 as possible, and " the Pope would watch over him 
 as a father." Meantime the exile had been enjoying 
 himself very much at Ferrara, where he was treated 
 with princely hospitality, and had some splendid 
 hunting in that country so full of game. Maria 
 again wrote to urge him to obedience to the Pope, 
 declaring that if he failed, " she would be tempted 
 to kill herself with her own hands." At the same 
 time she asked " what was to be done with the dogs 
 at Castello, for she was told they devoured three 
 bushels of bread a day." 
 
 At length Giovanni had made up his mind to go 
 to Rome, by way of Siena. He wrote to have his 
 swords sent to him ; also a surcoat of black satin 
 damask, which had been left with an usurer in pawn 
 for a ducat, and his steel gauntlets. 
 
 It was on March 15 that his sentence was pro- 
 nounced by the Council of Eight, after many weeks 
 
 6 
 
90 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 of deliberation. Maria wrote to her husband a few 
 days before to prepare him for it. She assured him 
 that " the Duke loved him as a brother/' and she 
 threatened to become a nun in reality if he did not 
 obey the sentence. His father-in-law wrote : " Do 
 not lose heart ; all this is done only to satisfy the 
 public, and that we may be able to recall you better 
 when the time comes/' The sentence of banishment, 
 written in the prolix maze of Law Latin, amounted 
 to this : " That Giovanni dei Medici, having com- 
 mitted various misdemeanours, scandals, etc. . . . 
 against right and justice . . . was to be banished 
 from the City of Florence, and within ten miles of 
 it, but he was to remain in the Florentine State . . . 
 for the term of five years. . . ." A month of grace 
 was allowed him before he had to announce his 
 presence in the region set forth ; but after that, 
 disobedience would entail the loss of his head and 
 of all his possessions. 
 
 In vain all his family tried to persuade him to 
 accept these most lenient terms ; he gave them as 
 much trouble as possible, and declared that he was not 
 well enough to travel. However, he wrote to Maria : 
 
 " Consorte me a. — Your letter tells me that you 
 are well ; I am very glad to hear it. I beg you to 
 send me two shirts and two tablecloths, and two 
 cloths of doe-skin, and some of my sheets and a 
 mattrass, and two salt-cellars and some cutlery, 
 and at least six bowls, cups, and four dishes. That 
 is all. I commend myself ever to you, and also to 
 your father. Addio. March 19, 1518. 
 
 " Your husband, 
 " Giovanni dei Medici." 
 
SUBMISSION OF THE YOUNG REBEL 91 
 
 At length there was great rejoicing because the 
 young rebel had arrived, on May 4, within the limits, 
 at his castle of Trebbio, twelve miles from Florence. 
 In a letter of For tuna ti of this period, we find a 
 touching little postscript which reveals, in a curious 
 way, the deepest feelings of Maria Maddalena Romola, 
 the modern wife, full of nerves and passionate affec- 
 tion for her mediaeval husband. She was out of 
 her element in that stormy age of arms and fighting, 
 ever distracted by rumours of murders and battles. 
 
 " P.S. May it please your Lordship to read this 
 and keep it for your own eye. I cannot refrain from 
 telling your Lordship of the words which his Maria 
 has said to me ... as I asked her why she was 
 still so sad and unhappy. She replied : 
 
 ' How can I take pleasure in anything when I 
 see the life of my Giovanni always in peril ; when 
 I never hear any one pass by or enter in, but the 
 sound of footsteps is like a knife in my heart ? For 
 I always imagine that bad news of him is coming 
 to me. Why does he place his life in danger every 
 day and night ? ... Is any young man in the 
 world more fortunate than he is ? Could any evil 
 come to him but by his own fault ? 
 
 My heart is ready to burst whenever I think 
 that, if he had any children, even if they were not 
 mine ... I should not feel one third of this torture. 
 For if adverse fortune came (from which God protect 
 him !) what would happen ? Would there be any 
 one to remember him and pray for his soul ? My 
 heart is breaking when I think of it. . . / 
 
 These words of Maria are of such importance, 
 my Lord, that I dare not fail to repeat them to 
 
92 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 you. May your Lordship read them again and 
 again; all his future ion, his peace, and his 
 
 content, are contained therein." 
 
 Was Giovanni touched by this confession ? In 
 any case he had come back to Maria at the Trebbio, 
 where he was out of the way of mischief and danger, 
 and his thoughts were fully occupied with his out- 
 door pursuits. He set to work at placing his pack 
 of hunting dogs on the best footing, and on renewing 
 his falconry. By a stroke of genius it occurred to 
 him to win the Pope's favourite — the chief falconer— 
 by sending costly presents of perfectly trained fal- 
 cons, and especially sparrow-hawks of a rare breed. 
 This step was so successful and gave Leo X. such 
 extreme pleasure, that before the end of June the 
 young Medici had received the long-coveted per- 
 mission to go back to Castello for a fortnight — which 
 really meant for an indefinite time. 
 
 We next mid Giovanni at Viterbo, with his half- 
 brother, Bishop Ottaviano, for whose illegitimate 
 daughter, Cornelia — to whom Caterina Sforza had 
 been so kind — he had to supply a dowry. It was 
 a new occupation for him to arrange a marriage, 
 and we find him writing to Maria : " Look out 
 three or four likely husbands in Florence, and then 
 we will choose/' 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 Leo X. finds warlike employment for Giovanni — Birth of his son 
 Cosimo — Great satisfaction of the Medici Pope — Giovanni in high 
 favour at Rome — Letters of Maria to him — She makes sad 
 complaint — His splendid training of his famous bands. 
 
 Giovanni dei Medici was outgrowing, by slow de- 
 grees, his turbulent boyhood, but idleness was always 
 fatal to him, and during that winter of 1518 he 
 caused much anxiety to his august family by his 
 dissipation and the lawless company he frequented. 
 The Pope at length understood that the only way 
 to keep him out of mischief was to find him military 
 employment, and with war already looming in the 
 distance, he appreciated the value of this young 
 leader, who was one in a thousand. In March 1519, 
 Giovanni was appointed to a company of one hundred 
 men-at-arms. He had never disbanded his best cap- 
 tains and men, and he now devoted himself entirely to 
 their thorough training. His reputation was steadily 
 rising, and great nobles were anxious to send their 
 sons to serve under him. He was known to have 
 a violent temper, but his sense of justice and his 
 marvellous intuition could always be trusted. 
 
 One day he saw a Corsican soldier out of his place 
 in the ranks. He put his hand to his sword and the 
 Corsican looked him steadily in the face. " Are 
 you coming to me, my lord ? If you approach, I 
 kill you," he cried. Giovanni put his sword back 
 
 93 
 
94 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 in the scabbard ; this audacity fascinated him. 
 He admired the fearless rebel who defied him, and 
 put him at the head of a company, choosing him 
 to serve near his own person. Such adventures made 
 him very popular with his men. 
 
 The death of Duke Lorenzo, in April of this year, 
 added much to the younger Medici's importance 
 with Leo X. Lorenzo had carried out his visit 
 to France with the utmost magnificence ; he had 
 married a French princess and stood sponsor to the 
 dauphin, but all the time his terrible illness was 
 increasing, and the following spring he died in agony, 
 six days after the death of his wife, who had given 
 birth to an infant, only too notorious in the days 
 to come, as Catherine dei Medici. Another event of 
 far more importance to the young condottiere was 
 at hand, for two months after the death of the Duke, 
 Maria gave birth to a son, on June 12, 1518, in the 
 Medici Palace on the Corso in Florence. The letter 
 in which Fortunati announced the news to Giovanni 
 is still extant. It was written and sealed up the 
 night before, and the servant Toso, who rode post- 
 haste with it to Rome, was to fill up the details by 
 word of mouth. 
 
 The great anxiety of Fortunati was to make the 
 most of this propitious event, and if possible to 
 induce " the Pope and all the Sacred College " to 
 be sponsors for the precious boy ! He gives a long 
 list of great ladies who, according to the custom 
 of the day, were in attendance upon Madonna Maria ; 
 he commends himself to His Holiness and to all 
 the Salviati family, and urges his master to come 
 as soon as possible to Florence as his wife desires 
 to see him. " May God keep you in all happiness." 
 
BIETH OF HIS SON COSIMO 95 
 
 Giovanni probably never paused to read the letter 
 through. It was enough that he had a son. He 
 hurried off at once to the Pope, full of the wonderful 
 news. 
 
 " Holy Father, I oSer as a present to Your 
 Holiness my first-born son. I have this instant 
 heard of his birth." 
 
 We can imagine the broad smile which spread over 
 Pope Leo's heavy face. Here was another Medici ! 
 
 " My son, I accept the gift, and the boy shall be to 
 me as my own child. But one thing I insist upon : 
 he must receive the name of his ancestor Cosimo, 
 the wisest and best of his race. Send back at once 
 the messenger who brought the news, and announce 
 that I give your son this name. The sponsors will 
 be the Cardinal dei Rossi, and the Lord Malatesta 
 Baglioni. See that a rich reward is given to him 
 who has brought the good news." 
 
 Toso hurried back to Florence with the message, 
 and received a suit of armour, two good horses, 
 twenty-five crowns, a new suit, and was promoted to 
 the rank of light horseman. Bonfires were lighted 
 on all the hills around Trebbio when the tidings 
 reached the peasants, and from thence the joy-fires 
 blazed onwards all over Romagna, from one hill-top 
 to another, till the flames spread from the Mugello 
 to the Adriatic. The more distant and mysterious 
 became the cause of this rejoicing, the more splendid 
 was its outward expression. 
 
 Giovanni dei Medici was in no sense a family man, 
 and he gave his wife and child very little of his 
 company. While Maria watched over the cradle 
 of the infant Cosimo, in her Florentine palace, and 
 vainly hoped from day to day that she would be 
 
96 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 summoned to join her husband, he thought only 
 of his horses, of his equipment, and of the training 
 of his bands amid the hills and valleys of Ancona 
 and the ancient Osimo, until these rough soldiers 
 became under his hands like an exquisitely polished 
 weapon, ready for any emergency. At Rome he 
 made his home in the great Salviati Palace, and had 
 the Papal pages under his charge. He received 
 occasional pay from Leo X., but was always in 
 grievous want of money, as we see only too plainly 
 from the letters of Maria, who had other grounds of 
 complaint. She writes to him on Xovember 12, 1519 : 
 
 " Most Illustrious Lord, most honoured husband ; 
 I received a letter from you on the 4th, in which I 
 heard of your good health, which gave me great 
 pleasure. Coshno and I are also well, thank God." 
 Then follows a long list of complaints and, at the same 
 time, repeated assurances of her love ; and she adds : 
 " I think you know that you have left me without 
 money, or coin, or anything ; ... all that you do 
 is to ask for horses and I am to send you dogs . . . 
 so that I have not a penny left. Here I want linen 
 for sheets, as I have none left. ... I cannot spin 
 thread out of myself. I have sent you two vests, 
 two doublets and a surcoat, with two sachets of 
 perfumed roses for your bed. . . . 
 
 " I have nothing more to say only to commend 
 myself to you, it is waste of time, I know . . . and 
 as for little Cosimo I only wished you loved him 
 more. ... If there is anything I can do for you, 
 toll mo ; I would serve you much more than you 
 would do for me ; it is that I love you so much 
 more; that is all mv misfortune ..." 
 
GIOVANNI SEEVES THE POPE 97 
 
 Poor little foolish loving Maria ; such letters as 
 this did her no good. But she was so young still, and 
 so lonely in her deserted palace ! She adored him 
 at the same time as she worried him — in these pages 
 still blotted with her tears. But time would mend 
 all this ; Giovanni would be tempered and strength- 
 ened by his great wars, and Maria would outlive this 
 bitterness, in pride of her husband's splendid fame 
 and in loving care of her growing boy. 
 
 The Pope found it greatly to his advantage to keep 
 Giovanni in his pay, both to defend the Marches and 
 the dominions of the Church, which were always 
 being attacked by brigands, and also to keep the 
 impetuous youth away from Florence, which was 
 now in the weak hands of the Cardinal Giulio dei 
 Medici (the future Clement VII.). This puerile 
 weaver of intrigues had already made his government 
 ridiculous and everybody discontented. Meantime, 
 Giovanni was fully engaged in protecting passes and 
 frontiers, in asserting his absolute rule over the 
 towns, and above all in keeping watch and guard 
 over the rocky castles of the petty lords of the 
 Marches. 
 
 In this constant fighting, the young condottiere 
 was troubled by no abstract sense of right or wrong ; 
 he was in the service of the Pope, his kinsman, and 
 all that concerned him was to carry out the com- 
 mands of His Holiness and to conquer his enemies. 
 With these bands, the number of soldiers was not 
 too great to be always under the eye of their chief, 
 but his constant difficulty was the pay, which was 
 always in arrears. With any other leader, the 
 men would have deserted, but they knew that he 
 shared all that he had with them, and they remained 
 
98 THE EOMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 faithful to him under every trial. He had an in- 
 timate personal knowledge of each man, who could 
 be quite sure that his valiant deeds — or the lack of 
 them — would be justly weighed in the balance. 
 Giovanni was quick to learn who were the brave men 
 he could trust, and he promptly got rid of the others. 
 One of his hardest contests was with Lodovico 
 Ufireduci, the Tyrant of Fermo, and upon his utter 
 defeat, the Pope promised his possessions to the 
 victor. But Giovanni was destined to learn, by 
 bitter experience, that there was no trust to be 
 placed in the word of mitred priests or princes, for 
 after many months of hope and negotiation he 
 ultimately received six thousand ducats in the place 
 of valuable estates ; and this was to cover all the 
 expenses of his company as well as his own ! 
 
 During all that summer of 1520, the young con- 
 dottiere fought with desperate vigour ; pacified and 
 fortified the unhealthy Marches ; was badly wounded 
 and lost a finger of his right hand ; was laid up again 
 and again with fever ; and varied his occupations 
 with aggressive duels against the Orsini, tourna- 
 ments at Mantua, and intrigues with the Roman 
 Aspasias. He receives many letters from his Maria, 
 tender and loving, and full of entreaties that he will 
 come to Florence and see his Cosimo. She sends 
 him a box of citron which she has candied herself, 
 and she asks for permission to make a pilgrimage to 
 Loreto, which he refuses, as she must stay at home 
 to take care of the boy. Then he hears from Fortu- 
 nati that his wife has been dangerously ill with a 
 premature confinement, but she writes as soon as 
 possible a pathetic little note to calm his anxiety. 
 
 " Remember me, my very dear husband ; these 
 
HIS RECKLESS EXPENDITURE 99 
 
 last days, by a sudden accident, I have found myself 
 in such extremity that I never believed I should 
 see you again ; thank God that I am now out of 
 danger. . . ." Her only wish is to do what he 
 desires ; and she ends with the humble request for 
 a new cap with some gold trimming. 
 
 Unfortunately Giovanni was at this time in great 
 want of money, and his father-in-law, Jacopo Sal- 
 viati, who had already lent him three thousand 
 eight hundred gold florins, definitely declared that 
 he could advance no more. " He had lent a large 
 sum to his son the Cardinal ; he had married another 
 son ; there was the dowry of another daughter, Alvise ; 
 and with other enormous expenses, he could do no 
 more for the husband of Maria." Leo X. promised 
 much, and declared his warm affection for his warrior 
 Medici, but his own personal extravagance was so 
 great that he had not much for others, and courtiers 
 always came first. 
 
 During the latter months of 1520, little Cosimo 
 was ill with fever at Trebbio, and made a slow 
 recovery. His portraits as a child are charming, and 
 seem to justify his mother's passionate admiration. 
 She thought it wonderful that he could walk and 
 talk at sixteen months old ; and she speaks of him 
 as becoming "more beautiful and more delightful 
 every day." Who could ever have believed that 
 he would grow into that evil, sensual-looking prince, 
 Cosimo I., Grand Duke of Florence ? 
 
 During the winter the Pope kept Giovanni in 
 Rome, for he was constantly engaged in disputes 
 with great Roman nobles, such as the Colonna, the 
 Orsini, and the Caetani, and needed his own con- 
 dottiere at hand. In a letter written by the secretary 
 
100 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 Francesco Suasio to Maria, we learn how her husband 
 was amusing himself in January 1521. 
 
 " Magnificent Lady, my most honoured mistress ; 
 I commend myself to Your Excellency, and will 
 tell you what happens. The Signor Giovanni is 
 in very good health, and on Sunday evening he gave 
 here a splendid repast to several Cardinals, Lords 
 and gentlemen, amongst whom were the Cardinal 
 Salviati and the Prior [Pietro Salviati]. And before 
 the feast, there was a joust on horseback, which 
 was indeed a fine sight. . . . And when the Holy 
 Father heard of it, he commanded the Signor Giovanni 
 to arrange another tournament in his presence*. . . . 
 My Lord was Captain of one camp, in which were 
 six cavaliers on horseback, thoroughly armed with 
 swords in their hands . . . and after dinner, in the 
 combat on foot, there were twelve in each camp, 
 with pikes and swords, artillery, trumpets, and 
 drums ; the most splendid spectacle ... so that 
 all Rome is full of the highest praise of my Lord. 
 
 " You should have seen him behave like another 
 Csesar, so brilliantly did he fight, with blows of a 
 paladin. And thank God, no one was hurt. ..." 
 
 This last sentence must have given more satis- 
 faction to the tender-hearted Maria than all the rest 
 of the letter. 
 
 The Pope delighted in these tournaments, which 
 were only a passing relaxation to Giovanni, who had 
 far more serious work on hand in the incessant 
 training of his bands. They were already becoming 
 famous and, from all parts of Italy, came applical ions 
 from young lords of noble families to be permitted 
 
THE TRAINING OF THE FAMOUS BANDS 101 
 
 to serve as captains under this leader of three-and- 
 twenty. Men and officers alike had to pass in 
 review before the stern, piercing eyes of the master. 
 Those who pleased him had to begin their trial — a 
 contest with experienced trained men, according to 
 the rules of the service. Admission to his ranks, 
 and the amount of pay, both depended on this first 
 joust. Then came exercises under the supervision 
 of Giovanni himself — the handling of arms and 
 various manoeuvres on the field ; while in order to 
 rise to a higher grade, a soldier had to fight against 
 the leader in person. Then he had to defeat an 
 enemy in a duel on horseback and on foot ; if he 
 failed in these trials or showed any fear, he was 
 dismissed at once. 
 
 He required of his men absolute obedience and 
 discipline, in great matters and small. A duel was 
 to be limited to the two principals, and was not to 
 be carried on by " seconds." To attack or insult 
 one of his soldiers was to attack their chief, and he 
 would risk his life at any time for their honour or 
 safety. As we have seen, he could not do enough 
 for his best captains ; he loaded them with presents 
 and gave them a full share of his hunting and other 
 sports. As Giovanni was rising to his high position, 
 he kept by him men of learning and letters to write 
 his agreements and make treaties with princes. 
 
 The days were at hand when he would be called upon 
 to prove the value of his companies in greater wars 
 than the petty guerilla fighting in Romagna and the 
 Marches of Ancona, where he had passed his ap- 
 prenticeship. One great lesson he had learnt : that 
 the heavy cumbersome armour of the Middle Ages, 
 which needed massive horses, slow in their move- 
 
102 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 ments, must be entirely superseded by light, agile 
 horsemen, protected only by strong, simple cuirasses 
 worn over a coat of mail, and by closely fitting iron 
 caps upon the head, instead of the gorgeous and 
 elaborate helmets still worn for tournaments. We see 
 examples of this fighting armour in the bust of 
 Giovanni by San Gallo, in the Bargello at Florence, 
 and in his portrait by Titian. And we are told that 
 when he unbuckled his steel guard over the left 
 shoulder, after a day's fighting, the flattened balls 
 would fall out in a shower round him, for he was 
 always in the forefront of battle, and led the way 
 where dangers were thickest — ever the* first, the 
 bravest, and the strongest of his men. Giovanni 
 dei Medici was already called the " Condottiere of 
 the Church," and he remained at Rome as much as 
 possible during that last winter, when the intrigues 
 of the Pope with his allies and his foes were slowly 
 and surely paving the way for a great war. 
 
 Meantime the young warrior went hunting with 
 Leo X. in the Magliana and at Viterbo, and as he 
 followed the dogs and the hawks, he learnt much 
 of the aims and motives of his companion. It is a 
 surprise to find him writing a letter to the ever- 
 faithful Fortunati, in which he sums up the new 
 experience which he has gained of this inner life 
 of priestly Roman intrigue. 
 
 " My priest, whom I honour as a father. ... I 
 must tell you that you are an old-fashioned man, 
 too credulous and ready to take for certain that 
 which is more doubtful than the flight of a bird 
 in the air. ... I should like to know on wliai 
 you have founded your present belief . . . and the 
 
GIOVANNI AT HOME AND ABROAD 103 
 
 hopes you give me. . . . Leave on one side, I pray 
 you, my birth and divinations of any kind . . . and 
 tell me plainly how these good things are to come to 
 pass. . . . You must believe that at last I under- 
 stand the ways and customs of the present day. 
 All the same, I will not be bold or obstinate, and will 
 change my mind if you show me, before long, the 
 promotion and good fortune which you promised 
 me. . . . How long I have hoped and waited for 
 them, and up to this present time, only to my damna- 
 tion and confusion. I do not believe that I have 
 failed in my duty, and I will never fail, preferring 
 that I should have reason to complain of others and 
 of my ill fate, than that any one should have the 
 right to complain of me." 
 
 He saw others, far inferior, preferred before him 
 even in military matters. Guido Rangone is put 
 at the head of the infantry, and the young Federico 
 Gonzaga, Marchese of Mantua, is made Gonfaloniere 
 (Captain-General) of the Church. . . . Still there 
 was one success for him ; in the great Roman palio, 
 his horse won the prize. And at this there were fine 
 rejoicings amongst his friends. One writes : " The 
 Pope laughed with his mouth stretching from ear to 
 ear, so hearty was his enjoyment." " And there were 
 fees and ducats for everybody — trumpeters, drum- 
 mers, carpenters, banner-makers, and many others, 
 for V. S. may understand that I did the right thing 
 and spared nothing." 
 
 From the letters which he received at this time 
 on the eve of the war, we see how Giovanni was 
 looked upon as the head of his family, and with 
 what vigilance he watched over it. Towards his 
 
104 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 eldest sister, Bianca Riario, who had been an ado] 
 mother to him in his precarious childhood, he always 
 showed the warmest affection. She writes to thank 
 him for his sympathy in her bereavement, for she 
 had just lost her husband, Count Troile of 
 Secondo, and was left a widow with young Bona, 
 in the midst of terrible neighbours. Against these, 
 the warlike Giovanni was to prove a strong defence 
 in the coming years. 
 
 Then there was the illegitimate daughter of Otta- 
 viano, Bishop of Viterbo, that young Cornelia to 
 whom Caterina Sforza had been so kind. This 
 young girl had been specially recommended to 
 Giovanni by his mother, and we have seen how he 
 helped to find a husband for her, not to mention 
 providing a dowry. But she was an incessant 
 beggar, never satisfied, and always finding some 
 excuse to ask some provision for her children or fine 
 clothes for herself ; while the young Medici's patience 
 and generosity seemed untiring towards her. He 
 was one of those who never forget a friend or forgive 
 an enemy. 
 
Anderson, photo. Titian : Prado, Madrid. 
 
 EMPEEOB CHARLES V, 
 
 105 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 Family life in the mountain Castle of Trebbio — Giovanni most 
 successful in guerilla warfare — He distinguishes himself greatly 
 in the war of Urbino — His exploits — Death of Pope Leo X. — 
 Giovanni takes service with the French king. 
 
 In the early summer of 1521 there was granted to 
 Maria Salviati the desire of her heart, but it turned 
 to dust and ashes, like the Dead Sea fruits. Her 
 beloved Giovanni joined her and little Cosimo at 
 Trebbio, only to complete his final preparations 
 before taking part in the war. Yet even at that 
 exciting moment, he was strangely considerate and 
 even tender to his wife and two-year-old son, for 
 time had ripened and tempered his dominant tempes- 
 tuous nature. There was something about his 
 absolute sincerity and unselfishness of devotion to 
 the great work of his life, which won all hearts. In 
 those last precious days Maria ceased to blame him 
 or to worry about her household cares ; as she 
 listened to his eager hopes and plans, she even tried 
 to hide her distracting fears as, by his side, with 
 fascinated gaze, she bent over the carefully drawn 
 map of Lombardy, in which, like a true general, 
 Giovanni was studying the scene of his coming 
 battles. 
 
 Raimondi writes : 
 
 " . . . I send you Lombardy drawn out, that 
 V. S. may study it at leisure in your chamber . . . 
 
 107 7 
 
108 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 although this map is not very correct. There are 
 excellent ones printed at Venice but not at Florence/' 
 
 That " universal spider/' Leo. X., had at length 
 openly joined the side of the young Emperor 
 Charles V. against Francois I. Prospero Colonna, 
 the imperial general, was already in the field, as 
 were also the Marquess of Pescara and Marquess of 
 Mantua, with their 20,000 foot soldiers, 1,200 men- 
 at-arms, and 400 light horsemen. It was on July 7 
 that Giovanni dei Medici wrote from his castle of 
 the Trebbio : "At length we are on the point of 
 starting ; this evening we shall be at Fiorenzuola, 
 and to-morrow evening at Bologna." From here 
 he was sent to Reggio, where he received his first 
 letter from Francesco Guicciardini, who at that 
 time was Governor of Bologna, and who knew what 
 splendid work the young condottiere had already 
 done in subduing those Marches. 
 
 " You will find it necessary, in these days, to try 
 and remain on friendly terms with the inhabitants, 
 that you may not leave a number of enemies behind 
 you. Take heed therefore that where your soldiers 
 are quartered, they may pay for what they have, 
 and avoid all acts of violence — such as I heard that 
 your men began last night. Do not only use force 
 but prudence, and this I know you will certainly do. 
 I only remind you of this in a brotherly way, not 
 alone for the general good, but for your own private 
 honour/ ' 
 
 While Prospero Colonna marched upon Milan, and 
 Pescara went to Genoa, Giovanni found himseU 
 still without pay for his soldiers (which may in part 
 
GUERILLA WARFARE 109 
 
 excuse their violence), receiving contrary orders, 
 and unable to do more than wait between Reggio and 
 Bologna. But at length his opportunity came, for 
 the passage of the French troops into the Duchy of 
 Milan — after a fortnight's delay on the frontier — 
 was considered a declaration of war, and Leo X. 
 hurled his sentence of excommunication against 
 Francois I. on September 4, 1521. Now began a 
 series of skirmishes in that great plain of the Ghiar- 
 adda, where the trained valour and marvellous 
 swiftness of Giovanni's bands won for him supreme 
 honour ; and especially in Florence and Rome, he 
 was the hero of the campaign for his dauntless 
 courage and unheard-of audacity. Some blamed the 
 leader for thus constantly risking his life, but as his 
 Secretary Suasio says : " You cannot at the same 
 time remain in safety and acquire the reputation of 
 a Hector/' 
 
 We find him with his company of light horsemen 
 at every post of danger, wherever honour is to be 
 won at the point of the lance. He drove back the 
 flower of the Venetians at Casalemaggiore, and on 
 the banks of the Oglio ; and on October 4 he took 
 from them forty light horsemen, men-at-arms, and 
 banners. But it was above all at the siege of Parma 
 that he made his mark. The French and their 
 allies were getting the worst of it, especially when 
 Cardinal Giulio and Mathias Schinner, the fierce 
 Cardinal of Sion, led a body of Swiss against Milan, 
 and persuaded those Swiss who were in French pay, 
 to desert — said to be some 16,000 men. The French 
 general Lautrec began to lose heart and could not 
 defend his strongholds, which were only protected by 
 their natural defences, the Po, the Oglio, and the 
 
110 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 A' Ida. It was at Vaprio that Giovanni performed 
 one of his most gallant feats of arms, when, in order 
 to turn the French Arm}', he threw himself in full 
 armour into the Adda. He had learnt from his 
 scouts that all the force of the enemy was centred 
 near the bridge where the imperial army had to 
 cross. Then he called two hundred of his picked 
 light horsemen and said to them : ' The moment 
 has come when I shall test the courage of those 
 who love me ; let each of you take a foot-soldier up 
 behind him and follow me." 
 
 He was riding that splendid white Arab horse, 
 Sultan — who was to survive him and never suffer 
 another rider — and he turned his head towards the 
 rushing torrent ; the noble animal leapt into the 
 river and swam across, his master sitting firmly on 
 the saddle with his lance at rest. 
 
 He had already given orders for all available boats 
 to cross with his foot-soldiers farther on, and now 
 his heroic example won the day, for Odet de Foix, 
 unable to bar the passage, was driven back upon 
 Milan. We do not wonder that Giovanni dei Medici's 
 fame was in every mouth ; " that he was exalted, 
 praised, and adored M ; and that in Rome he was 
 promised " great possessions and an honourable 
 post/' This was the gallant paladin as we see him 
 until the end ; but our man of antique heroic valour 
 always made the mistake of despising, like Bayard, 
 these new arms — this artillery which made all men 
 equal before its murderous guns, and which was to 
 take a fatal revenge upon both these noblest of 
 mediaeval knights. 
 
 The life of Giovanni bristles with adventure. 
 He can leave no famous warrior unchallenged ; and 
 
A GALLANT EXPLOIT 111 
 
 when, outside Parma, he meets lance to lance the 
 great Gascon champion Carbone, he comes out 
 victor in the combat and leaves his gigantic foe 
 unhorsed and prostrate at his feet. But as his 
 character ripens and his military genius attains its 
 full height, the young condottiere becomes more 
 merciful, in the spirit of true chivalry. When the piti- 
 less Colonna would have hanged Cormo the Corsican, 
 Giovanni pleads for his pardon, which is unwillingly 
 granted. " To so valiant and reliable a captain as 
 yourself, we must grant even unjust things," was 
 the grudging reply. 
 
 In^point of fact, Colonna and the other generals 
 were jealous of this young Medici's splendid genius, 
 which made his bands invincible and enabled him 
 to perform such magnificent exploits. Thus he 
 should have had the honour and glory of taking 
 Milan, which his soldiers were the first to enter by 
 the open flood-gates for the water drainage ; but 
 the story was hushed up by envious cardinals and 
 great lords. He was too great for them, and eclipsed 
 every one else. Who but Giovanni could have been 
 the hero of the following exploit ? 
 
 As the army was moving towards Pavia, he set 
 forth with a small company to scour the country, and 
 as he crossed that vast swampy plain, he suddenly met 
 a body of the enemy's light horsemen. Of course a 
 skirmish began at once, and the Corsicans of his band, 
 although in smaller force, did so well that the others 
 were driven back. Giovanni pursued them with such 
 energy that he was far ahead of his followers, when 
 his horse slipped into one of the numerous ditches 
 which divide the water-logged prairie. The animal 
 made desperate efforts, but sank deeper in the slime, 
 
112 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 with his rider under him. when the flying enemy 
 became aware of his evil case and returned to find 
 Giovanni, in his heavy armour, struggling to free 
 himself. In another moment he was surrounded, 
 struck at on every side and hammered upon with 
 battle-axes, while the air was full of cries that he 
 should yield himself prisoner. With almost miracu- 
 lous strength, the young knight freed himself from 
 the weight of his horse and struggled to his feet. He 
 seized his battle-axe in both hands " and the anvil 
 became the hammer.'"' He struck out so hard and 
 with such splendid endurance that none could stand 
 before him and presently, his men arriving on hearing 
 the noise, he was rescued and replaced in the saddle. 
 That night his armour was the show and trophy of 
 the whole camp, for it was beaten in and bumped 
 everywhere with sword-thrusts and battle-ax^-. 
 
 Only a few days before this, Giovanni dei Medici 
 had heard from Fortunati, now promoted to be 
 Apostolic Protonotary, that " the Pope was at La 
 Magliana, with the Cardinal Salviati and all the 
 Court ; they were having a most pleasant time and 
 all were well.''' On November 24, Leo X. had 
 received the joyful news of the entry of his troops 
 into Milan, and Baldassare Castiglione, who was 
 with him at the time, write- : 
 
 " His Holiness said he was as much delighted u 
 when he was made Pope ; and on the way to Rome 
 all the people came out to meet and congratulate 
 him, the children with olive-branches in their 
 hands. . . ." 
 
 The Pope was ill with fever, but ho forgot every- 
 
DEATH OF POPE LEO X. 113 
 
 thing as good tidings came pouring in : first that 
 Piacenza had fallen to his arms, and then that 
 Parma also had surrendered — this last on the very 
 day when the jovial, luxurious Pope was snatched 
 away by death from his amusements and his intrigues. 
 Was it poison or only the deadly fever of the 
 Campagna ? remains one of the many unsolved 
 problems of history. 
 
 His young kinsman, Giovanni dei Medici, had very 
 little to thank him for but disappointed hopes and 
 broken promises yet, in his eager loyalty, the captain 
 of those famous bands changed their banners and 
 their shoulder-belts from the white and purple be- 
 loved of the younger Medici, to the sombre black 
 of mourning ; and henceforth he is known to fame 
 as " Giovanni delle Bande Nere." 
 
 Leo X. was dead. He had grasped the good 
 things of life with both hands, and to do this had 
 borrowed to an incredible extent, spreading ruin 
 amongst his friends ; he even owed eighty thousand 
 ducats to his own nephew, Cardinal Salviati. He 
 had pawned everything in the Papal treasury, even 
 to the tiaras and mitres, so that " never died Pope in 
 worse repute." Pasquino declared that " Leo X. 
 came to power like a fox, reigned like a Hon, and 
 died like a dog." He was scarcely in his tomb 
 before the princes of Romagna, who had been 
 so cruelly wronged by him, asserted their rights 
 successfully. Francesco Maria recovered Urbino, 
 the Baglioni were reinstated in Perugia, and 
 Sigismondo Varano in Camerino, while the smaller 
 lords followed suit. 
 
 The pontifical army was disbanded, and Giovanni 
 dei Medici returned to Rome with the Cardinal 
 
114 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 Giuliano. But Maria Salviati strained every nerve 
 to find the money her husband required for keeping 
 the pick of his bands in his pay. The burning 
 question for him and every one else was : Who 
 would be the new Pope elected by the Conclave ? 
 It is not needful to repeat the well-known story of 
 the extreme surprise which greeted the choice of 
 Adrian, Cardinal of Tortosa, the Emperor's Viceroy 
 in Spain, a pious old man, who most reluctantly 
 accepted the greatness thrust upon him, and who 
 was many months before he could even be persuaded 
 to come to Rome. 
 
 There was no chance in all this for Giovanni dei 
 Bande Nere, and he at length entered the service of 
 Florence in January 1522, and collected his scattered 
 companies. He was in sole command of the ex- 
 pedition against the Baglioni and the Montefeltro, 
 in defence of the domains of the Church as well as 
 those of Florence, and he greatly distinguished him- 
 self in sieges and skirmishes. But he gave the 
 Council of Eight no peace, for he required foot- 
 soldiers, relays of stradiots, couriers ; he wanted 
 everything, and at once. The fame of Giovanni 
 and his bands spread on every side ; Charles V. was 
 most anxious to know him, and it is quite possible 
 that he hoped to win him over to the imperial 
 service. But with all these princes, there were so 
 many intrigues and so many difficulties that an 
 honest soldier like the young Medici scarcely knew 
 what to believe. From Florence he could get no pay 
 for his companies, and he writes in despair, when at 
 Perugia, that " he could not keep his men, who were 
 famished and destitute . . . " ; but the Council of 
 Eight continued to plead their poverty. Leo X. bad 
 
GIOVANNI JOINS THE FRENCH 115 
 
 ruined Florence, and the Cardinal dei Medici still 
 continued his exactions. It was absolutely neces- 
 sary to pay the Swiss and the landsknechte or they 
 would desert, and the Italians only came last, while 
 there were even threats of reducing their stipend. 
 
 This was more than Giovanni delle Bande Nere 
 could endure. Already he was driven nearly wild 
 by the crafty intrigues of the Cardinal Giulio who 
 ruled everything for the mild Pope Adrian, and 
 whose weak and treacherous policy was destined 
 to bring ruin upon all that he touched. Giovanni 
 was becoming disgusted with all the useless marches 
 and counter-marches, the endless skirmishes and 
 sieges where he risked the lives of his men one day, 
 only to learn on the morrow that some trumpery 
 peace or treaty had undone all his work. He had 
 saved Florence at a critical moment, only to find that 
 the enemies of yesterday, the Duke of Urbino and the 
 Baglioni, were now to receive important posts and 
 to be placed above him on the Papal side, when it 
 was he who had borne all the labour and peril of 
 the fray. His men were the first care of this ideal 
 condottiere, and it was for their sake that he took 
 a desperate step. 
 
 On March 30, in the little town of Busseto, he 
 announced at midnight to his soldiers that he 
 had decided to join the French camp ; he left his 
 bands free to follow or leave him. We are not sur- 
 prised to know that the greater number set forth 
 with their beloved leader early next morning, and 
 took the road to Cremona, where a bridge of boats 
 awaited them. One of his best captains had been 
 bribed by the Marquess of Mantua to leave him — 
 Paolo Luzasco, who was accompanied by several 
 
116 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 other gentlemen. But Giovanni proudly exclaimed : 
 " I will show that it is I who have made Luzasco, 
 not he who has added to my fame ; they shall see 
 that I will make other captains to equal him." 
 
 He crossed the Po below Cremona, and Du Bellay 
 thus tells of his coming : 
 
 " To this place near Milan (sixteen miles distant), 
 Cassano d'Adda, where our camp was lodged, there 
 came to the service of the King, the Lord Giovanni 
 dei Medici, kinsman of the late Pope Leo, who 
 brought three thousand foot-soldiers and two hundred 
 horsemen, whose ensigns were black because they 
 wore mourning for the said Pope Leo. . . ." 
 
 Baldassare Castiglione wrote from Rome to the 
 Marquess of Mantua : 
 
 " The passing over of the Lord Giovanni dei 
 Medici to the side of the French has caused much 
 talk and displeasure. It is thought that a certain 
 great person has seduced him by giving him to 
 understand that he will be made ruler of Florence, 
 and also that the Most Christian King will give him 
 Imola and Forli." 
 
 Giovanni was furious when he heard what was 
 said about his accepting service under the King of 
 France. He might be accused of anything else, 
 but when he was spoken of as disloyal and failing 
 in honour, he publicly gave the lie to his accusers. 
 
 " By the trumpeter of the Sire Lautrec, I have 
 heard that there are people who accuse me of a crime 
 in joining the service of the Most Christian King, 
 
A DISASTROUS CAMPAIGN 117 
 
 because I was bound to the Sacred Majesty of Caesar. 
 I therefore make it known to every person who is 
 my equal in rank, and who asserts that I have done 
 wrong or that I had any obligation whatsoever, of 
 faith or of pay, with the Majesty of Caesar — that he 
 has lied and lies as often as he says it, and will lie 
 as many times as he repeats it ; and this I will 
 maintain with arms in my hand, every time that I 
 have occasion to do so. 
 
 " Given at Misano, April 19, at the Royal Camp. 
 
 " Signed : Giovanni dei Medici. 
 " (With his own hand.) " 
 
 In point of fact Giovanni was perfectly justified 
 in taking service where he thought fit. But this 
 was a disastrous moment for joining the French 
 troops, who were under the command of the in- 
 capable and cruel Lautrec, and all the splendid 
 courage and skill of Giovanni and his bands could 
 not make up for the blunders and hopeless ineffi- 
 ciency of the French general. One town after 
 another was lost, and he met with a crushing defeat 
 at the Bicocca, near Milan, where he had yielded 
 to the demand of the Swiss for " battle or pay/' 
 The mercenaries who survived, retreated sulkily 
 across the passes of the Alps, and the French were 
 driven to retire from Lombardy, with nothing left 
 to them save the citadels of Novara, Cremona, and 
 Milan. 
 
 Giovanni had made a great stand for his men at 
 Cremona, when he found that the city was to be 
 given up by some intrigue, and Lescun, who was 
 with him, had much difficulty in preventing a com- 
 
118 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 plete revolt. The young Medici proudly told the 
 French commander that he had just cause for 
 offence. 
 
 "... I cannot suffer this flagrant iniquity, to 
 finish the war with clandestine agreements, which 
 will disband my men at once without the pay which 
 is due to them. As long as I live I will defend the 
 cause of my soldiers ; I will not endure that they 
 shall be deceived and cast out by any one in the 
 world, and that they shall be sent off in utter desti- 
 tution, clothed in rags and weakened with wounds. 
 I place my true honour and my true glory in de- 
 fending from injustice these most valiant soldiers, 
 who have followed my fame. . . ." 
 
 This and much more he said, in such a terrible 
 voice, that Lescun hastily collected all the money 
 he could find, borrowed silver plate from the gentle- 
 men in his camp, and distributed everything 
 amongst the formidable Black Bands, who appear 
 to have been satisfied for the moment. 
 
 When the campaign was over Giovanni had learnt 
 his lesson ; he saw that there was as much cheating 
 and dishonesty towards the condottieri in the service 
 of the Most Christian King, as he had met with 
 from the Holy Father, and had heard of under the 
 standard of the " Sacred Majesty of Caesar/' For 
 his part he had but one object in life : to be an 
 honest merchant of great deeds ; to sell the splendid 
 fighting capacity of his men, and to see that they 
 were well paid. His business had terrible risks — for 
 instance, peace was ruin to lii^ bands. His life* 
 would probably be a short one, but if lie survived. 
 
GENEROSITY TO HIS SISTER BIANCA 119 
 
 he trusted to gain some little state where he would 
 end his days on the footing of a real prince. 
 
 This was what Maria prayed for during the long 
 months when she remained without news and with- 
 out letters from her absent husband, constantly 
 overshadowed by the dread of some sudden calamity. 
 She wrote to him as often as the opportunity arrived. 
 
 "... You see that if we send letters to each 
 other it is rinding a means to talk in absence . . . 
 cut off from your dear intimacy, which is refused to 
 me, what can I do but write to you ? " 
 
 There is a letter of hers on May 18, written to the 
 secretary, Francesco Albizzi, in which she asks for 
 " a dozen pairs of ladies' gloves in calf, and they 
 must be good and handsome ones ; quite different 
 from those sent by Ser Bencio, which were bad and 
 ugly, and gave me no satisfaction." Poor lady ! 
 She needed an outlet for her feelings in this way, 
 now and then, when she found that she had not 
 really a pair of decent gloves to wear, that last sign 
 of refinement and distinction. Now that the French 
 had retreated from Italy, her one hope was for the 
 return of her warrior husband, but she had to wait 
 for awhile. 
 
 In the summer of that year, 1522, Giovanni found 
 leisure to attend to the affairs of his sister Bianca 
 and to repay her, in princely fashion, for her devotion 
 to him as a child. This is the story as it is given 
 by a son of hers, Giovanni Geronimo, who became 
 Bishop of Pavia. 
 
 " Bianca, the sister of Giovanni dei Medici, 
 
120 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 had been left a widow with many children, and 
 was seriously molested by the behaviour of her 
 kinsman Bernardo dei Rossi, who was in high favour 
 with Pope Leo. While the army was near Parma, 
 His Holiness had decided that the estates which she 
 possessed in that neighbourhood should be taken 
 from her. But when the Signor Giovanni heard 
 of this resolution, he took possession on her behalf 
 of all the castles which belonged to her, saying : 
 ( I should like to see who will come and take them 
 from me ! ' And when he was himself at San 
 Secondo,* a strong fortress with good rents be- 
 longing to it, his Corsican Geronimo said to him : 
 ' My lord, you are poor and have nothing ; why do 
 you not keep these castles for yourself, and send 
 your sister home ? ' ' Never speak to me again 
 like this, if you value your life ! ' was the stern 
 reply. ' I care for my sister and my nephews more 
 than anything else in the world. If I live, I shall 
 not want for castles like this and greater still ! ' 
 
 This kind of guerilla war found some occupation 
 for his men, while he was in negotiation with the 
 French and the Papal authorities. On June 3 he 
 arrived at San Secondo with two thousand men, and 
 sent word to Guicciardini, the Governor of Parma, 
 that he only wished to help his sister. He seized 
 the artillery of Filippo dei Rossi, who was supporting 
 the Bishop of Treviso, and then he passed onwards 
 along the banks of the river Toro and through the 
 ravines of the Cervellino to the little town of Berceto f 
 
 * North-west of Parma, between the Taro and the Po. 
 \ Near Fornovo. 
 
PROTECTION FOR BIANCA AND HER SONS 121 
 
 on the slopes of the Apennines. Before the middle 
 of Jnne, Giovanni had taken from the Count Filippo 
 dei Rossi the strong castle of Brissaga, and hence- 
 forth Bianca and her sons could enjoy their pos- 
 sessions in peace. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 Letter from Maria — Time of peace, in which Giovanni looks after his 
 estates — Pope Adrian VI. — Giovanni at Aulla in the Lunigiano — 
 An unwelcome neighbour — The Medici Pope Clement VII. elected 
 — Maria seeks his favour for her husband and son — Giovanni 
 returns to the imperial and Papal side in the following war. 
 
