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Pontiff had gone too far. Even his allies resented his violence, and King Ferdinand told Guicciardini, the Florentine envoy at the Court of Spain, that he had no intention of allowing the Pope to seize Ferrara and become another Borgia.1

CHAPTER XXV

1512-1513

The Congress of Mantua-The Viceroy of Naples, Bishop of Gurk, and Giuliano dei Medici at Mantua-Maximilian Sforza declared Duke of Milan by the allies-Isabella's intrigues in his favour-The Medici restored by Spanish troops-Sack of Prato and return of Giuliano and Giovanni dei Medici to Florence -Congratulations of Isabella-Her intrigues on behalf of Ferrara-The Pope's threats-Cardinal Gurk in Rome-Carnival fêtes and Fra Mariano-Federico's portrait painted by Raphael -Death of Julius II.—Election of Pope Leo X.—Bibbiena becomes a Cardinal.

EARLY in the month of August 1512, the representatives of the allied powers met at Mantua, where a prolonged conference took place, and Isabella d'Este displayed her usual tact and ability in the conduct of negotiations. On this occasion, her friend the Bishop of Gurk again represented the Emperor, and Raimondo de Cardona, Viceroy of Naples, visited Mantua for the first time as King Ferdinand's deputy. Giuliano dei Medici and his clever secretary, Bernardo da Bibbiena, were the agents accredited by the Pope, while Giovanni Soderini, the brother of the Gonfaloniere, was the nominal representative of Florence, but soon found that he possessed little authority. The Pope was determined to punish the Republic for her adhesion to France, and the restoration of the Medici had already been secretly agreed upon, but the great question which occupied the envoys was

VOL. II.

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MAXIMILIAN SFORZA

the settlement of Milan. Both Maximilian and Ferdinand would have liked to bestow the Duchy on their young grandson, Charles, but neither the Pope nor Venice and Mantua would agree to this, and the Swiss, who held Milan, and were the real masters of the situation, declared at once in favour of Maximilian Sforza, the Moro's elder son. Since the first conquest of Milan by the French in 1499, this youth had been brought up at Innsbrück, with his brother Francesco, in the care of his cousin, the Empress Bianca, and was more of a German than an Italian in his habits and tastes. He was now nineteen, and showed little signs of his father's talent or his mother's high spirit; but Isabella could not forget that he was her nephew, and not only rejoiced that Beatrice's son should reign on his father's throne, but saw in his accession a new opportunity for the advancement of her family's interests. She threw herself heart and soul into the young prince's cause, and lost no opportunity of urging his claims on Lang and Cardona, as well as on Giuliano dei Medici and Bibbiena, who were already her sworn friends and allies. The Viceroy soon fell a prey to the charms of the brilliant Marchesa and her lovely maids-of-honour. The intervals of business were filled with music and song, with pleasant society and gay jests, and while Giuliano and the handsome Bernardo declared themselves to be in love with fair Alda Boiarda, Cardona and the Bishop were at the feet of the fascinating beauty Brognina. Isabella herself had a happy knack of discussing grave political questions at these lively little dances and suppers, and she knew, above all, how to govern others without ever allowing her influence to appear. In this case, the choice of Maximilian Sforza agreed

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particularly well with the interests of the confederates, as one of the most clear-sighted Florentine statesmen of the day remarked: "The Pope wished to have a weak Duke of Milan, so as to dispose of the wealthy benefices in the Duchy at his will. The Bishop of Gurk only cared to raise as much money as possible for his imperial master. The Viceroy wished to quarter his Spanish troops in Lombardy and receive pay for them. The Swiss counted on getting their hire from the Duke, and remaining the real masters of Milan; and Venice looked forward to an easy triumph over a feeble prince." So the business of the conference was speedily despatched in a manner agreeable to all parties, saving the unfortunate Florentine envoy, whose opinion was seldom asked. When he left Mantua, the doom of Florence was already sealed.

On the 21st of August, the Spanish army entered Tuscany with the Medici brothers, and when the Gonfaloniere sent troops to oppose their advance, Prato was stormed and cruelly sacked. On the 31st, Giuliano sent the Marchesa the following note in Bibbiena's writing: "I know well that Your Excellency will rejoice in my happiness, and therefore hasten to tell you that to-morrow my most reverend brother and I are about to return to our home, and take possession of our own house, with the consent of the whole city of Florence. infinite number of citizens have come here to congratulate us on our good fortune. The good news will, I know, give Your Excellency and her illustrious lord the greatest pleasure, so I send a courier to tell

An

1 Francesco Vettori, Storia d'Italia, 1511-1527, in Arch. St. It., vi. 2 Pastor, "Hist. of the Popes," vi. 88.

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you this, and to remind you that I shall be as entirely at your service, when I am back in my home, as I have been during my long exile. I commend myself to my dear Madonna Alda and Equicola, and all your noble court, and so does the Moccicone, who is your faithful servant.-Your servant, GIULIANO DEI MEDICI." Prato, 81st August,

9 P.M.

The next day the two brothers entered Florence in state, and Isabella sent Giuliano her warmest congratulations. "I thank Your Signory," she writes, "for this happy news, and assure you that nothing could give me greater pleasure. I rejoice to think that your return to your own house should be accomplished without any tumult, and with the consent of the Republic, and hold this for a good augury of your future peace and prosperity. I feel sure that your return will excite the less opposition, and will be the more grateful to all, since it has been so fortunately effected without any bloodshed. And tell Moccicone how much we all rejoice with him, in this the greatest joy that he has ever had.”1

So Isabella wrote, in unconscious irony, ignorant of the horrible cruelties of the Spanish soldiers, and of the thousands of innocent women and children who had fallen victims to their greed and lust. She was not without her own anxieties at the time, and, in a letter to Cardinal d'Este,' she tells him of a stormy interview that had taken place between the Pope and the Mantuan envoy, in which His Holiness complained bitterly of the Marquis saying that, owing to him, the Diet had been held at 1 Luzio e Renier, Mantova e Urbino, p. 222. * Guasti, Sacco di Prato.