made Cardinall and Don Ferrando that nowe is the emperours generall at Millaine finally he died ¶ After whose death Federico toke the astate vpon him and was made general of the Romaine churche by bishop Lyon the .x. confirmed by Adrian the .vi. and continued also vnder Clement the .vii. And as the emperour that now is retourned from his coronacion at Bologna passyng through Mantua where he was most honourably receiued his maiestee for the vertue worthinesse and nobilitee knowen in this Federico called hym from the degree of Marques and created hym Duke ¶ He maried Margerite doughter and heire of the lorde Guglielmo Paleologo Marques of Monferrato in whose righte by fauour of the emperours maiestee he obteigned hir fathers astate that is to saie the dominion of Monferrato And so notably fortifiyng the citee of Mantua he died leauyng .iiii. sons Francesco Guglielmo Lodouico and Federico ¶ Francesco after his fathers deathe entred into the dominion but because he was than of verie tender yeres and passeth not yet the age of .14 his father by testament committed the gouernaunce of hym vnto his wife with the helpe and counsaill of his brother Ercole the Cardinall vntill the yonge Duke shall be growen to sufficient yeres who by the parentes consente and by the emperours procurement hath ben contracted vnto one of kyng Ferdinando's doughters and shall marie hir verie shortly as the saiyng is ¶ Of the astate of Ferrara FErrara is one of the notablest citees of Lumbardie aswell for the beautie and greatnesse as also for the stronge site fortificacion ¶ Fyrst for beautie if that part that is called La terra nuoua had ben thoroughly finished as it was deuised it shoulde haue ben woorthie for faire stretes to haue been preferred before any other citee that I haue seen And now as it is I thynke it no lesse woorthy For you shall finde aboue a dousen streetes so iust and euenly setâ—e foorthe that I warrant you there is not so muche as the corner of a house to let a man of his full sight from the tone ende to the tother Some of whiche streetes lacke little of a myle longe with the goodly houses and buildynges on bothe sides so fayre and vniforme that it seemeth all dooen at one tyme and by one agreement as no doubte the most part hath been in deede And than in the middest it hath a verie fayre greene appoincted out for the markette place But the Duke that now is hath had no mynde to folow it although his father Alfonso bestowed the most trauaile of all his daies about it to his wonderful charge as he that shall see it maie wel consider So that the most habitacion of people resteth still in the olde parte of the citee whiche is also indifferent fayre but nothyng comparable to the new Than as touchyng the greatnesse I thynke the circuite by the walles be little lesse than .v. myles And finally for strength it hath the goodliest and strongest wall and the largest diche well watered that I haue seen specially for three partes to the lande warde And as for the fourth part though the wall be not so stronge yet is it reputed of no lesse force on that side than on the other by reason that within .20 yardes of the wall the great riuer of Pò hath his course downe towardes the sea whiche renneth so swifte and is so broade and deepe that it is not to be passed of any enemie to geue assaulte to the towne ¶ The Duke hath vnder his dominion two other citees that is to wete Modona and Reggio with a good parte of the low countreys of Romagna and maie dispende yerely by estimacion betwene .200 and .250000 duckates and is esteemed verie riche because he hath had no warre nor other charge of importaunce for the space of .xiii. yeres or more that he hath gouerned the astate The Originall and successe of the citee LYke as of other places be diuers opinions euen so is there of the beginnyng and name of Ferrara Some woull that the name therof hath growen of a certaine quantitee of yron that the same citee yelded for a tribute vnto the lorde of Rauenna as Argenta and Aureolo haue also dooen of the paiement of siluer and golde Some other woull that it be so called of the mynes of yron that haue been founde there whiche opinion is most sensible consideryng that Ferrara after the vse of the latine tounge signifieth none other but the place where yron is digged foorth as Caesare in his commentaries the .viii. boke of the Frenche warres and as Liuie in the fourthe of the Macedonicall warres dooe affyrme ¶ But to passe ouer these antiquitees and come nerer to our purpose I finde that the saied citee of Ferrara was firste closed with walles by one Smeraldo capitaine for the Greekish emperour in Rauenna and longe time after beyng a certaine space vnder the obedience of Henry the secounde emperour of Almaine it was recouered by the counteise Matilda doughter of the Conte Bonefacio as hir right enheritaunce through helpe of the Uenetians and of the lordes of Rauenna out of the handes of Henry the thirde than emperour whiche Countesse at hir death with other hir possessions lefte it vnto the vse of the Romaine churche insomuche that longe tyme it was gouerned of vicares and of legates vntill the house of Este gatte the rule therof Who firste obteigned is vnder condicion that thei shoulde for euer holde it in fee of the churche of Rome ¶ And to resite the beginnyng of that house some thinke the same is descended of those aunciente Troianes that came with Anthenor into Italy and some other woull that their sâ—ocke shoulde be