 The summer of 1522 was already far advanced, and 
 Maria Salviati was still awaiting the coming of her 
 husband in his favourite castle of the Trebbio. She 
 had recently sent this letter to him at Bologna, 
 where he was engaged in buying corn and arranging 
 affairs concerning his estates with his new bailiff 
 Suasio : 
 
 " . . . Every one, Cosimo and all the household, 
 are all quite well/' she wrote with her own hand. 
 " His Excellency the Marquess of Mantua, as he 
 was posting towards Florence, deigned to pay me 
 a visit here with Messire Paolo Luzasco, in order 
 that he might embrace Cosimo ; he could not make 
 enough of him, which I thought very amiable and 
 charming of him. We received him with all suitable 
 welcome, yet he would not consent to lodge here. 
 His coming was pleasant to me ; that of your Lord- 
 ship will be extremely pleasant to me ; may God 
 grant that it may be soon and that you will arrive 
 in health and good fortune. 
 
 " At the Trebbio, August 19, 1522. 
 
 " Your good ' Consorte.' M 
 
 122 
 
Brogi. photo. Yasari : Palazzo Vecchio, Florence. 
 
 MARIA SALVIATI, WIFE OF GIOVANNI DELLE BANDE NERE. 
 
 123 
 
COSIMO AND HIS FATHER 125 
 
 Maria gives a cheerful account of this flying visit, 
 which must have been an anxious and trying time 
 for her. It was impossible for the wife of the captain 
 who had lately been fighting against the young 
 marquess to feel otherwise than doubtful of his real 
 feelings, while as to Luzasco, who had thrown off 
 all allegiance to the master who had trained him, 
 she felt very bitter in her heart against him. But 
 now, as she looked forth from her tower chamber 
 towards the winding mountain road which led from 
 Bologna, and strained her eyes across the rugged 
 Mugello, she saw another cavalcade approaching, 
 and by the black banners she knew that her con- 
 dottiere was close at hand. We can picture to 
 ourselves Maria's eager joy, and her wistful anxiety 
 that little Cosimo should appear at his best after his 
 father's long absence, as they hastened down to the 
 great entrance gate to meet him. 
 
 The tender mother must have remembered that 
 other day, two years before, when Giovanni returned 
 to the Palazzo in the Corso at Florence, with his 
 warlike escort and the same tramp of horses' hoofs 
 and blowing of trumpets. He had looked up at the 
 window where the nurse held the child, and had 
 cried, in tones which resounded through the narrow 
 street : " Throw him down to me ! " while he smiled 
 with encouragement and love at his little son. 
 
 The woman dared not obey, the window was so 
 high. ' Throw him down to me, I command you ! " 
 roared the voice of the man who had never brooked 
 resistance. 
 
 Then the poor nurse had closed her eyes, dropped 
 the boy, and in another moment, Cosimo was caught 
 in his father's outstretched arms and clasped against 
 
 8 
 
126 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 the steel cuirass. The child had neither screamed 
 nor struggled, and Giovanni, proud of such fear- 
 lessness, stooped down to kiss him, and murmured : 
 " You shall be a prince ; that will be your fate." 
 
 Giovanni delle Bande Nere had come back to 
 Trebbio in a new character, for during those autumn 
 months of 1522, we find him living like a country 
 gentleman, looking after his estates, taking pos- 
 session of all the account-books, seeing to the manage- 
 ment of everything, calculating the harvests and 
 the returns. He saw the corn gathered in and took 
 part in the vintage ; he taught little Cosimo — now 
 a boy of three — to ride his pony, and the heart of 
 Maria rejoiced to hear once more the horn of the 
 huntsmen and the barking of dogs, ringing through 
 the rough valleys of the long silent Mugello. 
 We find the famous condottiere apparently satisfied 
 by this peaceful home life with his wife and child, 
 but it was impossible that this could last long. 
 
 After all, he was a general out of work, and this 
 interval of peace was ruin to the Black Bands. 
 At the opening of the new year he was quite ready to 
 go to Florence, where Cardinal Giulio wanted him 
 at hand, to keep in check the many enemies he had 
 made by his weak and vacillating intrigues. Then 
 came the plague, and Giovanni went to Rome with 
 Maria and Cosimo. He had met with nothing but 
 deception and disappointment on every side, but he 
 was still carrying on negotiations with Francois I., 
 who had promised him Imola and Forli, and with 
 Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, who was anxious 
 to obtain his services. As soon as the Bpring came, 
 he sent his wife and child back to Trebbio, where the 
 air was purer, as there was always danger of the 
 
FESTIVE LIFE AT REGGIO 127 
 
 plague breaking out again in the Eternal City, which 
 it had ravaged the previous autumn. He himself 
 went to Reggio, where the greater part of his bands 
 had wintered, and in their constant training and 
 exercising, he had at least the illusion of war, and he 
 would be ready for the first chance of active service. 
 
 Guicciardini had returned as Governor, to the 
 great satisfaction of the people of Reggio and the 
 neighbourhood, who had suffered much from the pre- 
 sence of the bands, although Giovanni would not 
 allow any insubordination when he was with them. 
 A period of peace was never good for this young 
 Medici ; he was surrounded with gay companions, 
 and, we are told, lived in great extravagance and 
 " freedom of morals." Maria is asked to send him 
 rich satin, fine linen, and other costly items ; but 
 she replies, at her wits' end : " I have none to send 
 you, as I have already told Pietro ; when I am richer, 
 I shall be able to help you better." 
 
 We hear much of the festivities at Reggio, when 
 Giovanni's niece — Angela dei Rossi, the daughter of 
 Bianca, who was about to marry Vitello Vitelli — 
 passed through the town on her way to the citadel 
 of the Vitelli, at Citta di Castello. The young 
 leader of the Black Bands feasted the whole town, 
 and received the Lady Angela with splendid enter- 
 tainments ; while there were jousts and tourna- 
 ments on foot and on horseback for many days, 
 amongst his soldiers in her honour. 
 
 " My lord, is all this for your niece or for your 
 lordship ? " asked a friend one day. Giovanni 
 burst out laughing, and replied : "In truth the 
 niece is the first cause of it, but perhaps you are 
 right about the second cause ! " 
 
128 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 Giovanni was not so much absorbed in his pro- 
 on as not to be very human in every way. He 
 
 delighted in feasts and amusements of every kind, 
 and above all in merry and witty companions. He 
 was a man who could not endure solitude at any 
 time, and in this year, 1523, he renewed his acquaint- 
 ance with the talented, notorious Pietro Aretino, 
 who remained, till the end, his closest and most 
 intimate friend. Aretino was one of those clever 
 satirists — I might almost say buffoons — who had 
 been in such high honour at the Court of Leo X. 
 They were often usefully employed as ambassadors 
 between princes, for a suggestion might at times be 
 made in jest, which no one would venture to put 
 formally. Aretino, under the disguise of Pasquino,* 
 had said so many witty things in ridicule of the 
 newly appointed Pope Adrian, that he had to take 
 refuge with Cardinal Giulio at Florence before the 
 good old Pope actually arrived in Rome. Adrian 
 was so indignant at the biting remarks of Pasquino 
 that he wanted to throw the old torso into the Tiber, 
 but he was told that it was useless to try and drown 
 him, for, " like a frog, he would talk out of the 
 water." 
 
 We are not told whether Aretino arrived at Reggio 
 in time to take part in that wild adventure of young 
 Medici when he rode through the pottery market, 
 with his huntsmen and his pack of hounds, smashing 
 up everything like a barbarian, and paying for the 
 broken pots and pans like a prince. In any case 
 the clever man of letters was able to help him in 
 a lawsuit which he was carrying on in connection 
 
 * A mutilated statue in Rome, on vrhose pedestal \uvv potted witty 
 
 criticisms of passing events. 
 
GIOVANNI BUYS A CITADEL 129 
 
 with Aulla, a citadel which he had bought for him- 
 self when he was fighting to help his sister Bianca 
 in the Lunigiana. It is a great feudal stronghold, 
 perched up on a rocky height in the Ligurian Apen- 
 nines, and he had been attracted by the wild beauty 
 of the spot, where the torrents of the Taro and the 
 Magra join that of Aulla ; and also because of the 
 strong position of this castle, the key of a valley which 
 leads from the Mediterranean coast to the defiles 
 of Tuscany. 
 
 It is not at all surprising that all the neighbouring 
 chieftains were up in arms at the prospect of having 
 the redoubtable Giovanni delle Bande Nere estab- 
 lished in their midst. This was more especially the 
 case with the Malespini, who had formerly been 
 lords of Aulla ; and, besides harassing him perpetually, 
 they brought a lawsuit against him in the court of 
 Pisa, disputing his title deeds. The Duke of Ferrara 
 felt uneasy about the Garfagnana, and Genoa was 
 anxious about Sarzana, with Giovanni so near at 
 hand ; and the Sire of Monaco, Grimaldi — a Corsair 
 by descent and custom — pillaged the boats which the 
 Black Bands used to reach the sea — taking the short 
 way, only twelve miles by river, instead of the long 
 mountain road. Giovanni challenged the Grimaldi, 
 but Cardinal Giulio managed to avert a duel ; how- 
 ever, the young condottiere had his fill of fighting 
 with most of his neighbours, who had to pay big 
 ransoms ; while the rocky fortress of Aulla was always 
 a handy refuge for the Black Bands. 
 
 It was about the time of Aretino's coming to 
 Giovanni that we first hear of Luca Antonio Cuppano, 
 who had been the personal attendant of his master, 
 and had then been trained in the famous bands, 
 
130 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 where he so greatly distinguished himself that he 
 became a great favourite. However, he still had 
 other duties besides fighting, as we see in a letter 
 to him from Maria Salviati. 
 
 " . . . I remind Messire Luca Antonio that I want 
 first, two large fans and half a dozen boxes of civet ; 
 and have two gold caps made for me of the kind 
 used in Mantua, and four pairs of dark tan-coloured 
 cuffs, of the kind worn at Reggio. And if you do 
 not know how to buy the lining for the cuffs, ask 
 Signora Camilla, who will be able to tell you. . . . 
 I want also two hoods of brown silk in the Reggio 
 fashion, and if you have good amber, send me some 
 . . . and some musk. Send me these things as soon 
 as you can, when you have money, and commend 
 me to the Master. That is all. May God keep you 
 from harm. 
 
 " July 15, 1523. 
 
 " Buy a poignard for Cosimo. 
 
 " PJB." (pinned on to the letter). " Have made for 
 me a gold chain for Cosimo of 4 or 5 ducats, and a 
 gold medal for Cosimo. You will have all this made 
 as soon as you have any money ; that is all. 
 
 " Maria Salviati dei Medici/' 
 
 It is satisfactory to know that the precious little 
 prince received his poignard, his chain, and the gold 
 medal for his cap. When Maria wrote this letter, 
 she and the boy were away at a farmhouse in the 
 mountains, " in search of coolness," for that rammer 
 was intensely hot and very unhealthy. The great 
 lady could not do her own shopping in the mountains, 
 but she evidently trusts that the scents and other 
 
RETURN TO THE IMPERIAL SIDE 131 
 
 things she asks for will be sent " when there is 
 money." News must certainly have reached her of 
 Giovanni's extravagant living at Reggio — where he 
 remained during those sultry months — when he was 
 not engaged in his lawsuit, his incessant contests, 
 and a fresh difficulty which had arisen about the 
 estates of Uffreducci, so grudgingly bestowed on 
 him by Pope Leo, and of which the gift was now 
 disputed by the Apostolic Chamber. 
 
 But all personal matters were soon forgotten in 
 the rumours from beyond the Alps of coming war. 
 Once more the fatal mirage of conquest in Italy was 
 to lead the French King, like a will-o'-the-wisp, to 
 invasion and disaster. The league formed against 
 him was very powerful. The imperial army, sup- 
 ported by the peace-loving Pope Adrian, almost all 
 the states of Italy, including Milan under Francesco 
 Sforza, and the fleet of Genoa ; also the King of 
 England and the Archduke Ferdinand. At the head 
 of the league was the old general Prospero Colonna, 
 long past his prime. 
 
 Giovanni delle Bande Nere returned to the im- 
 perial side, in the service of Francesco Duke of Milan, 
 by whom the contract signed is still in existence, 
 dated August 26, 1523, at Trezzo on the Adda, where 
 the Duke had gone to escape the plague at Milan. 
 Giovanni was to have under him a company of 
 200 men-at-arms, about 300 light horsemen with the 
 1,200 attendant soldiers, and 2,000 foot-soldiers ; and 
 he specially insists on his band of twenty-five chosen 
 and highly paid captains, in immediate attendance 
 upon himself. But all the important posts in the 
 imperial army were given to inferior leaders, and the 
 best soldier amongst them all was not satisfied. 
 
132 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 " You have served me badly in this contract," 
 he said to those who had drawn it up. He was 
 constantly harassed by the Malespina ; he wanted 
 money at once for his artillery and his horses — those 
 light Arabs who were so essential to him. He writes 
 to his bailiff Suasio : 
 
 " . . . Search all over the castle at the Trebbio, 
 under the beds and everywhere, and also in the 
 arsenal, and see if there are not several great pieces 
 of artillery, short ones in bronze and metal ; look 
 for them well . . . and if you do not find them 
 there, seek for them at Florence and at Castello, 
 everywhere, all you can find, and send them to me 
 at once by express. Do not fail. 
 
 " Reggio, August 20, 1523." 
 
 The ardent condottiere rides incessantly over 
 those burning roads of Lombardy, from Milan to 
 Reggio, scouring the country for men ; and the tertian 
 fever attacks him, again and again, as he rides 
 post-haste, night and day, without drawing rein. 
 His great care is always for the pay of his men, which 
 he attempts to make " fixed and certain," that they 
 may never be in want or distress. 
 
 The French Army, which had climbed the passes 
 of the Alps, was commanded by Bonnivet, and con- 
 sisted of 1,500 of those famous men-at-arms and 
 25,000 foot-soldiers — French, Italian, Flemish, and, 
 above all, Swiss, under their leader Jean de 
 Diesbach. Bayard fought in the French Army with 
 his friend Jean de Chabannes and, amongst other 
 famous captains, Renzo da Ceri, who had recently 
 distinguished himself in the victorious defence of 
 
DEATH OF POPE ADEIAN VI. 133 
 
 Marseilles. On the very day when Bonnivet crossed 
 the Ticino, Pope Adrian VI. died, broken-hearted 
 at his failure to reform the Church and to join all 
 Christian princes in a crusade against the Turks, 
 instead of this suicidal war. Poor man ! "He 
 thought nothing more unfortunate in his life " than 
 his high dignity, and he was hated in Rome for his 
 very virtues. After a Conclave of fifty days another 
 Medici was to be elected — the Cardinal Giulio — 
 henceforth the crafty and treacherous Clement VII. 
 But much was to happen first. His young kins- 
 man, Giovanni delle Bande Nere, was to add to his 
 fame until he and his bands were always placed in 
 the forefront of danger, and became the mainstay 
 of the imperial army. While the French troops 
 closely besieged Milan, provisions were desperately 
 needed in the city ; Giovanni made a sortie, and was 
 attacked by a company of the unrivalled French 
 men-at-arms. First he harassed them, then feigned 
 a retreat and drew them into an ambush, where they 
 were all taken or killed. " He never rests, that 
 gallant man ! " says a Venetian captain. In fact, he 
 almost supported alone the terrible burden of that 
 devastating siege, where famine always stared the 
 defenders in the face, the water-mills were destroyed, 
 and the only hope was in the successful sorties and 
 brilliant skirmishes of the Black Bands. Prospero 
 Colonna was dying, treachery had more than once 
 to be put down with a fierce hand, and at length all 
 the useless mouths had to be turned out of Milan. 
 Fortunately for the imperial cause, the French 
 Army suffered greatly from the snows and the cold 
 damp of those Lombard plains, and began to retire 
 across the Ticino — just at the time of the great 
 
134 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 triumph of the Medici in the election of Clement VII. 
 on November 14. 
 
 Whilst Giovanni fought and suffered in the armv 
 of the Church, always in deadly peril, and too often 
 on the brink of starvation, his wife Maria appears 
 to have been suddenly aroused to a keen sense of 
 the position. The news spread like wildfire that 
 a Medici once more sat on the Chair of St. Peter, 
 and Florence was wild with rejoicing. While the 
 bonfires flamed and the church bells rang out peals 
 of gladness, the devoted Fortunati held deep counsel 
 in the Palace on the Corso with his noble lady. 
 
 " We must lose no time, Madonna/' he cried. 
 " Already the race for place and preferment has 
 begun. Ridolfi has applied for the Archbishopric of 
 Florence ; your brother Giovanni will go as Legate 
 to Bologna ; the Riario brothers are claiming help ; 
 and the two Medici bastards, Ippolito and Ales- 
 sandro, have arrived in Rome/' 
 
 Maria needed no spur to action. Her passionate 
 love as a wife and a mother had already kindled in 
 her an eager subtle intelligence with regard to their 
 interests. 
 
 " I understand ; I see it all, my father/' she 
 replied. " We have been patient too long, and 
 Giovanni thinks of nothing but his soldiers and his 
 fighting. Remember Pope Leo, who promised us so 
 much and did so little. If he had only lived longer, 
 he might have done more . . . but we will run no 
 risk this time, that I swear ! You and I will write a 
 letter to this Pope Clement, and he shall know what 
 we expect of him ! " 
 
 The long-suffering Maria was roused indeed, and 
 the broad, genial face of the old priest beamed with 
 
ANOTHER MEDICI POPE, CLEMENT VII. 135 
 
 delight, for his pupil had outrun him in her enthu- 
 siasm. He got ready pen and paper and sat down 
 to write at her dictation the famous letter which 
 bears witness to this day of her new energy and 
 determination. 
 
 " Gesii Maria. 
 
 " Most Holy Father, and your Most Clement 
 Highness. I am quite certain that by the favour 
 of Your Holiness I shall be less exposed to my 
 usual difficulties . . . but the longer I wait, the 
 more trouble Your Holiness may have. In conse- 
 quence, with humble respect I entreat that you will 
 condescend to free my Lord and husband from the 
 many debts and engagements by which he is at 
 present overwhelmed ; in order that they may not 
 devour entirely the little which is left to him. For 
 unless Your Holiness interferes, there is no means 
 by which he can be set free. Thus I devoutly implore 
 Your Holiness will take it in hand ; being well 
 assured that the means of delivering my husband 
 will not fail You, without much trouble and incon- 
 venience — either by means of the salt duties or the 
 customs, or by any other way which You may prefer. 
 And I shall be never weary of praying God for your 
 salvation, remaining for ever Your slave, with my 
 dear son. At the most holy feet of Whom, I very 
 humbly commend myself. 
 
 " Florence, December 5, 1523. 
 
 " Of Your Holiness the slave and the daughter, 
 " Maria Salviati dei Medici." 
 
 This was only the first move in the game which 
 the determined young princess was to carry on with 
 
136 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 so much success in later years. But her chief diffi- 
 culty was to induce her husband, the honest and 
 outspoken soldier, to take his part. She wrote him 
 a letter for the New Year in which she implored him 
 " not to go to sleep over all those affairs over there, 
 when the important matter was to win the favour 
 of the new Pope " ; and she added that she believed 
 " he was kept at the seat of war that he might be 
 out of the way." . . . "In the days of Pope Leo, 
 every villain had something . . . only we were 
 left out ! " 
 
 We can imagine Giovanni receiving this letter 
 in the besieged city of Milan, when his soul was 
 entirely filled with sorties and skirmishes, when he 
 was the most trusted general of Duke Francesco, 
 and when the great Charles de Bourbon was sending 
 him admiring letters, offering his support and friend- 
 ship. Yet he became really interested in the matter, 
 when he heard, a little later, that Maria's bold move 
 had been successful. Clement VII. was most 
 gracious ; he sent little Cosimo twenty ducats for 
 a pony early in January ; then a present of two 
 hundred ducats for Maria herself in March ; and 
 four ducats more for a gallant equipment of Cosinio's 
 pony. All this was so encouraging that Madonna 
 was persuaded by Fortunati to push her advantage 
 still farther, and she decided to take her little prince 
 to Rome, that he might be kept well in sight, that he 
 might grow in the Pope's favour and receive a settled 
 position worthy of his rank and near kinship to the 
 priestly giver of good things. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 Maria Salviati at Rome — She and Cosimo in high favour with 
 Clement VII. — Giovanni greatly distinguishes himself against 
 the French, who retreat over the Alps — Peace is fatal to the Black 
 Bands and to their condottieri — Pietro Aretino joins Giovanni — 
 Francois I. invades Italy. 
 
 It was a moment of triumph for Maria Salviati, 
 when at length all her preparations were made and 
 the day was fixed for her journey to Rome. This 
 important move had been encouraged by all her 
 friends, and more especially by the Pope himself, 
 who had graciously promised that when the Lord 
 Giovanni could return from the wars, he should 
 receive there a beautiful palace, at present occupied 
 by the Portuguese Ambassador. 
 
 It was in the midst of a violent storm of rain and 
 wind that the Medici princess, with her little son 
 Cosimo and an escort of twenty cavaliers, amongst 
 whom rode the good priest Fortunati — who had with 
 difficulty been persuaded to join them — at length 
 reached Rome on the evening of February 27. The 
 weary travellers were received with the warmest 
 welcome at the palace of the Salviati, where they 
 were to take up their abode. Jacopo and Lucrezia 
 Salviati could not make enough of their daughter 
 and grandson, and the family circle was made com- 
 plete by the Cardinal Giovanni and the Priors Pietro 
 and Bernardo, all radiant with delight at seeing 
 
 137 
 
138 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 the triple crown once more on the brow of a Medici. 
 Surely now the good times would come, and they 
 would all bask in the sunshine of prosperity ! 
 
 In the familiar atmosphere of home affection, 
 and under the care of the honourable and important 
 Salviati, beloved of Popes, and of her mother Lucrezia 
 — who had made so brave a fight for the advancement 
 of all her children — Maria would have a comforting 
 sense of rest and peace, such as she had not known 
 for years. They would prove a strong tower of help, 
 and all would be well. It was a most happy omen 
 that the very next day Pope Clement sent for little 
 Cosimo, and the handsome prince of four years old 
 won golden opinions, and was " much caressed by 
 His Holiness.'" Maria was invited to an audience 
 at the Vatican on the morrow, and, like a warrior 
 preparing for battle, she set herself to read once more 
 the letter which she had received from her husband 
 at the moment of leaving Florence. 
 
 " Carissima Consorte, — 
 
 " Although the horse I was sending you 
 has unfortunately gone lame, do not let that 
 interfere with your journey to Rome, which I much 
 desire. ... I am glad you will be at your Salviati 
 Palace. 
 
 " When you have arrived in Rome, go as soon as 
 you can to the feet of His Holiness, and according 
 to the words which occur to you at the moment, you 
 will commend me to His Holiness ; you will make 
 him understand what you know of my condition, and 
 how I have been, and still am, in the service of the 
 Lord Duke, and in this enterprise at the expense of 
 His Holiness ; also that I am not a man to fail in 
 
APPEAL TO POPE CLEMENT VII. 139 
 
 doing all that is possible for the honour of our house. 
 Truly, I am overwhelmed with expenses, and have 
 been badly paid for a long time : as His Holiness well 
 knows for I have complained many times by letter. 
 I know well that Our Lord does think of my affairs, 
 present and to come, and that he has told the Lord 
 Duke, here at Milan, that he is to pay my expenses 
 by giving me an estate bringing in six or eight 
 thousand ducats ; which if I had, it would be a 
 great thing ! ... It is not that I make unreasonable 
 demands, but I am thinking of a revenue which 
 would prevent my being always on the point of 
 dying of hunger, and always on the gridiron. I 
 cannot reduce my expenses, for he that would have 
 influence with his soldiers, is absolutely compelled 
 to spend. You are wise . . . and you well know 
 what I want. I only aspire to receive from His 
 Holiness enough to live like my equals ; as for honour, 
 I will win that by arms. In short, His Holiness must 
 act so that I can live, and that I may have a firm 
 and stable position so that my descendants may 
 enjoy it, without having always to live in terrible 
 anxiety. 
 
 " You will be on the spot, and you will see from 
 day to day, where and how, you can find means of 
 speaking. Therefore behave wisely and prudently, 
 and do not share the secret of our troubles with 
 anybody. 
 
 " And you must tell His Holiness, as of your own 
 accord, the disorder of my affairs, and at Florence, 
 and everything. But do so carefully at the right 
 time and place. . . . 
 
 We are on the point of leaving Milan to go and 
 find the enemy. May God give us victory ! 
 
140 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 " I send you the sable you ask for. As for the 
 beautiful fur gloves, there are none here. I commend 
 myself to you." 
 
 With her husband's directions fresh in her mind, 
 Maria Salviati passed triumphantly through the 
 ordeal of her interview with the crafty Pope. She 
 hastened to tell Giovanni all about it, writing with 
 her own hand. 
 
 " . . . This was the answer of His Holiness. 
 That he will never fail Your Highness with 
 regard to the State which is to be given you in 
 Lombardy, and that you need have no doubt 
 about it. You may be quite sure that it will be 
 stable and safe when once you have it, as it will be 
 guaranteed by so great a personage that there will 
 be nothing to fear. If it could not be obtained for 
 you in that country, it would certainly be provided 
 in some other safe place. . . /* 
 
 It is quite possible that Giovanni felt less confidence 
 than his wife in these somewhat vague promises. 
 Meanwhile his renown increased every day ; indeed 
 his friends in Florence were so alarmed at the reckless 
 courage and audacity of his constant skirmishes, 
 that they wrote to implore him to " take care of 
 himself and not to tempt fortune too much." And 
 that indeed to " save his life . . . was the one thing 
 needful — all the Law and the Prophets." 
 
 But this Medici had too much of the Sforza in 
 him to fight like the other condottieri, with such 
 careful discretion that " they might live to fight 
 another day." Mounted on his splendid hone 
 Sultan, with his sword in hand and lance on rest, he 
 
141 
 
BAYAED AND THE BLACK BANDS 143 
 
 rode straight and struck hard at the enemy before 
 him, with all care for his own life absorbed in the 
 passionate desire for victory. Towards the end of 
 January, he led his Black Bands on that famous 
 expedition where he only just missed taking Bayard 
 at Rebec, a wretched position towards the mountains, 
 on the way to Magenta, which the Chevalier sans 
 Peur et sans Reproche had repeatedly told Bonnivet 
 that it was impossible to defend. He was probably 
 left there out of jealousy. In any case he was 
 awakened by a night attack on January 27. 
 
 Five hundred light horsemen of the Black Bands 
 had sallied out of Milan, and in order to recognise 
 each other in the darkness, they wore white shirts 
 outside their cuirasses. The watch was taken by 
 surprise, and the French camp would have been 
 theirs, had they taken due precautions and not 
 aroused the enemy by their cries of victory. Bayard, 
 who slept in part of his armour, with his cuirass by 
 his side, was on the alert at once. The " Loyal 
 Serviteur " tells us that " the shouting was great 
 and the alarm hot." All that Bayard could do was 
 to lead the retreat to Abbiategrasso, where Bonnivet 
 was encamped with the main army ; but all the 
 tents, some horses, and the baggage were lost, and 
 Bayard's company had a very narrow escape for 
 their lives. 
 
 There were constant raids and skirmishes through- 
 out all the villages and everywhere that provisions 
 might be obtained, for the besieged were in want 
 of the necessaries of life. Giovanni was growing very 
 tired of this unprofitable war, in a plague-stricken 
 and desolated country. Both armies suffered terribly, 
 but perhaps the French invaders were most to be 
 
 9 
 
144 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 pitied. The Swiss mercenaries deserted in large 
 numbers, for at the first touch of spring, when once 
 the passes were open, the distant mountains called 
 them back to their homes. They could not be 
 expected to remain in exile without food or pay. 
 On the imperial side the Black Bands were in much 
 the same condition, and Giovanni actually left the 
 camp with them and retreated as far as Pa via ; the 
 one thing that mattered to him was that his men 
 should be treated fairly, and on this account he was 
 loved and trusted, far beyond any other leader. 
 He would not return until he had received half 
 the arrears of pay due to his bands. As time passed 
 on, the skirmishes became more fierce and desperate 
 than ever, while the Black Bands were always in 
 the thick of everything. They took Garlasco after 
 the third assault, when the Duke of Urbino had given 
 up all hope ; in the water up to the throat, the 
 soldiers of Giovanni crossed the moats and trenches, 
 and fought their way through the breach with 
 terrible loss of life, while the standard-bearer was 
 drowned in a rushing torrent. 
 
 Then Abbiategrasso was taken and retaken, with 
 massacre and plundering ; it was a hot-bed of plague, 
 and the spoils carried to Milan infected all the houses 
 which received them, and in that ill-fated city 
 thousands upon thousands of deaths were the fearful 
 price of that disastrous booty. Yet still this savage 
 war went on, more cruel than ever on both sides, 
 for during that month of April 1524, the rule between 
 the two armies was " No quarter and no mercy ; all 
 who were taken prisoner were massacred/ 1 Bon- 
 nivet had sent for 8,000 Swiss, but the Black Bands 
 went out to meet them, and they turned and lied 
 
DEATH OF THE CHEVALIER BAYARD 145 
 
 without a blow, " doubtful about their pay, and also 
 in terror of the very name of Giovanni. Never were 
 there such splendid troops as his and so eager for 
 fighting. Bergamo is quite safe, for the Lord 
 Giovanni will see to that," wrote the Venetian 
 ambassador on April 13. 
 
 One by one, the plague-stricken towns of Lombardy 
 fell into the hands of the league, and it was in this 
 terrible month that the Chevalier Bayard met with 
 his death. With the most gallant courage he was 
 protecting the retreat of the army, charging inces- 
 santly, when the shot of a falconet broke his spine. 
 The tragic and heroic story of his end is too well 
 known to repeat, and his loss to the French Army 
 was irretrievable. Giovanni dei Medici was there : 
 one of the admiring circle of those who had fought 
 against him, and who knew how to value aright so 
 true a hero. 
 
 The war was now practically at an end, for the 
 only desire of Bonnivet was to retreat as quickly as 
 possible ; and most of his enemies were quite willing 
 that he should do so. But Giovanni delle Bande Nere 
 would have pursued and destroyed them all if he had 
 had his way, for he disdained any compromise. The 
 fame of his exploits had spread through Italy, and 
 in Florence and Rome " he was praised up to the 
 skies, and every mouth was full of his renown." 
 " We are all agreed," writes Suasio, " that if God 
 preserves Your Highness through this campaign, 
 our epoch will have no one to compare with you. 
 May God save you. . . . Madonna sends word that 
 she will soon be at the Trebbio. ..." 
 
 He had been wounded slightly at Abbiategrasso, 
 but took no notice of it. In those days, when five 
 
146 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 or six cannon and a few falconets were enough to 
 storm a town, and when the movements of troops 
 were usually so slow that, for instance, the Duke of 
 Milan could receive news from hour to hour of the 
 movements and plans of his enemies, the extra- 
 ordinary rapidity and valour of the Black Bands 
 carried everything before them. The Pope expressed 
 the greatest admiration of Giovanni, and continued to 
 talk of the state he was to have — Fermo or another — 
 but nothing was settled ; and the Captain of the 
 Black Bands still found the greatest difficulty in 
 obtaining the payment of the arrears due to them. 
 Meantime, amongst all these worries, Giovanni has 
 constant amusing and licentious letters from Aretino, 
 with a sonnet here and there, and a love-letter from 
 some Roman lady of light character. 
 
 The coming of peace brought fresh troubles to 
 the condottiere when he returned to his mountain 
 fastness at Aulla, but we feel that his neighbours 
 were most to be pitied. Some occupation had to 
 be found for the terrible Black Bands, who were 
 badly paid by the Duke Sforza, and there was redress 
 for encroachments to be paid for by the Pallavicini 
 and the Malespina. The Pope was appealed to, and 
 had to interfere with a letter of warning to his 
 " beloved Giovanni." 
 
 We hear a great deal about the turbulent 
 behaviour of the Black Bands from the letters 
 of Ariosto, the unfortunate poet, who could only 
 obtain any salary from Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara, 
 by accepting the arduous post of Governor of the 
 Garfagnana. He was isolated from all he loved ; 
 he was in the midst of a wild and rugged land, 
 without sufficient force to defend it ; and he had 
 
THE BLACK BANDS GIVE TROUBLE 147 
 
 to hold his cup level between the brigands on one 
 hand and the formidable Black Bands on the other. 
 In the beginning of July 1524, a company of the 
 Black Bands got entangled in a faction fight before 
 the walls of Camporgiano, which was sacked " with 
 fire and blood/' Quarrelling over the booty, the 
 captain, Todeschino, was wounded, and fell into the 
 hands of the Governor Ariosto, who sent full par- 
 ticulars to the Duke of Ferrara. " I wish I could 
 hang all those ruffians . . . but I am not strong 
 enough ! '' he lamented. Todeschino, before his 
 death, asserted that all this had been done " without 
 the knowledge of the Lord Giovanni " ; only, if things 
 had turned out well, he would have approved ! Mean- 
 while, the bands continued to raid the country of the 
 Malespina, and even to take some of them prisoners. 
 
 At length matters became so bad that the Pope 
 and the Viceroy Lannoy had to interfere, for there 
 were complaints on every side. The Duke of Ferrara 
 wrote to his ambassador at Naples : " There have 
 come to Pisa, by sea, seven pieces of ammunition 
 to the men of the Lord Giovanni ; tell the Viceroy 
 of this." And Castiglione, the ambassador from 
 Mantua, spoke so strongly to the Pope that he sent 
 orders for all the prisoners taken by the bands to 
 be set free. So much pressure was put upon Gio- 
 vanni that at length he was induced to sell his robber 
 castle of Aulla to the Malespina, for a large sum of 
 money, but these arrangements were not carried 
 out without many struggles. In the following year 
 Pope Clement gave his young condottiere 10,000 
 francs per month to install him in Rome, and thus 
 prevent him from becoming the ruler of Florence. 
 
 Maria Salviati shared all her husband's indignation 
 
148 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 at finding himself without employment or a dominion 
 of his own. She wrote : 
 
 " It is very well known that the Duke of Milan 
 gives Giovanni nothing, because the Viceroy does 
 not wish it ; he makes the Duke deceive him as 
 he does himself. If he has not Pontremoli it is 
 quite clear that it is for this reason. It is not enough 
 to say ' I sent a man on purpose/ All the great 
 Lords have a counter-sign, and if that is not on the 
 letter, nothing is done. You will soon see Giovanni 
 utterly ruined." 
 
 This warrior after the ancient style, who fought 
 like a hero of the Iliad ; setting free an important 
 prisoner on account of his courage ; always leaving 
 his spoils of war to his men ; was too honest and too 
 generous to make his way, for he was ever ready 
 to speak his mind to Viceroy, Captain-General, or 
 Legate. Implacable when one of his soldiers was 
 wronged, he always took the post of danger, and at 
 any moment would risk his own life to save one of 
 his men. No wonder they loved him for his splendid 
 courage, his fearless justice, and his open-handed 
 generosity. But for all these qualities the Pope was 
 jealous of him, for he threw his own young Alessandro 
 completely into the shade. 
 
 On the arrival of an ambassador from the Emperor, 
 with a proposal for universal peace, and nine different 
 ways of securing it, there was a splendid reception 
 in which Giovanni delle Bande Nere rode by the side 
 of the Bwarthy boy of fourteen, the Pope's Ales- 
 sandro, and the amba ador wrote: ' I was saluted 
 by as many trumpeters and minstrels, as we arc 
 
WITH PIETRO ARETINO, AT FANO 149 
 
 accustomed to have at the Carnival of Mechlin." 
 We know what a judge of trumpeters Giovanni 
 was ! 
 
 The whole summer appears to have been spent 
 
 by him at Eome, in the midst of intrigues and 
 
 anxious waiting ; but he received several important 
 
 gifts of money from the Pope. Even Maria and 
 
 little Cosimo did not escape from the sultry heat 
 
 of the Eternal City to the cooler air of Trebbio, as 
 
 we find the bailiff writing, after the vintage : " We 
 
 hope, notwithstanding the rain, to have good wine, 
 
 and so much, that if Your Excellency does not come 
 
 to help us drink it, I shall have enough for ten years." 
 
 To find occupation for the Black Bands, in time 
 
 of peace, was always the great difficulty of their 
 
 young leader. The Pope had assigned the city of 
 
 Fano, on the Adriatic, as a place of residence for a 
 
 great number of them, and Giovanni was frequently 
 
 thereto look after them — a task which was no sinecure, 
 
 for they were always in trouble with the citizens. 
 
 It was here that he was joined by Pietro Aretino, 
 
 who had managed to fall into disgrace in Rome, 
 
 although he had really taken extraordinary care not 
 
 to offend Pope Clement. So much so, that the 
 
 people complained of the silence of Pasquino, and 
 
 some poet pasted up a dialogue between a Traveller 
 
 and Marforio. 
 
 " Traveller. ' Marforio, since the day when this 
 Pope was elected, your brother Pasquino is grown 
 almost dumb, and Aretino no longer rebukes vice. 
 What have you to say about it ? ' 
 
 " Marforio. ' Why, don't you know that Armellino 
 has cut short Pasquino by giving him to understand 
 that if he makes a sound they will slit his tongue 
 
150 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 for him, so the poor fellow does not dare to breathe, 
 much less speak.' 
 
 " Traveller. ' Pietro Aretino, who was in such high 
 favour, was taken with a mouthful of bait like a 
 frog,* and now he sings but does not want to touch 
 the Court. 
 
 " The amazing Pietro Aretino " hurried from 
 Arezzo to join Giovanni delle Bande Nere, who gave 
 him a hearty welcome, although it was rather a 
 disappointment for him to have lost a friend at 
 court. They made merry together, but Fano was 
 not Reggio, and they could not revive the wild and 
 turbulent gaiety of those old days. Once more the 
 fair and ill-fated land of Italy is threatened with 
 war, for the imperial army has been repelled from 
 the walls of Marseilles, and the French King, blinded 
 by vanity and ambition, is gaily riding at the head of 
 his army — to meet his fate. 
 
 On the same day that Giovanni received this 
 news, the long-promised reward for his services was 
 offered him by the Duke of Milan ; this was the rich 
 present of the town and neighbourhood of Busto 
 Arizio, fifteen miles from Milan, which had been 
 confiscated from Trivulzio. The Duke accompanies 
 his gift with glowing words of praise to the young 
 condottiere, " who has deserved honour and glory 
 from the whole army ; who has performed such 
 illustrious exploits that their memory is imperishable. 
 This famous warrior, with diligent care and most 
 admirable courage of soul and body, in order to 
 protect Milan from enemies and ambushes . . . has 
 worn out the enemy night and day by incessant 
 
 * Clement VII. made him a Knight of Rhode* 
 
THE FAME OF GIOVANNI 151 
 
 incursions into their camp, has fought them with 
 the greatest ardour, has cut off their convoys, and 
 intercepted their provisions, until one might almost 
 doubt whether it was the city that was besieged or 
 the enemy." 
 
 But Giovanni delle Bande Nere was not one of 
 those who settle down in their well-earned domain 
 and live happily ever after. His restless ambition 
 was once more to lead him astray. Late at night, 
 on October 27, Giovanni arrived in Florence, paused 
 at the entrance of the palace in the Via Larga to 
 salute the Bishop of Cortona and Ippolito dei Medici ; 
 then, without dismounting, rode off through the 
 darkness to the Trebbio. Great events were hap- 
 pening : Francois I. was already before Pa via, full 
 of confidence, with a strong army ; and he had set 
 his heart on winning over the warrior Medici to his 
 side. There were strange goings on in the little 
 inn of the Piccolo Cavallo, where the agents on both 
 sides met and bargained. On the last day of October, 
 Giovanni wrote to Fortunati : 
 
 " You will tell the Holy Father that notwith- 
 standing what the Duke writes, I do not think we 
 shall agree." 
 
 He was at San Secondo, the town he had re- 
 conquered for Bianca's sons, and it was here that he 
 received the definite offers of the French King, a 
 fortnight later. He thus tells the story to his brother- 
 in-law, the Cardinal Giovanni Salviati, who was at 
 Parma : 
 
 " Two messengers came to me yesterday from 
 the King of France, sent by His Majesty that I 
 might go to him. I beg your Most Eeverend 
 
152 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 Lordship to be good enough to advise and counsel 
 me ; what am I to do ? The names of the envoys 
 are .... I await your answer/' 
 
 The next day, he added in a second letter : 
 
 " . . . One cannot write everything. I will be 
 with you to-morrow and will treat you to the whole 
 affair ; and Your Most Reverend Highness will see 
 that I have behaved with discretion/' 
 
 Cardinal Salviati was Legate for Cisalpine Lom- 
 bardy ; he was one of the most devoted of the young 
 Medici's friends, and he was in constant touch with 
 the Pope, so that he could advise his kinsman with 
 full authority. In point of fact, the crafty and 
 vacillating Clement VII. had come to the conclusion 
 that the French would win in the coming struggle ; 
 and, to obtain favour with Francois I., he gave his 
 permission to Giovanni delle Bande Nere to enter 
 the service of the French King. On November 19, 
 1524, the final step was taken, with the full approval 
 of Giberti the Papal datary, who congratulated 
 Giovanni " on having left the ungrateful imperials/' 
 A week later the Black Bands were before Pavia, in 
 the French camp, and the King received their leader 
 with enthusiasm, insisting that he should be lodged 
 close to the royal tents, under the shadow of the 
 rich abbey of San Lanfranco. 
 
CHAPTEE X 
 
 With the Pope's consent, Giovanni passes over to the French — 
 Siege of Pavia — The reckless and marvellous valour of Giovanni 
 in his skirmishes — Giovanni is wounded — He is sent to Piacenza 
 to be cared for — Letter of Cardinal Salviati to Maria — Francois I. 
 defeated and taken prisoner at Pavia. 
 
 " The passage of the Lord Giovanni dei Medici to 
 the French " was taken with much ill favour by the 
 imperial party. Pope Clement VII. was too cunning 
 to show his hand, and he tried to make the Emperor 
 believe that it was a headstrong and unauthorised 
 move on the part of his young kinsman. The 
 Venetians, however, were too subtle themselves to 
 be deceived, and they said : " He is under the Pope's 
 influence ; we can see towards which side the Holy 
 Father inclines." But in point of fact this treacher- 
 ous Pontiff was still undecided, as usual ; he wanted 
 to be on good terms with both sides, so that he 
 might join the winner in the end. One day he gave 
 money to Lannoy, the Imperial Viceroy, and the 
 next time, he signed a private treaty with Francois I. 
 " God grant that it may turn out well," wrote the 
 time-serving canons of San Lorenzo to their colleague 
 Fortunati, when they heard of Giovanni's last step. 
 
 Meantime, the hero himself troubled not at all 
 as to what might be said of him ; it was quite enough 
 for him to be in that magnificent camp, surrounded 
 by pleasure-loving companions, and to pass in 
 
 153 
 
154 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 review, on foot, his immense pike on his shoulder, 
 3,000 picked troops in the presence of the King 
 and his Court. Not a sortie takes place from the 
 besieged city but Giovanni and his Black Bands are 
 the first to repel it, and his praises are sounded on 
 every side ; he is hailed as " nourished in victories 
 from his childhood." We find an order, signed 
 by the French King, " to pay at once 36,000 
 crowns to the Lord Giovanni dei Medici." Never 
 were such promises as those made to this young 
 leader ! He was to have a larger army under him 
 than he had ever commanded before ; he was to 
 receive 3,000 crowns of salary, and 2,000 crowns of 
 fixed income a year ; his nephews, especially his 
 favourite, Count Pietro, were to be well provided for, 
 and the Collar of the Order of St. Michel was offered 
 to him by the French King. 
 
 But Giovanni was too generous and impulsive to 
 take advantage of these lavish offers. He reveals 
 himself fully in a letter to his friend, Pietro Aretino, 
 who was now once more in favour at Rome. 
 
 " My brave Pietro, — 
 
 "... I have been treated like a brother 
 by the King of France. ... I sent back the Order 
 of St. Michel to this great Prince, and I tore 
 up the treaties which contained the provision for 
 my salary and an income for my wife . . . telling 
 him that he should bestow such a dignity on one 
 who has served him longer than I have, while as for 
 the pay, that should be in proportion to the service. 
 . . . I know there is no need to tell you how to 
 answer those who blame me ... for I could not do 
 otherwise than I have done. I forgot to tell you 
 
HIGH FAVOUR WITH FRANgOIS I. 155 
 
 that the King asked me yesterday why I had not 
 brought you here with me. . . . His Majesty bid me 
 write and say that you are to come. ... I cannot 
 live without the Aretino. 
 " From Pavia. 
 
 " Thy Giovanni dei Medici." 
 
 It was all very well to tear up agreements in this 
 chivalrous way, but disaster may come to any great 
 King, and then the condottiere is in a very bad way 
 who has nothing to justify his claims. As for the 
 Order, we can quite understand that Giovanni, who 
 felt that he might have to change sides again, was 
 unwilling to bind his honour by the needful oath of 
 allegiance to France. He was always very punc- 
 tilious about his ideal of honour. Meantime he was 
 on the most friendly terms with this open-handed 
 prince, who one day, when some horses were wounded 
 in a skirmish in his presence, immediately presented 
 the company engaged with 600 to replace their loss. 
 
 When the Duke of Albany was sent with an army 
 towards Naples, to draw away troops from Pavia, 
 there was no one but Giovanni, with a company of 
 his Black Bands, who was thought capable of pro- 
 tecting the convoy of artillery sent against Pescara. 
 On December 16, Giovanni remained on horseback at 
 San Donnino all the wintry night, on guard, and the 
 imperial army was compelled to retreat. A little 
 later he reviewed the Swiss mercenaries, to the 
 number of 10,000 most excellent troops, and the 
 next day passed in review before the King his own 
 splendid Black Bands. All went off with great 
 honour, and there was special satisfaction in the fact 
 that on January 2, 1525, the soldiers of Giovanni 
 
156 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 punctually received their pay — quite a new expe- 
 rience for them. 
 
 They well deserved it, for they were in the fore- 
 front of every attack ; they were engaged in constant 
 skirmishes in the marches ; they were sent to burn 
 neighbouring villages suspected of treachery ; to 
 collect provisions from the neighbourhood ; in short, 
 all the laborious and dangerous work fell to the lot 
 of the Black Bands, who suffered terrible loss, while 
 their gallant leader was in constant peril of his life. 
 One day, Leyva, the Governor of Pavia, had gained 
 an advantage against the Black Bands ; had killed 
 several of them and taken four of their banners, 
 which were defiantly hung on the city walls. Gio- 
 vanni was furious, and swore to avenge his men, 
 whose life and honour were always dearer to him 
 than his own. 
 
 Several stories are told of Giovanni which show 
 his mood at this time. One day there was a dis- 
 cussion going on in the camp, in the King's presence, 
 about the various ways of taking an important post 
 near the city. Giovanni delle Bande Nere, who had 
 not spoken, rose after the last words. " Sacred 
 Majesty," he exclaimed ; " Your Highness has more 
 need of results than of advice. Let me do it." He 
 took a few of his own men, and without a cuirass, 
 just as he was, he stormed the place before the King ; 
 absolutely reckless of danger, he had a horse killed 
 under him, and half maddened with the awful 
 risks, he massacred all before him. Francois I., who 
 had never seen anything like his fighting, made him 
 a royal gift before the whole army. 
 
 Another time, it so chanced that Giovanni was 
 pursuing one of his servants who had disobeyed 
 
RECKLESS VALOUR OF CONDOTTIERE 157 
 
 him, and his horse carried him into the ranks of the 
 Swiss who, not recognising him in his simple dress, 
 got in his way and began to make fun of him. Gio- 
 vanni went back to his quarters in a rage ; he armed 
 his men, and would have made an end of the Swiss 
 had not the King been warned and implored him to 
 forgive them. But all the Swiss captains had to 
 beg his pardon on their knees, before the proud 
 young Medici would consent to forgive the affront. 
 
 This was the man who had sworn vengeance upon 
 the enemy. He only remembered one thing, that 
 the Spaniards had beaten his Black Bands. In a 
 letter to his brother-in-law, the Cardinal Salviati, 
 he tells him that the camp of the enemy was only 
 a cannon-shot distant, and " we have the most 
 beautiful skirmishes in the world every day in the 
 presence of the King and the Court, going as far as 
 the tents of the Spaniards/' 
 
 The friends of Giovanni were in constant alarm 
 at his reckless valour, and the Cardinal, who was 
 specially devoted to the friend of his childhood, wrote 
 thus to Maria Salviati: 
 
 "Most cherished and magnificent sister, — 
 " I have received your letter with great 
 pleasure, in which I learn that you and Cosimo are 
 both in good health ; I love him with all my heart, 
 and my most earnest desire is that you should make 
 him study well ; encourage him from me and tell 
 him that if he does not learn, I will bring him no 
 beautiful presents on my return. 
 
 " His Lordship [Giovanni] cannot be more be- 
 loved, nor in higher favour and reputation with the 
 Most Christian King, and this is only just, for he 
 
158 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 does everything ; he alone attacks the King's enemies 
 with his troops more than all the rest of the French 
 Army ; and he does things which are written about 
 and boasted of from both camps as marvellous and 
 supernatural. But as these cannot be performed 
 without manifest peril, he does not leave my mind a 
 moment's peace with regard to him, although I have 
 at present so many other serious anxieties. God 
 is my witness that in this world I have neither 
 brother nor sister so dear to me as His Lord-hip 
 Giovanni. . . ." 
 
 We may imagine how much this kind letter added 
 to the poor wife's constant fears, for she well knew 
 how absolutely useless any words of caution on her 
 part would be. Her terrible anxiety was only too 
 soon justified. 
 
 On that eventful Saturday, February 17, Giovanni 
 took his vengeance. He rode forth at night with a 
 small company and succeeded in drawing the Im- 
 perials, under Antonio de Leyva, into one of those 
 ambuscades which he knew so well how to prepare. 
 By a pretended flight, the enemies were enticed into 
 the trap, and saw the Black Bands suddenly turn 
 and burst upon them, riddle them with blows and 
 drive them back, with fearful loss, to the very gates 
 of Pavia. Giovanni, covered with blood, intoxicated 
 with savage joy and radiant with his victory, was 
 riding towards the camp in triumph when he met the 
 French General Bonnivet, who asked him what 
 had happened. When he heard the story, Bonnivet 
 exclaimed : " Let us go back ; show me the place." 
 
 Giovanni was delighted to ride back and point 
 out the place where the massacre occurred ; they 
 
Brogi, photo. 
 
 Bust by San Gallo : Bargello, Florence. 
 GIOVANNI DELLE BAXDE NERE. 
 
 159 
 
GIOVANNI WOUNDED BEFORE PA VIA 161 
 
 even delayed in order to count the slain, and, in doing 
 so, drew near to a ruined hut where some of the 
 enemy's gunners were hiding. When Giovanni delle 
 Bande Nere was within range, a shot was fired, and 
 a heavy ball * struck his right leg below where the 
 cuirass ended. The soldier had aimed well, and the 
 mediaeval warrior was laid low by that " abominable 
 artillery " by which, like his contemporary Bayard, 
 he was destined to pay the full penalty of his old- 
 fashioned contempt. He was carried back to the 
 camp, and the King came himself to visit the wounded 
 man, who was in great pain. The Court physician 
 probed the wound and found that, although the 
 bone and the nerves were injured, there was no 
 present danger. The ball had penetrated straight 
 through, above the ankle, driving in pieces of bone, 
 broken chain-mail, and bits of stuff — just at the 
 place where the greave, which protected most of the 
 leg, left a space above the " soleret." 
 
 There was great dismay at the news of this accident, 
 and the Pope, in real fear of losing his champion, 
 sent orders that Giovanni should be carried at once 
 by water to Piacenza to be nursed. The message 
 was brought by the most famous surgeon of Bologna, f 
 who was also entrusted with some holy and precious 
 oil for curing wounds. This was the letter of Pope 
 Clement, brought by his chamberlain : 
 
 " To Giovanni dei Medici, wounded. 
 " Dear Son, — 
 " We send you salutation and Apostolic 
 benediction. We have been deeply grieved by this 
 misfortune . . . and we send our command that 
 
 * Weighing 11 oz. j Giacomo da Carpi. 
 
 10 
 
162 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 you suffer yourself to be transported to Piacenza. 
 . . . Do not delay, as there, in the hands of your 
 own people, you will be more conveniently cared for. 
 . . . You can do nothing which will give us more 
 pleasure. . . . 
 
 " Given at Rome." 
 
 The King also insisted, and the wounded man 
 suffered himself to be carried to the barge, which 
 bore him smoothly down the Po to Piacenza, on 
 February 21. He had a safe-conduct and a strong 
 escort provided by Lannoy and Pescara, which was 
 most necessary, or he would have been torn to pieces 
 by the people who lived on the river banks, so great 
 was the fear and hatred he had inspired. Cardinal 
 Salviati met him, and waited till the next day before 
 he sent news of the accident to his sister Maria, 
 when at the same time he could give a hopeful account 
 of the invalid. 
 
 " Much beloved, magnificent Sister, — 
 
 " 1 would not write to you before, con- 
 cerning the misfortune which has befallen the Lord 
 Giovanni . . . not to keep you in suspense. But 
 now that by the grace of God, all is going 
 well/ [He tells the story.] " When I heard 
 this on Sunday, I was more distressed than I 
 have ever been in my life. ... I sent couriers at 
 once in every direction . . . and at last Giovanni 
 consented to come here. . . . He has been well 
 cared for, and to-day, which is the fourth day and 
 the change of moon, he has seemed very well, so 
 that my mind is at rest and I am full of courage. 
 And I implore you to be the same, assuring you 
 
HE IS TAKEN TO PIACENZA 163 
 
 that there is no danger and the doctors believe that 
 he will quite recover. . . . He is very patient and as 
 obedient as an angel. As I said, you may have your 
 mind at rest, and accept from God this small evil, 
 as preserving us from a much greater misfortune. 
 For seeing how he defied the artillery, and was 
 ever in most evident peril, and took upon himself all 
 the fighting in the camp, one might any day expect 
 much worse than this. 
 
 " I must not omit to tell you that if the accident 
 had happened to one of his sons, the Most Christian 
 King could not have felt more than he did for His 
 Lordship ; he has been never weary of sending him 
 presents, visiting him and bestowing upon him every 
 mark of affection, which was only just. ... I will 
 keep you informed day by day of his progress, and 
 when I do not write to you, you will learn everything 
 from our father's letters." (The Pope had sent Sal- 
 via ti, Maria's father, to be on the spot and give him 
 news.) The cardinal adds a few lines in his own 
 hand : " My dearly cherished little sister ; be of 
 good courage ; only now, the doctors told me when 
 I was present at the dressing of Giovanni, that his 
 wound is without any danger, and that he will feel 
 no evil result from it." 
 
 He made good progress, was very gay, sang and 
 talked nonsense with his devoted brother-in-law. 
 Yet he had been most unwilling to leave the camp at 
 Pavia, for he knew that his Black Bands would be 
 of little use without him. He had declared that if 
 the impending battle should be fought before he was 
 well, he would have himself carried to the ramparts 
 that he might watch and command his men, if he 
 
THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 could not serve in person. But the great, the deci- 
 the fatal battle was fought sooner than was expected, 
 on February 24. while Giovanni was dictating a 
 cheerful letter to console his poor little wife. 
 
 *' Illustrious Lady and most loving Wife. — 
 "I have seen your letter and that of 
 unati to the Most Reverend Salviati. Do not 
 
 90 ready to believe the worst, for men who 
 have flesh, and blood, and bones, are not cut up 
 like turnips. On the eighteenth of the present 
 month I received a wound in my leg from a 
 gun shot, and in order to be more easily cured I 
 was carried to Piacenza where the Most Reverend 
 [Salviati] was ; and thank God. I shall have 
 
 9ed the fourth day after the wound and the 
 change of moon without inconvenience or fever ; 
 and these doctors say positively that in twenty days 
 I shall leave mv bed without danger either of life 
 or infirmity. 
 
 " Thus do not let Your Ladyship grieve so much ; 
 I shail be all right. With this assurance, think of 
 living j< and praying to God. I commend 
 
 myself to you. 
 
 ; 'From Piacenza, the 24th of February, 1525. 
 
 '" From your most loving husband, 
 
 " Giovanni dei Medici. 
 
 The wounded man was in excellent spirit-, for the 
 famous Hebrew .-urgeon, Abraham of Mantua, had been 
 I by the French King to attend upon him ; and by 
 taking out a number of >plinters he had eased the 
 pain and given great relief. oni felt o well 
 
 that he ordered hi.- armour to be bed- 
 
 that very moment, hi 
 
BATTLE OF PAVIA, FRANgOIS L, CAPTIVE 165 
 
 for Giovanni delie Bande Nere on the fatal field 
 beneath the walls of Pa via ! Francois I. always 
 declared that if that gallant soldier had been by 
 his side, he would never have been reduced to that 
 last depth of humiliation, when — wounded in the 
 face and hand, his lance broken, himself unhorsed 
 and entangled in his splendid armour — the King of 
 France was compelled to give up his sword and own 
 himself prisoner. What must have been the feelings 
 of Giovanni himself when he heard the next day 
 that his splendid Black Bands, forming the right 
 wing of the French Army — led by the Duke of Suffolk 
 and Francois de Lorraine, who both fell beneath 
 the impetuous overwhelming rush of Bourbon's 
 landsknechte — had been driven back with great loss 
 after an heroic resistance ? By what irony of fate 
 had this unfortunate accident befallen their leader 
 at so critical a moment ? 
 
 That he, the greatest soldier of the day, should 
 have been laid aside on a sick bed when the decisive 
 battle of the whole campaign was fought, was indeed 
 a cruel disaster to Giovanni delle Bande Nere, al- 
 though his personal friends looked upon it as a 
 merciful escape for him. Yet his chief anxiety just 
 then was to keep at his bedside the famous surgeon, 
 Abraham, in whom he placed his only hope of com- 
 plete recovery. Splinters of bone and lead appear 
 to have constantly been removed from the wound ; 
 but the palace at Parma was not a very comfortable 
 place for an invalid, as one night there was such a 
 terrible noise of fighting downstairs that Giovanni 
 sprang from his bed in a rage, and threw back his 
 recovery for some time. Meantime it was fortunate 
 for him that he had some one at Rome to look after 
 
166 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 his interests. Maria Salviati realised, with her clear 
 insight, the utter ruin of her husband's position 
 caused by the defeat of the French. She knew that 
 her only hope was in the treacherous Pope Clement, 
 whose intrigues and dissimulation had been at the 
 root of everything. She saw how her Giovanni had 
 lost the affection and respect of his own countrymen 
 by his unfortunate alliance with France, and all her 
 efforts were set on undoing the harm already done, 
 in reinstating her husband in public opinion, and at 
 the same time in obtaining from the Pope the money 
 absolutely necessary for his Black Bands and himself. 
 It was a tremendous and almost hopeless task 
 which the young wife had undertaken, and she was 
 most loyally seconded by the devoted Fortunati. 
 But when the result did not satisfy Giovanni, with 
 the fret fulness of a sick man he blamed the good 
 priest in such violent language that Maria wrote 
 bravely in his defence, and declared that she herself 
 was cruelly affronted. 
 
 " . . . Yes, I, who have done my best, have 
 received such a blow that I shall never dare to 
 look any one in the face/' she writes in her 
 despair. " But, thank God, I have a father and 
 mother who will never fail me, otherwise I would 
 strangle myself with my own hands. ... In all 
 this business, I have seen what power I have witli 
 regard to our interests. I tell you, Giovanni, I had 
 no such confidence in anybody of this lower world 
 as in you, but I have seen this time what I am. I 
 will arrange matters in quite another fashion than 
 I have done up to this day. . . ." 
 
 Poor young wife ! She wrote bitter letters at first, 
 
SLOW KECOVEKY OF GIOVANNI 167 
 
 but they soon became calmer and merely formal. 
 And meantime she had her little Cosimo to think 
 of — that silent, cold, inscrutable child ; and for his 
 sake she left Rome in the burning summer weather, 
 and went first to Florence and then to the mountain 
 castle of the Trebbio. But Fortunati was ill, and, 
 to his bitter regret, could not accompany his mistress 
 nor his " little master." 
 
 By slow degrees Giovanni recovered from his 
 wound, but he was advised to complete his cure by 
 going to the mud-baths of Abana, about six miles 
 from Padua. On the way he delayed to take up 
 the command of his Black Bands. They were ever 
 an anxiety in time of peace, and the great difficulty 
 always was to find some safe place where they might 
 be lodged, without getting into too much mischief. 
 Giovanni received two letters the same day about 
 them. One was from a captain of his : " Most 
 Illustrious Lord, there is a great difference between 
 thinking out a thing in one's chamber, and putting 
 it in execution ; the troops are not easy to lodge 
 out " ; and the other letter was from the Governor 
 of Romagna : "... The complaints of all these 
 people arrive with so much force to the Holy Father, 
 that His Holiness sees himself obliged to listen to 
 them and help them. I therefore beg Your Excel- 
 lency to be good enough to restore order." This 
 was easier said than done. The only way was to 
 pay the expenses of any outrage which could not be 
 prevented ; and the bill for these Black Bands in 
 Romagna alone, came to more than seven hundred 
 ducats a month. 
 
 On his way to Abana, going by sea from Chioggia, 
 Giovanni had to pass through Venice, where he was 
 
THE ROMAS F A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 received with princely hospitality and lodged with his 
 suite of forty people in the Palazzo Giustiani, oppo- 
 site the Salute. He remained here for several w 
 and the Republic made him most flattering offers 
 if he would enter into the sen-ice of San Jiareo. 
 But he wisely refused, for the crafty Venetians, who 
 always liked to remain neutral, would have found 
 little use for so warlike and decided a champion as 
 the young Medici. Before leaving Venice, he re- 
 d from his bailiff at Trebbio the full list of his 
 pack of hounds, and particulars of those sent on 
 to Abana, where Giovanni hoped to relieve the 
 tedium of taking mud-baths by a little hunting in 
 the plains of Padua and the Euganean Hills. The 
 goshawks were not in condition that year, but 
 Giuliano, the kennel-groom, brought with him a dozen 
 hounds, and a dog for the burrows or brushwood, 
 called Serpent. The condition of the kenne. 
 bio was excellent, as th ■:: re about I 
 
 harriers, bloodhounds, and wtl a seven 
 
 young hounds and " five puppies of La Seiche, which 
 look like mastiffs," .Jiano. the kennel-groom, 
 able to give the fullest particulars about them all 
 Lorenzo Salviati had sent Giovanni an Arab horse, 
 and Maria forwarded him pheasants, peacocks, and 
 partridges. 
 
 Evidently he had some relaxation while he was 
 taking his cure, and in July he went on to Ferrara, 
 where he could talk over the baths with Duke 
 Alfonso, who had taken them himself some y 
 before. It was an excellent country for game, and 
 they had some good sport. But Giovanni did some 
 business here ; he sent his se- Cantelupo, 
 
 over to France to press his claims, for since Pa via 
 
HIS CLAIMS FORGOTTEN 169 
 
 he had never received any pay, past or present, for 
 his Black Bands, or the princely salary promised 
 him. Did Giovanni now regret, at his leisure, that 
 quixotic tearing-up of bonds and agreements which 
 left him without a legal claim ? No notice appears 
 to have been taken of his appeal ; indeed at that 
 moment, when the King's sister Marguerite was on 
 the point of setting forth for Spain and the whole 
 kingdom was disturbed and full of anxiety, the 
 Medici condottiere had no chance of obtaining 
 justice. So he turned his attention to other matters, 
 and went back to his favourite castle of the Trebbio 
 and devoted himself to his hunting and fishing. A 
 letter of this time from his bailiff says : " . . . He 
 is not quite so strong on the injured leg as on the 
 other, although I was told yesterday, he ran some 
 way behind a pheasant to catch it." 
 
 / 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 Trouble with the Malespini — Giovanni takes to the life of a corsair 
 atFano, on the Adriatic — When war begins, he enters the service 
 of France and the Pope — His marvellous exploits at the siege of 
 Milan. 
 
 It was well for Giovanni delle Bande Nere that he 
 had recovered his health and strength at Abana, as 
 he had a difficult task before him. Dming his 
 illness, the irrepressible Malespini had been ravaging 
 the Lnnigiano and seizing, not only the domain of 
 Giovanni, but the strongholds which belonged to 
 Florence, which were badly fortified, with rusty 
 arquebuses and old-fashioned arms. During the 
 month of August, while their leader remained at the 
 Trebbio, the Black Bands carried on their usual 
 style of aggressive warfare in the disputed land ; 
 they were joined by many of the inhabitants, and they 
 plundered and burnt the places which resisted them. 
 But before long, Giovanni received the serious news 
 that all the tribe of the Malespini, the Marchese 
 Lorenzo, the Marchese Spinetta, and various others 
 had combined to besiege Aulla, with 2,000 men, some 
 Spanish knights, and three great cannon which they 
 had brought from Sarzana. 
 
 The Medici condottiere lost not a moment ; on 
 the night of Monday, September 18, he suddenly 
 appeared at the foot of the Aulla rock, with fifty 
 light horsemen and 700 foot-soldiers. Now it 
 
 170 
 
TEOUBLE WITH THE MALESPINI 171 
 
 was his turn to carry all before him. At the first 
 rumour of his coming, the lordly Malespini had fled, 
 and he soon recovered everything — both his own 
 lands and those of Florence. But he was tired of 
 this petty warfare after his taste of real fighting, 
 and by September 27, he had made arrangements to 
 sell all his property on the banks of the Magra, 
 and all the places he had taken, for the sum of 
 2,500 golden crowns. The money was paid and the 
 receipt was signed before the notary, Ser Pietro dei 
 Medici da Panic ale, and the Malespini entered into 
 the long-disputed possession ; and soon paid their 
 expenses by plundering their neighbours and their 
 vassals. 
 
 Meantime Maria was at Florence, and her letters 
 are full of details about the illness and death of 
 Pietro Francesco, who did not even name his cousin 
 Giovanni in his will ; but she wants to know if little 
 Cosimo is to wear mourning. And the boy himself 
 writes in his big childish hand : 
 
 " Most Illustrious Lord, my father. I desire very 
 very much that before the departure of your Lordship, 
 you will give me leave to come and see you at the 
 Trebbio. I could not at present have any greater 
 favour or joy, and I commend myself to your 
 Lordship, whom may God preserve. . . ." 
 
 A most suitable and becoming letter for a tutor 
 to dictate to the little prince ! 
 
 Giovanni was now recognised as the head of the 
 younger Medici branch, and one step which he took 
 in this capacity is characteristic. He wrote to 
 Cardinal Passerini that his cousin had left many 
 
172 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 debts, and as it was his opinion that " honour goes 
 before masses/' he thought, that the Holy Father's 
 money ought to pay these, rather than the thousand 
 masses for his soul which Pietro Francesco had asked 
 for. But the eager condottiere had other things of 
 far more importance to think of. What was to be 
 done to find employment for his terrible Black Bands 
 and keep them together ? A great number had 
 been disbanded after the defeat of Pavia, and his 
 Corsican captains were writing, imploring him to take 
 them back in his service. Important events were 
 happening on every side, the rivalry between the 
 Emperor and the King of France was more desperate 
 than ever, and Giovanni looked forward hopefully, 
 and prayed for war. 
 
 But while this peace, so costly for him, still lin- 
 gered on, the Medici warrior looked about him for 
 means of living. His incessant claims had hitherto 
 met with no response in France, and the Pope gave 
 him fair promises, but nothing came of them. Gio- 
 vanni went to Fano, that picturesque little city on 
 the Adriatic, with a new idea in his mind. He would 
 become a corsair, he would man vessels with his 
 dauntless troops, be a pirate against the pirates 
 who swarmed on that coast of the Adriatic and 
 plundered everywhere triumphantly — that year when 
 the Turk had been so victorious on land. Giovanni 
 had long had a special liking for Fano ; he had longed 
 for it as a Principality where he might live and keep 
 his chosen bands around him. But now he cast 
 his eyes upon the delicious port of Ancona, some 
 miles to the south, that harbour so beautifully shel- 
 tered between the promontories of Monte Astagno 
 and Monte Guasco ; that city, with its rich commerce — 
 
CORSAIR LIFE AT FANO 173 
 
 the next to Venice, Queen of the Sea. Fano, with 
 its strong fortifications, cannot be compared to the 
 many attractions of Ancona. But if he should 
 venture on taking it by storm, in these later days, 
 it was absolutely necessary to have artillery. Greatly 
 daring, he wrote to the Duke of Ferrara to supply 
 him ; but the prudent Alfonso replied courteously 
 that with rumours of war on every side, he would 
 need all his guns for his own defence. He offered 
 money instead, but this Giovanni declined, as he 
 had at last received an advance of 3,000 ducats 
 from France. 
 
 If he could not take Ancona, at least Giovanni 
 delle Bande Nere spent a very merry time at Fano 
 with the help of his friend Pietro Aretino, who had 
 been finally driven from Rome, where he narrowly 
 escaped the daggers of hired cut-throats. His de- 
 votion to his soldier friend was partly due to the 
 feeling that, with him, he was certain of protection. 
 The young Medici was leading a life of dissipation 
 on land, while at the same time he thoroughly en- 
 joyed his pirate game. He already had a small 
 flotilla in which he trained his men to go to sea and 
 learn something of naval warfare, but when his 
 ambition was satisfied by obtaining a brigantine, 
 as a standing threat against Ancona, this corsair- 
 prince seems to have b'een satisfied with coasting 
 along the shore, and he never even had the good 
 fortune to meet the Turk. 
 
 His friends in Rome smiled at these nautical 
 amusements which served to keep the turbulent 
 captain out of mischief, for war was at hand, and 
 then he would be wanted in serious earnest. Their 
 only trouble was that he was spending too much 
 
174 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 money on arming and manning his galleys and his 
 brigantine, which he delighted to command in per- 
 son, and sail with as far as the harbour of Ancona. 
 For this he had pawned his massive gold chain and 
 his houses in Fano — even his costly garments, so that 
 he was reduced to beg some cloth from one of the 
 Salviati. And all this time Maria saw to her house- 
 hold in Florence, watched over little Cosimo, and 
 did her best to settle up the business affairs between 
 her husband and his nephews, the sons of the late 
 Pietro Francesco. Time had mellowed and softened 
 her passionate affection for her Giovanni ; she was 
 learning to work as of old for his interests, but at 
 the same time to bear his absence with increasing 
 patience, and his faults with a broader toleration. 
 
 At length the Holy League of Cognac, signed on 
 May 22, 1526, let loose the dogs of war and recalled 
 the leader of the Black Bands to his true profession. 
 He was to continue in the service of the Pope and 
 France, whose King had broken all his promises to 
 the Emperor, and who was once more about to tempt 
 fortune in that ever-coveted land of Italy, although 
 he would not risk his sacred person again. On 
 June 6 Giovanni received from the Papal treasury 
 2,500 ducats to raise 2,000 foot-soldiers, soon increased 
 to 4,000 and Guicciardini met him at Modena with the 
 Papal brief. This curious document, written in bad 
 Latin, protested that His Holiness was only fighting 
 to preserve the peace of all Christendom; it gave 
 the highest praise to Giovanni, and added : "... Of 
 all our infantry and that of Holy Church, such as 
 it is and will be, we make and constitute you Captain- 
 General, by these presents. . . " 
 
 The only authority above him was that of Federico 
 
HOLY LEAGUE OF COGNAC 175 
 
 of Mantua and Francesco Guicciardini, Lieutenant- 
 General for the States of the Church, who wrote 
 from Modena on June 15 : " We start from here 
 to-morrow morning, the Lord Giovanni and myself, 
 and I cannot desire a better disposition, from all 
 points of view, than he shows at present/' His 
 gentleness even went so far as to receive under him 
 his former captain, Paolo Luzasco, who was now in 
 the pay of Mantua. But when he was established 
 in the camp formed at Marignano, worse trials than 
 this were before him ; Guido Rangone — the ex- 
 perienced condottiere from Bologna, who had fought 
 in many a war, even against the Turk — contested the 
 rank of General, and there was constant discord 
 between these two imperious hot-tempered men. But 
 fortunately for Guicciardini, who found it impossible 
 to keep the peace, the army soon moved towards 
 Milan and Giovanni was once more free to throw 
 all his tremendous energy into those skirmishes 
 where he was without a rival. Since the days when 
 he had studied his map of Lombardy to such good 
 purpose, he had learnt to know most intimately 
 every yard of that country where he had fought 
 so often. 
 
 He it was who gave advice where the camp should 
 be placed to guard the approaches to Milan, showing 
 how he understood the strategy of warfare at the 
 same time as he carried out the most astounding 
 and brilliant feats of arms which dazzled friends 
 and foes alike. His insight and sagacity in planning 
 some expedition unheard of in its daring, were only 
 equalled by the indomitable spirit and valour with 
 which he carried it to a successful end. Even 
 Guicciardini, who hated all unnecessary risk, writes 
 
176 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 with enthusiasm to Giberti at Rome : ' I have 
 decided to write to you My Lord Datary, as the 
 Lord Giovanni is the very nerve and the soul of 
 this camp, and is recognised as such by his friends 
 and his enemies." He also adds that this leader, 
 to whom they owed everything, had not received 
 any pay from France and was in extreme need ! 
 
 Yet he received most flattering messages through 
 his envoy in France. He was to take more care of 
 himself as his loss would be fatal to the cause. 
 " . . . Madame [the Queen-mother] said that the 
 Kins: had told her several times that if it had not 
 been for Your Lordship being wounded, he would 
 never have been taken prisoner and he would never 
 have lost the battle. ..." Giovanni delle Bande 
 Nere was now inscribed in the service of France for 
 " 50 lances, 50 men-at-arms and 100 light horse- 
 men," to receive 9,300 francs, assigned on the August 
 fair of Lyons. Cantelupo undertook to bring back 
 the whole amount, after deducting 260 crowns for 
 his expenses. 
 
 The vacillation of the Duke of Urbino, who was 
 in command, was a constant grievance to Giovanni. 
 Early in July a strong assault was to be made on 
 Milan, but when everything seemed to promise 
 success, the Duke suddenly gave orders that there 
 was to be a general retreat of the army. Before the 
 night was well advanced, he himself saw to the 
 departure of the Venetian troops and the artillery, 
 and he sent word to the other Captains of the League 
 that they were to follow him. The dismay was 
 universal, yet all reluctantly obeyed except Giovanni, 
 who indignantly refused to take part in this shameful 
 retreat, vowing that he and his Black Bands would 
 
HaDfstaen^l, photo. 
 
 Titian : Vienna. 
 
 FILIPPO STROZZT; 
 
 177 
 
MACHIAVELLI TEACHES " ART OF WAR " 179 
 
 wait until broad daylight. This he did, slowly and 
 defiantly retiring in full view of the enemy, and 
 without the loss of a single man, always himself 
 in the rear, a shield and protection to his company. 
 
 But this retreat was only a passing incident in 
 that terrible, long-drawn-out siege. The Imperial- 
 ists took possession of the citadel, and the poor 
 figure-head of a Duke, Francesco Sforza, retreated 
 from the struggle to recover his ruined health. 
 Giovanni delle Bande Nere was the very heart and 
 soul of the besieging army. With reckless valour, 
 he waylaid convoys of provisions and ammunition, 
 he carried out the most daring skirmishes successfully, 
 ever foremost in attack at the head of his splendid 
 companies. Amongst the many incidents recorded of 
 him, we are told that he could pierce an enemy 
 through and through with his lance, cast him into a 
 ditch and ride on, without having brought his horse 
 to a stand. 
 
 Bandello tells us an amusing story to relieve the 
 gloom of that dreary siege. Machiavelli was sent 
 by Florence on an embassy to the camp, and having 
 written so learnedly on the " Art of War/' he was 
 much interested in talking over the practice of it 
 with his old friend Giovanni dei Medici, a fellow 
 Tuscan. Anxious to prove his theories, the ambas- 
 sador obtained permission to perform a manoeuvre 
 with the foot soldiers, according to the rules which 
 he had laid down in his book. -" Messire Nicolas 
 kept us in that place for two hours under the burning 
 sun, trying to arrange the men in the prescribed 
 order, but he never could succeed in doing it. All 
 the time he talked so well and so clearly, and by his 
 discourse showed that the thing was so extraordinarily 
 
 11 
 
180 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 easy that I, in my ignorance, lightly believed that I 
 could myself have arranged this infantry in battle 
 order. . . . Seeing that there was no chance of 
 Messire Niccolo finishing the business for a long time, 
 Giovanni said to me : ' Bandello, I must get our 
 men out of this difficulty, in order that we may 
 go and have our dinner/ Then, having told Machia- 
 velli to retire and to let him command — in the 
 twinkling of an eye, by the help of drums, all the troops 
 were marshalled in various manners and positions 
 to the extreme admiration of the spectators. . . . M 
 At dinner Machiavelli laughed pleasantly at his mis- 
 adventure of the morning, and turning to his host 
 remarked : " My Lord, I feel quite sure that if you 
 had not come to my help . . . we should still be 
 there in the open field with the sun shining down 
 upon us. It is not the first pleasure I have received 
 from your Grace and I hope it will not be the last. . . ." 
 
 As time passed, Giovanni grew very weary of this 
 camp, with its constant intrigues and petty quarrels. 
 He felt homesick for his Tuscany ; he constantly 
 suffered from fever, and could not touch the heavy 
 cheese of Milan, and asked for the delicate little 
 cheeses of the Trebbio, which Maria took care to 
 have sent to him, while at the same time she ordered 
 chestnuts for Cosimo, who was with her in Florence, 
 where they had gone to avoid the heavy autumn 
 rains. It is strange, after hundreds of years, to find 
 his wife's letters still preserved, beside the gushing, 
 adoring effusions of the Aspasias who pursued 
 Giovanni so shamelessly, with the help of Pietro 
 Aretino, his evil genius, who had joined him in the 
 camp. 
 
 Yet nothing interfered with the whole-hearted 
 
IN PRAISE OF GIOVANNI 181 
 
 devotion of the leader of the Black Bands to his 
 warlike duties. Guicciardini breaks out into this 
 splendid praise, comparing him to the other captains. 
 
 "Is it my fault if the Lord Giovanni exercises his 
 infantry, and if he, Rangone, lets his go to sleep ? 
 Is it my fault if the Lord Giovanni is ready to throw 
 himself at any hour into the midst of peril, and if 
 he insists on having for his companies, captains who 
 will fight and who are true soldiers ? And if that 
 other [Rangone] has only men unfit for war, without 
 reputation and without valour . . . making them 
 serve him as a kind of escort . . . ? Is it my fault 
 if the Lord Giovanni at all hours meets his foot- 
 soldiers face to face, arming them, arranging them 
 and making good each company ; and if this other 
 one [Rangone] never sees his men, never thinks of 
 them, neither arms nor regulates his companies, so that 
 they deteriorate. . . . ? And if he [Guido Rangone] 
 does not rob them himself, he suffers them to be 
 openly robbed by his captains, and so openly that it 
 is a shame ! These are the reasons which have 
 prevented me from diminishing the foot-soldiers of 
 the Lord Giovanni ; on the contrary, if I had my 
 way, I would add to them . . . and get rid of all 
 the others. ..." 
 
 By such constant representations, the Pope was 
 at length worked upon to grant Giovanni the desire 
 of his heart ; threatened with losing his services, he 
 gave him Fano, the town which he desired with such 
 passionate longing. In order to do this, Clement VII. 
 had to make amends to the present owner, Commenus, 
 Prince of Macedonia, and the gift was to be kept 
 secret for the present. But Giovanni delle Bande 
 Nere, having been once deceived, felt no security 
 
182 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 in promises. How indeed could he trust this Pope, 
 who kept the Black Bands in his pay secretly while 
 he openly proclaimed that " they were in the service 
 of the King of France " ? 
 
 Already those terrible landsknechte were cro-sing 
 the Alps under Frundsberg, and Clement VII. hoped 
 to use his gallant kinsman as a shield and defence. 
 Guicciardini would have checked the torrent of 
 invasion on the frontiers, or at least at the first great 
 obstacle, like the Po ; and the great point and 
 necessity was to prevent the junction of Frundsberg 
 with the army of the Due de Bourbon. Nothing 
 could teach wisdom to the crafty, treacherous Pope ; 
 even the raid of the Colonna upon Rome was for- 
 gotten, with all the promises which, in his terror, he 
 had made to the Emperor. Not even the terrible 
 disaster which had just overwhelmed all Christendom 
 — when King Louis of Hungary and his whole army 
 were defeated and slain by the Turks on the fatal 
 field of Mohacs — could rouse the Holy Father from 
 his petty intrigues, his blindness and vacillation, 
 which were to bring down upon him swift and fatal 
 retribution. 
 
 A new element had entered into the tangled politics 
 of distracted Italy — the coming from afar of that 
 motley horde of Frundsberg, partly composed of 
 fanatical Lutherans who looked upon Rome as the 
 sink of all iniquity, and the greatest tragedy of 
 the Renaissance was steadily drawing near to its 
 close. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 Coming of Frundsberg and the landsknechte — Giovanni checks their 
 crossing the Po — He is wounded — Carried to Mantua through 
 the snow — Tragic story of his fortitude — Death of Giovanni die 
 Medici (delle Bande Nere) — His monuments and its fame. 
 
 Nothing can stay the onward march of those Northern 
 barbarians, and once more Italy will be at their mercy. 
 At Piacenza they joined the other branch of the 
 imperial army under Bourbon, and the Duke of 
 Ferrara became their willing accomplice. He was a 
 most valuable ally at this moment, for he could supply 
 provisions and, above all, artillery, of which the 
 landsknechte were destitute. 
 
 As news of this invading flood reached the Pope, 
 he was wild with terror as to his personal safety ; 
 and at one moment Giovanni delle Bande Nere was 
 to bring the Black Bands to his defence in Rome, 
 then he was to guard the Adda and the Po. The 
 burning question was : Where would the imperial 
 troops cross the rivers ? Would it be by the well- 
 known bridge across the Po at Borgoforte ? What 
 route would they take ? Tidings came that on 
 November 21 they were at Castiglione, between the 
 Lake of Garda and Mantua ; therefore it seemed that 
 they were not bound for Milan. 
 
 Giovanni and the Duke of Urbino turned back 
 to meet the enemy, with an army of 9,000 foot- 
 
 183 
 
184 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 soldiers, 1,000 light horsemen and 600 lances. On 
 November 24 there was a rumour at Modena 
 that Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara, had secretly sent 
 some artillery up the river Po. This was mostly 
 in the form of falconets — heavy clumsy guns, with 
 shot weighing over three pounds, which in that 
 transitional state of warfare, betwixt the old and the 
 new, were destined to do terrible execution. 
 
 Here, as we pause for a moment before the final 
 scene of our drama, we feel carried back to those 
 stately tragedies of ancient Greece where, with slow, 
 unswerving tread, impending fate advances. As 
 in a dream, we watch the secret, stealthy approach, in 
 the dead of night, of barges up the river from Ferrara, 
 bearing those deadly falconets, the unheeded mes- 
 sengers of death. Then, all the events of that fatal 
 November day pass before us in grim succession. 
 We see the deadly skirmish of the rear-guard to defend 
 the passage across the famous bridge of Borgoforte ; 
 the brief check of the Black Bands at the hunting 
 park of the Serraglio, defended by its broad ditches ; 
 and we lament the hours wasted by the weak delays 
 of the Duke of Urbino, until Giovanni is almost 
 driven wild. 
 
 Then, at length, he has his way. Carrying out his 
 usual tactics — a blend of genius and reckless valour — 
 Giovanni delle Bande Nere harasses the enemy with 
 his far smaller force, secure in the knowledge that 
 never in the open country has he known defeat. 
 Followed by his dauntless bands, he hurls himself 
 upon the serried mass of bndaknechte with theii 
 great pikes; like another Hector, ever foremost in 
 the fray, he drives all before him, and like that hero 
 of old he meets his fate in the very moment of triumph. 
 
GIOVANNI DEI MEDICI WOUNDED 185 
 
 He had never noticed an entrenchment in a brick-field 
 near, behind which a falconet was placed, and from 
 whence a well-aimed shot struck him down. As he 
 turned his war-horse Sultan, thinking the day was 
 won, once more he was wounded in his leg, which 
 was only protected in front by the greave, now made 
 lighter and smaller than of old. But this was a far 
 more serious wound than that of Pavia ; the heavy 
 ball had struck him with such force that, as he fell 
 from his charger, he was at first thought to be killed. 
 
 As in the case of the Chevalier Bayard, Giovanni 
 delle Bande Nere was destroyed by one of those 
 modern inventions which both those paladins, war- 
 riors of the old style, despised and hated — those 
 treacherous guns which placed the bravest knight 
 on a level with the mere recruit, and laid low all 
 chivalry and valour ! 
 
 Giovanni was in such desperate case that they 
 dared not move him at once, even to his own camp. 
 In that marshy swamp near Governolo, on the banks 
 of the Mincio ; * exposed to the icy blast of a freezing 
 wind, beneath the threatening heaven, black as a 
 funeral pall, the wounded man endured those first 
 hours of agony. An urgent message was sent at once 
 to Mantua for the famous Hebrew surgeon Abraham, 
 who had been so successful before. Messire Benedetto, 
 secretary of the Marchese, writes thus : 
 
 " The Lord Giovanni dei Medici has been wounded 
 by the shot of a falconet in the leg, and from what I 
 am told is extremely ill. He has not yet been carried 
 to his lodging [in the camp] ; the Lord Duke implores 
 Your Excellency to order Messire Abraham to come 
 
 * Just before the Mincio joins the Po. 
 
THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 here at once, flying ! His Lordship has been wounded 
 in skirmishing against the 'andsknechte who are 
 still at Governolo . . . they fixed many shots of 
 falconet, which perplexes everybody here very 
 much, for we cannot imagine where they got that 
 artillery. . . . 
 
 " The Lord Duke has ordered that the foot-soldiers 
 and other troops of this army [the Holy League] who 
 are at present here should return to the neigh- 
 bourhood of Brescia ; I conclude from this that the 
 landsknechte will be no farther pursued, especially 
 if they cross the Po, which it is said they will be 
 able to do. . . . 
 
 "San Nicolo del Po." (Little village between Borgcforte 
 and Ostiglio.) 
 
 Francesco Maria. " Lord Duke " of L'rbino, was only 
 too glad of an excuse to draw back from the arduous 
 and dangerous task of checking this tremendous 
 invasion of Imperialists. Xow he would be free to 
 retreat as often as he liked., when the fiery Giovanni 
 was no longer there to urge him on and compel him 
 to incessant fighting. It has been often questioned 
 whether Francesco Maria had some inward weakness 
 of character, or whether indeed this desire for 
 avoiding battle when he — the Captain-General of 
 the Venetians — was practically the head of the 
 army of the League, might not spring from a deep, 
 smouldering hatred of the Medici family, whose 
 head, Leo X. had once so cruelly robbed him of 
 his due • 
 
 However, the Dak lot wanting : n due coui i 
 
 and he wrote hi r he next day. to t 
 
 of Mantua to hasten the coming of M 
 
HE IS BOENE TO MANTUA 187 
 
 " Most Illustrious and Most Excellent Lord, my 
 cousin. . . . You will have learnt the misfortune 
 which has befallen the Lord Giovanni, and I prayed 
 you to send Messire Abraham immediately. ... I 
 implore you to do so as soon as possible. . . . 
 
 "November 25, 1526." 
 
 The Marquess of Mantua, Federico, was in a 
 difficult position, as he was both Captain-General of 
 the Pope, and a feudatory of the Empire ; but he 
 could not do otherwise than receive the Giovanni dei 
 Medici in Mantua. It was a painful journey for the 
 wounded man, to be borne more than seven long 
 weary miles in his litter, in the most severe wintry 
 weather, through a blinding snow-storm. He was 
 escorted by the captains of his Black Bands, their 
 hearts full of rage and despair, for never would they 
 look upon his like again ; there was no one to compare 
 with their gallant leader. His dangerous condition 
 seems to have been thoroughly recognised at once. 
 The terrible wound was in the same leg which had 
 already been injured ; the bones were broken, the 
 nerves cut asunder and the muscles torn. But 
 Giovanni bore the awful pain without a groan. They 
 carried him through the tempest across those " sad 
 Virgilian meads/' to the house of his early friend, 
 Lodovico Gonzaga, in the city of Mantua, and there 
 he was welcomed with the utmost kindness and care. 
 All was done for him that the skill of Messire Abraham 
 and other doctors could do for him, but they soon 
 decided that the only hope was in amputation. 
 
 His friend Pietro Aretino had been sent for in haste 
 from the camp, and we cannot do better than tell the 
 sad story in the words of his famous letter. His 
 
188 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 account of the accident and all that happened before 
 the arrival at Mantua is of course from hearsay, but 
 it is so characteristic as to be worthy of quotation. 
 
 ' When the hour drew near, which the Fates, with 
 the consent of God, had fixed as the end of our Master, 
 His Highness was attacking with his usual terrible 
 force Governolo, around which the enemy had en- 
 trenched themselves, and while thus engaged a musket 
 ball broke the leg which was already wounded by an 
 arquebus. As soon as he felt the blow, fear and 
 melancholy fell on the army and joy and ardour died 
 in all hearts. Everybody forgot himself, and in 
 thinking of the occurrence wept, complaining of fate 
 for having so senselessly brought to death the noblest 
 and most excellent general in the memory of centuries, 
 at the very beginning of more than human achieve- 
 ments, and in the midst of Italy's greatest need. 
 
 " The captains who followed him with love and 
 veneration, blaming fortune and his temerity for 
 their loss, spoke of age ripened to bear fatigue, 
 sufficient and apt for every difficulty. They sighed 
 over the greatness of his thoughts and the wildness 
 of his valour, they could not control their voices 
 in remembering the good fellowship which made them 
 his companions and, not forgetting his foresight and 
 acuteness, they warmed with the fire of their com- 
 plaints the snow which was falling heavily while they 
 carried him to Mantua. . . ." 
 