of a certayne towne called Este now vnder the Uenetian dominion liyng .xv. miles from Padoa on the southeside of the Padoan hilles From whiche towne thei saie this family of Este came to dwell in Ferrara But how so euer it be the fyrst notable man of that house that ruled Ferrara was named Azo who at his death lefte issue two sonnes Aldobrandino and Azo the fyrste entred in possession and liuyng but a short space lefte the astate vnto Azo the seconde his younger brother ¶ This Azo was driuen out of it by Federike the emperour and one Salinguerra put there in his place insomuche that Azo for succour resorted vnto a certaine Ferrarese named Gregorio Montelungo beyng at that tyme Romysh legate in the citee of Bologna by whose meanes with helpe of the Uenetians of the Mantuanes and of Ezelino than lorde of Verona brother in lawe vnto this Azo Salinguerra was by force expulsed and Azo restored vnto his astate vpon condicion that he shoulde holde it for euer as vicare of the church and none otherwyse ¶ Now this Azo the seconde hauyng by his fyrst wife a soonne named Fresco maried agayne the secounde daughter of the kyng of Naples named Beatrice whiche mariage so muche offended
kynge of Englande At the sumptuouse feaste of whose mariage Petrarcha hapned to be present How be it some haue written that she was maried to the Frenche kynges sonne with the dower of an .100000 crownes But how so euer it were hir husbande lyued not passyng fiue monethes after the mariage and shortly thervpon the father Galeazo also died ¶ After whose death his sonne Giangaleazo growen to sufficient yeres diuided the state with his vncle Bernabo on this maner He kept to hym selfe Pauia Tortona Alexandria Nouara and the other townes neere vnto the Alpes with the one halfe of Myllaine and gaue vnto Bernabo Parma Pâ—accuza Cremona Lodi Crema Bergamâ— Como and the other halfe of Myllaine with this aduauntage that for as muche as Bernabo was the more aunciente he should dwell in Myllaine and Giangaleazo in Pauia Thus beyng agreed after a certaine tyme Giangaleazo was aduertised by his wife howe Bernabo hir father and his vncle had diuers tymes sought his death to ridde hym out of the state so that Giangaleazo incontinentely determined to preuente hym and goyng vnto Millaine vnder pretence of pastyme or of some other busynesse Bernabo to honour hym the more issued out against him and so was taken died in prison and parte of his sonnes slayne parte banished Whiche acte onely excepted though it was not yet all against reason this Giangaleazo in all his doynges was accompted so worthy noble and valiaunt a prince that of the people he was called II Conte di Virtu that is to say The Eâ—le of vertue For he was not onely beautifull of personage but also lerned eloquent wise hardy and lyberall And was the fyrst that euer was inuested Duke of Millaine paiyng therfore to the emperour Vinceslao an .10000 duckates After the obteinyng of this honour he encreased his astate by the gettyng of Verona Vicenza Padoa and Bologna ¶ He discomfited the armies of the leage made betwene the Florentines and Bologniese with other their confederates at Casalecchio and broughte the Florentines at length to that takyng that had he not died the rather they muste nedes haue yelded to benne his subiectes ¶ He ouercame Antonio della Scala and buylded the fayre palayce in Pauia with that goodly librarie that yet is seen there walled the parke about beyng of a great circuite and edified the Charterhouse that to this houre amongest the beautifull buildynges of the worlde may be rekened one of the rarest ¶ He brought Italy into suche feare that the Pisani the Senesi the Perugini the Ascesiani and the Lucchesi willyngly became his men so that he founde him selfe lorde ouer .29 citees and thought to haue ben kynge of Italy if death had not so soone taken him ¶ He had two wifes the one called Lisabetta doughter to the kynge of Boeme by whom he had a doughter named La Valentina maried afterwardes to the Duke of Orliens with the dower of the Erledome of Aste that hath ben cause of no small trouble in Italie and the other wife named Caterina de Visconti by whom he had two sonnes Giouanni and Philippo Maria. ¶ He had one bastarde called Gabriello who afterwardes solde Pisa to the Florentines ¶ Finally this notable prince at Marignano died and accordyng to his owne order was from thense caried to the saied Charterhouse besides Pauia and there buried ¶ Than succeded in the astate Giaâ—maâ—â—a the eldest sonne whose dealynges were so greuouse to the Milanese without any their deseruyng that hearyng masse on a daie in the churche through the fury of the people and of his owne men together he was slayne firste causyng his mother to die in prison for ofte warnyng him of that that happened in dede ¶ He was wonte to say many times in excusyng of his errours that in a great house it was necessary there shoulde growe men of diuers sortes and that he therfore vsed the contrary of his fathers doinges so that through his crueltee and his death together many citees rebelled in suche wiâ—e that the Milanese were constreigned to call the sonnes of Bernabo to the Douchy who enioied the same vntill that Philippo maria recouered the dominion and driuing them out mette with one of them called Nestore in a skirmish and slew him ¶ This Philippo was first lorde of Pauia and had maried Beatrice the doughter or as other say sometime wife of Fazino Cane della Scala for none intente