 Then Aretino carries on the story as a n eyewil n 
 and we have no reason to doubt the absolute accuracy 
 of his famous letter, as his affection for Giovanni 
 delle Bande Nere seems to have been the one true 
 
ARETINO TELLS THE TRAGIC STORY 189 
 
 sentiment of this vagabond scholar, the witty in- 
 spirer of Pasquino, the " Scourge of Princes." 
 
 " Then the Duke of Urbino came to him and said, 
 seeing the situation, ' It is not enough for you to be 
 great and glorious in arms if you do not also dis- 
 tinguish your name by religion under whose sacra- 
 ments we are born. 5 And he, understanding that 
 these words meant the last confession, answered : 
 * As I have done my duty in all things, if need be I 
 will do it in this also/ Then when the Duke went 
 out, he set himself to talk with me, calling for Sire 
 Antonio with great affection. And when I said that 
 we would send for him : ' Do you want/ he an- 
 swered, ' a man like him to leave the field of war to 
 see sick men ? ' 
 
 :e Then he remembered the Count of San Secondo 
 [his nephew], saying : ' I wish he were here to take 
 my place/ Sometimes he scratched his head with 
 his finger, sometimes he laid it upon his lips, saying : 
 ' What will happen ? * Often repeating : ' I have 
 nothing to repent of/ 
 
 " Then, by the wishes of the doctors, I went to him 
 and said : ' It would be an insult to your soul if 
 I tried to persuade you that death is the cure of ills, 
 made heavy only by our fears. But because it is 
 the highest happiness to do everything with free will, 
 let them cut off the leg broken by the artillery and in 
 eight days you will be able to make of Italy, now a 
 slave, a queen. And your lameness will serve instead 
 of the royal order you have always refused to wear 
 on your neck, because wounds and the loss of limbs 
 are the medals of the friends of Mars/ 
 
 Let them do it/ he answered, ' at once/ At 
 
190 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 this moment the doctors came in and praising the 
 firmness of his resolution, ended their services for the 
 night and, after giving him medicine, went to put 
 their instruments in order. It was already the hour 
 to eat when he was taken by violent nausea. Then 
 he said to me : ' The signs of Caesar ! I must 
 think of something else than life/ And with hands 
 joined, he made a vow to go to the Apostle of Galatia 
 [San Jacopo of Compostella]. But when the time 
 was come and the skilful men came in with their 
 instruments, they asked for eight or ten assistants to 
 hold him while the terrible sawing lasted. 
 
 " He smiled and said : ' Twenty couldn't hold me/ 
 Then got ready with a perfectly calm face, and took 
 the candle in his hand to light the doctors himself. 
 I ran out and closing my ears heard only two cries, 
 and then he called me. When I came to him he 
 said : ' I am cured/ And turning himself all around, 
 made a great rejoicing about it. If the Duke of 
 Urbino had not stopped him, he would have had 
 them bring in the foot, with the pieces of his leg to 
 look at, laughing at us because we could not bear 
 to look at what he had suffered. And his sufferings 
 were far greater than those of Alexander, and of 
 Trajan, who kept a smiling face when the tiny arrow- 
 head was pulled out. 
 
 " But finally, the pain which had left him returned 
 two hours before day with all sorts of torments. I 
 heard him knocking hastily on the wall of the room. 
 The sound stabbed me to the heart, and pelting 
 dressed, in an instant I ran to him. As soon as he 
 saw me, he commenced to Bay thai the thought of 
 cowards gave him more disgust than pain, trying by 
 thus gossiping with me to set free, by disregarding 
 
HIS HEROIC FORTITUDE 191 
 
 his misfortunes, his spirit tangled in the pains of 
 death. But as day dawned, things grew so much 
 worse that he made his will, in which he divided many- 
 thousands of scudi in money and stuff among those 
 who had served him and left only four julii for his 
 burial. The Duke was his executor. Then he 
 turned in most Christian mood to his last confes- 
 sion, and seeing the friar come : ' Father/ he said, 
 1 being a professor of arms, I have lived with the 
 habits of soldiers as I should have lived like the monks 
 if I had put on the dress you wear. Were it allowed, 
 I would confess before every one, for I have never 
 done anything unworthy of myself/ 
 
 " At last he turned to me, ordering me to have his 
 wife send Cosimo to him. At that, death which was 
 calling him to the under world doubled his sadness. 
 Already the whole household without any thought 
 of the respect due to rank, swarmed round the bed, 
 mingled with his chief officers and, shadowed with a 
 cold melancholy, wept for the living hope and the 
 service which they were losing with their Master, 
 each trying to catch his eye with a glance of theirs 
 to show their sorrow and love. Thus surrounded, he 
 took the hand of the Duke, saying : ' You are losing 
 to-day the greatest friend and the best servant you 
 have ever had/ 
 
 " His Excellency, masking his face and tongue with 
 the appearance of false joy, tried to make him believe 
 he would get well. And he, who was not frightened 
 by death even when he was certain of it, began to 
 talk to the Duke about the result of the war, saying 
 things that would have been wonderful had he been 
 in full health instead of on the point of death. So 
 he remained working with his mind until almost 
 
192 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 the ninth honr of the night of the vigil of St. Andrew. 
 And because his suffering was very gnat, lie begged 
 me to put him to sleep by reading to him. I did so, 
 and he seemed to sink away from sleep to sleep. At 
 last waking after fifteen minutes' dozing, he said : ' I 
 dreamed I was making my will, and here I am cured. 
 If I keep on getting better like this, I will teach the 
 Germans how to make war and show them how I 
 avenge myself/ Even as he said this, the lamp of 
 his spirit which deceived his eyes, began to yield 
 to the perpetual darkness. Wherefore of his own 
 accord he asked for the Extreme Unction. 
 
 " Having received the Sacrament, he said : ' I 
 will not die amongst all these poultices/ So we fixed 
 a camp bed and placed him on it and there, while his 
 mind slept, death took him/' * 
 
 The whole scene of this terrible drama rises before 
 us like a vivid picture. The marvellous fortitude, 
 the supreme power of will, the splendid courage of 
 the dying hero are almost beyond belief. We see the 
 naive detachment of youth in his eagerness to make 
 his will — this princely Medici of twenty-eight, who 
 had spent a fortune on his soldiers and who, after 
 ten years of fighting, has little to leave beyond 
 ambitious hopes and treacherous promises. 
 
 The full text of that curious document is before 
 me, with its long rigmarole of a preface giving the 
 full names and titles of all the noble witnesses. It 
 begins thus : 
 
 " In the Name of Christ, so be it ! 
 " In the Year of our Lord . . . 1526, Thursday, the 
 twenty-ninth of November ; in the time of the Most 
 
 * Aretino: Lettere, vol. i., 5-9. 
 
GIOVANNI MAKES HIS WILL 193 
 
 Serene Prince and Emperor the Lord Charles, by 
 the Divine grace and clemency of God, King of the 
 Romans and ever Augustus. At Mantua, in the 
 Palace of the Most Illustrious and Most Excellent 
 Lord Luigi da Gonzaga, Marquis, etc. . . . there 
 being present . . . " ; and then follow the full names 
 and titles of the Duke of Urbino, the Marquis Luigi 
 Gonzaga, and others, including the doctor and the 
 notary himself, who duly take oath upon the Holy 
 Gospels, etc. 
 
 " At present, the Most Illustrious Lord Giovanni, 
 son of the late most Illustrious Lord, another Giovanni 
 dei Medici of Florence, Captain of the Army etc. 
 being clear in mind, sense and intellect, although in- 
 firm in body, lying in his bed, considering the mis- 
 fortune of human nature, its fragility and weakness, 
 and that nothing is more certain than death or more 
 uncertain than the hour ; not wishing to die intestate 
 . . . has made his will in these terms and declared : 
 
 " First indeed his soul, when parted from his 
 body, he piously and devoutly recommends to 
 Almighty God and to the Blessed and Glorious 
 Virgin-Mother Mary, and to all the Celestial Court ; 
 
 " Next, he has wished, ordered, disposed and left 
 by will, the Most Illustrious Lady Maria, wife of the 
 said Lord, the Testator, as Guardian and legitimate 
 administrator of the son and heir of the said Testator. 
 in everything and for everything . . ." and so on. 
 
 But at this point the honest Giovanni has suddenly 
 interfered and insisted upon asserting his wishes in 
 plain Italian, that there may be no mistake upon the 
 subject, and he dictates thus : 
 
 " That the Lady his wife is to be sole guardian 
 and Executor for her son Cosimo, his universal heir 
 
194 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 . . . but that neither she nor her son are to bring 
 any legal action against the servants of the Testator 
 . . . otherwise all the goods will go to the Hospice 
 of the Innocents at Florence. And that the Lord 
 Jacopo Salviati and Madonna Lucrezia are not to 
 be guardians of the goods or of the son ; and the 
 Testator prays His Holiness our Lord the Pope to 
 treat his servants well ; and he makes free gift of all 
 such goods as furniture, horses and money described 
 to his servants ; and on this subject has left the di- 
 vision of them to his friend (the Duke of Urbino) . . . 
 and he prays the Lord to take under His protection 
 Cosimo his son, with the permission of His Holiness 
 our Lord the Pope, to whom he commends Cosimo 
 most strongly. ..." Then the Will continues for 
 another page of Latin scrawling, in which the Notary 
 has his own way unmolested. 
 
 The little incident of our warrior's confession is 
 very striking, as showing his simple naive faith in his 
 own righteousness, and his perfect confidence that 
 the Almighty, as the God of battles, thoroughly under- 
 stood and approved of all his warlike exploits. This 
 attitude of mind recalls to us the words of another 
 rough soldier — La Hire — who, in 1423, when on the way 
 to a desperate adventure — the relief of Montargis — 
 met a priest and begged for absolution. When 
 bidden to confess his sins, La Hire replied : "I have 
 no time, for I am in haste to attack the English ; 
 moreover I have but done as all soldiers are wont 
 to do." 
 
 The priest having reluctantly consented to this 
 uncanonical act and given him absolution, La Hire 
 knelt down by the wayside and prayed thus : " Mon 
 
Brogi, photo. Bronzino: Florence. 
 
 COSIMO I., GRAND DUKE OF TUSCANY. 
 
 195 
 
DEATH OF GIOVANNI 197 
 
 Dieu, I beseech Thee to do this day for La Hire that 
 which Thou wouldest have La Hire do for Thee if 
 he were~God and Thou wert La Hire." With a con- 
 
 ■a 
 
 science at rest, he then continued his journey, made a 
 fierce onslaught on the English, and forced them to 
 raise the siege of Montargis. 
 
 The death of Giovanni delle Bande Nere took place 
 on the night of November 29, in the year 1526, when, 
 having made his peace with God and the world, he 
 passed away from the scene of his strenuous life, at the 
 age of twenty-eight. He was buried on the morrow, 
 with all the pomp and splendour of a great military 
 funeral. In the full array of a warrior, with plumed 
 helmet, cuirass, and complete armour, he was borne 
 by the most gallant captains of his Black Bands to his 
 tomb in the Church of San Domenico in Mantua, which 
 he had himself chosen. With trailing banners and 
 muffled drums, the sad procession passed on through 
 the silent streets, headed by the Duke of Urbino, the 
 Marquis of Mantua, all the Gonzaga family, princes, 
 nobles, soldiers, and citizens — all crowding to do the 
 last honours to the famous hero, the hope of Italy. 
 
 Not until many years had passed and his descend- 
 ants had long been the despots of Florence, would his 
 remains be moved from the peaceful Sacristy of San 
 Domenico at Mantua, to take their due place amongst 
 the sepulchral monuments of the Medici in his native 
 city. 
 
 "He is dead — a force of Nature. He is finished — 
 the example of an antique faith. He is gone — the 
 right arm of battles ! '* mourns Aretino, and his cry 
 of despair rings throughout the land. Guicciardini 
 was deeply moved : " Let us pray God that He 
 may take pity on the soul of the Lord Giovanni, since 
 
 12 
 
198 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 He was not willing that we should make use of so 
 much valour in this, the greatest need that we shall 
 ever have. . . . We have lost the Lord Giovanni, 
 full of such valour and courage that on him we placed 
 all our hopes. . . . We have the universe against 
 
 . and we are alone ! M 
 
 Even the cold Machiavelli, to whom a dead prince 
 was of little value, wrote to the Eight of Florence : 
 " Your Lordships will have heard of the death of 
 the Lord Giovanni, whose loss causes universal 
 regret." 
 
 Lamentations echoed beyond the bounds of Italy, 
 for Francois I. sent word to Salviati at Rome ; 
 " I have felt all possible sorrow for the death of the 
 Lord Giovanni, both for the sake of the Pope and 
 my own, for I loved the prince greatly. M 
 
 Pope Clement sent a brief to the widowed Maria 
 Salviati on December 4, lamenting this " monstrous 
 misfortune,'" and full of vague promises for her 
 son, while the Bishop of Arezzo assured her that 
 Giovanni " had died more gloriously than any other 
 man of his race and country." 
 
 Thus mourned the friends and also the faithful 
 servants of the dead hero, and we feel with them 
 that the loss of Giovanni delle Bande Xere was 
 irreparable in that hour of deadly peril. " Had he 
 but lived,'" who knows whether, by supreme and 
 tremendous efforts, the motley horde which was 
 pouring over Italy might not have been arrested and 
 driven back ? And even in that last awful moment, 
 when the enemy was at the _ befl of Runic, 
 
 how can we tell that a leader like Giuvanni might 
 not have roused the Papal Army within the walls, 
 stimulated to strength and courage the tmiid citiz- 
 
MOURNING FOR THE CONDOTTIERE 199 
 
 and so saved the Eternal City from the leaderless 
 and disorganised host ? 
 
 If the death of Giovanni was so great a disaster 
 for his country, what shall we say of the loss to his 
 wife — to Maria Maddalena Romola — the sympathetic 
 companion of his childhood, the loving wife of his 
 youth, the devoted helpmate and champion of those 
 following years of contest and struggle ? Maria had 
 never failed him — through sunshine and storm, 
 through his fleeting hours of devotion, his long 
 months of careless neglect, she was ever steadfast 
 and true. This was the crushing mishap — the end of 
 all things ; the constant dread of her life, which had 
 haunted her by night and day as she thought of his 
 reckless valour. When Giovanni was in the field, 
 his wife could never watch the approach of a mes- 
 senger without seeing in him a bearer of evil tidings, 
 without trembling and turning pale. As she says 
 in one of her letters : " The sound of footsteps is 
 like a knife in my heart . . ." ; thus forestalling her 
 date of fear. And now that the blow had fallen, 
 what would become of her ? Yet her sorrow is 
 but the common lot of the soldier's wife ; the price 
 of war in every age. 
 
 In his brief life, so crowded with valiant deeds, 
 the young condottiere had proved himself the true 
 inheritor of the strong passions, the dauntless spirit, 
 the ardent courage of his mother, Caterina Sforza, 
 the great Madonna of Forli. It is difficult for us to 
 realise this type of the mediaeval warrior, in the very 
 heart of the Renaissance. But if we stand in the 
 Bargello of Florence, before the famous bust of Gio- 
 vanni dei Medici — that masterpiece of San Gallo — 
 we may catch some faint reflection of the rugged 
 
200 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 strength and mighty personality of the great captain. 
 We see him in no courtly tournament-suit, but in 
 the rude heavy armour of his own Black Bands — 
 his massive chest protected by a solid " carapace," 
 an enormous pauldron or " guard " covering the left 
 shoulder like a shield ; his bare head revealing the 
 low broad forehead of the man of action, lined with 
 anxious thought. As we gaze upon that face of 
 tragic energy and power, we dimly feel that here 
 is one who could leap on his horse with a wounded 
 soldier in his arms, who could lead a forlorn hope to 
 victory, and on his deathbed hold a torch to guide 
 the surgeon's knife. 
 
 Other memorials of Giovanni still exist, but, by 
 some irony of fate, the great statue, with its massive 
 pedestal, ordered of Bandinelli by the Grand Duke 
 Cosimo for his father's tomb, has found its way to 
 the noisy crowded market-place of the Piazza di San 
 Lorenzo. Here the hero of national legend seems 
 to have settled down into his rightful place amongst 
 the people of Florence, in their daily life. He is one 
 of themselves, and in merry mood they sing : 
 
 Messer Giovanni delle Bande Nere 
 Del lungo cavalcar noiato e stanco, 
 Scese di Cavallo e si pose a sedere. 
 
 But the true monument which Giovanni left 
 behind was his company of the Black Bands. This 
 was the supreme work of his short life ; his clear 
 title to immortal fame. In these bands, as we have 
 seen, every individual soldier was chosen and trained 
 with ceaseless, untiring vigilance ; sternly and la- 
 boriously brought to a perfection of discipline never 
 before attained, and then treated with unheard-of 
 
HIS MONUMENTS IN FLORENCE 201 
 
 generosity by their captain, who spent his fortune 
 on their pay and gave them freely all the spoils of 
 war, keeping nothing for himself. All his captains 
 distinguished themselves and became famous in 
 their various posts, his last favourite — specially 
 mentioned in his will — Luca Antonio Cuppano, being 
 made Governor of Piombino. The fame of the Black 
 Bands lived for centuries, and won the admiring 
 praise of the greatest generals of later days. The 
 most famous condottiere of the Renaissance needs no 
 other monument. 
 
PART II 
 
 A FEW WORDS OF INTRODUCTION 
 
 It had been my first intention to close the story of 
 Giovanni delle Bande Nere on the tragic note of his 
 untimely death. But on further thought I see that 
 the dramatic interest of this work would be greatly 
 increased by carrying on the tale and pointing out 
 the striking contrast between Giovanni and his son 
 Cosimo — both in their character and their life. 
 As we have seen with regard to this warrior Medici, 
 to whom battle was the very joy of his being, the 
 result of all his valiant deeds was but empty fame 
 and splendid failure, when he was struck down on 
 that Mantuan plain by the new artillery which he 
 had hated and despised. 
 
 The same may be said of his mother, Caterina 
 Sforza, the Madonna of Forli ; all her gallant life 
 of fierce struggle and conflict was destined to end 
 in defeat and exile. 
 
 But the boy Cosimo, the cold-hearted, silent, un- 
 natural son of Giovanni dei Medici and Maria Sal- 
 viati, was to meet with a far different fate. He was 
 to reap where his father and his ancestors had sown ; 
 he was to pass unscathed through perils in which 
 his kinsmen fell around him ; in his one person he 
 
 203 
 
204 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 was to combine all the savage instincts of the Sforza 
 with the mean prudent vices derived from the 
 diplomatic Medici, whose race he was to crown with 
 their highest triumph when he should be proclaimed 
 Cosimo L, First Grand Duke of Tuscany. 
 
 Where the father had fought with gallant spirit 
 and courage, fiercely and successfully, to forward the 
 aims of Pope or King — often without reward, not 
 even receiving the pay for his soldiers ; giving to 
 them all the spoils of war ; setting prisoners free 
 without ransom — the son was to fight for himself, 
 with crafty intrigue, with deadly weapons of perfidy 
 and secret crime, and to win thereby his own advance- 
 ment — the highest dignity ever acquired by a lay- 
 man of Florence. Where war had been for Giovanni 
 the passionate pursuit of his life, moulding and 
 tempering him by sternest discipline until he became 
 like a polished blade of Damascus to serve the cause 
 he adopted, war to Cosimo was to be merely a 
 means to his own private advantage — when he put 
 on an inlaid cuirass over his embroidered coat, 
 wore a plumed helmet, and rode a showy war-horse — 
 for the destruction of his rivals and the enslaving 
 of his country. While the captain of the Black 
 Bands was a born sportsman and soldier — whose 
 earliest instinct was to hunt and pursue, until he 
 learnt to wield the sword, to pierce with the lance 
 and crush with the mace, to lead the sortie, to scale 
 the fortress — his son and successor had reverted 
 to another type, and carried his instinct of crafty 
 diplomacy and cold-blooded intrigue far beyond the 
 extreme limits of even Machiavellian policy. 
 
 The history of Cosimo I. is the more interesting 
 to trace out and follow, as it appears to be little 
 
COSIMO I. GRAND DUKE OF TUSCANY 205 
 
 known, for all the familiar historians of Florence 
 usually come to an end on reaching the downfall of 
 the Republic* I have been far afield to seek for 
 materials in the original contemporary chronicles, 
 which require to be carefully sifted amongst the 
 mass of documents written by the crowd of flatterers 
 who hung round the Courts of the Grand Dukes of 
 Tuscany. 
 
 The whole story of the rise and progress of this 
 remote scion of the house of Medici to the first 
 position in the State, is one of absorbing interest, 
 and throws the most curious sidelights on the state 
 of society, and the manners and customs of Italy 
 in this, the latter end of the Renaissance. 
 
 * As Roscoe says : " The Florentine historians, as if unwilling 
 to perpetuate the records of their subjugation, have almost invariably 
 closed their labours with the fall of the Republic." 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 Concerning Maria Salviati, the widow of Giovanni delle Bande Nere, 
 and Cosimo his son — After Giovanni's death — Cosimo sent to 
 Venice for safety, with his tutor Riccio — The child's education — 
 Maria shows her gratitude to her husband's friends — Revolution 
 in Florence against the Medici. 
 
 Maria Salviati was at Florence, in her palace on 
 the Corso, when the news of Giovanni's death reached 
 her. At length the blow had fallen — the disaster 
 which she had so long foreseen and dreaded ; but 
 no previous foreboding of evil could break the shock 
 of grief. She had lost her warrior husband, the one 
 love of her life ; in the flower of his prime he had been 
 taken from her; she was alone to face the world 
 for herself and their child. The young widow — 
 she was only twenty-seven — shut herself up in her 
 darkened chamber, hung with black, and would see 
 no one ; but she gave strict orders that her boy 
 Cosimo, then barely seven and a half, was not to be 
 told the terrible news of his father's death. 
 
 Letters of condolence soon came in from every 
 side, full of laments for the loss of Giovanni delle 
 Bande Nere, and of promises of help for his young 
 son. The Duke of Urbino, Francesco Maria, wrote 
 that he was seeking to obtain from the King of France 
 the company of light horsemen, of which her husband 
 had command, for the young Cosimo. But this 
 letter only added to her anxiety, for would not the 
 
 206 
 
THE WIDOW OF GIOVANNI 207 
 
 next step be for the King of France to demand the 
 presence of Cosimo, that he might be brought up 
 at the French Court ? 
 
 Next came the respectful homage and condolence 
 of the captains of the Black Bands, praying that she 
 would suffer the young Signor Cosimo, the son of 
 their beloved lord, to be brought up in their midst 
 to take his father's place some day. It only needed 
 this, to drive poor Maria nearly wild with anxiety and 
 terror. She could refuse it to-day, but what new 
 demand of friend or enemy might come to her on 
 the morrow ? Her boy, the only comfort she had 
 left, would be stolen from her ; she was certain of 
 it ! Something must be done at once ; there was 
 not a moment to lose. 
 
 The Princess Maria sent in haste for Messer Pietro 
 Francesco Biccio, her son's tutor. The boy must 
 leave Florence at once ; he was not safe there for 
 another hour. The subject was discussed, and the 
 mother suggested the Villa of Castello, but Messer 
 Biccio argued that if Cosimo was not safe in Florence, 
 no other place in the territory of the Bepublic was 
 a sure refuge for him. Would not Venice be a suit- 
 able place — that hospitable city which, like an inn, 
 received exiles from all countries, who remained in 
 security so long as they did nothing to offend the 
 State ? It is quite possible that the tutor thought 
 it would be much less dull for himself in the gay life 
 of Venice than in a villa in the country. 
 
 Thus matters were at length settled. Madonna 
 Maria, in her deep mourning, could not travel, and 
 she must spend several months in retreat in her 
 favourite convents near Florence, where she would 
 have masses said for the repose of her dear lord's 
 
208 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 soul, and pray for him. Meantime, Messer Riccio 
 was to depart at once to Castello with Cosimo, who 
 was often sent into the country for his health, and 
 would make no difficulty. Then, as soon as an escort 
 was provided and other arrangements made, the 
 tutor and his charge would continue their journey 
 to Venice. At this time, the end of the year 1526, 
 Maria Salviati had another reason for anxiety about 
 her son's remaining in the city, for those terrible 
 landsknechte, under Frundsberg, were on their way 
 into Italy, and it was greatly feared that Florence 
 would be their first point of attack ; already many 
 of the chief inhabitants were preparing to leave if 
 necessary. 
 
 So little Cosimo was taken to the Villa of Castello, 
 where he met his old friend Fortunati, who took care 
 that he should have plenty of amusement, such as 
 catching little birds in nets and playing with his 
 dogs and riding his pony. The old priest's affection 
 for Giovanni dei Medici had been carried on to his 
 son, and it was with a sad heart he took leave of the 
 boy and went back to " la Topaia," the villa on 
 the hill above Castello, which was given to him later 
 and where he ended his days. 
 
 The little prince, with his tutor Riccio and an 
 escort of Florentines, now set forth on horseback 
 for his journey through the Mugello and the moun- 
 tains beyond, resting at Cafaggiolo, at Marradi, and 
 at Faenza before reaching Ravenna. From that 
 ancient city they embarked in a rude flat-bottomed 
 boat, of the primitive kind, which from time im- 
 memorial had been used for crossing the shallow 
 lagoons of Comacchio, until they arrived in the 
 dominion of the Duke of Ferrara. His friendship 
 
COSIMO SENT TO VENICE 209 
 
 for the Medici was more than doubtful, and the 
 travellers made but a short stay at Volano, resting 
 for the night at the rich Benedictine Abbey of Pom- 
 posa. In crossing a patch of marshy ground, a slight 
 mischance befell : the horse, on which Cosimo was 
 riding in front of a groom, stumbled and fell in the 
 mud, and the bridle was broken, but nothing worse 
 came of it. The boy was very much annoyed, and 
 in writing to his mother took care to deny that 
 anything of the kind had happened. The next day 
 the party had to take to the Eiver Po and the sea 
 again, to the great alarm of some of their Florentine 
 followers, but they all arrived without further ad- 
 venture at Chioggia. From thence, after a change 
 of boats, they passed along that shining highway of 
 the sea, through the lagoons which seemed to stretch 
 to the horizon and, through the smooth waterway, 
 they reached the fair city of Venice in safety. 
 
 Here the exiles took up their abode in the palace 
 called later the Casa Cappella, in the Contrada of Santa 
 Maria, Mater Domini, " with a large and beautiful 
 garden " ; the whole, we are told, hired by Messer 
 Riccio for twelve ducats and a half. When they 
 were safely established here the tutor carried out 
 the directions which he had received from his mis- 
 tress. He took his pupil into a room apart, and 
 solemnly informed him of the death of his father, 
 with full official details. Cosimo listened in silence, 
 with frigid attention, and replied calmly : " Well, I 
 thought it was so/' He did not allude to the subject 
 again, but it was noticed that he was more reserved 
 and haughty in manner than usual. 
 
 For the sake of his father, who had died righting 
 on the side of Venice, the boy received a warm 
 
210 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 welcome, and was entertained with a magnificent 
 banquet and gorgeous entertainments. This child 
 of seven and a half was even admitted to sit in the 
 great Council of the Republic on February 1, and 
 he is said to have behaved with the utmost dignity, 
 as though such honours were his by right. A clever, 
 handsome boy, with all the prestige of his family 
 and antecedents, Cosimo was made much of by the 
 fair ladies of Venice ; he and the tutor having a very 
 gay, pleasant time in that city of sunshine and enjoy- 
 ment. Unlike his father, who hated books and 
 whose taste was all for out-door sports, the boy 
 early appreciated the importance of learning, and 
 devoted himself with exemplary industry to his 
 studies. His mother, Maria Salviati, had always 
 taken the greatest interest in his lessons, and had 
 most carefully chosen his teachers. Of course, in 
 after-days, the flattering chroniclers of his Court tried 
 to make him out an infant prodigy of learning ; still 
 there seems to be no doubt that in Latin, for instance, 
 he acquired enough sound knowledge to enable him 
 to converse easily in later life in that language, with 
 the ambassadors and foreigners who sought his 
 presence. 
 
 We are told that he studied Roman history with 
 special interest, and possibly the examples of ancient 
 tyranny and perfidy were not lost upon the precocious 
 child. Meantime his mother was not too much en- 
 grossed in her devotions and her conventual life to 
 keep careful watch over him from afar. Every week 
 she received one or two letters with regard to his 
 progress and well-being, and the boy seems to have 
 written frequently to Fortunati to inquire about his 
 belongings at Castello. He required the most precise 
 
 
COSIMO'S LIFE AT VENICE 211 
 
 answers to all his questions, and was particularly 
 anxious that the kind priest should "keep a good 
 store of thrushes for him in cages, and that they 
 should be well fattened and ready for his return/' 
 At his age, this was a curiously practical and by 
 no means sentimental view to take of the poor 
 thrushes ! They were of a very special kind, the 
 " tordi," fed on scented berries and thought worthy 
 of a sonnet by Machiavelli. 
 
 Meantime the little prince flourished and grew fat 
 himself in that peaceful life, probably much less 
 strenuous and exacting in the absence of his mother 
 who, with her passionate affection and nervous tem- 
 perament, must have been always rather difficult to 
 live with. We hear of an adventure which befell 
 him one day when he was playing in the " beautiful 
 garden," a rare and choice addition to a Venetian 
 palace. He fell into the adjoining canal, and not 
 being much of a swimmer, was in serious danger, 
 when one of the young cousins who shared his home 
 in Venice, Signora Luisa d'Appiano, rushed to his 
 assistance, caught him by his hair, and held him 
 until a passing friar waded into the deep water and 
 brought him safely ashore. It is mentioned as a 
 proof of Cosimo's noble heart that in the days to 
 come, when he was Grand Duke of Florence, he 
 obtained for this friar a bishopric from the Pope. 
 There may have been a touch of vanity in this act 
 of belated gratitude, everything pertaining to his 
 precious self being of supreme importance to the 
 mighty prince. We are tempted to wonder whether 
 he slapped the little girl for pulling his hair. She 
 was a daughter of Maria Salviati's sister Elena, who 
 married Giacomo V. of Appiano, Lord of Piombino. 
 
212 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 Lorenzino and Giuliano del Medici, the sons of Piero 
 Francesco dei Medici and Maria Soderini, a cousin of 
 Maria's, appear to have been educated for some time 
 with Cosimo, but he loved them none the better for 
 that, as we shall see in days to come. 
 
 The generous-hearted, loving Maria could refuse 
 nothing to her kindred who, in the troubled state 
 of Florence at that time, were only too thankful to 
 find a safe haven for their children. The poor widowed 
 mother felt terribly this long separation from her 
 beloved Cosimo, yet she remained on in her convents 
 until, on April 26, 1527, she opened with great state 
 her deserted Villa of Castello, to receive, with the 
 utmost honour, Francesco Maria, Duke of Urbino, 
 the Provviditore of Venice, and other old friends and 
 companions in arms of her husband's. They had 
 fought with him in that last fatal war ; they had 
 stood by his death-bed and been pitiful witnesses 
 of his heroic fortitude and agony, and we wonder 
 how they softened the tragic story to meet the ear 
 of the woman who loved him. She could not do 
 enough to show her gratitude, and the magnificence 
 of her reception was long remembered at Castello. 
 The Duke had only come with a small company in 
 attendance, for the bulk of the army was awaiting 
 him at Barberino, in the Mugello, made famous by 
 the poem of the great Lorenzo dei Medici, " La Nencio 
 da Barbarino/' 
 
 Did Maria keep a record of that eventful meeting, 
 and write down all that she heard concerning her 
 beloved Giovanni ? We know that one of her first 
 thoughts, when the news of her widowhood reached 
 her, was to have his story recorded, beginning with 
 the first fourteen years of his life, when she fell that 
 
Urogi, photo. 
 
 Bronzino : Florence. 
 
 COSIMO I., GRAND DUKE OF TUSCANY. 
 
 195 
 
MEDICI EXPELLED FROM FLORENCE 215 
 
 she had been a mother to the boy (a year older than 
 herself), " had brought him up, and recognised in 
 him the signs which foretold his magnanimous and 
 unconquered soul, and all that he has so gloriously 
 accomplished." 
 
 There was now nothing to keep the Princess Maria 
 any longer away from her son, and she at once made 
 preparations for her journey to Venice. She had 
 every reason to hasten her departure from Florence, 
 which was in a desperate condition, with the hostile 
 army of Frundsburg and the friendly troops under 
 the Duke of Urbino both devastating her territory. 
 A siege had seemed imminent, but on the approach 
 of the Papal forces the landsknechte had moved on 
 towards Rome. However, the coming of the Duke 
 of Urbino hastened the domestic crisis, in this way. 
 Silvio Passerini, Cardinal of Cortona — who governed 
 the city since 1524, in the name of Pope Clement VII. 
 — in company with Ippolito and Alessandro went 
 out to visit the Papal camp, and a rumour imme- 
 diately spread that the Medici had fled. The cry 
 of " Popolo e Liberta ! " rang through the streets, 
 and the citizens took possession of the Palazzo 
 Vecchio. The Cardinal at once returned with a 
 strong force of the Duke of Urbino's troops, and 
 would have stormed the Palazzo, but Francesco 
 Guicciardini — the historian — induced the people to 
 come to terms. " You have the doves in the dove- 
 cote, wring their necks/' was the advice given to 
 the Cardinal of Cortona ; but he was a timid man, 
 and only inflicted a few tines. 
 
 This outbreak showed the state of popular feeling, 
 and it was not long before matters became far more 
 serious. When the news of the capture of Rome 
 
 13 
 
216 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 and the captivity of the Pope reached Florence, the 
 people rejoiced, and resolved to throw off the yoke 
 of the Medici which they had so unwillingly endured. 
 All the chief citizens presented themselves before the 
 Cardinal of Cortona, and requested him to leave the 
 city, with the two bastard Medici — Ippolito and 
 Alessandro — of whom he had the charge. However, 
 it required the strong intervention of Filippo Strozzi 
 and his high-spirited wife Clarice, of the elder Medici 
 branch — who despised all these illegitimate scions, 
 from the Pope downwards — before Passerini could 
 understand that his fall was inevitable. It was not 
 until May 17, that the cardinal and the two boys 
 were escorted out of the city, and Niccolo Capponi 
 was appointed to the chief authority, under the name 
 of Gonfalonier. Thus took place the bloodless revo- 
 lution which preceded another act in the drama of 
 Florentine government. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 Anecdote of Cosimo's childhood — His mother, Maria Salviati, joins 
 him at Venice — Sack of Rome, 1527 — A catastrophe for all the 
 Medici — Plague at Florence — Maria and Cosimo at the Trebbio — 
 Their narrow escape and flight — Charles V. crowned Emperor at 
 Bologna, 1530. 
 
 The violence of feeling in Florence against the Medici 
 had made the departure of Madonna Maria Salviati 
 almost as abrupt as a flight. She was greatly dis- 
 tressed at the expulsion of the Cardinal of Cortona, 
 who had always been a great friend of hers and had 
 taken a special interest in little Cosimo. He liked 
 to have the child frequently at his palace, and on 
 one occasion, about a year before, a curious incident 
 had happened. Cardinal Passerini had matters of 
 state importance to discuss with the two Medici 
 Princes who were in his charge — Ippolito, who was 
 supposed to have been the son of Giuliano dei Medici, 
 Duke of Nemours, and Alessandro, whose birth was 
 still more doubtful. He was reputed to be the son 
 of the late Lorenzo dei Medici, Duke of Urbino, but 
 the affection shown him by Clement VII. gave strength 
 to the general opinion that the Pope was his father. 
 In any case his mother was a mulatto slave, and 
 Alessandro had the dark skin, thick lips, and curly 
 hair of a negro. 
 
 These two promising youths were in deep conver- 
 sation with the Cardinal, when it was suddenly noticed 
 
 217 
 
218 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 that little Cosimo had been present in the chamber 
 all the time. Passerini sought to make amends for 
 his carelessness by causing the child, who was about 
 six years old, to solemnly promise that he would 
 never repeat a word of anything he had heard. 
 When he went home his mother asked him why he 
 had been away so long, and what he had done. 
 Cosimo replied that he had promised not to tell 
 anything which he had heard or seen at the cardinars 
 palace. This naturally excited Maria's curiosity, and 
 as he persisted in his silence, she at length lost her 
 temper, and the old chronicler, Manucci, declares that 
 she gave him a " guanciata M (a box on the ear !). 
 Great capital was made of this story in the days of 
 Cosimo 's greatness. He was compared to the Roman 
 boy Papirio, who would not reveal to his mother 
 what had been said in the senate. At least we 
 perceive one thing : that from his earliest years the 
 young prince was learning the value of silence as 
 an accomplishment. 
 
 Before Maria reached Venice she heard the news 
 of the terrible disaster which had befallen Rome, 
 and of the imprisonment of Pope Clement VII., for 
 which his own vacillation and perfidy had so long 
 prepared the way. Maria Salviati wrote the Holy 
 Father a letter of condolence, which came from her 
 heart ; for what indeed was to become of her as well 
 as the other Medici, if no help could come to them 
 from Rome. The poor lady was greatly worried and 
 distressed, for living in Venice was very expensive; 
 ready money was constantly required for everything, 
 and she knew not where to procure those necessary 
 gold crowns. 
 
 As time passed on, matters became worse, for there 
 
SACK OF ROME, 1527 219 
 
 was a most serious outbreak in Florence of the plague 
 which had been threatening for some years. As 
 Machiavelli, who was an eyewitness, wrote : 
 
 " Our Florence is like a town which has been sacked 
 by infidels. Its streets, once so clean and beautiful 
 and the resort of rank and fashion, are reeking with 
 filth, and so crowded with wretches crying for aid, . . . 
 that to walk in them is difficult and alarming. Shops 
 are shut, work has ceased, courts of justice are gone, 
 law is powerless, theft and murder are rife. The 
 squares and markets, once thronged with citizens, 
 are now graveyards or dens of thieves. Men walk 
 alone, and there are no more friendly greetings — only 
 meetings between the plague-stricken. Kinsman 
 shuns kinsman ; brother, brother ; the wife, her 
 husband ; and, worse still, fathers and mothers 
 abandon their little ones." 
 
 We are told that when the citizens were summoned 
 by the Priori to the Grand Council, only about ninety 
 ventured to appear, and they sat as far away from 
 each other as possible, to avoid the risk of contagion. 
 
 Cosimo's mother found herself reduced to great 
 straits, for she could have nothing sent from her 
 palace in Florence, or even from the Villa of Castello. 
 All the baggage was subject to a most rigorous 
 examination, for the Customs of Venice were in 
 terrible fear of contagion, and nothing was admitted 
 from Florence. All the papers and letters of this 
 period have evidently passed through fire, vinegar, 
 and other disinfectants, for they are mutilated with 
 stains and half burnt. 
 
 Maria Salviati kept up a constant correspondence 
 with her old friend Fortunati, sometimes dictating 
 
220 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 her letters to Riccio the tutor, but often writing 
 " with her own hand " when she was in her most 
 bitter mood of complaint and recrimination. Poor 
 Fortunati, in his hill refuge at Topa'ia, must have had 
 a trying time when, after the escape of Clement VII. 
 from Rome, the hungry tribe of the Medici once 
 more claimed the Pope's help and support. Maria 
 can scarcely find words strong enough to urge her 
 pressing need of money. Again and again she urges 
 Fortunati to put forward her importunate demands : 
 
 "If you were a true friend you might persuade 
 His Holiness to provide us, Cosimo and myself, with 
 a suitable pension in order that we might be able 
 to live without plaguing him in this way every day. 
 Do remind him that it is now a whole month since I 
 have received a denaro ; that I have been obliged to 
 pawn everything that I have, all my chains even, 
 and that I have nothing left to offer as security. . . . 
 For in short, after all, I am the niece of a Pope 
 Clement, the wife of a Lord Giovanni, and that I 
 should be reduced to beg like this ! . . ." 
 
 She writes later to another friend that " her poor 
 son is at the point of famine, overwhelmed with mis- 
 fortunes, so that he needs help from Heaven to deliver 
 him from his troubles/ ' 
 
 Meantime Florence was carrying on a republican 
 form of government, under the difficult rule of 
 Niccolo Capponi, the son of that Pietro Capponi 
 who made the memorable reply to the insults of 
 Charles VIII. : " If you sound your trumpets, we will 
 ring our bells ! M Although the people of Florence had 
 thrown off the rule of the Medici, they si ill showed 
 so much tolerance towards the family — their palaoefl 
 
COSIMO AND HIS MOTHER AT FLORENCE 221 
 
 and goods being protected — that after nearly a year 
 at Venice Maria Salviati thought it a safe and dip- 
 lomatic plan to return to Florence when all fear of 
 the plague was over. Still it was not a pleasant 
 home-coming, for she was most indignant to find that 
 the faction of the " Arrabiati " had pulled down the 
 Medici arms from all the public buildings and de- 
 stroyed the waxen effigies of the Medici in the Church 
 of the Annunziata. Worse than this, most of her 
 friends were in exile or held an inferior position, 
 which the proud spirit of Giovanni's widow could 
 scarcely endure. Her only comfort was to devote 
 herself with renewed energy to the education of her 
 young son, on whom all her hopes were now centred. 
 
 The loving, impulsive mother never lost faith in 
 her Cosimo's ultimate greatness, for had it not been 
 foretold by more than one augury % She could never 
 forget that far-off day already alluded to, when 
 Giovanni delle Bande Nere was riding home in 
 triumph through the streets of Florence, and, looking 
 up at his palace in the Corso, saw his infant son 
 at the window, in the arms of his nurse. " Throw 
 him down to me ! '' commanded the father, and 
 catching the child in his arms, he spoke those 
 prophetic words : ' You will be a Prince one day ; 
 it is your fate ! M 
 
 Then again, could it be a mere chance which had 
 caused the joy-tires for Cosimo's birth, lighted on the 
 heights of the Trebbio, to be repeated and carried on 
 from one hill-top to another, by Cesena, Faenza, and 
 Ravenna, until from the bleak Mugello to the Adriatic, 
 throughout the whole of Romagna, the summer sky 
 was aflame with magnificent lights, rejoicing for some 
 unknown triumph ? Had not his future greatness 
 
222 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 been foretold by astrologers, when they cast his 
 horoscope, in the House of Capricorn ? At least his 
 mother believed in him, worshipped him, gave her 
 life entirely to him — was probably unwise and in- 
 judicious in her treatment from undisciplined affec- 
 tion — and all the time was preparing a sword to pierce 
 her own heart. It was a curious and appropriate 
 chance which had given him a Malatesta Baglioni as 
 his godfather ! 
 
 Florence was passing through a most troubled time 
 within her walls, but we have not space to dwell 
 upon the intrigues of the various factions. There 
 was still more danger from without, as the Pope had 
 never forgiven the expulsion of the Medici governor, 
 and had now combined with the Emperor to reduce 
 the rebellious city to submission. Michelangelo was 
 entrusted in the year 1529 with the task of repairing 
 the walls, towers, and bastions of Florence, and 
 placing the fortifications in a state of thorough de- 
 fence. When news arrived that an army had been 
 collected under the command of Filiberto, Prince of 
 Orange, for the express purpose of besieging Florence, 
 many of the citizens left their homes to seek safety 
 elsewhere, and among these were Madonna Maria 
 Salviati and her son Cosimo. It was quite time for 
 them to leave, for as members of the Medici family 
 they were looked upon with suspicion, and were in 
 danger of being made prisoners. They set forth at 
 once for the fortified castle of Trebbio, which, situated 
 high up on the hills of the Mugello, was always 8 
 delightful summer resort. There was a special reason 
 for this flight. With her usual generosity, Maria 
 kept open house here for other exiles from Florence 
 who had occasion to dread the ill-feeling of those in 
 
ESCAPE FROM TREBBIO 223 
 
 power. When this came to be known in the city, 
 a secret Council was held and a certain Messer Otto 
 da Montauta was sent with an armed force to the 
 Mugello to seize the persons of the Illustrissima 
 Signora Maria Salviati dei Medici and her son, Signor 
 Cosimo — the lady, because she was the daughter of 
 the Signor Jacopo Salviati who was in such great 
 honour with the Pope, and the boy, as heir of the 
 younger branch of the Medici. 
 
 Now Messer Otto had been one of the captains 
 of Giovanni delle Bande Nere, and so great were his 
 affection and gratitude towards his former master that 
 he could not bring himself to betray Giovanni's wife 
 and child. It is not quite clear what steps he took — 
 whether he went by another way, or whether he sent 
 private information of his errand to Trebbio — but in 
 any case, Maria had notice of the proposed attack 
 in time to escape with Cosimo. They made their 
 way across the hill-country and reached in safety 
 Forli, the historic city of Caterina Sforza, the mother 
 of Giovanni. We wonder how much interest Maria 
 and her son took in the heroic story of old, and the 
 famous Castello which had been the scene of such 
 desperate conflicts ? From Forli they went on to 
 Imola, where they found a safe refuge with friends 
 of the Medici in the Papal city. 
 
 But alas for the gallant captain who had so gene- 
 rously risked his post and his honour to save them ! 
 Messer Otto da Montauta, on his return to Florence, 
 was tried for disobedience and treachery, cruelly 
 tortured, and long confined in a dark prison. 
 
 The next that we hear about Madonna Maria and 
 her son is the account by Ammirato of their pre- 
 sence at Bologna for the coronation of the Emperor 
 
221 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 Charles V. Much had happened in Europe during the 
 two years which had passed since the taking of Rome. 
 That event, and the M Ladies'" Peace " recently ar- 
 ranged at Cambray — August 1529 — between the aunt 
 of Charles V., Marguerite of Austria, and Louise, the 
 mother of Francois I., had practically left the young 
 Emperor of twenty-nine the arbiter of Europe. The 
 King of France had sacrificed his two allies, Florence 
 and Ferrara, to the Pope's vindictive vengeance, al- 
 though Charles V., in his honest desire for univ. 
 peace, would gladly have spared them — as we see 
 in all his private letters of the time. 
 
 Never had the ancient city of Bologna seen such a 
 galaxy of princes, cardinals, and nobles from ever} 7 
 land, to make a fit setting of magnificence for the 
 great event which was to take place. The Pope 
 would have chosen Rome for the august ceremony, 
 but the Emperor, possibly influenced by warnings 
 against the perfidy and treachery of the Pontiff, had 
 expressed his wish for Bologna, and his word was 
 law. Charles V. played so great a part in the future 
 of Cosimo, and the story of his coronation is so in- 
 teresting, that we will briefly tell it. 
 
 It was as early as November 1 that the Pope arrived 
 at Bologna in state, wearing the triple tiara and 
 borne on his chair of ceremony, with a train of 
 sixteen cardinals. Charles V. made a triumphal entry 
 four days later, with a magnificent array of light 
 horsemen, artillery, engineers, companies of infantry — 
 some with cross-bows, others with pikes and halberds 
 — followed by Burgundian horse-soldiers in whit' 
 mour, with velvet doublets of yellow, red, and green — 
 each one followed by a page on horseback bearing 
 .elmet and lance. After all this sup* °ply 
 
COKONATION OF CHAKLES V. 225 
 
 of war rode the magnificent company of nobles-in- 
 waiting, and in their midst the great Emperor himself, 
 clad in gold brocade and mounted on a beautiful 
 white charger. The meeting between the two po- 
 tentates was a stately pageant, which would need 
 pages of description to do it justice. 
 
 To my mind the most striking feature was the 
 ostentatious humility of the supreme monarch, who 
 held the fate of Italy in his hand and on whose vast 
 dominions the sun never set. How vividly the ter- 
 rible past must have risen before the Pope's mind 
 when his victorious foe made low obeisance at his 
 feet ! Did Clement VII. feel one pang of remorse 
 for the double dealing which had brought destruction 
 upon his country and his subjects ? Probably not, 
 for he showed no sign of repentance, and his whole 
 heart was still set upon deadly vengeance against 
 unhappy Florence, the native city of his race. 
 Nothing would satisfy his cruel nature but to see 
 the fair city of the Medici humbled in the dust ; for 
 when ambassadors from every other state and 
 country were received with favour, the Emperor was 
 not allowed even to admit the Florentine envoys to 
 his presence. They returned home in despair to 
 their beleaguered city, which the Prince of Orange 
 had been ruthlessly bombarding since October, and 
 whose case was hopeless, notwithstanding the des- 
 perate valour of the citizens. 
 
 Meantime the imposing ceremony of the Emperor's 
 coronation took place in February 1530. On the 
 22nd he received from the hands of the Pope the 
 iron crown of Monza, but the chief event was on 
 February 24, the birthday of Charles V. and the 
 anniversary of the victory of Pavia. Then, with 
 
226 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 every circumstance of pomp and magnificence, the 
 golden crown of Empire was placed on his head, 
 while the heralds proclaimed him as M Emperor of 
 the Romans and Lord of the whole world ! " Xo 
 tumult of acclamation, of trumpets and bells can 
 add force to that proud title, bestowed in the midst 
 of a galaxy of such magnificence as neither Mediaeval 
 nor Renaissance Italy ever assembled, before or since. 
 If Ammirato's statement is correct as to the 
 •nee on this occasion of Maria B ilviati and her 
 son Cosimo. it must have been a scene which they 
 never forgot. It was a great gathering of the Medici 
 family, and Alessandro proudly carried the Banner 
 of the Church in the procession. 
 
 During this period of exile, we have no v 
 reliable account of their doings., but the next we 
 hear of is their presence in Rome, where the Pope 
 appears to have entrusted to Maria the charge of 
 his young kinswoman, Catherine dei Medici. She 
 was the daughter and heiress of Lorenzo dei Medici, 
 Duke of Urbino, and her mother, Madeleine 
 de Boulogne — of the royal family of France — died 
 at her birth in 1519. ( rherine was watched over 
 with great interest by Clement VII.. who fully 
 intended to strengthen his influence by arranging 
 some grand marriage for her. Various suitors i 
 proposed. One was Guidobaldo, the infant son 
 of Francesco Maria, Duke of Urbino, but the Pope 
 aimed higher than this. James V. of Scotland 
 was suggested at one time, but the reason Clement 
 appears to have given for not o. :.g this 
 
 u that the posts were so expensive to Scotland ! M 
 Meantime the little girl had been carefully brought 
 up in the convent of th» 
 
SAD FATE OF FLORENCE 227 
 
 appropriated to her was that once inhabited by 
 another Catherine, the great Madonna of Forli. We 
 are told that the Medici heiress was a quiet, docile 
 child, and expressed the greatest desire to become 
 a nun herself — indeed, that she wept bitterly when 
 removed from her convent by her kinsman and 
 guardian, Clement VII. 
 
 Catherine was the same age as her distant cousin 
 Cosimo, and we are disposed to think that they were 
 very much alike in character. She is said to have 
 been very clever and well taught, and to have dis- 
 tinguished herself in Home by her brilliant talk and 
 repartee. She does not appear to have cared for 
 her reputed half-brother Alessandro, but we are 
 told that she was greatly attached to her handsome 
 young cousin Ippolito. It may have been merely 
 a coincidence, but when Pope Clement began to enter 
 into negotiations with Francois I. for the marriage 
 of Catherine with his second son Henri, a distant 
 mission was found for Ippolito, who did not return 
 from Turkey until the wedding was arranged. 
 
 Meantime the fate of Florence had been sealed ; 
 the long and terrible siege had ended in the utter 
 ruin of the popular and republican government, 
 traitors within and without the city having destroyed 
 their last hope of success. Just before the city 
 surrendered, on August 12, 1530, the leader of the 
 besieging army, the Prince of Orange, fell in the 
 battle of Gavinana, on the slopes of the Apennines 
 just above San Marcello. For some time the city 
 was occupied by a strong guard of foreign mercenaries, 
 and had to pay an indemnity of 80,000 gold florins, 
 while all the exiled Medici were to be recalled. The 
 Pope undertook the government, promising to for- 
 
228 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 give all past injuries and to treat his countrymen 
 with affection and clemency, "as he had always 
 done ! '' As might have been expected, he kept no 
 promises, and all the prominent men who had opposed 
 him were put to death in various ways. One of the 
 friars of San Marco, who had preached resistance to 
 Papal authority, was starved to death in the Castle 
 of S. Angelo. When the party of liberty had settled 
 down to the quiet of despair, Clement sent Alessandro 
 dei Medici, the mulatto, to Florence, where, on 
 July 6, 1531, he was declared " Head of the Republic/' 
 The Signoria was abolished the next year, and 
 Alessandro was created Gonfalonier for life. Hence- 
 forward Florence had to submit to " il governo dun 
 solo/' which she had been fighting against for cen- 
 turies. This was the way in which Pope Clement 
 preserved her liberty. 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 Alessandro dei Medici becomes Duke of Florence — Cosimo and his 
 mother return home — Maria Salviati accompanies Caterina dei 
 Medici to France for her marriage — Murder of Duke Alessandro 
 by his cousin Lorenzino (1537) — Cosimo's diplomacy— He is elected 
 to succeed Duke Alessandro as Lord of Florence. 
 
 It was not until the year 1533 that arrangements 
 were made for the marriage of Catherine dei Medici, 
 which had been practically settled two years before. 
 At this date the young Prince Henri, second son of 
 Frangois I., was fifteen years of age, and his proposed 
 bride was fourteen. Clement VII. paid Maria Salviati 
 the compliment of requesting her to take charge of 
 the young princess and escort her to France. Great 
 preparations had been made for the event which, 
 it was hoped, would cement the rather precarious 
 alliance between the Pope and the King of France. 
 With his usual diplomacy Clement had arranged that 
 the city of Rome should provide money for the splen- 
 did trousseau, the very costly and generous supply 
 of jewellery, and even the expenses of the wedding 
 journey. Amongst the ornaments we find mentioned 
 " a sapphire table, and a diamond cut ' en dos d'ane/ " 
 There was also a magnificent necklace of pearls, 
 which later came to another dauphine, Mary Stuart, 
 and which was finally appropriated and worn by 
 Queen Elizabeth of England. 
 
 229 
 
230 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 A large income was to be settled upon the Princess 
 Catherine in the land of her adoption, and the Medici 
 Pope had promised her a dowry of 30,000 gold 
 crowns, but very little of this sum was ever paid. 
 Amongst her ladies-in-waiting there were some so 
 young that they had to be accompanied by their 
 governesses, and to add to the gorgeousness of 
 effect, there were three Turkish maidens in Oriental 
 costume. The wedding was to take place at Mar- 
 seilles, and one part of the elaborate plan was that 
 the Pope was to accompany his young relation and 
 perform the ceremony. But when it came to the 
 point, Clement felt very unwilling to undertake the 
 long journey, and pleaded his age — he was only 55 — 
 his uncertain health, and the dust and discomfort of 
 travel. However, motives of policy overcame his 
 reluctance, and he set forth in great state by sea 
 with a splendid wedding party. The young Cardinal 
 Ippolito had been] recalled from Turkey to take part 
 in the expedition, in order to silence any awkward 
 gossip about the bride's affection for him. He 
 appears to have been received with special favour 
 by the King of France, who offered him various 
 costly gifts, but the prudent cardinal wouldonly accept 
 a " young Barbary lion," which he took back to 
 Florence with him and presented to the city to bo 
 kept with the other lions in the Serraglio, still re- 
 membered as the " Via dei Leoni." 
 
 Francois I. was also most courteous and friendly 
 to the Princess Maria Salviati, whom he honoured as 
 the widow of the great condottiere Giovanni dei 
 Medici, who had died fighting in his service. The 
 King inquired after her son Cosimo, whom lie invited 
 to his Court, promising great ollice and emolument. 
 
Anderson, photo. 
 
 Allori : Prado, Madrid. 
 
 GARZIA DEI MEDICI, SON OF COSIMO 
 
 231 
 
MARRIAGE OF CATHERINE DEI MEDICI 233 
 
 But Maria never for one moment seriously enter- 
 tained the idea of parting with her son on any con- 
 dition, and she was probably experienced enough in 
 the ways of princes to take all these vague promises 
 at their true value. 
 
 The wedding was celebrated with great pomp, but 
 we can imagine that the boy-and-girl bridal pair 
 were somewhat bored as they stood together after- 
 wards, hand in hand on a carpet of gold brocade, 
 listening to long orations from Hymen, and to nuptial 
 songs in their honour, delivered by classical nymphs. 
 We cannot help feeling some pity for the clever girl 
 Caterina, finding herself mated to a sulky boy, who 
 could rarely be induced to speak a word to her or to 
 anybody else. She had evidently taken her future 
 life very seriously, for we are told that she had written 
 beforehand to King Francois, asking if she might 
 receive lessons in dancing at Marseilles in the French 
 style, so as to be able to take her part suitably at 
 the royal Court. The young princess had a trying 
 time before her for some years, as the Italians were 
 not popular in France, and the general indignation 
 at the non-payment of her dowry was largely visited 
 upon her. But she was wise in her generation : she 
 could hold her peace and bide her time ; and when 
 her day of power came she could seize and enjoy a 
 triumphant vengeance. 
 
 In all these points the character and life of Catherine 
 greatly resembled that of her far-off cousin Cosimo. 
 He too, at the same age of fourteen, was becoming 
 an adept in diplomacy. He never made an enemy 
 if he could avoid it ; he was always subservient to 
 those in authority, and knew how to worm himself 
 in their favour. When, during his stay in Home, 
 
 14 
 
234 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 Pope Clement had objected to his wearing the garb 
 of a soldier, fearing that this might recall too vividly 
 his father's greatness, Cosimo willingly submitted, on 
 his return to Florence, to wear the ordinary dress 
 of a citizen ; but on the death of the Pope a few 
 years later — in 1534 — after his time of mourning he 
 cast it aside. We hear much of his humble devotion 
 towards his kinsman, the ruling lord of Florence, 
 Alessandro, who honoured him with his favour. The 
 chroniclers also dwell fully upon the youth's assiduous 
 devotion to study, giving most of his time to " letters 
 and humanities, and devoting the remaining hours 
 to perfecting himself in the art of war, in riding, and 
 in the study of music, wherein he became greatly 
 proficient, being able to play on various stringed 
 instruments, and to sing/' 
 
 It must have seemed almost like old times to his 
 mother, Maria Salviati, when she was back in her 
 own palace in Florence in December of 1533, witli 
 the Medici all recalled from exile and her old friends 
 around her. But the temper of the people towards 
 her family was secretly more bitter than ever, from 
 very hopelessness — their freedom was gone for ever. 
 As a symbol of this we notice that, by order of Ales- 
 sandro, " La Campana " was taken down and broken 
 in pieces, " lest its sound should awaken echoes of 
 lost liberty." The last knell tolled on October 1, 1532, 
 and it marked the close of the city's greatness. 
 " The liberties of a free people and a free Parliament 
 were buried in the grave of the Republic of Florence." 
 
 The young Prince Cosimo was rewarded for his 
 meek subserviency. When Aleasandro went to 
 Naples to meet the Emperor Charles V., who had 
 recently conquered Barbaroesa and gained the city 
 
THE EDUCATION OF COSIMO 235 
 
 of Tunis, he took his cousin with him. Their errand 
 was an important one, as the exiles who had been 
 driven from Florence, on the accession to power of 
 Alessandro and the Medici, had gone to the Emperor 
 with bitter complaints of the way in which they 
 were persecuted and their country trodden down. 
 Apparently Alessandro was able to justify his conduct 
 to the satisfaction of Charles V., for he returned to 
 Florence in higher favour than ever. Cosimo went 
 back to his riding and his singing, and to his diligent 
 study, not only of books but of men, which was to 
 be so useful to him in the coming years. The young 
 Cardinal Ippolito had also started for Naples to 
 appeal against Alessandro, but he and his two 
 companions died in agony on the way, and no one 
 doubted that they had been poisoned. 
 
 There could have been no more undesirable intimacy 
 for young Cosimo than that of his cousin Alessandro, 
 whose private life was one of shameful wickedness 
 and self-indulgence, which made him hateful to the 
 people. By the Treaty of Barcelona, in July 1529, 
 he had the great good fortune to be promised in 
 marriage the illegitimate daughter of Charles V., 
 Marguerite, then a child of eight years old. She was 
 to be conducted to Naples and well educated until 
 she was twelve years old, and then the wedding was 
 to take place and she was to receive a dowry of 20,000 
 gold scudi. It has been suggested that the Emperor 
 yielded this concession with the idea of making some 
 amends to the Pope for the terrible disaster and 
 world-wide scandal of the sack of Rome. Charles V. 
 could know nothing of the young man's character ; 
 he only looked upon him as the Pope's favourite 
 nephew and the heir of his branch of the Medici. 
 
236 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 The other cousin, Ippolito, was ineligible for this 
 honour, having been made cardinal at the age of 
 eighteen. After this marriage had taken place — on 
 February 28, 1536 — Alessandro was naturally high in 
 the favour of the Emperor, who, as we have seen, 
 turned a deaf ear to the complaints made against him. 
 This was how it happened that poor little Marguerite, 
 who had been adopted in infancy and carefully 
 brought up by the great Marguerite of Austria, 
 Regent of the Netherlands, found herself in Florence 
 as the wife of the notorious Alessandro. One good 
 point may be put down to his credit : he had a taste 
 for planting and horticulture, and it was he who 
 converted the river-mud and sand-banks of the Arno 
 into the shady Cascine, now such an adornment to 
 the city ; and he also caused trees and shrubs to be 
 grown on many farm lands in the neighbourhood. 
 
 Once more Alessandro and Cosimo went together 
 to meet the Emperor at Genoa in 1536, when he 
 was on his way back from Provence, where he had 
 been defeated, and had completely failed at the siege 
 of Marseilles, which had again made a most heroic 
 defence. This visit had not much result, but at least 
 it had the advantage for the younger Medici of keep- 
 ing him in the remembrance of Charles V., whose 
 support would soon be of so great importance to 
 him. We are told that on his return to Florence he 
 continued his studies, and was also still engaged in 
 a lawsuit, which had lasted for years, with two other 
 cousins, Lorenzino and Giuliano, sons of Piero Francesco 
 dei Medici and Maria Soderini, concerning property 
 which came from their great-grandfather, another 
 Piero dei Medici ; the dispute had been carried on 
 from the days of Caterina Sforza. 
 
MURDER OF DUKE ALESSANDRO 237 
 
 This Lorenzino, so called from his small stature, 
 was a talented and accomplished young noble, but 
 of a wild and turbulent spirit. He had lived some 
 time in Rome under the patronage of Clement VII., 
 until a disgraceful adventure in which he was sup- 
 posed to have taken part compelled him to leave 
 the city. He returned to Florence, and soon became 
 the intimate associate of Alessandro, joining in all 
 his pursuits and apparently encouraging his dissipa- 
 tion. But all the time he appears to have formed 
 the stern design of playing the part of another Brutus, 
 and ridding his native city of the tyrant who oppressed 
 it. At length an opportunity occurred. Alessandro 
 was persuaded to go to Lorenzino's house in pursuit 
 of a base intrigue, and there, on the night of January 
 6, 1537, he was murdered, after a desperate struggle. 
 Lorenzino was at first undecided whether he should 
 openly avow the deed and call upon the men of 
 Florence to assert their freedom ; but on further 
 consideration, he decided to lock the door of the 
 chamber where Alessandro lay dead, to escape at 
 once to Bologna, and there announce to the exiles 
 that their opportunity had come. 
 
 Thus the murder of the Medici ruler was only 
 discovered next morning, and then Cardinal Cibo kept 
 the matter secret while he sent in urgent haste for 
 the Captain of the Guard Alessandro Vitelli, and 
 Ridolfo Baglioni, who commanded the infantry of 
 Cortona and Arezzo, bidding them hasten to bring 
 as large a force as possible to Florence in order to 
 keep the citizens under control. Meantime Loren- 
 zino had made good his escape, first to Bologna and 
 then to Venice, where he found Filippo Strozzi, who 
 at once made the news known to the other exiles. 
 
238 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 The curious document in which Lorenzino gives 
 his reasons for the murder is preserved, and throws 
 light upon the hatred felt for the tyrant, though no 
 good result can ever come from treachery and assas- 
 sination. He declares that, during the six years of 
 Alessandro's rule, he had exceeded the crimes of Nero 
 and Caligula. He declares that not only did this 
 cruel tyrant poison the Cardinal Ippolito and his 
 companions, but that he also caused the death of 
 his own mother, of whom he was ashamed. . . . Lo- 
 renzino explains his reason for flight : he only desired 
 to free his country from intolerable slavery ; and he 
 ends by lamenting the want of public spirit and 
 courage which prevented the men of Florence from 
 rising to assert their ancient freedom. Such is the 
 account given by the chief actor in this tragedy of 
 his vain and futile crime, which only tightened the 
 chains of despotism upon his native city. He paid 
 the penalty by eleven years of unhappy exile before 
 he, in his turn, was assassinated, it is believed by 
 order of the Grand Duke Cosimo. 
 
 Aldo Mannucci gives a very full and particular 
 account of all that happened after the murder of 
 Alessandro. When the news reached Cosimo the 
 next day, he was at his castle of Trebbio in the 
 Mugello, with a hunting party. Some old soldiers 
 who had fought in his father's Black Bands, who 
 were stationed near, seem to have approached him 
 with the offer of accompanying him to Florence with 
 an armed force, to assert his right to the succession. 
 But this youth of eighteen was far too astute to run 
 any risks, and he dismissed them with thanks, to 
 hasten at once to the city and present himself un- 
 attended to the cardinal, who was now supported 
 
PROMPT ACTION OF COSIMO 239 
 
 by troops to hold the citizens in subjection. A 
 Council had been hastily assembled at the palace, 
 where Guicciardini, Acciajoli, and others discussed 
 the question of choosing a Chief Magistrate, and the 
 only rival to Cosimo appeared to be an illegitimate 
 infant son of Alessandro, whose claims were soon set 
 aside. Cosimo himself behaved with so much defer- 
 ence and humility that the members of the Council 
 felt quite assured he would be entirely guided by 
 their influence, being so young and inexperienced. 
 
 The result was not long doubtful. Almost before 
 the citizens had learnt what had happened, amidst 
 conflicting rumours, the streets were filled with armed 
 men who shouted : " Long live Duke Cosimo and 
 the Medici ! " and his election was thus carried by 
 surprise. We are told that when the young prince 
 went to his mother's palace with the first rumour of 
 his greatness, Maria Salviati drew him into her most 
 private chamber, and thus dramatically addressed 
 him : 
 
 " My only son, dearer to me than all things, 
 my only hope ; if you have any care for your life, 
 give up this desire to be the Lord of those who were 
 born your equals and who hate nothing more than 
 to have ' one only Lord ' over them, and one who 
 was born in their City and subject to their laws. . . . 
 You will be in great peril of your life on which mine 
 depends. . . . Remember all that I have suffered on 
 your behalf since the untimely death of your father, 
 that I might preserve you alive ; how I have watched 
 over you and defended you with care and diligence 
 from foes of your own blood, from deadly pestilence 
 and from many dangers . . . and now that I had 
 
240 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 hoped to reap the fruit of my labours, and pass from 
 anxious watching into secure joy, you would give 
 me cause for unceasing tears, and end at the same 
 time my misfortunes and my life. . . . 
 
 " For I am certain, yea, it is God's truth, that in 
 your youth and audacity you will go forth and tempt 
 Fortune, and so meet with the atrocious fate of 
 the Duke Alessandro. . . . This will of a certainty 
 befall him who oppresses the liberties of the State, 
 and wishes to become absolute Lord of the people. 
 Consider, too, especially with the Family of the Medici, 
 how, if you have studied History, you will remember 
 that expulsion, exile, and ruin have befallen the most 
 distinguished of them, and you will understand that 
 Fortune has no sooner shown them her face than 
 she turns her shoulder upon them. 
 
 " Let us suppose that, placed as you are, without 
 any shedding of blood and without any resistance 
 from the chief men of the City, you succeed in ob- 
 taining this supreme rank — remembering always the 
 rapid changes of envious Fortune — with what heart 
 will you become the Governor of a people who for 
 so many, many years have maintained their liberty ? 
 The love of freedom being such a living thing and 
 so deeply rooted in the heart of the Florentines, 
 that it may not be extinguished by any means so 
 long as their life endures. For them slavery would 
 be worse than death. And how will you have the 
 heart to take your seat on that throne, which is still 
 stained and warmed with the blood of your prede- 
 cessor, who died, not so much for the injustice of his 
 conduct and the tyranny of his ways, as for being in 
 possession of that very post to which you aspire ? 
 Pause one moment to think of him whom you desire 
 
THE WARNING OF MARIA SALVIATI 241 
 
 to follow. Who was the cause of his death ? One 
 to whom he was connected by kinship, to whom he 
 trusted his person more than any other. . . . How 
 much more then had he to expect from those who 
 were not his relations, not his friends, but his deadly 
 foes ? 
 
 " Now suppose that you easily obtain, and securely 
 enjoy for a long time this which you so ardently 
 desire, do you not see that you act against the pre- 
 cepts of wise men, as I have heard it said many 
 times . . . that when there are two sides, one profit- 
 able, but not honest ; the other honest, but not 
 profitable, we must choose the latter ... for a man 
 of noble heart would elect to live as a private citizen 
 in a Free State, loved by all good men and feared by 
 none, rather than to be in high position and supreme 
 power, hated and feared alike by good and evil. 
 
 " For God's sake, Cosimo, give up this enterprise ; 
 and if the reasons which I have given do not move 
 you, be touched, my son, by these my tears, which 
 will flow thus for the few years left to me, in my 
 last refuge. And if I still have no power to persuade 
 my son, I will turn to Thee, oh God, the sole Foreseer 
 of future things, praying Thee that what Thou shalt 
 put into the heart of Cosimo to do, may be for our 
 good, and for that of our City and our State." 
 
 If poor Maria Salviati really made this fine speech 
 on behalf of Liberty, she must have known her son 
 too well to believe that it would make any impression 
 upon him. The chronicler gives us his answer — full 
 of the usual platitudes of a youth, with already the 
 instincts of a tyrant, who argues that a despotism 
 is the safest and best form of government. . . . 
 
242 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 After Cosimo bad left the cardinal, there had been 
 a very stormy discussion of the Council, and it had 
 been at length decided that Cosimo should take the 
 name of Head of the Republic, and should be bound 
 by the advice of the Signoria, employ no foreigners 
 as lieutenants in the city, and be satisfied with the 
 modest salary of 12,000 ducats, instead of 18,000, 
 which Alessandro had required. They made many 
 other conditions, which were meekly listened to, but 
 they little knew with whom they had to deal. This 
 boy of eighteen had long set his heart upon the 
 succession to the post of Alessandro, whose murder 
 had only brought it sooner within his reach. He 
 listened meekly to all the discussions, but he was 
 resolved upon nothing less than absolute power, which 
 he would acquire by craft and intrigue. Clement VII. 
 was dead, and there was no Medici Pope to support 
 him — indeed, the present Pope, Paul III., was a 
 Farnese, and entirely opposed to his family. Cosimo 
 knew that this was the crisis of his fate, the long- 
 anticipated moment when success or failure hung in 
 the balance, and everything depended upon himself 
 alone. 
 
 He took bold and decided action at once ; made 
 sure of the loyalty of Vitelli, the Captain of the 
 Guard, and the other leaders of troops ; agreed to 
 everything suggested by the Council, and sent mes- 
 sengers to the Emperor, Charles V., to inform him 
 of the people's choice of himself as " Capo primario 
 della Citta di Firenze e suo Dominio," and respectfully 
 implored the sanction of His Imperial Highness. He 
 had a powerful enemy in Paul III., who looked upon 
 the murder of Alessandro as an opportunity for him 
 to obtain the Lordship of Florence for his own nephew. 
 
DIARY OF SIENESE ENVOY 243 
 
 and who at once sent emissaries to Pisa and Florence, 
 to incite the people to acknowledge his supremacy. 
 It was on January 10, 1537, that Cosimo was publicly 
 proclaimed by the Council of the Forty-eight, and on 
 that day he appears to have taken up his abode in the 
 fortified castello, where the young widowed Duchess, 
 Marguerite of Austria, had already sought refuge. 
 This strong fortress had been at once taken possession 
 of by Vitelli, Captain of the Guard, who murdered 
 the castellan. Cosimo remained here till January 18, 
 and from this date we have an extremely interesting 
 diary of everything that happened during the next 
 eventful year, set down day by day, in the hand- 
 writing of two nobles from Siena, who were sent by 
 that Republic to condole with the widow of the 
 murdered Alessandro, daughter of the Emperor. A 
 few quotations from this unique record will present 
 a very vivid victure of that exciting period. 
 
 From the Letters of Girolamo Spannocchi 
 
 "Jan. 18, 1537. — Arrived safely in Florence, ad 
 ore 23. [11 p.m.]. . . . There is quiet in the city 
 under the command of Alessandro Vitelli. . . . The 
 Lord Cosimo goes about with the same guard as Duke 
 Alessandro had, or greater, and thus holds great 
 state. . . . This evening he came with the Reverend- 
 issimo Cibo from the Citadel, which is guarded by 
 500 soldiers, and they took possession of the Palace 
 of the Duke Aleso. Hither came the Lord Piero 
 Colonna from Genoa, in the service of the Emperor, 
 and they all held consultation together. . . . 
 
 " They have this day sent a company of men to 
 meet the three Cardinals who come from Rome. 
 
244 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 Giovanni Salvia ti [brother of Maria Salvia ti], Niccolo 
 Ridolfo, and Niccolo Gaddi." [Instead of arriving 
 peaceably, they were coming armed, and they were 
 warned that they could not enter the city thus.] 
 
 " Jan. 19. — This morning, as you desired me, I went 
 to visit His Exc. in the Palace of Duke Aless°, and 
 there were present many of the first citizens, paying 
 their court. ... It is true that there is much dis- 
 content, and people ask why the Cardinals were 
 delayed ; they are expected to-morrow. Even the 
 Card. Cibo said to me : ' What can they do ? We 
 have the power in hand and they are disarmed/ 
 I hear that no one in Florence or within eight miles 
 is to have in his house arms of any kind, under the 
 greatest penalties. ... I hear that Filippo Strozzi 
 has given 10,000 scudi to raise soldiers [in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Bologna, against Cosimo]. 
 
 "Jan. 21. — The three Cardinals entered Florence 
 last night at the Ave Maria, with about 100 horsemen 
 of their kindred ; and the Lord Cosimo went to meet 
 them with about a hundred well-armed men in his 
 company, with Card. Cibo, for about a mile outside 
 the Porta S. Niccolo. At the entrance all the courtiers 
 were examined, and whoever wore a coat of mail 
 had to take it off, and no one was suffered to bear 
 arms. Their baggage was taken to the customs, to 
 see if there were any weapons, as was believed. The 
 Signor Cosimo rode in by the side of his uncle, Card. 
 Salviati, and Cibo with the other two, and there was 
 a great crowd to see the arrival. Strong guards were 
 placed round the Palace of the Sig. Cosimo and in 
 all the streets adjoining, as if a rising were expected. 
 Most of the citizens are very pleased at the coining 
 of the Cardinals. . . . 
 
THE COMING OF THE CARDINALS 245 
 
 " Jan. 23 [ore 19]. — . . . Last night at the meeting 
 which was held, the Cardinals were asked whether they 
 would agree to the appointment of the Lord Cosimo, 
 under the protection of the Emperor. They replied 
 that they knew no better way of securing the peace 
 of the City, but that they strongly wished for the 
 return of the exiles. To this the reply was that first 
 other things must be settled, and then they would 
 treat about the coming home of those who had been 
 exiled. . . . 
 
 " The Cardinals have resolved to have their wishes 
 written down by way of a memorial to the Imperial 
 side. . . . 
 
 " Great numbers of armed foot-soldiers are con- 
 stantly entering the City and are being distributed 
 in the houses of the chief citizens . . . and since 
 the coming of the Cardinals, no one has been allowed 
 to leave the city." [This introduction of soldiers 
 was contrary to the promise made to the Cardinals, 
 but Vitelli and Cosimo cared nothing for this.] 
 
 "Jan. 25. — Last night the Lord Marquis of Aguilar 
 entered Florence and was lodged in the Duke's Palace. 
 He was Charles V.th/s ' oratore ' [envoy] to the 
 Pope. . . . News came this morning that the three 
 Cardinals were leaving, and all their horses and 
 baggage were ready, and a great multitude of citizens, 
 about 4,000 persons, had collected to see them depart ; 
 when Guicciardino and Vitelli arrived with about 300 
 armed soldiers and filled the streets round the Salviati 
 Palace and talked with the Cardinals and persuaded 
 them to put off their departure. . . . Then the Lord 
 Aless. Vitelli returned to the Castello, and he never 
 goes in or out with less than 200 armed men, as though 
 he had to fight ; and in certain places, he has the 
 
246 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 houses watched before he passes. . . ." [This is ex- 
 plained by the fact that he was on very doubtful terms 
 with Cosimo, who was jealous of his command of 
 the Citadel, which he professed to hold solely for 
 the Emperor. It is known that Cosimo had been 
 advised to seize him some day when he came to pay 
 salute, to make him prisoner and then at once 
 to have him thrown out of window into the street, 
 traitor who had stolen the fortress.] 
 
 •• Jan. 26. — The three Cardinals had promised that 
 the soldiers raised by the exiles in the Val di Chiana 
 should be disbanded., and this not having been carried 
 out.. ... it was decided that the Cardinal Salviati 
 with the Lord Martio Colonna should be sent in person 
 to see that this was carried out. A great number of 
 armed men were called out. apparently to intimidate 
 Salviati. . . . TLey departed this evening, and it is 
 believed Salviati will not return. . . . 
 
 " Jan. 28. — Ridolfo and Gaddi were to have gone 
 to-day, but they are still here. . . . 
 
 •• Jan . 2S. — We are expecting news of the dispersion 
 of the men raised in the Val di Chiana, but no word 
 baa come yet. . . .'"' 
 
 The departure of Cardinal Salviati mented 
 
 by the people of Florence, for in the old days his 
 family had always been loved and respected, and he 
 was looked upon as their friend. It would be a com- 
 fort to Maria Salviati to meet her favourite brother 
 again ; but knowing the news he held about Cosimo, 
 it would be difficult to reconcile her affection for him 
 with loyalty to her son. who had attained his hi- 
 re, and for whom there was no turning 1 
 ■ had hoped much from her brother*! taoo 
 
NO HOPE FOE THE EXILES 247 
 
 for the return of the exiles and the cause of peace ; 
 but soon, like everybody else, she must have seen 
 that there was no security for Filippo Strozzi and 
 the others, in the hollow promises of forgiveness and 
 restoration. 
 
 The continued strife was in some measure to be put 
 down to the cause of so much woe in unfortunate 
 Italy — the long endurance of the rivalry of Charles V. 
 and Francois I., between whom war had begun again. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 ::=:-: iiiiz-.i -lr i :mce (the Party of Freedom, with 
 
 FUippo Strom at their head) at the battle of Montemurlo. in 
 
 7iLt 1;c"— ~. 
 
 The diary of the ambassador from Siena is much 
 taken np with the movements of th in Bologna, 
 
 who were joined by the three Roman cardinals. 
 Cosimo kept a keen and anxious watch upon them, 
 and was constantly engaged in strengthening his 
 fortifications and raising fresh soldiers. Having 
 ordered the destruction of the old Palace of the Me 
 which had belonged to Lorenzino, the murderer of 
 Alessandro, he now thought i: :tend to 
 
 his predecessor's funeral. This is the account of the 
 imposing ceremony, given by Girolamo Tant 
 i 
 
 "March 12.—. . . The obsequies of the Duke will 
 take place for certain on lay. All is ready, 
 
 and I am told there will be ISO folk* 1 a the 
 
 Court of the Duchess ; and there are 12 black banners 
 and other things. . . . 
 
 "March 14. — This morning the funeral of the late 
 Duke took place ' a k 17 ore.' At the gate of the 
 Palace, stood the bier in the middle of t;. ■:, on 
 
 .4? 
 
Brogi, photo. 
 
 Bronzino : Florence. 
 MARIA DEI MEDICI, DAUGHTER OF COSIMO I. 
 
 249 
 
FUNERAL OF DUKE ALESSANDRO 251 
 
 which was an image copied from life, in a doublet of 
 crimson satin with surcoat of gold brocade, and the 
 ducal crown on its head, . . . the procession set forth, 
 the bier followed by 22 pages with torches . . . 
 then came all the Magistrates of the City and a great 
 number of citizens ; and from the Palace issued his 
 servants and those of the Duchess to the number 
 of 130 each, all in deep mourning, like the pages 
 round the bier. Then in due time came the 
 Illustrious Lord Cosimo, and Messer Lelio da Fano 
 who recited the funeral oration. More than 1,000 
 priests and friars next joined in procession, then 
 a number of horsemen all in black, and twelve bands 
 of soldiers, bearing three great red standards with 
 the ducal arms, followed by 300 bearing tapers of 
 yellow wax ; and the bier was borne by twenty deputies 
 of the House of Medici, all in mourning. And in 
 this order the Lord Cosimo, with all the citizens, 
 followed to the Church of San Lorenzo [where the 
 body of Alessandro was placed in the new Sacristy 
 in the marble tomb made by Michelangelo for the 
 Duke of Urbino]. During the whole ceremony, the 
 streets were strongly guarded by armed soldiers. . . . 
 
 " March 19. — Things remain very quiet here. Al- 
 though it is true that most of the citizens are not a 
 little discontented. . . . 
 
 u March 23. — . . . There have been found in the 
 house of Bart° Valori a quantity of arms . . . pikes 
 and swords, enough to arm more than 120 men. And 
 the master of the house and his two servants have 
 been taken prisoners and will suffer the punishment 
 threatened. ... A citizen who spoke of injustice . . . 
 was condemned to be beaten with a cord and fined 
 200 scudi. . . ." 
 
 15 
 
252 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 It would be too long to give the extremely interest- 
 ing account in this diary of all the intrigues of the 
 Pope, the King of France, and the Emperor, and the 
 consequent actions of the Florentine exiles and Filippo 
 Strozzi, whose high rank, great wealth, and deter- 
 mined character placed him at their head. Matters 
 were at length brought to a crisis by the arrival in 
 Florence of Ferdinando de Silva, Count of Cifuentes, 
 imperial agent in Rome, who was to mediate for the 
 exiles, hearing all the arguments on both sides. His 
 decision, no doubt settled long before, was absolutely 
 against the claims of Filippo Strozzi and his com- 
 panions ; and the question was finally settled by 
 confirming, on behalf of the Emperor, the election of 
 Cosimo as successor to all the power and dignity of 
 the late Chief of the City, Alessandro. He was also 
 permitted to use the title of Duke of the Republic. 
 This important event took place on June 21, 1537, 
 and from that hour all real hope of freedom died in 
 Florence. Cifuentes was also charged to see to the 
 interest of the widowed Duchess, and an arrangement 
 was made by which Cosimo was to take charge of all 
 her property for three years, paying her an annual 
 sum of 7,500 gold scudi. This caused additional 
 heavy taxes to be levied upon the citizens of Florence, 
 who were quite reduced to despair. 
 
 But worse was in store for them. A system of spies 
 was established, and any one who was disaffected or 
 even ventured to say a hasty word against Cosimo 
 was arrested and cruelly punished, often by cutting 
 out his tongue. On July 30 the new ruler passed a 
 law by which every householder was commanded to 
 keep a light in his window after midnight, under 
 penalty of being fined twenty-five gold florins ; and 
 
LEAGUE OF EXILES UNDER STROZZI 253 
 
 he was forbidden to go outside his door after midnight, 
 or he became liable to the cruel punishment of having 
 his hand cut off. Moreover, in time of disturbance 
 in the city, any one who left his home might be mur- 
 dered with impunity, either by day or by night. 
 These are only a few instances of the stern regulations 
 which made this a reign of terror. 
 
 Meantime the " Fuorusciti " (exiles), as they are 
 always called, despairing of restoring their state to 
 liberty by peaceful means, had collected large sums of 
 money from the King of France, Filippo Strozzi, 
 and other wealthy members of their league, and had 
 raised a considerable force at Bologna and elsewhere. 
 They had also friends and sympathisers in many towns 
 of Tuscany, more especially at Prato and Pistoia ; 
 and as news was constantly brought to Cosimo, he 
 thought it wise to arrange for the return to Florence 
 of the young widowed Duchess, who had gone to 
 Prato, on July 10, with his mother, to whom she was 
 much attached. It had been arranged that Filippo 
 Strozzi, Valori, and other important leaders should 
 approach Florence, in order to give courage to their 
 friends within the city, and induce them to make a 
 rising at the moment of attack. 
 
 For this purpose they had selected the fortress of 
 Montemurlo, on a spur of the Apennines, close to 
 Prato, and above the high-road which leads from 
 Pistoia to Florence. There must have been some 
 traitor amongst them who gave instant information 
 to Cosimo, for the young ruler at once gathered all 
 the Spanish troops in the neighbourhood on the side 
 of Fiesole ; and in the middle of the night they were 
 joined by the Italian infantry, under Alessandro 
 Vitelli and Piero da Castel di Piero, and made their 
 
254 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 way through the summer twilight in the direction 
 of Pistoia. At dawn they had passed through Prato 
 and were close to the hill of Montemurlo, and had 
 soon made an end of the sentinels below the castle, 
 which was half ruined and incapable of any serious 
 defence. Vitelli set fire to the gates, and in a short 
 time, after a most heroic defence, all the assembled 
 chiefs of the exiles were taken prisoners. Piero Strozzi, 
 the son of Filippo, who had the day before arrived 
 with a body of soldiers, and happened to be outside 
 the castle, was also taken ; but as the enemy did not 
 know who he was, he managed to make his escape. 
 All the others were conducted as prisoners to Florence 
 and treated with shameful humiliation ; amongst 
 them, besides Filippo Strozzi, who was claimed by 
 Vitelli as the special prisoner of the Emperor, were 
 Baccio and Filippo Valori, Anton delF Albizzi, Ber- 
 nardo Canigiano, and many of the most honoured 
 names of Florentine nobles. 
 
 This utter defeat and fall of the Italian patriots 
 took place on the night before the first of August, 
 and decided the fate of their country. Cosimo ordered 
 the immediate trial of the prisoners for rebellion and 
 treason, of which he insisted that the legal penalty 
 was death ; and this sentence he caused to be carried 
 out with the utmost haste, lest a rebellion in the city, 
 or an appeal to clemency from the Imperial ministers, 
 or the judges themselves, should be a bar to his ven- 
 geance. Some few of the less important were left to 
 linger on in Tuscan prisons, and Filippo Strozzi was 
 kept by Vitelli as his prize in a dungeon of the Castello. 
 
 We cannot dismiss from our story this noble 
 patriot and most splendid of all the Florentine 
 nobles, without a few words on his tragic fate. He 
 
PATRIOTS DEFEATED AT MONTEMURLO 255 
 
 lingered on in cruel captivity, frequently subjected 
 to torture by Cosimo, under pretext of discovering 
 any accomplices he might have in the city. At length, 
 after more than twelve months of ignominy and suffer- 
 ing, fearing lest, in his weakened condition, fresh 
 torture might draw from him some avowal fatal to 
 his friends, " he called to mind the example of Cato 
 of Utica, and fell by his own hand, a devoted victim 
 to the cause of freedom/' * After his death a paper 
 was found in his handwriting, stained with his blood, 
 addressed " Deo Liberatori," and expressing his 
 reason for the tragic deed in the most touching and 
 pathetic words. 
 
 After the victory of Montemurlo, Cosimo felt that 
 he had now indeed attained the summit of success, 
 and that the time had come to free himself from every 
 tie and every obligation. He gradually withdrew 
 his confidence from Cardinal Cib6 and all the Senators 
 who had promoted his election, this youth being 
 firmly decided that no one should share his power 
 and his glory. When he sent a messenger to announce 
 his victory to Charles V., he took the opportunity of 
 asking for the hand of Marguerite of Austria, the 
 widow of his predecessor. His message was graciously 
 received, but he was told that the young princess was 
 already promised to Pope Paul III. for his grandson, 
 Ottavio Farnese. There was always some fresh in- 
 trigue on hand between Emperor and Pope, and poor 
 little Marguerite was again to be the victim. Charles 
 had been compelled to make this bargain, for he had 
 been unfortunate in his war with France. The Re- 
 formation in Germany was giving him a great deal of 
 trouble ; he was afraid of losing Milan ; and his re- 
 
 * A. Roscoe. 
 
256 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 sources were exhausted by fighting against the Turks ; 
 he was thus extremely short of money and felt that 
 he was alone against the world. 
 
 In this matter — the constant want of ready money 
 — Charles V. was like his grandfather, the Emperor 
 Maximilian, who, when on a journey, frequently had 
 to pawn his rings to pay the bill at his hostelry. His 
 grandson, with a far greater territory, had infinitely 
 more claims upon him. Spain was a rich country, 
 but the Cortes of Aragon absolutely refused to vote 
 for a grant of money to be spent in foreign wars ; and 
 at this time, he could not raise funds to pay the great 
 army which he was compelled to keep in Italy, and 
 which for so long had been a constant and terrible 
 drain upon him. If he could make terms with 
 Paul III., he was sure of help, for the Holy Father 
 received an immense revenue from all the Catholic 
 countries of Europe. So his daughter Marguerite 
 must be sacrificed again to pay the price. 
 
 At that period, marriageable girls were always 
 looked upon as valuable " chattels " by their kins- 
 men ; but the case of a princess was the worst of all. 
 She must be prepared to go to a foreign land and 
 marry a stranger she had never seen, in order to serve 
 any political purpose which her legal guardian might 
 have in view. Even widowhood might not save her, 
 for then she could be made use of a second time. In 
 this case it so happened that Marguerite of Aust ria 
 was most unwilling to leave Tuscany, where she bad 
 been treated with great honour and kindness. She 
 was very fond of her quiet home at Prato, and 
 much attached to Madonna Maria Salviati, who had 
 been like a mother to her. But when the appointed 
 time arrived for her marriage to the Pope's grandson, 
 
MARGUERITE MARRIED TO OTTAVIO 257 
 
 Ottavio Farnese — a boy much younger than herself — • 
 there was no appeal against her father's command. 
 This young widow of fifteen set forth sadly and re- 
 luctantly on her journey to Rome with a large escort, 
 accompanied by Cosimo to the frontiers of his do- 
 minion. Cardinal Cibo was to continue the journey 
 as far as Siena, from whence the Emperor's general, 
 Don Lopez Hartado, was to see her safely to Rome. 
 Her husband had been dead a year and nine months, 
 but Marguerite presented herself before the Pope in 
 the deepest mourning, with all her company. The 
 Princess wore a heavy dress of black brocade, and 
 all her ladies were clothed in black velvet. She also 
 gave offence by not concealing her contempt at the 
 extreme youth of her child-bridegroom. 
 
 A curious incident of her journey had serious con- 
 sequences. Marguerite had become attached to little 
 Guilio, the illegitimate son of Alessandro, who, ac- 
 cording to the custom of the time, appears to have 
 been brought up in his palace. The boy was now 
 four years old, and she expressed a strong wish to take 
 him away with her. Now it was part of Cosimo's 
 policy to please the Emperor's daughter in every way, 
 and he agreed to her request, but at the same time 
 gave strict orders to Cardinal Cibo that he was to 
 bring back the boy with him to Florence. He could 
 not think of suffering the Pope to keep Giulio in 
 Rome, to be treated possibly as heir to his father, Duke 
 Alessandro, and used as a weapon against himself. 
 
 The Cardinal obeyed these directions ; but when 
 he brought back the little son of Alessandro to 
 Florence, he kept him in his own charge. For some 
 time Cosimo took no notice of this, but seeing the 
 great attention paid to the child by many of the chief 
 
258 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 citizens, he became suspicious, and showed his dis- 
 pleasure by leaving the cardinal out of his Council 
 entirely. Then a rumour spread that Cosimo had 
 attempted to poison the boy, which was possibly true ; 
 but in any case the Cardinal Cibo appears to have 
 given this privately as a reason for keeping Giulio 
 in his own care. This scandal having reached the 
 ear of the Emperor, he sent special orders that the 
 matter should be examined ; but meantime there 
 was so much ill-feeling between Cosimo and the old 
 friend who, more than any one else, had helped him 
 to his position, that the cardinal was compelled to 
 leave Florence. Cosimo had already got rid of Ales- 
 sandro Vitelli, the captain in charge of the castello, 
 and had induced the Emperor to appoint Don Gio- 
 vanni de Luna in his place, and so, one by one, he set 
 himself free from all who had befriended him. 
 
 When he asked for the hand of Marguerite, he also 
 besought the Emperor to give into his rule the Citadels 
 of Florence, Pisa, and Leghorn ; but these were 
 not yielded to him until years later. Meantime, 
 the Pope had recovered from his disappointment 
 at Cosimo's victory over the exiles, and felt that he 
 might still turn the matter to his advantage by giving 
 his granddaughter, Vittoria Farnese, as a wife to this 
 young and successful ruler of Florence, who had 
 already taken the rank of Duke. But Cosimo de- 
 clined this alliance, which he did not think would be 
 much to his advantage ; for the Pope was an old man, 
 and on his death the Farnese would lose all power, 
 He felt that he must make a marriage which would 
 bring him into closer connection with the Emperor, 
 on whom all his hopes were fixed. With this idea 
 Jie turned his attention towards the Viceroy of .Naples, 
 
COSIMO MARRIES ELEONORA DE TOLEDO 259 
 
 Don Pietro de Toledo, of the family of the Duke of 
 Alva, who had several daughters. The eldest, Isa- 
 bella, was first offered to the Duke, with the sugges- 
 tion that he should pay the same dowry as Duke 
 Alessandro had paid when he married Marguerite — 
 80,000 ducats ; but Cosimo pointed out the 
 difference between the daughter of an Emperor and 
 that of a Viceroy ; besides, he had already seen 
 Eleonora, the second daughter, and had been attracted 
 by her, when he paid a visit three years before at the 
 Court of Naples. After some negotiation, an arrange- 
 ment was made by which the dowry was fixed at 
 20,000 ducats, with an additional sum as a present 
 to the bride. 
 
 The Viceroy of Naples was in the highest favour 
 with the Emperor, who looked upon him as an inti- 
 mate friend ; and the proposed marriage was entirely 
 approved of by his Imperial Majesty. It took place 
 with great ceremony in the early summer of 1539, 
 when Duke Cosimo, after defeating all his enemies and 
 making himself sole despotic ruler of Florence, was 
 still only a youth of twenty. With princely pomp, 
 two ambassadors, Luigi Ridolfo and Jacopo dei 
 Medici, were sent to Naples to go through the form 
 of marriage, in the Duke's name, with the Signora 
 Eleonora. She then set forth, with a great escort of 
 Spanish and Neapolitan nobles, in seven fine galleys 
 to Leghorn, where, after a prosperous voyage, the 
 bride was welcomed and received by the Archbishop 
 of Pisa and a noble company. On the way to Pisa, 
 the Duke of Florence met her, and with much state 
 conducted her into the city, which was decorated 
 with the usual triumphal arches, banners, flowers, etc. 
 After resting there a few days the bridal company 
 
260 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 continued the journey to Florence, where then' was 
 a magnificent reception, with more arches, statues, 
 festivals, and entertainments, prepared with the most 
 lavish expense in order to win the goodwill of the 
 people. 
 
 The bride was received by her mother-in-law, 
 Madonna Maria Salviati, with every sign of affection, 
 and outward appearances were respected in every way. 
 But the poor lady, with her warm, impetuous heart, 
 had nothing in common with this cold, proud Spanish 
 girl, who suffered her presence in the palace as a kind 
 of housekeeper, but treated her with indifference and 
 disrespect, following the example of her husband, 
 whose ingratitude to his devoted mother had long 
 been a matter of common repute. Eleonora was never 
 liked by the Florentines, who looked upon her as a 
 " barbarous Spaniard/' while they were devoted to 
 Maria Salviati, who reminded them of the old days 
 of freedom, and who gave herself up to works of 
 charity amongst the poor and to religious duties, 
 possibly with the secret hope of thereby making 
 atonement for the harshness and cruel inflictions 
 of her son. Maria was already afflicted with a pain- 
 ful incurable disease, and had not many years of 
 endurance before her. 
 
 During this year of comparative peace, when there 
 was a truce between the Emperor and the King of 
 France, Cosimo, with consummate wisdom, resolved 
 to convert the Palazzo Vccchio — the ancient home 
 of Liberty, and a reminder of the former greatness 
 of their Republic to the people of Florence — into a 
 dwelling for himself. This grand old palace of the 
 people, built in 1208 by Arnolfo di Lapo, was in itself 
 a record of the history of the Republic. The Gkielfs, 
 
COSIMO LIVES IN THE PALAZZO VECCHIO 261 
 
 who were then in power, insisted that " where the 
 house of the traitor Uberti had been, there the sacred 
 foundations of the House of the People should not 
 be laid," and this accounts for the irregular form 
 of the great rugged mass of building. The tower 
 of the Vacca family was used by Arnolfo as the 
 foundation of his own square battlemented tower, in 
 which hung the massive bell, of which the people 
 said, when it tolled : "La Vacca mugghia " (The 
 cow lows). 
 
 The work of reconstruction was given to Vasari, 
 who made great alterations in the interior, but did 
 not change the outside much. All the escutcheons 
 and coats-of-arms, so characteristic of Italian town- 
 halls, still remained. There you could see the White 
 Lily of the Commune, the Red Lily of the Ghibellines, 
 the keys of the Guelfs, the tools of the Wool-Carders, 
 the six balls of the Medici, and even the monogram of 
 Christ, Who, in those troublous days of 1537, had 
 been solemnly elected as their King by the despairing 
 people of Florence. Passing through the beautiful 
 little court of the Palazzo, with its richly decorated 
 pillars and the fountain in the centre — Verocchio's 
 boy playing with a dolphin — ordered by Lorenzo dei 
 Medici, we pass up the noble staircase to the small 
 frescoed gallery, opening into the" Sala dei Dugenti," 
 where the Councils of War met, and into which the 
 " Ciompi " (Wooden-shoes) had burst on that fateful 
 day in 1378, and placed the wool-comber Michel 
 Lando at the head of the government. A passage 
 leads from this to the " Sala dei Cinquecento," built 
 by desire of Savonarola to give room for the Popular 
 Council, and here, on the walls, frescoes were painted 
 later by Vasari to commemorate the exploits of Duke 
 
262 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 Cosimo, and also a portrait of his father, Giovanni 
 delle Bande Nere, and himself. 
 
 Every great hall, every nook and corner of this 
 ancient palace is indeed full of the memories of the 
 past, which not all the changes and adornments of 
 Duke Cosimo can obliterate. The rooms specially 
 used by Eleonora di Toledo — of which the ceilings 
 were painted with the lives of good women by Jean 
 Stradan of Bruges — are still pointed out and also 
 the little chapel adjoining, with frescoes of Bronzino. 
 It was in the Palazzo Vecchio that Cosimo's first child 
 was born, on April 3, 1540 — a daughter, who received 
 the name of Maria. The Duke resolved to carry out 
 the same ceremonial which was used at the baptism 
 of Catherine dei Medici, daughter of the Duke of 
 Urbino ; the godparents were the Directors of the 
 Hospital of S. Maria Nuova and of the Innocenti, 
 and the Abbess of the beautiful Convent of the Murate. 
 A hundred and ten Florentine ladies in splendid 
 dresses accompanied the baptismal procession, and 
 there was no lack of profusion and magnificence both 
 amongst the princes and the citizens on this occasion. 
 
 When the Duchess was well enough to travel, she 
 accompanied her husband in a tour of inspection 
 through the northern part of his Duchy. They rode 
 through the Province of the Mugello, and on through 
 the fresh and beautiful Casentino, at its very best 
 with flowers and verdure, as Dante had sung it, in 
 the fair spring time. They passed on to the Val di 
 Chiana and stayed at Arezzo, where the fortress was 
 almost finished, and Cosimo wished to make arrange- 
 ments for its custody and defence. It had been 
 begun in the time of Alessandro, but the works had 
 been stopped for fear of the plague, which had come 
 
BIETH OF MARIA DEI MEDICI 263 
 
 there from Florence, and for this reason a lazzaretto 
 had been built at Ancina. The city of Arezzo had 
 been kept in order by the singular vigilance of the 
 magistrates, and peace was now restored to Pistoia 
 by the commissioner sent there. But the exiles from 
 Florence were still making plots at Mirandola and 
 in the States of the Church, for the Pope's hatred of 
 Cosimo had been increased by the refusal of his grand- 
 daughter Vittoria, and he encouraged his enemies as 
 much as possible. Another cause of anger with 
 Paul III. was that Cosimo was supposed to have 
 encouraged the rebellion of Perugia against the Pope, 
 and that he had persuaded his father-in-law, Pietro 
 de Toledo, the Viceroy of Naples, not to assist in the 
 repression of the revolt. More than this, the Duke 
 had received in Florence the fugitive Bidolfo Baglioni 
 and twenty-five of his companions. 
 
 As he could obtain no redress for all these offences, 
 Paul III. laid an interdict on the Duke and his city, 
 but they do not appear to have been greatly disturbed 
 by it, and by means of the Emperor a kind of armed 
 truce was arranged. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 The Turkish corsairs attack the coast of the Mediterranean — Cosimo 
 meets the Emperor at Genoa — Takes part in defence of the shores 
 of Tuscany — Dispute for precedence between the Dukes of Florence 
 and Ferrara — Cosimo at last obtains command of his citadels from 
 the Emperor — Birth of Francesco, the Duke's eldest son — Quarrels 
 with Pope Paul IV. — Death of Maria Salviati — Her son's in- 
 gratitude. 
 
 In a vast empire like that of Charles V., with its 
 various nationalities and opposing interests, absolute 
 peace was impossible, but in the year 1541 the truce 
 with France had brought a lull in the storm, and the 
 Emperor thought the time propitious for making 
 another and stronger attack upon the Turks, who 
 were now the terror of Europe. 
 
 Since their overwhelming success in 1526, at the 
 Battle of Mohacs, when Hungary fell a victim to 
 its position as barrier state of Christendom, the 
 progress of Solyman II., perhaps the greatest of the 
 Sultans, had been most alarming. Under his " Pasha 
 of the sea," the great corsair Barbarossa II., he had 
 become master of the Algerian coast, his galleys in- 
 fested the Mediterranean and ravaged the coasts of 
 Spain and Italy. The Popes, as defenders of Chris- 
 tianity, may have preached crusades against the 
 infidel, but they were too much occupied with then- 
 private quarrels and the advancement of their kins- 
 men to take any really important step. Charles V. 
 had been practically left to fight the Turk single- 
 
 2G4 
 
FRANCOIS I. APPEALS TO THE SULTAN 265 
 
 handed, for even Venice, whom the matter concerned 
 so much on account of her Eastern trade, had recently 
 been compelled to make terms with Solyman and 
 yield to him her remaining islands in the iEgean Sea 
 and her last strongholds in the Morea. 
 
 It was the more necessary for the Emperor to 
 gain some decided success against the Turks and 
 obtain control over the Mediterranean, as he knew 
 that the truce with France could not last long, and, 
 strange to say, the " Most Christian King " Francois I. 
 was in close alliance with the Sultan. This unnatural 
 friendship had begun when the King was a captive 
 at Madrid, and in his rage against Charles V. had 
 actually written to Solyman, asking him to attack 
 Hungary. The Sultan's answer was a model of quiet 
 insolence, and is worthy of quotation. 
 
 " I, who am the Sultan of Sultans, the Sovereign 
 of Sovereigns, the distributor of crowns to the mon- 
 archs of the surface of the globe, the shadow of God 
 upon the earth, the Sultan and Padishah of the White 
 Sea, the Black Sea, Rumelia, Anatolia, Caramania, 
 Rum, Sulkadf, Diarbekr, Kurdistan, Azerbijan, Persia, 
 Damascus, Aleppo, Cairo, Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, 
 all Arabia, Yemen and other countries which my 
 noble ancestors (may God brighten their tombs) 
 conquered, and which my august Majesty has likewise 
 conquered with my flaming sword, Sultan Solayman 
 Khan, son of Sultan Selim, son of Sultan Bayazid ; 
 you who are Francis, King of France, you have sent 
 a letter to my Porte, the refuge of sovereigns . . . 
 night and day our horse is saddled and our sword 
 girt on. . . ." * 
 
 * Marguerite of Austria, by Christopher Hare. 
 
266 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 When the captive King read these flamboyant 
 words he mnst have realised his own insignificance ; 
 yet it is qnite possible that his suggestion may have 
 hastened the disaster on the plain of Mohacs, and 
 when Francois was free, he was base enough to use 
 the Sultan as an ally against his hated foe, the 
 Emperor. 
 
 During that year, 1541, Charles V. had many 
 delays before he could set forth on the enterprise 
 which was nearest to his heart. He had to arrange 
 for the Conference at Ratisbon, which proved of no 
 avail to satisfy the Lutherans, then to travel through 
 Italy and have an interview with the unreasonable 
 Pope Paul III., so that it was September before he 
 was ready to prepare his expedition. In vain his 
 wisest counsellors, including the great admiral Andrea 
 Doria, declared that the season was too late. Charles 
 felt that he could not delay until another year, for 
 the Cortes of Aragon had specially voted him money 
 for this very purpose, in their horror of the ravages 
 and atrocities committed on the coast of Spain by 
 Barbarossa and his corsairs. 
 
 ^Tien the Emperor reached Genoa, he found 
 awaiting him Duke Cosimo, who had just been 
 celebrating in Florence, with great pomp, the baptism 
 of his first son, Francesco, born on March 25. Don 
 Giovanni de Luna had set aside his private animosity 
 for the moment, to act as the representative of his 
 master Charles V. on this auspicious occasion, which 
 seemed to set the seal of continued prosperity on 
 the Duke's supremacy. He was received with great 
 distinction, and was promised that the disputed sub- 
 ject of the possession of the fortresses would be 
 favourably considered. After tins meeting, Cosimo 
 
Alinari.fphoto. 
 
 Cellini : Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence. 
 
 THE PERSEUS. 
 
 267 
 
DISPUTE FOR PRECEDENCE 269 
 
 accompanied his lord to the meeting with the Pope 
 at Lucca, and here a trivial incident occurred, on 
 which important events depended. Alfonso, Duke of 
 Ferrara, had also come to Lucca to do homage to the 
 Emperor, and he appears to have taken precedence 
 as a matter of course of the Duke of Florence, who 
 felt very much hurt and aggrieved. Still, as there 
 were many important matters to be discussed between 
 the Emperor and the Pope, Cosimo did not think it 
 a suitable time to assert himself, and he let the 
 matter pass as an accident. But Alfonso appears to 
 have made a formal note of this as a case of precedent. 
 It happened that, not long after, on occasion of a 
 Festival at Rome, the Pope Paul III., who was never 
 friendly to Cosimo, gave orders to his Master of the 
 Ceremonies that the ambassador from Ferrara was 
 to enter the chapel before the one from Florence, 
 and to take the higher place. It was pointed out to 
 some of the cardinals that this was a serious wrong 
 to the Duke of Florence, and that he must plead the 
 question before the Pope. A long and angry dispute 
 followed between the two princes as to which had the 
 right to take precedence. 
 
 On one side, it was argued by the Duke of Ferrara 
 that his title was the more ancient, his race more 
 noble, and his subjects more distinguished. On the 
 other side it was claimed that besides the honourable 
 name and reputation of the Medici family, the greatness 
 of Florence was of such ancient date, and had always 
 flourished in arms and in wealth ; was distinguished 
 by fine scholarship, by the liberal arts, by the mag- 
 nificence of its buildings, by the purity and charm of 
 its language, by its poets and artists — in short, both 
 sides pleaded everything that could be thought of ; 
 
 16 
 
270 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 thus it was said that Alfonso d'Este, having served 
 as general for the Republic of Florence, was only a 
 feudatory, and could not be ranked so high as a 
 prince who was free and independent. At length, 
 the Pope, not wishing to annoy the Emperor for such 
 a small matter, gave the decision in favour of his 
 friend the Duke of Florence. But the contest had 
 roused serious animosity between the two rulers, 
 while the rest of Italy looked on with amusement, 
 until all else was forgotten in the arrival of alarming 
 news — the Emperor's defeat. 
 
 He had not been able to start until late in October, 
 when the fleet, which had been collected at Majorca, 
 met the Spanish galleys off Algiers. A furious storm 
 of wind and rain prevented them from landing for 
 two days, and when at last they were able to land 
 the troops, it was impossible to put on shore the 
 artillery, the tents, and the supplies, which were all 
 left on board. This was the moment chosen by 
 Barbarossa for the attack, while at the same time the 
 heavy tempest drove a hundred ships and fourteen 
 galleys ashore, and Doria was compelled to retreat. 
 Those who escaped of the army made their way to 
 Cape Matifu, and taking ship at Bugia, made the 
 best of their way homeward, with terrible loss. In 
 short, this promising expedition had ended in complete 
 failure. 
 
 Don Pietro de Toledo had returned with Cosimo 
 to Florence, but on receiving this news of disaster 
 he hastened back to his charge at Naples. It was 
 generally expected that France would now lose no 
 time in putting an end to the truce. 
 
 The first attack of France was on the Netherlands, 
 while another army invaded Roussillon, but they 
 
FORTKESSES YIELDED BY CHARLES V. 271 
 
 were driven back on every side. However, Francois I. 
 had again made an alliance with the Sultan, who 
 sent Barbarossa into the Mediterranean, with a fleet 
 of 180 galleys and 10,000 men, to devastate and lay 
 waste the coast of Italy. He burnt Cotrone, Reggio, 
 and other towns, where his corsairs committed the 
 most horrible excesses with the full assent of the 
 French envoy, who was on board the great galley of 
 the admiral. Barbarossa finally set sail for the port 
 of Marseilles, where he was received with honour and 
 congratulations by the French Governor, the Comte 
 d'Enghien. 
 
 Meantime the Emperor had sailed with a fleet from 
 Barcelona to Genoa, that he might take steps for the 
 defence of the Riviera di Ponente, and here Duke 
 Cosimo came to meet him with the Duchess Eleonora, 
 towards the end of April. On his way he had passed 
 through Pisa to honour by his presence the new 
 University, and to arrange for the building of a college 
 for poor scholars. He then passed through Pietra- 
 santa to see the marble quarries and the silver mines, 
 and in crossing the mountains was in some danger 
 from a troop of brigands who attacked his escort. 
 Charles V. received the Duke with great favour, and 
 invited him to join in the Conference which he was 
 about to hold with the Marquis del Vasto and 
 Ferrante Gonzaga concerning the affairs of Italy. 
 Upon the promise of Cosimo to undertake the defence 
 of the coast of Tuscany against the attacks of Bar- 
 barossa, and to advance a large sum of money towards 
 the expense of the war in Flanders, the Emperor at 
 length granted him the restitution of the fortresses 
 of Florence, Pisa, and Livorno, which he had so long 
 and earnestly desired. Charles V. remained for a few 
 
272 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 days to discuss with the Pope the place where the next 
 Congress was to be held, for he strongly objected to 
 Bologna, which would be so entirely under the control 
 of Paul III. He was too prudent to be moved by 
 the tears and supplications of his daughter Marguerite, 
 who implored him to give the Duchy of Milan to her 
 husband. 
 
 The Duke of Florence accompanied his Lord in his 
 journey, and only left him at Milan, from whence he 
 returned home with the Duchess, full of satisfaction 
 at the thought that henceforth he would really be 
 master in the city. Don Giovanni de Luna had re- 
 ceived definite orders to give up the citadel, with 
 which he most unwillingly complied, and departed 
 with large gifts to Siena, where the Emperor had 
 placed him in command. On July 3, 1543, Cosimo 
 took formal possession of the fortress with great 
 solemnity, remaining there with all his family and 
 the Court for one night, while the citizens were enter- 
 tained with feasting and amusements in honour of 
 the great event, which set the city free from foreign 
 rule. The Bishop of Cortona, Giovanni Ricasoli, 
 was sent at once to the Emperor with the promised 
 sum of 100,000 ducats, and the fortresses of Pisa 
 and Livorno having been duly taken over by 
 procuration, the Duke felt that at last he was an 
 independent prince, free from all control in his own 
 dominions. 
 
 Yet it is a curious fact that the Duke gave the 
 defence of his fortresses to Spanish captains and 
 soldiers, and this points out clearly how little confi- 
 dence he had in the loyalty of the Florentines. We 
 cannot wonder when we remember the cruel laws 
 which he passed to keep the people in subjection, the 
 
RAVAGES OF THE COESAIRS 273 
 
 last one being that for " blasphemy of the govern- 
 ment " the penalty was to have the tongue pierced 
 with a nail. He had put an end to all remains of 
 popular liberty, and had a most complete system of 
 spies and informers, so that nothing could happen 
 without his knowledge. Impartial observers tell us 
 that a great change came over the character of the 
 gay, lively men and women of this brilliant city, who 
 learnt by bitter experience to be cautious and silent, 
 scarcely venturing to make a harmless remark lest 
 some listening neighbour should be in the pay of the 
 oppressor. 
 
 Duke Cosimo had scarcely returned to Florence 
 when news reached him that the fleet of Barbarossa 
 was ofl Corsica and approaching the coast of Tuscany. 
 He at once sent a messenger in haste to Otto da 
 Montauta, with orders to collect his bands, to the 
 number of 4,000, and to advance towards the sea ; 
 but the Lords of Piombino and Siena opposed the 
 entrance of these troops into their estates, for, in 
 truth, they feared the help of the Duke of Florence 
 more than the invasion of the corsairs. However, 
 when the unfortunate inhabitants of the threatened 
 district actually saw the dreaded galleys arriving at 
 the mouth of the river, they compelled the Signor 
 Appiano to accept the proffered aid, and at the sight 
 of this strong force, Barbarossa did not think it pru- 
 dent to land. The fleet returned towards Corsica, 
 and for the moment the danger had passed. Under 
 the orders of Montauta, Piombino, on its exposed 
 promontory, was strongly fortified and a garrison 
 of 300 soldiers was left in charge of the place. 
 Watch towers were built, and the whole coast of 
 Tuscany, as far as Pietrasanta, was put in a state of 
 
274 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 defence, while in Pisa a large number of infantry 
 with artillery were stationed in the citadel. Now 
 that the Emperor had given this fortress into his 
 power, Cosimo did much to improve the city in every 
 way, making it more healthy by good drainage of 
 the lower part, and by turning the marshes into fertile 
 land. He also made a canal from Pisa to Livorno, 
 by which the merchants might bring up their goods 
 to the city in small vessels, to the great convenience 
 of the inhabitants. The road from Florence to Pisa 
 being in very bad condition, this was thoroughly 
 remade with great care, which gave easy communi- 
 cation between these two important cities of the 
 Duchy. 
 
 The Turkish fleet had moved on towards Marseilles, 
 where it was joined by a French squadron of forty 
 ships, and together — Christians and infidels — they set 
 sail towards Nice, then in the dominion of the Duke 
 of Savoy. Besieged by this strong force, Nice was 
 in great danger, and at this moment Duke Cosimo 
 was ill with fever, while the Duchess was ruling for 
 him with the help of his Minister, II Campagna. The 
 Emperor was far away, defeating the Duke of Cleves, 
 and the only help which could come to the beleaguered 
 city was from the Imperial general, Alfonso del 
 Guasto, who rapidly approached by land, and Andrea 
 Doria by sea. They came too late to save Nice, 
 which had been compelled to capitulate on favourable 
 terms ; but Barbarossa kept no promises, plundered 
 the town in the night, burnt part of it, and actually 
 carried oil five thousand of the inhabitants as slaves — 
 against all the laws of civilized nations ! The citadel 
 had held out, and was saved by the arrival of del 
 Guasto and Doria. As for the corsairs and the 
 
NICE DESTROYED BY BABBAKOSSA 275 
 
 French, they returned under Barbarossa to Toulon, 
 where he spent the winter, and for many months 
 Christian slaves were openly sold in this city of " the 
 Most Christian King ! " We can scarcely believe 
 this to have been possible at a time when constant 
 appeals were being made to the faithful — both to 
 join in a Crusade against the Turks, and also to 
 give alms for the rescue from them of " prisoners 
 and captives." 
 
 The surrender and destruction of Nice took place 
 on September 8, 1543, and the same day marked the 
 final triumph of the Emperor over the Duke of Cleves, 
 who ceded to him the Duchy of Gelders, that centre 
 of rebellion, and the County of Zutphen. While all 
 this was happening, the Duchess Eleonora gave birth, 
 on September 29, to her second son, Giovanni, whose 
 arrival was made the occasion of much pompous 
 ceremonial, as he was a further pledge that male 
 heirs would not fail in succsssion to the Dukedom of 
 Florence. 
 
 But this little Giovanni would never know the 
 tender loving care of his grandmother, Maria Salviati, 
 who had been willing to endure so much for the sake 
 of his elder brother and sister, the little ones on 
 whom she had poured out her love with all the passion 
 of a desolate heart. The great Florentine lady had 
 been treated by the cold, proud Eleonora with careless 
 contempt, until at last her slights and insults could 
 no more be endured by Cosimo's mother in her 
 weakness and failing health. It was now some 
 months since the sick woman had retired to the 
 stillness and seclusion of her beautiful villa at Cas- 
 tello, the scene of so many stirring events of her 
 past life, in the days of her Giovanni, the lover of 
 
276 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 her youth, the husband who had been the pride and 
 anxiety of those crowded years of glory. 
 
 It was here, in this peaceful, stately home, so 
 charmingly situated in the sunny valley below Petraja, 
 that her little Cosimo had really belonged to her — had 
 been utterly and entirely hers, as a toddling child by 
 her side, in those pleasant gardens ; the joy of her 
 heart, the centre of all her hopes and soaring schemes. 
 These had all been realised beyond her wildest dream. 
 Everything had succeeded with the son of Giovanni 
 delle Bande Nere, the gallant, reckless, unrivalled 
 condottiere, whose only prize had been a hero's death 
 and empty fame. Cosimo had attained in early life 
 a position far beyond any Medici before him, and yet, 
 to the loving heart of his mother, all this success, 
 bought by intrigue and crime, was but Dead Sea 
 fruit to her — dust and ashes. Cosimo was Duke of 
 Florence, absolute Lord of his native city ; but she 
 had lost the son she loved, and whom she had perhaps 
 alienated by too much anxious tenderness, too much 
 restless and disturbing emotion, until his marriage 
 had widened the breach and given a kind of sanction 
 to his ingratitude. For Cosimo was not grateful to 
 his mother, notwithstanding all her devotion to him. 
 She had not the art of managing those she loved : 
 she was too impulsive, too sensitive, too easily moved 
 to anger and grief. 
 
 Maria Salviati had long been a familiar presence 
 in the new, oppressed, and silent Florence. Her tall 
 figure, clad in the simple nun-like clothes which she 
 always wore, with her pale sad face, as white as her 
 long veil — her deep blazing eyes almost the only sign 
 of vitality — she moved amongst the people like a 
 ghost of ancient days. Deeply religious and passion- 
 
DEATH OF MARIA SALVIATI 277 
 
 ately charitable as of old, she haunted the church, 
 the convent, and the hospital, when she was not 
 passing from one afflicted home to another — ever 
 the refuge of the poor and the oppressed. 
 
 For years past she had suffered from a wasting 
 disease, and now the end was drawing near, in spite 
 of all that the medical knowledge of the day could 
 do for her, as we hear of the famous physician, II 
 Omobuono from Bologna, and others, attending her. 
 While his mother was dying in her home at Castello, 
 Cosimo was enjoying a successful hunting party, and 
 it needed the very strongest remonstrances of his 
 Minister, del Campagna, to induce him to visit her 
 on her death-bed. It was on December 12, 1543, that 
 she passed away from this troublesome world, at the 
 age of forty-four years, worn out with sickness and 
 sorrow. All that was left of old Florence — the friends 
 of the house of Salviati, the secret lovers of freedom, 
 and, above all, the poor people — mourned her loss, not 
 only for her own virtues but as a link with the happy 
 past. Maria Salviati forbade all pomp and show at 
 her burial, but she could not escape a funeral 
 oration which the historian Varchi delivered in 
 the Accademia of Florence, in which she was lauded 
 to the skies for those very qualities of a great 
 princess which she would most earnestly have 
 disclaimed. 
 
 Meantime the war between the Emperor and 
 Francois I. was continuing with various successes 
 on either side. Henry VIII. had promised to invade 
 France with an army of 35,000 men, but he did not 
 show great energy, and did little more than conquer 
 Boulogne for himself. On April 14, 1544, the Due 
 d'Enghien defeated the imperial troops under del 
 
278 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 Guasto at the Battle of Cerisole, but this victory had 
 not much result, as the Spaniards held all the strong 
 places in Lombardy. Piero Strozzi, the son of the 
 unfortunate Filippo, continued to show himself the 
 inveterate enemy of Duke Cosimo, and with the help 
 of the other exiles kept him in a constant state of 
 anxiety. His escape on that memorable night at 
 Montemurlo had been the one disaster of Cosimo's 
 prosperous career. Piero fought most gallantly on 
 the side of the French, and the Pope constantly 
 allowed him to raise troops in the Papal states. At 
 length, on September 18, 1544, the Peace of Crepy 
 was signed between the Emperor and Francois I., 
 who agreed to give up his alliance with the Turks 
 and to help in the matter of a General Council to 
 be held at Trent. 
 
 Duke Cosimo had again made himself useful that 
 spring in helping to defend the coast of Tuscany 
 against the attacks of Barbarossa who, happily for 
 the inhabitants on the shores on the Mediterranean, 
 returned to Constantinople in 1544, and went no more 
 to sea before his death, two years later. 
 
 When peace was made with France, and ambas- 
 sadors from Ferrara and Florence presented them- 
 selves at the Court of the French King, the old dispute 
 about precedence arose between them in a more 
 aggravated form. Francois I. and the Queen of 
 Navarre were on the side of Ferrara, to the great in- 
 dignation of Cosimo. But while he was thus main- 
 taining his dignity in France, he was losing credit in 
 Venice, where the recent assassination, by two 
 Florentines, of the wretched Lorenzino — who had 
 murdered Duke Alessandro — was universally attri- 
 buted to the Duke of Florence. He also caused much 
 
COSIMO QUAKKELS WITH THE POPE 279 
 
 scandal by taking strong measures at this time against 
 the Dominican friars of San Marco, who, since the 
 public burning of their leader, Savonarola, had 
 venerated him as a martyr, followed his doctrines, 
 and taught them to the people. Cosimo naturally 
 resented such teaching, which must be unfavourable 
 to his despotic rule, and began to look upon them as 
 a sect of Anarchists, enemies of the State, and whom 
 it was necessary to extirpate. He therefore com- 
 manded the Dominicans of San Marco, those of the 
 Convent at Fiesole, and at S. Maddalena in Pian di 
 Mugnone, to turn out of their monasteries, giving 
 them a month from the 1st of August to obey. As 
 usual on such occasions, the threatened friars ap- 
 pealed for help to the Pope, who willingly accepted 
 an opportunity to attack the Duke. 
 
 Paul III. sent for the Florentine ambassador, and 
 with " anger and contempt " abused the Duke, treat- 
 ing him as an irreligious and unchristian man to have 
 committed such excesses in a time so perilous for 
 heresy. This treatment irritated Cosimo so much 
 that he charged his ambassador to justify his conduct 
 to the Court of Home, and to point out that this 
 way of behaving would tend to make a Lutheran of 
 him. But he did not wish to put to shame His 
 Holiness, although he, at this very time, tolerated 
 the Academy of heresy which the Duchess of 
 Ferrara, Renee of France, publicly held. It was 
 calumny to accuse the Duke of heresy, for he 
 only wished to repress the ambition and bad 
 example of these friars, who were doing harm to 
 the cause of religion. 
 
 However, in the end, Duke Cosimo was compelled 
 to yield and reinstate the Dominican Friars, as 
 
280 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 Charles V., who had a confessor of that order, was 
 disposed to agree with the Pope, and advised the 
 Duke not to quarrel with him for so small a matter, 
 more especially as it would interfere with Cosimo's 
 hope of obtaining the cession of Piombino. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 The story of Siena at this period — The people rise in arms against 
 the Governor appointed by the Emperor (1543) — They are free 
 for five years — Mendoza sent to rule the city — His cruel treatment 
 — Builds a citadel — Another rebellion, in which the French take 
 part — Siena besieged by the Emperor and Florence — Heroic 
 defence, for fifteen months, in which the ladies take parts — City 
 yielded to Cosimo in 1559 — He becomes Duke of the whole of 
 Tuscany. 
 
 We must now turn for a while to the story of Siena, 
 which plays such an important part in the life and 
 greatness of Duke Cosimo, and which was to add a 
 most precious jewel to his diadem as Grand Duke of 
 Tuscany. 
 
 When, in 1543, the Emperor gave up his citadel 
 to Cosimo, Don Giovanni de Luna, the governor, 
 was made deputy ruler of Siena. Wishing to obtain 
 the city for himself, he tried to make alliance with 
 the Piccolomini, and encouraged the faction of the 
 Noveschi, chiefly composed of the burgher nobility, 
 to recover their old dominion. In consequence, they 
 made an attempt to murder the leaders of the Popo- 
 lani at a bull-fight ; but this having failed, the 
 Noveschi rose in arms in February 1546, with cries 
 of " Imperio e Nove ! Imperio e Nove ! " trusting 
 to the support of the Spanish garrison. But the 
 whole of the city rose in fury against them ; many 
 of them were massacred, and the rest fled, in company 
 with Don Giovanni and his soldiers. 
 
 281 
 
282 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 Rejoicing in their new-found freedom, the people 
 placed the government of Siena in the hands of a com- 
 mittee of ten, consisting of the Captain of the People, 
 and three representatives from each of the other 
 Monti, leaving out the Monte dei Nove. This small 
 assembly was to have all the authority of the " Balia," 
 the former governing body of forty representatives. 
 For two years the city appears to have lived in a 
 " fool's paradise/' with processions and festivities 
 in the Campo, " the city being all joyous, thinking 
 that they had conquered and imagining that never 
 again would any one molest it." * 
 
 But a bitter awakening was in store for them. 
 When the Emperor had a little leisure from his pressing 
 affairs in Germany — the Council of Trent, and the 
 change in European policy consequent on the death 
 of Henry VIII. and Francois I. (1547) — he turned 
 his attention to rebellious Siena, and sent as their 
 governor, Don Diego Hurtodo de Mendoza. At first 
 the people appealed to the Pope, and refused to ac- 
 knowledge the supremacy of Charles V. ; but at 
 length, by the mediation of Duke Cosimo, they were 
 induced to admit the garrison of Spaniards, in 
 September 1548. Mendoza, who arrived in October, 
 restored the Noveschi, replaced the " Balia " of forty 
 members in power, and insisted on choosing half of 
 them himself. He ruled in the most despotic manner, 
 quartered his soldiers in the churches of San Fran- 
 cesco, Sant' Agostino, San Domenico, and the Servi, 
 and ordered all the weapons and arms in the city to 
 be brought to San Domenico, while all the artillery 
 was collected in the Piazzi by the side of the Cam- 
 panile. He ruled the Republic with a rod of iron, 
 
 * Sozzini. 
 
TYRANNY OF MENDOZA 283 
 
 and became "a foe to Italy, to Heaven and to the 
 world, and thought to make himself in Siena second 
 to God." 
 
 Feeling that the Republic was under his absolute 
 dominion, Mendoza now announced that it was the 
 will of the Emperor to build a citadel at the city wall, 
 and that the men of Siena were themselves to provide 
 the materials. At this terrible news of the coming 
 death-blow to their liberty, all the citizens, high and 
 low, were thrilled with horror and dismay. The 
 disaster must be averted at any cost ; the tower must 
 not be built. It was decided that an appeal should 
 be made at once to the Emperor himself ; and two 
 of the most important men of Siena were sent to him, 
 in November 1550, with petitions signed by more 
 than a thousand of the people. But this was not 
 enough they felt, and with wistful memory of the 
 past, they determined once more to dedicate their 
 city to the Blessed Virgin, and trust in her power to 
 guard her own. On the following Sunday the Signori, 
 with the captain of the city at their head, went in 
 procession to the Duomo with the keys of the city, 
 and fifty maidens, to whom they promised dowries 
 for the sake of the Holy Mary. A solemn mass of 
 the Holy Spirit was sung, and then the Captain made 
 a long and devout prayer of dedication. 
 
 " If ever in times past, Immaculate Mother of God, 
 our Patroness and Advocate, with compassionate 
 prayers thou hast moved the mercy of thine only- 
 begotten Son towards this thy most devout city, 
 may it please thee to-day, more than ever to do 
 so. . . . 
 
 " Behold, most Sacred Virgin . . . the souls of 
 
284 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 the Sienese people, repentant for all their past errors, 
 kneeling and prostrate before thy throne to beg mercy 
 and deliverance from the projected Castle 
 
 " Further, I consecrate to thee the city ; I present 
 to thee anew the keys ... as to Her who is the 
 safest and the most powerful to guard them. 
 
 " Open with them the heart of Caesar, removing 
 from it his needless design. Dispose him rather to 
 preserve devout and faithful subjects ... to his 
 Caesarian Majesty . . . that we may rejoice without 
 end in our cherished liberty/' 
 
 The appeal to the Emperor was quite in vain ; now 
 that he had given up the fortresses of Florence and 
 others to Duke Cosimo, he was resolved to have one 
 strong place in Tuscany. He was polite to the am- 
 bassadors, and assured them that it was for the defence 
 of Siena's liberty that he was having this fortress 
 built, but he would not listen to their remonstrances, 
 and sent them away lamenting : " We must drink 
 this bitter chalice/' 
 
 They returned to find the foundations of the castle 
 laid on the Poggio di San Prospero, and Mendoza, in 
 his mantle of red cloth, constantly hurrying on the 
 work. But a strange ghostly figure was seen amongst 
 the labourers : the hermit Brandano, who had wan- 
 dered round Italy preaching repentance, clad in 
 sackcloth, with a halter round his neck, a crucifix 
 in one hand and a death's head in the other. He 
 had appeared in Rome on the eve of the sack of the 
 Eternal City, foretelling the coming destruction, and 
 had been thrown into the dungeons of the Inquisition. 
 Here again he stood on the hillside, wailing aloud : 
 " Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman 
 
Brogi, photo. 
 
 Titian : Turin. 
 
 POPE PAUL III. 
 
 285 
 
THE FRENCH TAKE THE CITADEL 287 
 
 waketh but in vain/' until he was banished ; but his 
 words were not forgotten. 
 
 Don Diego de Mendoza was absent when a con- 
 spiracy was formed to admit a large force of French 
 and Italians, who fired the Porta Romana one evening 
 in July 1552, and entered Siena. There was fighting 
 all night, for the Spaniards, supported by a troop of 
 Florentines sent by Duke Cosimo, had fortified them- 
 selves in San Domenico and in Camollia, with the 
 fortress behind them, whither they were driven back, 
 and many were killed ; " and so, by the grace of God, 
 all the city was free." At the beginning of August 
 the citadel capitulated, by the intervention of the 
 Duke of Florence, and the defenders were allowed to 
 retire with their arms and baggage to Florence. The 
 French at once took possession and made over the 
 citadel to the Republic, amidst great rejoicings and 
 shouts of " Liberty ! Liberty ! France ! France ! " 
 Then the nobles and the poorer citizens alike all set 
 to work at destroying this menace to their liberty, 
 with pickaxes and other tools, until " in the space of 
 one hour, more was destroyed than would have been 
 built in four months ! " 
 
 A French garrison was now supposed to be pro- 
 tecting Siena ; and the people, wild with delight, 
 gave themselves up to games and amusements. The 
 Cardinal Ippolito d'Este came in November as 
 Lieutenant of the King of France, was welcomed with 
 acclamation, and set to work to have new forts built 
 outside the Porta Camollia. The people helped to 
 work at the building, " always gladly to the sound 
 of drums and trumpets " ; but some wise men noticed 
 that these forts were so built that they might serve 
 to bombard the city, as well as to defend it. Mean- 
 
 17 
 
288 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 time imperial troops were collecting in the kingdom 
 of Naples, and in the early part of 1553, a great army 
 of Spaniards and others under Don Garzia de Toledo, 
 the brother of Duke Cosimo's wife, invaded the domain 
 of the Republic. Pienza and Monticchiello were 
 taken, and Montalcino was besieged for two months, 
 and heroically defended until, on a rumour of the 
 Turkish fleet having arrived off the coast of Italy, 
 Don Garzia burnt his camp and hastened to the 
 defence of Naples. There were great rejoicings and 
 solemn thanksgivings in the city, " thus saved as by 
 a miracle/' 
 
 By the intrigues of Duke Cosimo a conspiracy was 
 next formed in Siena to admit his soldiers by the Porta 
 Ovile and drive out the French. But this was dis- 
 covered, and the Captain of the People and two priests 
 in high office at the Duomo were beheaded as the 
 chief conspirators. Early the next year, the King 
 of France was unwise enough to send Piero Strozzi, 
 the most deadly enemy of Cosimo, as his Vicar-General. 
 This at once gave the Duke of Florence a pretext for 
 openly attacking the city, as one of the conditions of 
 the last peace had been that Siena was to receive no 
 " Fuorusciti M (exiles). The Florentine forces now 
 joined openly with those of the Emperor under the 
 command of Gian Giacomo, Marquis of Marignano ; 
 and on the night of January 26, 1554, suddenly took 
 possession of the forts outside the Porta Camollia. 
 This was the beginning of that last and terrible siege, 
 in which Siena showed as splendid heroism as had 
 Florence twenty-four years before, with the same 
 fatal end — the death of their liberty. During fifteen 
 months of fearful Buffering and desolation for the 
 unfortunate city and all the country round, the ruth- 
 
PIERO STROZZI IN COMMAND 289 
 
 less war was carried on between France and Spain 
 for the possession of the last great Republic of the 
 Middle Ages. 
 
 In order to give Piero Strozzi a free hand else- 
 where, Blaise de Montluc was sent with more French 
 and Swiss troops to take charge of the city, and 
 this gallant soldier, with his dauntless courage and 
 gay humour, won the affection of the people, whose 
 bright, hopeful temper was so like his own. He 
 was moved to enthusiasm by the devotion of the 
 ladies, who set forth in companies with picks and 
 shovels to help with the fortifications and, in the 
 early days of hope and high spirits, were dis- 
 tinguished by their bright colours — violet, carnation 
 and white. Montluc thus addresses them in his 
 " Book " : 
 
 " It shall never be said, you ladies of Siena, that I 
 will not immortalise your names ... for in truth 
 you are worthy of eternal praise, if ever women 
 were. . . ." 
 
 In August, Piero Strozzi and the pick of the French 
 soldiers sallied forth, and thought to make a diversion 
 by carrying the war into the territory of Florence. 
 He engaged with the army of the Marquis of Marig- 
 nano, on the hills near Marciano in the Val di Chiana, 
 and a terrible battle took place under the dazzling sun, 
 when the Imperial troops won a decisive victory. 
 There was great loss of life ; four thousand of the 
 gallant company under Strozzi were slain on the 
 field, while the wounded crept back to Siena and filled 
 all the hospitals, and the city was full of lamentation. 
 Once more the people went in solemn procession 
 through the city, with three hundred little girls, clad in 
 white and barefooted, at their head, crying, " Christe 
 
290 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 audi nos ! " and bearing with them the " Madonna 
 della Grazie." 
 
 But the enemy drew their lines ever closer and closer 
 roundthe beleaguered city, and the famine became more 
 hopeless until, in despair, the hapless citizens decreed 
 that the " useless mouths " must be turned out from 
 their midst. Special officials were appointed to do 
 this awful deed, and on the night of September 22 
 more than a thousand weeping, terror-stricken men, 
 women, and children were driven out through the 
 gates. Then Strozzi insisted that seven hundred 
 more must go, in order to leave food for the righting 
 men, and this time they were to be protected by a 
 strong escort through the lines of the foe. But the 
 pitiful company, amongst whom were two hundred 
 and fifty young children, fell into an ambush ; many 
 were killed, and the rest driven back to the Porte 
 Fontebranda, where they were found next morning, 
 " wounded and beaten, lying there with cries and 
 lamentations/' The Rector of the Spedale gave up 
 his post that he might take no part in such cruel 
 doings ; but the starvation was so terrible and the 
 case so desperate that the " useless mouths M were 
 expelled, again and again, with still more fatal results. 
 They reached the number of over four thousand. 
 
 Piero once more left Siena in the hope of obtaining 
 help, while the Archbishop, Piccolomini, and others, 
 made their escape to Montalcino, a strongly fortified 
 place, which held out for some time longer. The fate 
 of Siena was now sealed. Vain appeals were made 
 to Venice, the Duke of Ferrara, and to the Pope, whose 
 mother had been a lady of Siena. But he coldly 
 advised immediate surrender to the mercy of the 
 Emperor With heroic endurance, the starving city 
 
HEROIC ENDURANCE OF SIENA 291 
 
 still held out until not a drop of wine or a morsel of 
 wholesome food was left, and people fell dead 
 in the streets. Heaven and earth were alike deaf to 
 their heart-broken cry for help, and the Sienese at last 
 surrendered to Duke Cosimo, who took possession in 
 the name of the Emperor. Montluc had insisted on 
 a free exit being allowed to the Florentine exiles ; 
 these were joined by a number of the citizens, making 
 up eight hundred in all, who passed together out of 
 the Porta Romana. The very soldiers were moved 
 to tears, as Montluc declares, at the sight " of this 
 misery and desolation of a people who had manifested 
 themselves so devout for the conservation of their 
 liberty and honour." 
 
 Of the forty thousand inhabitants of the doomed 
 city dwelling in it before the siege, only six thousand 
 remained after that April day of 1555. A garrison 
 was placed in conquered Siena, which was governed 
 for two years by the tyrannical Cardinal of Burgos 
 for Philip II., who had now succeeded his father, 
 Charles V. At length, in 1557, it was given up to 
 Duke Cosimo of Florence, who united this long-coveted 
 city and dominion with his Dukedom of Tuscany, 
 under nominal feudal service to the Emperor. But 
 Spain reserved the coast towns of the late Republic — 
 Talamone, Orbetello, Port' Ercole and Porto Santo 
 Stefano — which from this time were known under 
 the name of the Spanish Prsesidia, and added to the 
 Crown of Naples. 
 
 The heroic little Republic of Montalcino, with its 
 noble refugees, held out during four years longer until, 
 at length, when the Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis was 
 held, two ambassadors from the city were sent to 
 plead for freedom. When this was refused, Montal- 
 
292 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 cino capitulated in August 1559, and Cosimo now 
 felt that he was indeed lord and supreme master of 
 the whole of his Duchy of Tuscany. He made a tri- 
 umphant entry into Siena in 1561, and from this time 
 he governed the conquered city by means of a Lieu- 
 tenant-General, suffering the people to keep up the 
 form of their Republican government, such as the 
 " Balia," or Council of Magistrates — but he chose 
 them himself. All that remained to the people under 
 this vain show of freedom were the games and sports 
 of the various contrade, in which they have always 
 distinguished themselves. Even at the darkest 
 moment of that terrible siege, during the incessant 
 bombardment, they had still played their garnet 
 intervals in the Campo, and at one of these — a " giuoco 
 delle pugna M — Montluc tells us that he was touched 
 almost to tears by their gallant spirit, which could 
 so forget for awhile their hardships and deadly peril. 
 When Duke Cosimo dei Medici received the alle- 
 giance of Siena and finally took possession of the 
 dominion of the Republic, all Tuscany was united 
 under one rule, for the first time since the Roman 
 Empire. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 Dispute between the Emperor and Pope Paul IV. — Great floods in 
 Florence — Coshno sends his eldest son, Francesco, to do homage 
 to the Emperor at Genoa — Abdication of Charles V. — His son 
 Philip II. is King of Spain ; his brother Ferdinand becomes 
 Emperor — Death of Cosimo's eldest daughter Maria — His third 
 daughter Lucrezia marries Alfonso, heir of Ferrara — Election 
 of Pope Pius TV. (1559) — Cosimo founds the Order of Knights of 
 San Stefano to defend the coast of Tuscany against the Turks. 
 
 Having turned aside to tell the story of Siena, we 
 must now go back to the other events which con- 
 cerned Duke Cosimo during the eventful years of 
 that long and desperate struggle. Many momentous 
 changes had taken place in Europe. As we have 
 already seen, Henry VIII. of England and Francois I. 
 of France had passed away from the scene of their 
 conflict, almost at the same time, early in 1547. They 
 were succeeded by the weaker government of their 
 sons, Edward VI. and Henri II., whose wife, Catherine 
 dei Medici, had not yet begun to assert herself, al- 
 though she made no secret of preferring Strozzi to 
 Cosimo. 
 
 The dispute still continued between the Pope and 
 the Emperor, as to whether the Great Council of the 
 Church should be held at Bologna or at Trent, and 
 also concerning the minor question of obtaining 
 Parma and Piacenza for Ottavio Farnese. This 
 was not settled when, on November 10, 1549, Paul III, 
 
 293 
 
294 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 died — in distress of mind at having failed to satisfy 
 his family, for whose sake he had quarrelled with 
 Charles V. and sacrificed the interests of the Holy 
 See. There was a long Conclave, which ended with a 
 compromise between the contending parties and the 
 election of the Cardinal del Monte, under the name 
 of Julius III. Although he had been on the side 
 of France and had little in his personal character to 
 recommend him, the party of the Emperor accepted 
 him in the hope that he would choose peace rather 
 than war. Cosimo had done his best to secure this 
 election, because del Monte was born near Arezzo, 
 and therefore was a subject of his own. 
 
 The year 1547 had been an anxious time for the 
 Duke of Florence, as there had been great floods from 
 the valley of the Mugello and from the hills round 
 Florence, which was devastated by the overflowing 
 rivers. This occurred in the warm season, when there 
 was much danger of plague, unless prompt measures 
 were taken to cleanse and disinfect the city. It was 
 just at this time that he lost his third son, little Pietro, 
 who died in June 1547, at the age of ten months. The 
 following July, another son was born to him, to whom 
 the name of Garzia was given, after his mother's 
 brother. When, that same autumn, the Emperor 
 was sending his son Philip to Flanders, and the Prince 
 arrived at Genoa, all the Italian rulers hurried there 
 to pay homage to the rising sun. But the Duke of 
 Florence, not feeling quite sure of his own safety, 
 thought it would be a wise step to send his eldest boo 
 Francesco, a child of seven, as his representative, with 
 the Bishop of Cortona, Don Pietro de Toledo (Via 
 of Naples), and a magnificent escort. On occasions 
 of this kind Cosimo never spared expense, lb- 
 
CHAELES V. RESIGNS THE EMPIRE 295 
 
 exacted by heavy taxation the last penny he could 
 squeeze out of the unfortunate Florentines, for he 
 well knew the need of wealth for carrying out his 
 ambitious schemes. 
 
 At that moment, the Duke's great ambition was to 
 become absolute master of Piombino, so important 
 a post for the defence of the coast from the piratical 
 Turks, and which had already been taken out of the 
 failing hands of Appiano. This was delayed, with 
 constant promises, for some years, but at length both 
 the Lordship of Piombino and also that of the Island 
 of Elba were ultimately granted to the Duke of 
 Florence, who, by his steady support of the Emperor, 
 had well deserved these accessions of territory. After 
 the death of Barbarossa, a new corsair, Dragut by 
 name, had been set over Barbary by the Sultan, and 
 again the shores of Italy and Sicily had been ravaged. 
 The Turks had also renewed their attacks upon Hun- 
 gary, and this constant warfare with the infidels, 
 supported by the French fleet, added to the intolerable 
 burdens which the Emperor had to endure with 
 failing health at this dark period of his life. 
 
 Born at the opening of the century — February 24, 
 1500 — Charles V. had endured the burden of empire 
 almost from his childhood ; his reign had been one 
 long struggle to carry on the dynastic policy of his 
 race, and having accomplished all that was possible, 
 his desire was now to consolidate his successes and 
 to ensure their continuance to his heir. In July 1554 
 the marriage of his son Philip to his second cousin 
 Mary, Queen of England, was quite in accordance 
 with the Hapsburg spirit of gaining territory by 
 alliance, and it was with patriotic and religious self- 
 devotion that the young Spanish prince accepted a 
 
296 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 bride so much older than himself and so unattractive 
 in appearance and character. 
 
 In religious matters, after all his efforts, Charles V. 
 had to acquiesce, against his convictions, in the 
 illusive Peace of Augsburg, for now that he desired 
 to rest from his work, peace was his great desire. 
 After the futile and insignificant Papacy of Julius III., 
 the succession of Paul IV. in May 1555 — the bigoted 
 Caraffi, first Head of the Inquisition — did not give 
 much promise of peace ; but as he became Pope at 
 the age of seventy-nine, his rule could not be of long 
 endurance. On hearing of the election of Paul IV. 
 Charles remarked to the Nuncio that, as a boy of 
 fourteen, he had heard the new Pope sing Mass at 
 Brussels, but he made no disparaging comment, 
 although Paul IV. was well known to be an enemy 
 to Spain. 
 
 The Emperor of such vast dominions, in the old 
 world and the new, had resolved to abdicate in favour 
 of his son and close his life in well-earned repose. 
 His first step was taken in the Netherlands, the home 
 of his childhood, where, in the midst of a most im- 
 pressive ceremony at Brussels, October 25, 1555, he 
 explained his reasons, made a touching farewell to 
 his people, and invested his son Philip with all the 
 northern provinces. A few months later he gave 
 up his Spanish kingdoms and the rest of his dominions. 
 To his brother Ferdinand he yielded his imperial 
 authority — that " empire " of which his grandfather 
 Maximilian had said : " It is a heavy burden with 
 little gain therefrom/' Then, when he was at last 
 free from crown and sceptre, he set sail for Spain 
 and retired to the monastery of Yuste, in a seques- 
 tered valley in Estremadura, where he lived in seclu- 
 
PHILIP II. INHERITS SPAIN 297 
 
 sion and pious observances until his death, at the 
 age of fifty-eight, in September 1558. 
 
 In order to understand the later policy of Cosimo, 
 it has been necessary to give this brief account of 
 his lord and patron, Charles V. It was now with 
 the son and successor, Philip II., that the Duke 
 had to deal, but as by this time he had pretty well 
 reached the summit of his ambition, he could afford 
 to take a more independent position. The death of 
 his father-in-law, the Viceroy of Naples, Don Pietro 
 de Toledo, in 1553, had been a serious loss to him, 
 for the Duke of Alva, who had succeeded Toledo, 
 was far less reliable as an ally. Meantime the new 
 Pope, who was a Neapolitan, had the most violent 
 hatred of Spain, as the oppressor of his native pro- 
 vince. His fixed purpose was to use all the power 
 of the Church to free Italy from Spanish rule, and 
 he at once joined France and Ferrara for that purpose. 
 Venice, as usual, cautiously held aloof to see which 
 side would win. As for Duke Cosimo, he fortified 
 his castles and kept a sharp watch on Siena, Piom- 
 bino, and other outlying places of his duchy. In 
 order to strengthen his position he entered into 
 negotiations with his former enemy, Ercole II., Duke 
 of Ferrara, offering his eldest daughter Maria as 
 bride to the heir of Ferrara, Alfonso. 
 
 This arrangement would have been carried out, 
 but unfortunately the young Princess Maria, a girl 
 of sixteen, died very suddenly. It was publicly 
 announced that she had fallen a victim to the fever 
 which was a constant danger of those unsanitary 
 days ; but the rumour which spread through Florence 
 was that she had fallen in love with some one else, 
 and that her father had poisoned her to hush up the 
 
298 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 matter. At this distance of time it is impossible to 
 trace out the truth of this and many similar reports, 
 which have B way of making Duke Cosimo their 
 central figure. The Court chroniclers of the time, 
 if they allude to the subject, say that " Donna Maria 
 died of fever, but that a romance of secret love and 
 the poisoning of the princess by her father arose 
 from the ill-will of the Florentine people, who could 
 not forgive the fall of their Republic.'' However, in 
 1558, Don Alfonso of Ferrara was quite willing to 
 marry Lucrezia, the third daughter of the Duke of 
 Florence, although we are told that " she was inferior 
 to her eldest sister in charm and appearance.'' 
 Thereby hangs another tragic legend for, later on, 
 Lucrezia, when Duchess of Ferrara, is said to have died 
 of poison administered by her husband Alfonso II., 
 but these reports are considered most untrustworthy. 
 Lucrezia had been previously promised in marriage 
 to Fabiano di Monte, the nephew of Pope Julius III., 
 who, however, was no longer eligible on the death 
 of his uncle the Pope. 
 
 Pope Paul IV. was not long in commencing hos- 
 tilities against Spain by citing Charles V. and Philip 
 as vassals who had failed in their feudal obligations, 
 and seizing and imprisoning Garcilasso della Vega, 
 Secretary of the Spanish Embassy at Rome. Upon 
 this, the imperial troops crossed the frontier and 
 entered the Campagna. The Pope begged for a truce, 
 and took advantage of it to obtain French help ; 
 but when the Due de Guise was recalled after the 
 Battle of St. Quentin, Paul IV. was defenceless, and 
 the Duke of Alva might easily have taken Rome. 
 However, Philip II. had no wish to repeat the sack 
 of the Eternal City in 1527, and granted peace on 
 
POPE PAUL IV. AND THE INQUISITION 299 
 
 easy terms ; but it was insisted that the possessions 
 of the Colonna and other Roman nobles, which had 
 been seized for the Pope's nephews, should be restored 
 to their rightful owners. Paul IV. now turned all 
 his energy to the work of the Inquisition, having 
 made a treaty with Philip II. and granted full 
 absolution to Alva, who implored his forgiveness 
 for having borne arms against the Church. When 
 Paul IV. died in August 1559, the hatred of the 
 people for his acts of cruel repression burst forth, 
 and the " Holy Office " of the Inquisition was taken 
 by storm and destroyed, while the Pope's effigy was 
 dragged with insult through the streets of Rome. 
 The records of the Inquisition were destroyed, and 
 seventy-two " heresiarchs, or rather infernal fiends," 
 as Caraccioli called them, were suffered to escape. 
 
 Meantime there had been more changes in the 
 rulers of Europe. Mary Tudor, Queen of England, 
 was dead, and a mischance at a tournament had 
 removed Henri II. and left France at the mercy of 
 the Guise faction. The formidable society of the 
 Jesuits had been founded by Ignatius Loyola, and 
 the Great Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis, signed in 1559, 
 had restored some measure of peace to Europe after 
 a contest of sixty years. Italy remained very much 
 as the wars had left her, but the gallant little Sienese 
 Republic of Montalcino was finally given to Duke 
 Cosimo, and Corsica was yielded to Genoa. Philip II. 
 having been refused by Elizabeth of England, was 
 about to marry Elizabeth of France, the daughter 
 of Catherine dei Medici, who wrote imploring Philip 
 to " stop the Queen of England from playing the 
 fool ! 9i She certainly was giving a great deal of 
 trouble with her vacillation, for she kept Europe in 
 
300 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 suspense by her doubtful attitude between the old 
 faith and the new. 
 
 On December 26, 1559, Giovanni Angelo de' Medici 
 — a Milanese not connected with the great Florentine 
 family — was elected successor to Paul IV., and he 
 took the name of Pius IV. He was a good man and 
 a scholar, of kindly disposition, who only desired to 
 live in peace with all men. He sent a friendly letter 
 to Elizabeth, but Philip II., fearing a French intrigue, 
 stopped the Nuncio on his way to England. Duke 
 Cosimo had done his utmost to promote the election 
 of Pius IV., and was not long in reaping the reward 
 of his labours. His second son Giovanni, a lad of 
 sixteen, was created a cardinal ; and in the first year 
 of his pontificate Pius IV. sent a Nuncio to reside 
 permanently in Florence, thus showing this city an 
 honour which it had never received before ; the first 
 Nuncio being Monsignor Giovanni Campeggio, Bishop 
 of Bologna. 
 
 The shores of the Mediterranean being never free 
 from the danger of attack by Turkish corsairs, Cosimo 
 desired to found an Order of Knights for the defence 
 of all that coast, and also as an example " of honour- 
 able distinction in arms and courteous customs of 
 chivalry, " and for this purpose, and " also concerning 
 other matters," he desired to consult with the new- 
 Pope. Having received a cordial invitation to Rome, 
 the Duke of Florence left his eldest son Francesco 
 in charge of the government, and set forth in groat 
 state with the Duchess Eleonora, his wife, and his 
 son, the cardinal. Passing by way of Siena he was 
 received there with great pomp, and remained in the 
 city several days, to break the journey. When Duke 
 Cosimo reached Rome in the morning, he made a 
 
COSIMO FOUNDS ORDER OF SAN STEFANO 301 
 
 magnificent, almost regal, entrance, for many Roman 
 nobles and great personages came out to meet him, 
 and the flower of his own Court, in splendid array, 
 had followed him from Florence. In the evening 
 the Duchess made her state entry with no less 
 pomp, and they were both received with the highest 
 honour by the Pope, and lodged in the " stanze," 
 built by Innocent VIII. above the first courtyard 
 of the Palace of St. Peter's. 
 
 Here the Duke and his party remained for two 
 months, having long conferences with the Pope about 
 the rules and religious observances of his new Order, 
 and also discussing the important concerns of the 
 Catholic Church. That " abominable plague of 
 heresy " appeared to be spreading from its home in 
 Germany, all over England and even into France, 
 and Cosimo did his best to exhort the gentle Pope 
 to show no mercy, and follow the example of his 
 predecessor. He pointed out that while other states 
 were troubled with these matters, he had succeeded 
 in putting down heresy in Florence, and was rewarded 
 by peace and tranquillity. On leaving Rome, Cosimo 
 passed once more through Siena, where he remained 
 some days, visiting the neighbourhood and seeing 
 that good order was maintained. He then went on 
 to Pisa, where he finally inaugurated his new Order, 
 giving to it the name of San Stefano, Pope and Martyr, 
 whose festival, on August 2, was the day of his 
 memorable victory of Marciano, where Strozzi was 
 defeated and the fall of Siena was assured. 
 
 All things seemed indeed to have prospered with 
 Cosimo, for not the least of his personal triumphs 
 had been the death of his deadly foe, Piero Strozzi, 
 Marshall of France, at the siege of Thionville, by an 
 
302 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 accidental shot from an arquebuse, in June 1558. 
 The Duke had now outlived most of the irrecon- 
 cilables, who would never forgive the treachery and 
 cruelty of his destruction of Florentine freedom. 
 
 Not long afterwards the King of France offered 
 his daughter in marriage to Francesco, the eldest 
 son of the Duke of Florence. But Cosimo sent 
 courteous thanks to the King, and declined the honour 
 of this alliance, as in his devotion to the House of 
 Austria he hoped to find greater means of promotion. 
 He therefore sent his son, with a splendid escort, to 
 the Court of the King of Spain, in order that " he 
 might see the ways and customs of other princes, 
 and by studying their methods of government become 
 more wise/' The Duke himself had suffered from ill- 
 health for some time, and he felt that it was important 
 for his heir to gain all possible experience before he 
 should succeed to the duchy. It is quite possible 
 that the example of the Emperor Charles V. had 
 some influence on the mind of Cosimo, and that he 
 was already considering the plan of retiring in favour 
 of his son, or rather taking the young prince into a 
 kind of partnership, a scheme which he carried out 
 some years later. 
 
Anderson, photo. 
 
 Bronzino : Florence. 
 
 BIANCA CAPELLO. 
 
 303 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 Duke Cosimo builds bridges, fortresses, etc. — The Palazzo Vecchio had 
 been embellished for him ; then he rebuilds the Pitti Palace for 
 his abode — Patronage of art — Benvenuto Cellini and others — 
 Domestic troubles — Tragic death of his two sons, Cardinal 
 Giovanni and Garzia — The Duchess Eleonora dies of grief — 
 Strange rumours — His daughter Isabella marries a Roman noble, 
 the Duke of Bracciano. 
 
 At this period of triumph and success, when all things 
 seemed to prosper with Cosimo, Duke of Florence, 
 and when the great dominions acquired by crime and 
 bloodshed were assured to him by his astute diplo- 
 macy, we may pause to consider the public works 
 which he has left behind. This cruel, grasping, clever 
 prince had all the instincts of a Medici for show and 
 magnificence, and fortunately these often took the 
 form of most useful undertakings. He made canals, 
 such as that one from Livorno to Pisa ; he drained 
 the marshes round that city, and also in the Maremma 
 of Siena and the Val di Chiana, purifying the air 
 and providing fresh land for agriculture. He made 
 lakes, such as that of Frassineto, near Camaldoli, and 
 that of the Val di Lamia ; and also aqueducts to 
 bring the waters of the Mugnone into Florence, and 
 another at Pisa. 
 
 But above all he was a great builder of bridges, 
 the greatest boon in a country so full of rivers as 
 Tuscany, as we see from the names of those which 
 
 305 18 
 
306 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 still remain, beginning with the Arno, over which the 
 Ponte Santa Trinita, which had been swept away in 
 the great flood of 1557, was rebuilt from designs of 
 Ammanati. Cosimo also restored the Ponte alia 
 Carraja, and gave the jewellers the shops still occu- 
 pied by that trade on the Ponte Vecchio. Then 
 follow the rivers Arbia, Mugnone, Chiana, Ombrone, 
 Elsa, Ema, and many others, all crossed by the 
 Duke's bridges. It would be too long to enumerate 
 the fortresses, towers of defence, and fortifications 
 which he built in Florence, Pisa, Siena, Livorno, and 
 all the cities of his dominions. Cosimo also made 
 new roads and repaired the old ones throughout 
 Tuscany, but these, like the castles, may be looked 
 upon as needful works for military defence. 
 
 As we pass through Florence, we are reminded at 
 every step of Duke Cosimo. Beginning with the 
 Palazzo Vecchio — which in 1540, at the time of his 
 marriage with Eleonora de Toledo, he had enlarged 
 by del Tasso, including in it the two palaces at the 
 rear — the Council Chamber was greatly improved 
 and the wide staircase built, besides many other 
 changes to make it suitable for the luxurious dwelling 
 of a Court, and no longer the simple massive palace 
 of the people. But after ten years of rule, this was 
 not splendid enough for the Duke, and he moved to 
 the immense palace belonging to the noble family 
 of the Pitti, who had never been able to finish the 
 building, and in 1549 sold it to the Duchess Eleonora, 
 with all the farms and orchards round it. These were 
 turned into magnificent gardens, partly on the lower 
 ground, then rising up the slope to the hill above. 
 " Here all kinds of 1 ic^s were planted, and shrubs 
 and green lawns, and beautiful bowers, and every 
 
THE DUCHESS ELEONORA 307 
 
 kind of fountain and water-works, with grottoes and 
 vases and statues and other delights, which cannot 
 be imagined unless they are seen." The Duchess 
 took great interest in collecting plants, flowers, and 
 fruit trees from all Tuscany. Mannucci goes on to 
 describe the wonderful passage which was made from 
 the Palazzo Vecchio, over the " Uffizi " (or offices), 
 to the Pitti, asa" way in the air " by which, in any 
 danger, the Duke might pass quickly and secretly 
 from one palace to the other. This was built later, 
 on the marriage of his eldest son Francesco, who 
 was to live in the Palazzo Vecchio. We can under- 
 stand the satisfaction of the Duchess Eleonora in 
 her new home, with her young children, away from 
 the haunting memory of past tragedies in the Palazzo 
 Vecchio. This great lady was not popular in 
 Florence, where the people found her insupportable 
 for her cold pride and dull solemnity. She never 
 forgot that she was a Spaniard, and obtained many 
 privileges for her fellow-countrymen in Florence ; 
 the Spanish Chapel in Santa Maria Novella was 
 specially granted to them, and she was always a 
 great friend to the newly risen company of the Jesuits. 
 Cellini gives an amusing account of her dislike to 
 his light and frivolous character, and her constant 
 opposition to him. 
 
 In the Piazza della Signoria, the Loggia dei Lanzi 
 reminds us that the name was given to this ancient 
 and beautiful series of arcades by Cosimo, who used 
 it as a meeting-place for his Swiss body-guard, which 
 was constantly on duty for his personal protection, 
 so little trust had he in his subjects. The admirers 
 of Duke Cosimo's despotic rule make much of his 
 encouragement of trade and commerce in Florence, 
 
308 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 and it will be interesting to trace briefly his connection 
 with the ancient Guilds of the City. He made various 
 alterations in the statutes, and established four 
 Universities to include the Fourteen Lesser Guilds, 
 giving them certain privileges ; but it was scarcely 
 in a kindly spirit that he ordered " any servant 
 found idling in the streets or hanging about for 
 want of work at the evening tolling of the bell 
 called the ( Campana delle Armi/ shall have his 
 right hand amputated/' He evidently took a special 
 interest in bells, for he ordered that the big bell of 
 the Duomo should be rung at half -past three daily, 
 to announce to the workmen that their day was 
 over. Many of them lived outside the city gates, 
 which were always closed at dusk. 
 
 Duke Cosimo certainly made an effort to revive 
 the prosperity of the " Guild of Wool." In 1543 he 
 wished to embellish the Palazzo Vecchio with woven 
 tapestries, and for this purpose he induced a number 
 of tapestry workers from Lyons to settle in Flor- 
 ence, and established a weaving manufactory. This 
 industry quickly developed, and the Florentine 
 painters, Bronzino and Salviati, designed cartoons 
 for the weavers. However, by a curious irony of 
 fate, the Guild of Cloth and Wool Merchants, closely 
 connected with this useful work, was almost ruined 
 by another enterprise of Duke Cosimo, when in 1561 
 he instituted the " Military Order of the Knights of 
 San Stefano." Many wealthy merchants, wishing to 
 secure for their families the honour of the military 
 cross, with all its privileges, disdained to continue 
 the exercise of their trade. 
 
 In the same year the Duke of Florence unwittingly 
 gave the final death-blow to the old Guild of the 
 
THE GUILDS OF FLORENCE 309 
 
 " Calimala," or wool-merchants, by his protectionist 
 instinct, which induced him to forbid the importation 
 of serges and light woollen cloths from England and 
 Flanders. We have no space to dwell fully upon 
 the extremely interesting account of the various 
 Guilds of Florence at this time, but we may still see 
 one useful addition which Cosimo made to the Mercato 
 Vecchio, in rebuilding the Loggia del Pesce as a 
 special place for the selling of fish, which had proved 
 a nuisance in the general market. A small market 
 for the sale of fruit and vegetables was also added 
 close by. 
 
 With regard to Duke Cosimo *s encouragement of 
 art, we notice that in 1562 he renamed the Accademia 
 di San Luca, first held in the cloisters of La 'Nunziata, 
 as the " Accademia delle Belle Arte," uniting the three 
 fine arts — Sculpture, Painting, and Architecture — 
 under the motto " Levare di terra al cielo nostro 
 intelleto." Cosimo felt that as a Medici he had a 
 traditional position as patron of art ; but there was 
 no generosity about his nature. " Cautious, little- 
 minded, meddling, with a true Florentine's love of 
 bargaining and playing cunning tricks, he pretended 
 to protect the arts, but did not understand the part 
 he had assumed. He was always short of money, 
 and surrounded by old avaricious servants, through 
 whose hands his meagre presents passed. As a 
 connoisseur, he did not trust his own judgment, thus 
 laying himself open to the intrigues of inferior 
 artists. ..." * 
 
 Benvenuto Cellini gives us a very vivid account 
 of the difficulties he met with during the period he 
 worked in Florence for the Duke, and of that great 
 
 * J. A. Symonds. 
 
310 THE KOMANCE OF A MEDICI WARKIOR 
 
 day of his life when finally his bronze statue of Perseus 
 with the head of Medusa was uncovered in the Loggia 
 dei Lanzi, and welcomed with an outburst of enthu- 
 siasm. But besides this, he had made other works 
 to adorn the Duke's palaces, and it was remembered 
 with awe that he was the sculptor of that waxen bust 
 of Duke Alessandro which was hung in the Church 
 of S. Annunziata, and which fell to the ground three 
 days before that Duke was murdered by Lorenzino. 
 
 To Cellini we are indebted for the fine Ganymede 
 in the Uffizi, and for various precious objects in the 
 Collection of Gems which he carved for the Duchess 
 Eleonora. The famous crucifix in the Church of 
 San Lorenzo is his work, and he also made a colossal 
 bust of Duke Cosimo to be placed in Porte Stello, 
 at the splendid harbour of Porto Ferrajo in the Island 
 of Elba. 
 
 All these and many other masterpieces were for- 
 gotten when Cellini came to compete with Bandinelli 
 and Ammanati for the great fountain of Neptune in 
 the Piazza della Signoria, and the task was given to 
 a rival. Of other artists patronised by Cosimo were 
 Bronzino, who painted portraits of all his family ; 
 Vasari, who covered the walls of his palaces with his 
 great exploits ; Tribolo, who adorned his gardens with 
 fountains and statues. Not only the grounds of the 
 Duke's great palace in Florence were thus decorated, 
 but he bestowed great care and expense upon the 
 gardens of his various villa residences, especially 
 Castello, where his mother died and where he was 
 to spend the closing years of his life. 
 
 While he was surrounded by artists of second rank, 
 Cosimo, notwithstanding all his earnest entreaties, 
 was unable to persuade Michelangelo to return to 
 
DUKE COSIMO'S RELATION TO ART 311 
 
 Florence and complete the statues of the Medici in 
 the Church of San Lorenzo. The great master, born 
 in 1474, was now of advanced age, and having com- 
 pleted the " Last Judgment," he was next engaged 
 by Paul III. to superintend the building of St. Peter's, 
 " and to this task, undertaken for the repose of his 
 soul without emolument, he devoted the last years of 
 his life/' Thus the tombs of the Medici were destined 
 to remain unfinished. " Lorenzo's features are but 
 rough-hewn ; so is the face of Night. Day seems 
 struggling into shape beneath his mass of rock, and 
 Twilight shows everywhere the tooth-dint of the 
 chisel.'"' * 
 
 Up to the point where we have followed the story 
 of Duke Cosimo, all has prospered with him, except 
 for the loss of his infant son and of his daughter Maria. 
 But in the year 1561 there came to him news of the 
 death of his young daughter Lucrezia, who had been 
 married two years before, at the age of fifteen, to 
 Alfonso II. d'Este, recently Duke of Ferrara. In 
 after-years the report spread that she had been 
 poisoned by her husband, but for this tragic story 
 there is probably no foundation. Lucrezia was the 
 third daughter, and her elder sister Isabella had 
 been married the same year to a great Roman noble, 
 Paolo Giordano Orsini, of whom we shall hear more 
 later on. 
 
 In the year 1562 a tragic disaster came upon the 
 family of Cosimo. A change to the sea-coast had 
 been recommended for the Duchess Eleonora, who 
 was out of health, and the Duke set forth on a journey 
 beyond Leghorn, with his wife and his three sons, 
 Giovanni the cardinal aged nineteen, Garzia who 
 
 * J. A, Symonds, 
 
312 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 was just fifteen, and young Ferdinando who was 
 barely thirteen. As we have seen in the last chapter, 
 the eldest son Francesco had been sent to pay his 
 homage to Philip II. at the Court of Spain. 
 
 The Duke was anxious to visit the fortified places 
 on the coast below Livorno, built for protection 
 against the Turkish pirates, and he was also looking 
 forward to some hunting with his sons. The following 
 is the account of what happened, as given by the 
 Court chroniclers, and especially by Beldini, the 
 Duke's head physician, " which things I have seen 
 and written/' 
 
 There was at this time an epidemic of malarial 
 fever in the south of Tuscany, and it was especially 
 virulent in the unhealthy Maremma. Giovanni was 
 the first to sicken with this terrible fever at Rosignano ; 
 he was taken to Leghorn, and received every care. 
 The doctor Baldini gives a very circumstantial account 
 of his sickness and death on November 20, adding that 
 his father the Duke was fetched to see him in the middle 
 of the night. " No earthly remedies were of any avail 
 for this youth of the most handsome presence and most 
 excellent behaviour, tenderly beloved by his father, 
 who had the greatest hopes for him ; . . . and he 
 being dead, his body was borne to Pisa, of which city 
 he had been made Archbishop. ..." Here the Duke 
 took his wife and his two other sons, who were also 
 ill with fever, in the hope that they would recover. 
 But Don Garzia, after an illness of twenty-one days, 
 " passed to a better life [on December 12], a youth 
 of the highest expectations and destined for great 
 things ; who died at the age of fifteen. Of whose 
 death when the Duchess heard she, having been ill 
 for many days, became much worse so that, to the 
 
DEATH OF COSIMO'S WIFE AND TWO SONS 313 
 
 infinite grief of the Duke, she also was overcome by 
 the stroke of death. . . ." f fi * 
 
 On December 18, the day of his wife Eleonora's 
 death, Cosimo wrote a very full and most circum- 
 stantial account of all this tragedy to his eldest son 
 Francesco, at the Court of Spain, with careful and 
 minute details of the last hours of his two sons and 
 their mother. 
 
 Having given the official and Court version of these 
 sad events, it is necessary to allude to the story 
 which for several centuries has been one of the stock- 
 tragedies of Medici crime, has been made the subject 
 of a tragic drama by Alneri and other writers, and 
 has been generally believed by the enemies of 
 Cosimo I. We are all familiar with the story of the two 
 brothers going out hunting together, of their dispute 
 as to which of them had killed a certain deer, and 
 the subsequent struggle in which Garzia, by an un- 
 lucky thrust, kills his brother Giovanni. Then we 
 are told that the Duke, in a fit of frenzy at the death 
 of his favourite Giovanni, puts his younger son to 
 death with his own hands, and that the unfortunate 
 mother dies of a broken heart. 
 
 Alfieri's version is a very wild romance, which does 
 not even give the name of Giovanni, but puts in his 
 place that of " Piero," then a boy of eight, evidently 
 confusing him — as so many writers have done — with 
 the Piero who died as an infant in 1546. 
 
 In these more humane and law-abiding days, our 
 latest historians are not disposed to believe in past 
 deeds of savage violence without such positive proof 
 as, at this distance of time, cannot often be obtained. 
 But " qui s'excuse, s'accuse," and the extraordinarily 
 minute details regarding that malarial fever, written 
 
314 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 by a Court historian under the watchful eye of a 
 later Grand Duke ; or even the long circumstantial 
 letter written by Cosimo himself to his son at the 
 Spanish Court — at the very moment when he was 
 supposed to be overwhelmed with grief — are neither 
 of them perfectly reliable evidence, when we remem- 
 ber the character of Duke Cosimo and his small 
 respect for human life. In any case the verdict may 
 be " Not proven ! M 
 
 There was terrible tragedy for the Duke in the 
 loss of his two promising sons and their mother, who 
 had been his devoted companion for twenty-three 
 years. Two solemn funerals followed each other in 
 San Lorenzo at Florence — one of Cardinal Giovanni, 
 and then of the Duchess Eleonora and her best 
 beloved son Garzia, " the light of her eyes." They 
 were laid to rest together in the crypt of the Medici 
 Mausoleum, where Cosimo himself was later to take 
 his place by their side. 
 
 It was most important to the Duke that he should 
 have one son a Cardinal to keep his interests in 
 remembrance in Rome, and his first step after the 
 death of Giovanni was to induce Pius IV. to raise 
 Ferdinando, a boy of thirteen, to the vacant dignity. 
 He sent for his son Francesco to help him in the 
 defence of the Mediterranean coast, which was again 
 attacked by the Turkish fleets and corsairs, and he 
 was now able to make great use of his Military Order 
 of St. Stephen. But Florence being an inland power, 
 the Duke was very deficient in vessels, and the 
 chronicler mentions with great pride that on this 
 occasion he was able to send ten galleys to sea. Still 
 the new line of forts along the shore of Tuscany was 
 a great protection to the people, who were encouraged 
 
INCREASING GREATNESS OF COSIMO 315 
 
 to store their grain, and live as much as possible 
 within walled towns. Those of Talamone Port* Er- 
 cole, Orbetello, and San Stefano formed the Spanish 
 "Praesidia," which was ruled by the Viceroy of Naples. 
 But the garrisons had no means of obtaining any 
 supplies save fish, except by the pleasure of Duke 
 Cosimo. The coveted port of Piombino had been 
 his for a time, but the jealousy of Genoa had induced 
 Philip II. to retain it in his own possession after 1557. 
 
 However, at this period — 1563 — Duke Cosimo was 
 most anxious to be on good terms with both the King of 
 Spain and his uncle the Emperor Ferdinand, as after 
 his great good fortune in the past his ambition had 
 risen to the point of desiring a royal marriage for 
 his son. He, who had once been denied Marguerite 
 the illegitimate daughter of Charles V., now raised 
 his eyes towards a real Archduchess, the youngest 
 daughter of the Emperor Ferdinand, as a bride for 
 his heir Francesco. Everything was in his favour, 
 for the division of power after the death of Charles 
 had made the Duke's position more independent, 
 and if he could arrange this great alliance it would 
 be another means towards his own advancement 
 above all the other ruling princes in Italy. Nothing 
 short of absolute precedence would satisfy the grasp- 
 ing desire of this scion of the Medici, that family of 
 whom it was said that " All things came to them in 
 the end." 
 
 After the tragic loss of his two sons, Giovanni and 
 Garzia, there remained to Cosimo only four of his 
 nine children ; these were three sons, Francesco, 
 aged twenty-two, Ferdinando, the newly made car- 
 dinal of fourteen, and Pietro, a wild, unmanageable 
 child of eight. His one daughter, Isabella, was 
 
316 THE KOMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 distinguished for her beauty and talent, and said to 
 be a musician and a poetess. She had been married 
 in 1558, at the age of sixteen, to a great Roman noble, 
 Paolo Giordino Orsini, Prince of Bracciano, a name 
 too closely associated with the frail Vittoria Acco- 
 ramboni — with coming tragedy and disaster — for us 
 to believe that the marriage can ever have been a 
 happy one. In any case, Isabella seems to have been 
 quite willing to leave her husband and return to 
 cheer her father's life soon after the death of the 
 Duchess Eleonora, and she at once became the centre 
 of all there was of gaiety and amusement in the 
 Florentine life of those days. 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 Marriage of Francesco, the Duke's eldest son, to the Archduchess 
 Joanna, daughter of the Emperor Ferdinand — Story of Bianca 
 CapeDo — Cosimo takes his son into a share of the government — 
 Election of Pope Pius V., fierce inquisitor — Pietro Carnesecchi, 
 a Florentine, impeached for heresy, betrayed by his friend 
 Duke Cosimo, who is rewarded by the Pope with the title of 
 Grand Duke of Tuscany — Death of Cosimo I. (1574) — His 
 character. 
 
 When the Emperor Ferdinand died in July 1564 
 and was succeeded by his son Maximilian II., nego- 
 tiations had been carried so far with the Duke of 
 Florence that the marriage of his eldest son Fran- 
 cesco with the young Archduchess Joanna was defi- 
 nitely settled to take place the following January. 
 Cosimo had attained his heart's desire, and it did not 
 trouble him much that the great Council of Trent, 
 after labouring for eighteen years, had been dissolved 
 the previous December without succeeding in uniting 
 divided Christendom. It was of some concern to 
 him that the Pope's authority was now more absolute 
 than ever, for he was one of the chosen friends and 
 advisers of Pius IV. ; but his thoughts were chiefly 
 engaged upon a scheme of his own. 
 
 Duke Cosimo was not old in point of years — he was 
 only forty-five — but he had reigned since the age of 
 eighteen, and may have felt weary of the incessant 
 strain of personal government ; he may have had a 
 
 317 
 
318 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 desire to train his son in the art of ruling, or it may 
 
 have been a desire to imitate the Emperor Charles V. ; 
 but in any case he resolved to take Francesco into 
 a kind of partnership with him. This was. in fact, 
 all that his appearance of resignation amounted to, 
 for he kept a very firm hand upon all real power, 
 both with regard to foreign and domestic policy ; but 
 he entrusted his son with much of the routine of 
 government. This had the advantage of placing the 
 young prince in a position of authority before his 
 splendid marriage, for which great preparations were 
 made. The princely pair were to live in the Palazzo 
 Vecchio, which had been Cosinio's own home for his 
 first ten years of married life. But the ancient palace 
 of a free people was to be entirely embellished and 
 freshly decorated to prepare it for the coming of a 
 Grand Duchess, the daughter of an Emperor. 
 
 Vasari was commissioned to paint frescoes on the 
 walls, and, in order that the subjects might be pleasing 
 to an Austrian princess, the vestibule of the splendid 
 court was covered with pictures of towns in her 
 native land. In the lunettes were placed copies of 
 medals commemorating the victories of Cosirno I., 
 the massive columns were covered with stucco orna- 
 ments on a gold ground, and Verocchio's fountain 
 of the " Boy with the Dolphin M was placed in 
 the centre as a finishing touch to the beautiful 
 M cortile." 
 
 Francesco went in state to the Court of the Em- 
 peror Maximilian II., his future brother-in-law, and 
 the journey to Florence of the Princess Joanna was 
 like a royal progress. She entered the city with a 
 crown on her head, under a stately baklachino, and 
 the wedding was celebrated in the Church of San 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 319 
 
 Lorenzo with the greatest magnificence, while the 
 people were entertained with festivities for a whole 
 week. The poor lady herself had no happy lot in 
 store for her. We are told that she was unattractive, 
 cold and haughty in manner, and that from the first 
 she felt that this marriage was beneath her dignity. 
 We wonder how long it was before she discovered 
 that her husband's affections were already entirely 
 bestowed upon another woman, the beautiful adven- 
 turess, Bianca Capello, whose elopement from Venice 
 was the scandal of the day. 
 
 It was more than a year before his marriage that 
 Francesco had met this Venetian beauty, with her 
 ruddy golden hair, who was already disenchanted of 
 her runaway marriage with the bank-clerk, Piero 
 Bonaventuri, on whose head the Kepublic of Venice 
 had set a price. The heir of Florence fell passionately 
 in love with Bianca, loaded her with presents, and 
 gave her the splendid palace in the Via Maggio, still 
 known by her name. The intrigue was carried on 
 with some slight amount of concealment during his 
 father's life, but Francesco's devotion to his mistress 
 remained constant, and he married her after Joanna's 
 death in 1578. The story of Bianca Capello, of her 
 first husband Piero 's murder, and of her own ad- 
 venturous life, is so well known and has been so 
 thoroughly told,* that I will not dwell upon it here. 
 Still it is a curious fact, as showing the easy immor- 
 ality of opinion, that the great lady Isabella Duchess 
 of Bracciano, daughter of the then Grand Duke 
 Cosimo, should show strong friendship for Bianca, 
 who on one occasion breaks off a letter abruptly, 
 saying that " she is sent for by the Signora Isabella 
 
 * Ladies of the Italian Renaissance. Christopher Hare. 
 
320 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 dei Medici to accompany her and the Cardinal Fer- 
 dinando to a great hunting party at Pisa the fifth 
 day of December 1573/' 
 
 At the time when her husband and sister-in-law 
 were thus amusing themselves, the unfortunate Arch- 
 duchess Joanna was left in the grim Palazzo Vecchio 
 with her little girls, of whom the youngest, the fifth 
 daughter, Maria, afterwards wife of Henri IV. of 
 France, was still an infant. We can scarcely be sur- 
 prised that the neglected wife wrote pitiful letters of 
 complaint to her brother, the Emperor Maximilian II., 
 but he could give her no redress and, for the sake of 
 the family honour, his only wish was to hush up the 
 scandal as much as possible. Hers was indeed a sad 
 story, but it was no isolated case in the Medici family, 
 in Florence of the sixteenth century. 
 
 The gay and accomplished Isabella, the last re- 
 maining daughter of Cosimo I., the leader of Floren- 
 tine amusements, was herself destined to meet with 
 a terrible fate some three years later than the date 
 of her hunting invitation to Bianca. She remained 
 in safety until after the death of her father ; then 
 her husband, the Duke of Bracciano who wished to 
 marry the notorious Vittoria Accoramboni, enticed 
 her to his Villa of Cerreto Guidi, near Empoli, and 
 there murdered her with his own hands in the dead 
 of night. The next day it was announced in Florence 
 that the princess had died suddenly of apoplexy, but 
 there appears to be little doubt as to the truth of 
 this tragedy, of which indeed Isabella's death was 
 only the First Act. 
 
 We must leave this tale of horror incomplete to 
 return to the history of Cosimo himself after his 
 son's marriage. He had now reached almost the 
 
PROSPERITY OF DUKE COSIMO 321 
 
 highest point of his success as a ruler. His sharp and 
 sanguinary measures had put down rebellion at home 
 and abroad ; but he still had spies within the city — 
 almost in every household, wherever men gathered 
 together in Florence or in cities where his suspicions 
 were roused. So intimate was the knowledge of the 
 secret police, and so prompt their action, that the 
 Venetian envoy, Fedeli, accustomed to the ways of 
 the Ten, had yet greater awe of the unknown prisons 
 in Florence from which no news ever came forth. The 
 unjust law of the " Polverina " — by which the whole 
 property of exiles was confiscated, and also that 
 which their heirs might acquire — had added greatly 
 to the Duke's wealth ; he constantly exacted new 
 taxes, import and export duties, gifts and loans, fines 
 and confiscations ; and besides all these sources of 
 income, he was himself a banker and a merchant, 
 carrying on a prosperous trade with his war-galleys 
 in wool, grain, silk, and leather. Money was an 
 absolute necessity for his ambitious schemes. He 
 was able to revive the national militia on a large 
 scale, and to keep in his pay — besides his own private 
 Swiss and Spanish guards — captains in Germany, 
 Switzerland, Corsica, and elsewhere, to raise merce- 
 naries if required at any moment. 
 
 It was thus that he began to make himself a power 
 in Europe ; he could help Charles IX. in his war 
 against the Huguenots, he was able to send troops 
 and well-mounted galleys to fight against the Turks 
 in the defence of Malta in 1565, and when the old 
 Sultan Solyman himself set forth from Constantinople, 
 in 1566, on that eventful campaign against Hungary 
 and the Empire, in which the Turkish veteran died 
 in his tent before the siege of Szigeth, the contingent 
 
 19 
 
322 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 sent by Duke Cosimo amounted to three thousand 
 picked foot-soldiers. 
 
 In December 1565 the Duke lost a faithful sup- 
 porter in Pius IV. It was a matter of extreme 
 importance to him who should be the next Pope, 
 and he was fortunate in the election of his friend, 
 the Dominican monk, Michele Ghislieri. The new 
 Pope, Pius V., was an ardent Inquisitor, unbending 
 and pitiless, an ascetic with high ideals and un- 
 swerving faith ; but his aims demanded unity of 
 government and despotic power, and he could be 
 trusted to steadily uphold the interests of the Medici 
 ruler of Florence. Cosimo had no repugnance to the 
 Inquisition, although his cold nature was incapable 
 of religious zeal ; the stake was only another means 
 to attain that discipline which his soul loved to 
 enforce. An incident which occurred the following 
 year shows him as a willing instrument of persecution 
 to serve his own private ends, and casts a lurid 
 light upon his character. 
 
 A noble Florentine named Pietro Carnesecchi had 
 entered the Papal service, and, under Clement VII., 
 hadbecome Protonotary Apostolic, with great influence 
 and hopes of advancement. After the death of the 
 Pope he retired into secular life and came under the 
 influence of Valdes in 1540. Some time later Car- 
 nesecchi was cited to Rome and tried for heresy, but 
 he denied everything and was absolved. In 1552 he 
 published some of the works of Valdes, and was again 
 condemned, but on the death of Paul IV., when the 
 people broke open the prisons of the Inquisition and 
 burnt the records, he was declared innocent by the 
 new Pope, Pius IV., of milder nature. After this he 
 lived at Rome, Naples, and Florence, always keeping 
 
THE DUKE'S TREACHERY 323 
 
 up his intercourse with those who held the doctrines 
 of the Reformation. On the election of the Head 
 of the Inquisition as Pope Pius V., Pietro thoroughly 
 appreciated his dangerous position, but he trusted 
 in the protection of Duke Cosimo, to whom he had 
 been a warm friend and valuable adviser. His confi- 
 dence in one who never considered anything but his 
 own interest was destined to be rudely destroyed, 
 for when sitting as an honoured guest at the Duke's 
 table he was suddenly arrested by order of the 
 dread Inquisition, and carried a prisoner to Rome. 
 Here he was tried on a number of charges, of most of 
 which he had already been acquitted, and after many 
 months of cruel imprisonment he was finally be- 
 headed and burnt on October 21, 1567. Yet Carne- 
 secchi had published nothing of his own against the 
 faith ; he was a man of blameless life, who had 
 kept all the ordinances of the Church ; and he was 
 only accused of matters of opinion in his conversation 
 and private letters. 
 
 As for the treachery of Cosimo towards this noble 
 friend of his, it had been a well-considered act of 
 useful policy, for which he reaped the full reward 
 when Pope Pius V. bestowed upon him the long- 
 coveted title of Grand Duke of Tuscany. This was 
 perhaps the crowning triumph of his life, and the 
 Court chroniclers give a very full account of the 
 great ceremony at Rome, where the Duke of Tuscany 
 went in state to receive his new honours. He was 
 publicly crowned in the Chapel of the Vatican, in the 
 presence of all the cardinals and a splendid company 
 of great nobles, " on account of his great zeal for 
 religion and his good justice," as we read engraved 
 upon his royal crown, and also in the Pope's Brief. 
 
324 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 Henceforth his designation was no longer " Eccellenza 
 Ulustrissima," but " Altezza Serenissima," which 
 would distinguish him from all the other Dukes in 
 Italy, and settle for ever any question of precedence. 
 Cosimo did not go empty-handed to Rome ; he pre- 
 sented to the Pope a splendid chalice, inlaid with 
 finest gold, a buckle of choice diamonds, and two 
 priestly robes ; also a chasuble and a cape of cloth 
 of gold. In return he received from Pius V. the 
 Golden Rose, that supreme gift which the Pope 
 blesses every year and presents to some faithful 
 Prince of the Church. 
 
 There was one shadow on the brilliant occasion: 
 the Emperor refused to ratify this deed of the Pope, 
 and his ambassador ostentatiously left the chapel in 
 the middle of the ceremony. Philip II. also declared 
 against it, and there were loud protests from the 
 Dukes of Ferrara, Mantua, and Savoy. But the 
 Grand Duke of Tuscany went home in triumph and 
 caused his portrait to be painted, wearing the radiated 
 crown, with the Florentine Lily in the centre — holding 
 in his hand the sceptre with the Medici " palle " and 
 the lily above — and clothed in his royal robes. 
 
 It is a curious fact that after the date (1569) of 
 this satisfied ambition and realised supremacy, Cosimo 
 seems to have lost his hold on the reality of power. 
 His failing health may have had something to do 
 with the increasing negligence and self-indulgence 
 which put him out of touch with affairs, and were 
 such a contrast to the keen insight and constant 
 vigilance which had won him his successes. There 
 was much to worry him in his domestic affairs. 
 Unpleasant gossip could not fail to reach him with 
 regard to the more than frivolous behaviour of his 
 
BECOMES GRAND DUKE OF TUSCANY 325 
 
 only surviving daughter, Isabella, Duchess of Brac- 
 ciano, to whom he had given the Villa of Poggia Im- 
 periale. The duel in which a young Court page, 
 Lelio Torelli, lost his life had not been favourable 
 to her reputation. Then, too, the strained relations 
 between his eldest son Francesco and his wife Joanna, 
 sister of the present Emperor, were a cause of 
 anxiety, as the succession was not yet secured, 
 for so far she had only given birth to daughters. The 
 Grand Duke's youngest son, Pietro, now a boy of 
 fifteen, had grown up wild and passionate, entirely 
 beyond his control, and leading a dissolute life with 
 evil companions. The only son in whom he could 
 take any pride, the young Cardinal Ferdinando, was 
 away at Rome, a cold and distant critic of the doings 
 at home. 
 
 From all these uncongenial surroundings the Grand 
 Duke sought for distraction in the company of more 
 than one Florentine lady of easy morality. Amongst 
 these he was specially attracted to Camilla Martelli, 
 the daughter of a certain Antonio Martelli who 
 carried on his trade in the Via de' Servi, and the lady 
 became his inseparable companion. This came to 
 the ears of Pope Pius V., and the stern ascetic moralist, 
 indignant that scandal should rest on his newly 
 created Grand Duke, gave him the uncompromising 
 advice : " Marry the woman and make your peace 
 with God and the Church." This probably fell in 
 with Cosimo's own feeling ; it would certainly annoy 
 his family, and also add to his own comfort in his 
 increasing ill-health. The marriage was very quietly 
 performed, and the bride was told she would not 
 bear the title of Grand Duchess, but would be simply 
 called " Signora," like any other private lady. In 
 
326 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 fact, it was a kind of morganatic marriage, but his 
 sons were not willing to acknowledge her in any way. 
 After his marriage the Grand Duke appears to 
 have lived almost entirely at the beautiful Villa 
 Castello, which for him must have been full of 
 haunting memories of his loving mother, Maria Sal- 
 viati, and of the happy days he had spent in those 
 beautiful gardens, which of late years had been 
 decorated with all the quaint talent of Tribolo. For 
 some time before his death he almost entirely lost the 
 use of his limbs, and after much suffering, he died, at 
 the age of fifty-five, " about the 19th hour " on April 
 21, 1574, at the palace now known to us as the Pitti, 
 but then called the Palace of the Grand Duke. The 
 Court chroniclers tell us that a comet appeared at 
 the time of his death, " as though to announce the 
 passing away of so great a personage." The body 
 was embalmed and prepared for burial with great 
 ceremonial, clothed in white armour all but the hands 
 and the head, and robed in the stately mantle and 
 other garments in which he was crowned by Pius V. 
 The famous crown was placed on his head, the sceptre 
 in the right hand, and the sword at his left side ; the 
 Collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece round his 
 neck, and also the smaller Order, with a red cross, 
 of the Military Society of San Stefano, of which 
 Cosimo had been the first Grand Master. After the 
 lying in state the body was borne by the Knights 
 of San Stefano, accompanied in splendid procession 
 by " the three Princes — Francesco, Cardinal Ferdi- 
 nando, and Pietro — with all the Court, by the Feuda- 
 tory Lords, the Magistrates, the Bishops and Arch- 
 bishops of the State, by more than two thousand 
 Priests and Friars, by a great number of Foot-soldiers, 
 
DEATH OF COSIMO I. 327 
 
 by Cavalry in light and heavy armour, and all sorts 
 of persons. . . . ' When they reached the Church of 
 San Lorenzo and the funeral ceremonies were ended, 
 pompous orations were delivered both in Latin and 
 the " vulgar tongue," to the praise and glory of the 
 Grand Duke. Italy must have been full of his fame, 
 for there were more orations in the Church of San 
 Stefano in Pisa, in other cities of the state, and even 
 in Eome. 
 
 It is curious, as showing how customs endure, that 
 mottoes were hung about everywhere through the 
 city, bearing the inscription " Lutto " (grief), as to 
 this day is still done as a sign of mourning in country 
 places in Italy.* 
 
 By his will, the Grand Duke Cosimo left to his son 
 the Cardinal Ferdinando his estates of S. Mezzano 
 in the Upper Val d' Arno, the palace of La Petraia, 
 with all its belongings, the Palace and the vineyard 
 which he had in Rome, and an income of three thou- 
 sand scudi a month from the customs of Florence. 
 He could not foresee that Ferdinando would succeed 
 him as Grand Duke on the tragic death of his brother 
 Francesco and Bianca his wife, in 1587. 
 
 To his son Don Pietro, Cosimo left the splendid 
 villa and domain of Poggio a Cajano, a famous hunting 
 resort on the banks of the river Ombrone, at the foot 
 of Monte Albano, half way between Florence and 
 Pistoia. Pietro appears to have exchanged this villa 
 for that of Cafaggiolo, where a terrible tragedy 
 occurred two years after his father's death. He had 
 married a very beautiful young girl, Eleonora de 
 Toledo, a niece of his mother's, and she seems to 
 
 * I last saw this at Pratovecchio, in the Casentino, at the pictur- 
 esque funeral of the " Sindaco." 
 
328 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 have aroused his jealousy, for in his lawless rage he 
 murdered her, thus adding another to the long tale 
 of horrors connected in some way with his family. 
 
 Coshno left a much more generous legacy to an 
 illegitimate son. Don Giovanni, whose mother was a 
 certain Eleonora degli Albizzi. This youth appears 
 to have been the most eligible member of his family ; 
 we find him later employed as ambassador to Venice 
 by his half-brother the Grand Duke Francesco on 
 the occasion of his marriage with Bianca Capello, 
 immediately after the death of the unfortunate Arch- 
 duchess Joanna. He was also popular at the French 
 Court. 
 
 His endowment was " the possessions of Cerreto, 
 all the lands which had been drained from the Arno 
 in his time, or which might be in the future, a Palace 
 in f Parione ' ; all the rents which came from Spain, 
 the mills which are at the Porta al Prato, and those 
 which are outside that gate, the Mills at Pisa, and 
 the steel factory, . . . and 1000 gold florins a year 
 after the death of his mother, who was to enjoy this 
 income for her life.'"' This was a curious medley of 
 property, by which Cosimo secured a fortune for his 
 favourite child ! 
 
 The widow, Camilla Martelli, was not forgotten in 
 the will. She was to inherit all his personal garments, 
 his furniture and ornaments, which were of no small 
 value, and also an income of 4,000 gold florins a 
 year. It is to be feared that the poor lady had very 
 little enjoyment of this bequest, if indeed she ever 
 received it, for on the succession of Francesco I. to 
 his father's throne, he cruelly compelled the widow 
 Camilla to take up her abode in a convent, where she 
 was closely confined until her death in 1590. Her 
 
SUCCEEDED BY HIS SON FRANCESCO I. 329 
 
 one daughter Vittoria was married later to Cesar e 
 d'Este of the royal house of Ferrara, so that she 
 would appear to have been treated with some amount 
 of consideration by her half-brother. Certainly a 
 marriageable princess was always a useful asset for 
 a diplomatic arrangement. 
 
 With this small ray of sunshine we will bring to 
 an end the story of the Grand Duke Cosimo and his 
 family , lest, if we do but turn another page, we may 
 come upon more records of tyranny and crime. 
 
EPILOGUE 
 
 In connection with this " Romance of a Medici 
 Warrior.'''' three striking figures in succession have 
 taken possession of the stage. First stands forth 
 Caterina Sforza, the Great Madonna of Fork, that 
 supreme example of a warrior woman. When her 
 husband Riario was murdered by the triumphant 
 Orsi. her voice and presence alone could hold a 
 rebellious city in check, and by the power of her will 
 she could seize the citadel and secure the succession 
 of her son. With magnificent courage. Caterina de- 
 fended her capital and state from enemies on every 
 side — those rival Itakan rulers, who thought to find 
 an easy prey in a defenceless woman. 
 
 Like a koness at bay she fought against aU the 
 might of the Borgia Pope, until her last defences were 
 stormed by overwhelming force and the heroic Lady 
 of Fork was taken captive to Rome. Of all her five 
 boys, only the youngest born, the son of her courtly 
 Medici husband, inherited her brave spirit and daunt- 
 less energy. 
 
 In the life of this Medici warrior, Giovanni delle 
 Bande Xere, we have seen displayed all the courage 
 and fierce daring of his Sforza ancestors, whose ex- 
 ploits he far excelled in magnificent audacity. 
 
 So great was the confidence he inspired that 
 Frangois I. always declared that, had Giovanni been 
 
 330 
 
EPILOGUE 331 
 
 by his side, he would have won that fatal Battle of 
 Pa via, and the fortunes of Europe had been changed. 
 It may well be so, for never had leader so complete 
 and supreme a command over his soldiers as this 
 Medici captain who had trained them himself, spent 
 a princely fortune on their behalf, and inspired them 
 with his own passionate enthusiasm. Yet this gallant 
 condottiere exhausted his short and brilliant life in 
 fighting desperate battles for other people — in serving 
 prince and Pope — mostly without pay, not even re- 
 ceiving, until too late, the long-promised guerdon of 
 sea-girt Fano on which he had set his heart as a 
 corsair home for his Black Bands in time of peace. 
 As far indeed as his own fortunes were concerned, 
 Giovanni's life was a splendid failure, like his mother's. 
 
 We pass on from the lion to the fox. The success 
 denied to the hero of many battles was reserved for 
 his only son, the cold, crafty Cosimo, who, from his 
 earliest childhood, had known how to be silent and 
 bide his time, like more than one of his Medici fore- 
 fathers. Then, when the calculated moment of action 
 came, and a crown was within his reach, no treachery, 
 no crime was too astounding for this precocious youth 
 of eighteen. Having achieved his end, and waded 
 through blood to become Head of the State of Flor- 
 ence, he set himself with steady persistence to trample 
 down the liberties of a free people and to rid himself 
 of all those who had helped him to rise. 
 
 In his grasping, unresting course of self-advance- 
 ment Cosimo attained in time the highest position 
 which a Medici had ever reached, and became Grand 
 Duke of all Tuscany — " Altezza Serenissima." Under 
 his watchful eye courtly historians wrote his story 
 and exalted his fame ; told of his great deeds, his 
 
332 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 
 
 princely pomp, his success as a patron of art ; 
 hailed him as a true Medici, another Lorenzo the 
 Magnificent ! 
 
 But when we read the tragic details of the Grand 
 Duke's domestic life, the strange legends of passion 
 and crime — " The reeling Faun, the sensual feast M — 
 which cling around every member of his family, a 
 student of heredity may remember another ancestor 
 — a certain Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan — 
 and thus trace back the hidden mystery of criminal 
 instincts. 
 
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INDEX 
 
 Abana, 167, 168, 170 
 Abbiate-Grasso, 143, 144, 145 
 Abraham, surgeon of Mantua, 164, 
 
 165, 185, 186, 187 
 Acciajoli, 239 
 
 Accoramboni, Vittoria, 316, 320 
 Adda, River, 110, 131, 183 
 Adrian VI., Pope (Adrian of 
 
 Utrecht), 114, 115, 128, 131 ; 
 
 death of, 133 
 Adriatic Sea, 16, 149, 172 
 Albany, Duke of, 155 
 Albizzi, Anton del', 254 
 
 — Francesco, 119 
 
 Alexander VI., Pope (Roderigo 
 
 Borgia), 23, 25 
 Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara. See 
 
 Este 
 
 — del Guasto. See Guasto 
 Algiers, 270 
 
 Allegre, Yves d', 25 
 Alps, Mountains, 117, 182 
 Alva, Duke of, 259, 297, 298, 299 
 Ammanati, 306, 310 
 Ammirato, 223, 224, 226 
 Ancona, 96, 101, 172, 173, 174 
 Annalena Convent, 39, 40 
 Apennines, 16, 74, 121, 227 
 
 — Ligurian, 129 
 
 Appiano, Camillo d', 81, 83, 84 
 
 — Giacomo V. d', 211, 273, 295 
 
 — Luisa, 81, 211 
 Aragon, Cortes of, 266 
 Arbia, River, 306 
 
 Aretino, Pietro, 128, 129, 146, 149, 
 150, 154, 155, 173, 180, 187, 
 188 
 
 Arezzo, 237, 262, 263, 294 
 
 Ariosto, Lodovico, 146, 147 
 
 Arno, River, 27, 306 
 
 Astagno, Monte, 172 
 
 Attendolo, Muzio (Sforza), 50 
 
 Augsburg, Peace of, 296 
 
 AuUa, 129, 147 
 
 Baccio, 254 
 Baglioni, 113, 114 
 
 — Malatesta, 95 
 
 — Ridolfo, 237, 263 
 Baldini, Doctor, 312 
 Bandello, Matteo, 179 
 Bandinelli, 200, 310 
 Barbarossa, 234, 264, 266, 270, 
 
 271, 273, 274, 275, 278, 295 
 Barbary, 295 
 Barcelona, 271 
 
 — Treaty of, 235 
 
 Bayard, 78, 132, 143 ; death of, 
 
 145 
 Benedetto (Secretary of Marquis 
 
 of Mantua), 185 
 Bentivoglio, Lord of Bologna, 18 
 Berceto, 120 
 Bergamo, 145 
 Bibbiena, Bernardo Dovisi of, 
 
 Cardinal, 76 
 Bicocca, near Milan, 117 
 Blaise de Montluc. See Montluc 
 335 
 
336 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Boccaccio, 38 
 
 Bologna, 23, 73, 108, 109, 122, 161, 
 
 175, 223, 224, 225, 226, 237, 
 
 253, 272, 300 
 Bonnivet (French General), 132, 
 
 133, 143, 144, 145, 158 
 Borgia, Cesare, 24 
 Borgo-forte, 183, 184 
 Boulogne, 277 
 
 — Madeleine de, 226 
 Bourbon, Charles Duke of, 136, 
 
 182, 183 
 Brandano, Hermit, 284, 287 
 Brissago, Castle of, 121 
 Bronzino, 308 
 Brussels, 296 
 Bugia, 270 
 Busto Arizio, 150 
 
 Caetani, 99 
 
 Cafaggiolo, 208, 327 
 
 Camaldoli, 305 
 
 Camerino, 113 
 
 Campeggio, Bishop of Bologna, 
 
 Nuncio, 300 
 Camporgiano, 147 
 Cantelupo, 168, 176 
 Capello, Bianca, 319, 320, 327, 328 
 Capponi, Niccolo, 216, 220 
 
 — Pietro, 220 
 Caraccioli, 299 
 
 Carbone (Gascon Champion), 111 
 
 Carnesecchi, Pietro, 322, 323 
 
 Casalemaggiore, 109 
 
 Cassano d'Adda, 116 
 
 Castello, Villa of, near Florence, 
 35, 36, 40, 55, 79-85, 92, 207, 
 208, 214, 219, 275, 276, 277, 
 326 
 
 Castiglione, 183 
 
 — Baldassare, 112, 116, 149 
 Cateau - Cambresis, Treaty of 
 
 (1559), 291, 299 
 
 Cellini, Benvenuto, 307, 309, 310 
 
 Ceri, Renzo da, 132 
 
 Cerisole, Battle of (1544), 278 
 
 Cervellino, 120 
 
 Cervia, 16 
 
 Cesena, 20, 76 
 
 Chabannes, Jean de, 132 
 
 Charles V., Emperor, 108, 114, 
 148, 153, 172, 174, 224, 225, 
 226, 234, 242, 247, 255, 256, 
 264-284, 294, 295, 297, 298, 
 300, 302 
 
 Charles IX., of France, 321 
 
 Chiana, Val di, 305, 306 
 
 Chioggia, 167, 209 
 
 Cibo, Cardinal, 85, 243, 244, 245, 
 255, 257, 258 
 
 Citta di Castello, 127 
 
 Clement VII., Pope (Giulio dei 
 Medici), 97, 109, 115, 126, 
 128, 129, 133 (elected Pope), 
 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 
 140, 147-153, 161, 166, 174, 
 181, 182, 215, 217, 218, 224- 
 234, 242 
 
 Cleves, Duke of, 274, 275 
 
 Codronchi, 17 
 
 Cognac, League of, 174 
 
 Colonna, Family, 99, 182, 299 
 
 — Martio, 246 
 
 — Piero, 243 
 
 — Prospero, 108, 109, 111, 131 
 Comacchio, 208 
 
 Commenus, Prince of Macedonia, 
 
 181 
 Constantinople, 278 
 Corsica, 273, 299, 321 
 Corsini, 16 
 Cortona, 237 
 
 — Bishop of, 151, 215, 272, 294 
 Cotrone, 271 
 
 Cremona, 115, 116, 117 
 Crepy, Peace of (1544), 278 
 
INDEX 
 
 337 
 
 Cuppano, Luca Antonio, 129, 201 
 
 Dante, 72 
 
 Diesbach, Jean de, 132 
 Doria, Andrea, 266, 270, 274 
 Dragut, Corsair, 295 
 
 Edward VI., King of England, 293 
 
 Elba, Island of, 295, 310 
 
 Eleonora de Toledo. See Toledo 
 
 Elizabeth of France, 299 
 
 Elizabeth, Queen of England, 299, 
 300 
 
 Elsa, River, 306 
 
 Ema, River, 306 
 
 Empoli, 320 
 
 Enghien, Count of, 271, 277 
 
 Este, Alfonso d', Duke of Ferrara, 
 129, 146, 147, 173, 183, 184, 
 186, 187, 195, 269, 270 
 
 — Alfonso II. d', Duke of Ferrara, 
 
 297, 311 
 
 — Ercole II., Duke of Ferrara, 
 
 297 
 
 — Ippolito d', Cardinal, 287 
 Euganean Hills, 168 
 
 Faenza, 208 
 
 Fano, 149, 172, 173, 174 
 
 Farnese, Ottavio, 255, 257, 293 
 
 — Vittoria, 258, 263 
 
 Fedeli (Venetian Envoy), 321 
 Feo, Jacomo, 23 
 
 — Tommaso, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22 
 Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria, 
 
 (later Emperor), 131, 296, 
 
 315; death of, 317 
 Fermo, 146 
 Ferrara, 84, 296 
 
 — Duke of. See Este. 
 Fiesole, 279 
 
 Filippo dei Rossi. See Rossi 
 Fiorenzuola, 74, 108 
 
 Flanders, 271, 294 
 Florence, 23, 26, 27-43, 50, 53, 59, 
 64, 72, 73, 94, 95, 98, 99, 109, 
 114, 125, 126, 128, 151, 171, 
 180, 200, 206, 207, 208, 225- 
 329 
 Foix, Odet de. See Lautrec 
 Forli, 16, 17, 20, 24, 116, 126, 223 
 Fortunati, Francesco, Priest of 
 Cascina, near Pisa, 29, 30, 31, 
 32, 36, 41, 43, 46, 55, 56, 57, 
 59, 60, 61, 74, 76, 83, 84, 85, 
 86, 94, 98, 112, 134, 135, 136, 
 137, 151, 153, 166, 167, 208, 
 210, 211, 219, 220 
 Francois I., King of France, 108, 
 109, 126, 131, 151-165, 172, 
 
 174, 198, 207, 229-233, 265, 
 266, 271, 277, 278, 282, 293 
 
 — of Lorraine. See Lorraine 
 Frundsberg, Georg, Prince of 
 
 Mindelheim, 182, 208, 215 
 
 Gaddi, Niccolo, Cardinal, 244, 245, 
 
 246 
 Gano, Andrea, 78 
 Garda, Lake of, 183 
 Garfagnana, 129, 146 
 Garlasco, 144 
 Gazzuolo, 82 
 Gelders, Duchy of, 275 
 Genoa, 108, 129, 131, 236, 271, 294 
 Germany, 321 
 Ghiarra, d'Adda, 109 
 Giberti, Giovan Matteo, Papal 
 
 Datary, 152, 176 
 Gonzaga, Federico, Marquis of 
 
 Mantua, 103, 108, 115, 174, 
 
 175, 186, 187, 188 
 
 — Ferrante, 271 
 
 — Lodovico, 187 
 Governolo, 185, 190 
 Grimaldi, Sire of Monaco, 129 
 
 20 
 
338 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Guasco, Monte, 172 
 
 Guasto, Alfonso del, 274, 278 
 
 Guicciardini,Francesco (historian) , 
 
 78, 108, 120, 174, 175, 181, 
 
 182, 215, 239 
 Guido Rangone. See Eangone 
 Guise, Due de, 298 
 
 Hartado, Don Lopez, 257 
 
 Henri II., King of France. 229, 
 
 233, 293 ; death of, 299 
 Henri IV., of France, 320 
 Henry VIII., King of England, 
 
 131, 277, 282 (death of), 293 
 Hungary, 264, 295 
 — Louis, King of, 182 
 
 Ignatius Loyola, 299 
 Imola, 16, 17, 116, 126, 223 
 Innocent YIIL, 21 
 
 Jacopo V., Prince of Piombino, 
 81, 273, 295 
 
 James V., of Scotland, 226 
 
 Joanna, Archduchess, daughter 
 of Emperor Ferdinand, 315, 
 317, 318, 319, 320, 328 
 
 Julius HI., Pope, 294, 296, 298 
 
 Lannoy, Viceroy of Naples, 147, 
 148 
 
 Lapo, Arnolfo di, 260 
 
 Lautrec, Odet de Foix, Marechal 
 de France, 109, 110, 116, 117 
 
 Leghorn, 26, 52, 258, 259, 271, 
 274, 305, 306, 311 
 
 Leo X., Pope, (Giovanni dei 
 Medici), 60, 61, 66, 67, 85, 89, 
 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 
 101, 102, 103, 108, 109, 112, 
 113 (death of), 114, 116, 128 
 
 Lescun, Thomas de, 117, 118 
 
 Leyva, Antonio de, 156, 158 
 
 I Lombardy, 117, 175, 278 
 
 i Loreto, 98 
 
 ; Lorraine, Francois de, 165 
 
 ! Louis XII., 24 
 
 | Lucca, 269 
 
 Luna, Giovanni de, 258, 266, 272, 
 281 
 
 Lunigiano, 129, 170 
 
 Luzasco, Paolo, 115, 116, 175 
 
 Lyons, 308 
 
 MachiaveUi, Xiccolo, 179, 180, 198 
 211 
 
 Madrid, 265 
 
 Magenta, 143 
 
 Magliana, La, 102, 112 
 
 Magra, River, 129 
 
 Malatesta, Galeotto, 39 
 
 Malespina, 129, 146, 147, 170 
 
 Malta, 321 
 
 Mantua, 147, 175, 183, 185, 187, 
 188-197 
 
 — Marquis of. See Gonzaga 
 
 Manucci, Aldo, 236 
 
 Marguerite of Austria, daughter 
 of Maximilian L, 224, 236 
 
 Marguerite, illegitimate daughter 
 of Charles V., Emperor, 235, 
 236, 243, 255, 258, 272 
 
 Marguerite of Valois, 169 
 
 Maria Maddalena Romola Salviati, 
 wife of Giovanni delle Bande 
 Xere, 44-48, 54, 61, 62, 65, 66, 
 68-92, 94, 95, 107, 114, 119, 
 122, 125, 126, 127, 130, 134- 
 140, 147, 148, 149, 157, 158, 
 162, 163, 164, 166, 168, 174, 
 180, 191, 193, 198, 199, 206- 
 223, 229-234, 239, 240, 241, 
 256, 260, 275, 276; death 
 of, 277 
 
 Marignano, Marquis of, Gian 
 Giacomo, 288, 289 
 
INDEX 
 
 339 
 
 Marradi, 208 
 
 Marseilles, 133, 232, 233, 271, 274 
 
 Martelli, Antonio, 325 
 
 — Camilla, second wife of 
 
 Cosimo I., 325, 328 
 Mary Tudor, Queen of England, 
 
 295, 299 
 Maximilian II., Emperor, 317, 
 
 318, 320 
 Medici, Alessandro dei, Duke of 
 
 Florence, 134, 148, 215, 216, 
 
 217, 228, 234-238, 251 
 
 — Alphonsina dei, 89 
 
 — Catherine dei, Queen of France, 
 
 94, 226, 227, 229, 230, 233, 
 293, 299 
 
 — Claire dei, wife of Filippo 
 
 Strozzi, 216 
 
 — Cosimo dei (II Vecchio), 23 
 
 — Cosimo I., Grand Duke of 
 
 Tuscany (son of Giovanni 
 delleBande Nere,94 (birth of ), 
 
 95, 96, 98, 99, 107, 122, 123, 
 126, 130, 136, 137, 138, 171, 
 174, 180, 191, 193, 194, 200, 
 293-329 
 
 — Ferdinando, son of Cosimo L, 
 
 Cardinal (Grand Duke, later), 
 
 312, 314, 315, 320, 325, 326, 
 327 
 
 — Francesco I., Grand Duke of 
 
 Tuscany, son of Cosimo I., 
 266, 294, 300, 302, 314, 315, 
 317, 318, 319, 325, 326, 327, 
 328 
 
 — Garzia dei, son of Cosimo I., 
 
 294,311,312,313,314,315 
 
 — Giovanni delle Bande Nere, 
 
 24-201, 206, 208, 212, 262 
 
 — Giovanni dei, Cardinal, son of 
 
 Cosimo I., 275, 300, 311, 312, 
 
 313, 314, 315 
 
 — Giovanni dei. -See Pope Leo X. 
 
 Medici, Giovanni dei,thePopulani, 
 husband of Caterina Sforza 
 and father of Giovanni delle 
 Bande Nere, 23, 24, 26, 27, 
 28 
 
 — Giuliano dei, Due de Nemours, 
 
 61, 64, 217 
 
 — Giulio dei. See Pope Cle- 
 
 ment VII. 
 
 — Ippolito dei, Cardinal, 134, 151, 
 
 215, 216, 217, 227, 235, 238 
 
 — Isabella dei, daughter of 
 
 Cosimo I., 311, 315, 316, 319, 
 320, 325 
 
 — Lorenzino dei (see Table I.), 
 
 murderer of Duke Alessandro, 
 214, 236, 237, 238, 248; 
 assassination of, 278 
 
 — Lorenzo dei, Duke of Urbino, 
 
 nephew of Leo X., 67, 74, 75, 
 81, 83, 85, 89, 94, 226 
 
 — Lorenzo dei, the Magnificent, 
 
 23, 57, 214 
 
 — Lorenzo dei, uncle of Giovanni 
 
 delle Bande Nere (see Table 
 /.), 25, 27, 28, 32, 35, 36, 37, 
 38, 39, 40 
 
 — Lucrezia dei, daughter of 
 
 Cosimo I., 298, 311 
 
 — Maria dei, daughter of 
 
 Cosimo I., 262, 297, 298 
 
 — Maria dei, daughter of Fran- 
 
 cesco I., Grand Duke of 
 Tuscany, 320 
 
 — Piero Francesco, grandfather 
 
 of Giovanni, 23, 40 
 
 — Pietro Francesco, cousin of 
 
 Giovanni, 59, 171, 172, 174 
 
 — Pietro dei, 3rd son of Cosimo I. 
 
 (died in infancy, 1547), 294 
 
 — Pietro dei, 6th son of Cosimo I., 
 
 315,326,327 
 
 — Vittoria dei, youngest daughter 
 
340 
 
 INDEX 
 
 of Cosimo I. and Camilla 
 
 Martelli, 329 
 Medici, See Genealogical Tables of 
 
 the Medici, at end of book. 
 Mediterranean, 129, 271, 278 
 Mendoza, Don Diego Hurtado de, 
 
 282, 283, 284, 287 
 Michelangelo, 41, 77, 251, 310, 
 
 311 
 Michelozzi, 71 
 Milan, 23, 109, 110, 116, 117, 131, 
 
 133, 136, 143, 144, 175, 176, 
 
 180, 272 
 Mincio, River, 185 
 Mirandola, 263 
 Misano, 117 
 Modena, 175, 184 
 Mohacs, Battle of (1526), 182, 
 
 264, 266 
 Monaco, 129 
 Montaigne, 38 
 Montalcino, 288, 290, 291, 292, 
 
 299 
 Montauto, Otto da, 223, 273 
 Montefeltro, Giovanni, 114 
 Monte, Fabiano, nephew of 
 
 Julius II., 298 
 Montemurlo, Victory of Cosimo 
 
 over the Exiles, 254, 255 
 Monticchiello, 288 
 Montluc, Blaise de, 289, 291, 292 
 Mugello, 49, 126, 208, 238, 262, 
 
 294 
 Mugnone, 305 
 
 Naples, 59, 155, 234, 235, 270, 288 
 Netherlands, 270 
 Nice, 274, 275 
 Novara, 117 
 Noveschi, 281, 282 
 
 Oglio, River, 109 
 
 Ombrone, 306 
 
 Omobuono (physician), 277 
 
 Orange, Prince of, 225, 227 
 
 Orbetello, 291, 315 
 
 Orciano, 77 
 
 Orsi, Cecco, 20, 21, 22 
 
 — Lorenzo, 19, 20, 21, 22 
 
 Orsini Family, 98, 99 
 
 Orsini, Paolo Giordano, 311, 316, 
 
 320 
 Osimo, 96 
 
 Padua, 167 
 
 Pallavicini, 146 
 
 Parma, 109, 113, 164, 293 
 
 Pasquino, 113, 128, 149, 150 
 
 Passerini, Silvio, Cardinal Bishop 
 
 of Cortona, 171, 215, 216, 217 
 Paul III., Pope (Farnese), 242, 
 
 255, 257, 263, 266, 269, 270, 
 
 272, 279, 293 (death of), 311 
 Paul IV., Pope (Cardinal Caraffi), 
 
 296, 298, 299, 322 
 Pavia, 112, 144, 155, 172 
 Perugia, 113, 263 
 Pesaro, 74 
 
 Pescara, Marquis of, 108, 155, 162 
 Petraia, La, 276, 327 
 Philip II., King of Spain, 291, 294, 
 
 295, 297, 298, 299, 300, 315, 
 
 324 
 Piacenza, 113, 161, 162, 164, 183, 
 
 293 
 Piccolomini, 281, 290 
 Pienza, 288 
 Pietrasanta, 271, 273 
 Piombino, 201, 273, 280, 295, 297 
 Pisa, 31, 55, 129, 258, 259, 271, 
 
 274, 301, 305, 306, 327 
 Pistoia, 253, 254, 263 
 Pius IV., Pope, 300, 314, 317, 322 
 Pius V., Pope (Michele Ghislieri), 
 
 322, 323, 324, 325, 326 
 
INDEX 
 
 341 
 
 Po, River, 109, 116, 162, 182, 183, 
 
 184, 209 
 Poggio-a-Cajano, Villa, 327 
 Pomposa, Benedictine Abbey, 209 
 Pontremoli, 148 
 Port-Ercole, 291, 310, 315 
 Porto San-Stefano, 291, 310 
 Praesidia, Spanish, 291, 315 
 Prato, 253, 254, 256 
 Provence, 236 
 
 Raimondi, 107 
 
 Rangone, Guido, 175, 181 
 
 Ratisbon, 266 
 
 Ravenna, 16, 208 
 
 Rebec, 143 
 
 Reggio, 10S, 109, 127, 128, 130, 
 
 131, 150, 271 
 Renee of France, Duchess of 
 
 Ferrara, 279 
 Riario, Bianca, daughter of Cate- 
 
 rina Sforza, 16, 28, 29, 30, 31, 
 
 32, 36, 37, 39, 104, 119, 120, 
 
 121, 127, 129 
 
 — Caesar, son of Caterina Sforza, 
 
 31 
 
 — Cornelia, daughter of Ottavi- 
 
 ano, 42, 92 
 
 — Galeazzo, 3rd son of Caterina 
 
 Sforza, 43 
 
 — Girolamo, husband of Caterina 
 
 Sforza, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21 
 
 — Ottaviano, eldest son of 
 
 Caterina Sforza, 16, 21, 23, 31, 
 
 42,92 
 Ricasoli, Giovanni, Bishop of 
 
 Cortona, 272, 294 
 Riccio, Pietro Francesco, 207, 
 
 208, 209 
 Ridolfo, Luigi, 259 
 
 — Niccolo, Cardinal, 244, 245, 
 
 246 
 Romangna, 16,25,78,101,113,167 
 
 Rome, 16, 24, 25, 26, 57, 58, 9, 
 65, 73, 89, 100, 112, 113, 126, 
 136, 145, 149, 176, 182, 298, 
 300, 323, 324 
 
 Roscoe (historian), 205 
 
 Rosignano, 312 
 
 Rossi, Angela dei, 127 
 
 — Bernardo dei, 120 
 
 — Cardinal dei, 95 
 
 — Filippo dei, 120, 121 
 
 — Pietro dei, 154 
 
 — Troile dei, Count of San 
 
 Secondo, husband of Bianca 
 
 Riario, 28, 39, 104 
 Roussillon, 270 
 Rovere, Francesco Maria della. 
 
 See Urbino 
 
 — Guidobaldo della, 224 
 
 St. Quentin, Battle of, 298 
 Salviati, Alvise, 99 
 
 — Bernardo, 137 
 
 — Elena, Princess of Piombino, 
 
 68, 73, 211 
 
 — Giovanni, Cardinal, 100, 112, 
 
 113, 134, 137, 151, 152, 157, 
 162, 163, 164, 244, 245, 246 
 ■ — Jacopo, father of Maria Sal- 
 viati, 43, 44, 46, 55, 56, 57, 
 68, 72, 99, 137, 138, 194, 198 
 
 — Lorenzo, 168 
 
 — Lucrezia, mother of Maria, 44, 
 
 54, 61, 62, 63, 68, 137, 138, 
 194 
 
 — Maria Maddalena Romola. See 
 
 Maria Salviati 
 
 — Pietro, 61, 65, 68, 100, 137 
 San Donnino, 155 
 
 San Marcello, 227 
 San Pietro, Baths, 29 
 San Secondo, 120, 151 
 
 — Troile dei husband of Bianca 
 
 Riario. See Rossi 
 
342 
 
 INDEX 
 
 San Stefano. 315 
 Sarzana, IT 1 " 1 
 
 ordinal. 20, 21. 22. 23 
 Savonarola. 57. 2-31 
 Savoy. Bona of. 15 
 
 — Louise jtjnoihez :: Fi-anr-jisL. 
 
 176. 224 
 
 — Philiberte of, wife of Ginliano 
 
 dei Medici. 64 
 Schinner, Matthias. Cardinal of 
 
 Sion. 
 Sermonetta. '.7 
 S : : iza. Caterina. Countess of Forli, 
 
 15-25. 26-37. 35-45, 92. 199, 
 
 203 
 
 — Francesco, Duke of Milan, 
 
 126. 131. 136. 146. 148, 150, 
 178 
 
 — Galeazzo Maria, 15 
 
 — Lodovico, Duke of Milan, IS 
 Sicilv. : ~ 
 
 Siena. S9. 243.245.273.251-292. 
 
 300, 301. 3-5 
 Sieve, River. 53 
 Sixtus IT.. Pope. 15, 16 
 Soderini, 54 
 
 — Maria, 236 
 
 Solvnian II.. Sultan, 264, 265, 
 
 ' 266. 271. 295 
 Sorbolung?. 7 7 
 Spanocchi, Girolamo, 243, 244, 
 
 245. 246 
 Strozzi, Claire dei Medici, wife 
 of Filippo. See Medici 
 
 — Filippo, 237. 244, 252. 253. 
 
 254, 255 
 
 — Leonardo, notary, 35, 36 
 
 — Piero, son of Filippo, 254. 
 
 27-. 288, 280, 
 
 BO, Francesco, secretary and 
 later, bailin to Giovanni delle 
 Bande Xere, So, 100, 100, 
 124, 145 
 
 Suffolk, Duke of, 165 
 Switzerland. 321 
 Szigeth in Hungary. 321 
 
 Talamone. 291. 315 
 
 Tantucci, Girolamo, of Siena. 245. 
 
 251 
 Taro. River. 129 
 Tiber, River. 16. 26. 12S 
 Ticino, River, 133 
 Toledo, Eleonora de. 259. 260, 
 
 262. 271. 275. 300, 301, 
 
 307. 310. 311.312. 313 (death 
 
 of), 314. 316 
 
 — Eleonora, a niece of Eleonora 
 
 de Toledo, 327. 32S 
 
 — Don Garzia de, 255 
 
 — Don Pietro de. Viceroy of 
 
 Xaples. 259. 263. 270, 294 ; 
 
 death of. 297 
 Topaia, La, Villa above Castello, 
 
 20S 
 Toro, River. 120 
 
 IToso. servant of Giovanni, 59. 94, 
 95 
 
 Toulon, 275 
 
 Trebbio, Castello di. 35. 49-55. 92, 
 99, 107. 122. 126. 145, 149, 
 151, 167. 171. ISO. 238 
 
 Trent, Council of, 27S, 2S2, 293, 
 317 
 
 Treviso. 120 
 
 Trezzo on the Adda. 131 
 
 Tribolo, 310, 326 
 
 Tristan, Corsican captain. 66 
 
 Trivulzio. Gian Giacomo, 150 
 
 Turk?. 27 S. 295 
 -any, 26, 129 
 
 L'rrredici, Lodovico, Tyrant of 
 
 Fermo,9S, 131 
 L'rbino, 67 
 
INDEX 
 
 343 
 
 Urbino, Duke of, Francesco Maria 
 della Rovere, 67, 73, 113, 115, 
 144, 176, 183, 184, 185, 186, 
 189, 191, 197, 206, 212, 215 
 
 Vaini, Antonio, steward of Gio- 
 vanni, 50, 53, 62, 63 
 Valdes, 322 
 
 Valori, Filippo, 253, 254 
 Vaprio, 110 
 
 Varano Sigismondo, 113 
 Varchi (historian), 277 
 Vasari, 261, 318 
 Vasto, Marquess del, 271 
 Vega, Garcilossa della, 298 
 
 Venice, 167, 168, 207, 208, 209, 
 
 210, 211, 215, 237, 278, 297, 
 
 319 
 Verocckio, 261 
 Visconti, Bianca, 15 
 Vitelli, Alessandro (Captain of the 
 
 Guard), 237, 242, 243, 253, 
 
 254, 258 
 — Vitelk), 127 
 Viterbo, 25, 31, 92, 102 
 Volano, 209 
 
 Yuste, Monastery of Estramadura, 
 296 
 
 Zutphen, County of, 275 
 
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