but because she was enheritour of many fayre lordeshippes beyonde the Pò and had also verie muche money By meane wherof sleayng Crabrino lorde of Verona he gatte that citee to him selfe ¶ He was constreigned to yelde Bologna Furli and Imola to the bishop of Rome Neuerthelesse he gatte Genoa though afterwardes he loste it againe ¶ He lykewyse toke Bressa whyche beyng recouered against him by the Uenetians caused betwene them verie longe and cruell warre Wherin on the Uenetian side were capitaines Francesco Carmignuola Giouanni Malauolta Gianfrancesco Gonzaga and Nanni Strozzi a Florentine knight And on the side of Philippo against the Uenetians were Francesco Sforza Agnola da Pergoletto the one and other Nicolo Guerriero and Piccinino and one Fierauante da Perugia with the helpe also of Alfonso kynge of Naples who beyng before tyme brought prisoner to Philippo by the Genowaies and by hym restored to libertee lyke a faythfull friende for a great whyle after succoured hym in all his businesse ¶ Thus whan Philippo had finyshed the enterprise againste the Uenetians and by meane of those his capitaines gotten Piacenza Como and Lodi he made the Marques of Monferrato so afearde of hym that wyllyngly he yelded vnto Philippo's handê Vercelli Alexandria and Aste And Nicolo da Este of Ferrara came to visite hym renderyng Parma that before had ben taken from Ottone and knowlageyng hym selfe to holde the citee of Reggio in fee of Philippo ¶ The citeee of Florence fearyng the power of this man entred in leage with the Uenetians whose two armies vnited togethers were foughten withall by certaine of Philippo's capitaines in the Countie of Faenza and there ouercomen ¶ Notwithstanding that the same victory was of much lesse importaunce than that whiche the noble Florentine Cosmo di Medici obteigned in the plaine of Anghiari against the army of Philippo ledde by Nicolo Piccinino towardes the Florentine damage for the whiche victory Cosmo at his retourne to Florence was called father of his countrey ¶ But for all that those warres had neuer ende as long as Philippo liued who finally fell out with the forenamed Alfonse kyng of Naples and by force restored the Queene Giouanna to hir possession ¶ He receiued into Myllaine Martine the .v. bishoppe of Rome as he retourned from the counsaile of Constance and maried his daughter Bianca vnto Francesco Sforza ¶ Finally findyng hym selfe fallen in great aduersitee what thoroughe blindenesse that toke hym in his age what through the losse of Genoa and what through the discoumfiture of his armie at Casale Maggiore
disposed theim all at his pleasure causyng him selfe openlie to be called Duke ¶ Than died Clemente the Bishop whervpon the Cardinalles Di Medici and Saluiati with the principall of the other banished Florentines couetyng the recouerie of their citees libertee sent ambassadours to the emperour besechyng hym to consider the tyrannie of Duke Alexandre who than newly had builded the Cittadella and to regarde the condicions of peace Whiche ambassadours arriued at Barcelona euen as the emperour was takyng shippe towardes the enterprise of Tunise so that beyng returned to Rome the Cardinall Hippolito di Medici disposed hym selfe to goe vnto Tunise therfore And takyng his iourney towardes Naples died at Itri by the waie poysoned as the voice wente by procurement of Duke Alexander ¶ This Duke Alexander was yet but yonge who by bishop Clementes procurement had maried the emperours bastarde doughter he was so stoute that without any respecte he wolde haue his will in all thynges and namely in feates of loue and chaunge of women was his speciall delite And amongest all other he delited more in the company of Laurence di Medici that should succede him in the astate than of any other man But Laurence in steede of that loue hated the Duke and had longe time determined to slea him whan he might finde occasion whether he did it in hope the rather to atteigne to the dominion him selfe or to restore to the citee hir auncient libertee be diuers opinions ¶ In effecte without makyng any man priuie to his entent other than a seruante of his owne the Duke beyng on a nighte all alone in Laurences house and slepyng on a bedde Laurence and his man slewe him and thervpon counsailyng with certayne of his friendes and seeyng no man disposed to stande with him in pursuyng of his purpose the selfe same nighte he fledde and went straight to Uenice where in company of the Sâ—â—ozzi he liued till of laâ—e certaine persons in hope of the Taglia a rewardâ— prâ—claimed for the kyllyng of notable offenders he was also slayne ¶ Immediately vpon knowlage of the death of Duke Alexander the three Florentine Cardinalles that were than in Rome departed thense and makyng all the men they coulde by the waie come with an armie towarde Florence Wherfore the Medici with their friendes in Florence to make their party good that the banished men shoulde not preuayle to their destruction elâ—cted Cosmo di Medici to be their Duke a yonge man of .20 yeres of age whâ—se father Iohn Di Medici had ben a man righte valiaunt in armes And therupon senâ—e to the Cardinalles praiyng theim to state their armie by the waie and to come them selfes priuately to Florence where they shoulde finde so muche reason offered them that they shoulde neede to vse no force So thei staied their power besides Cortona and beyng come to Florence were entreated with so faire promises that thei licenced theyr men to depart By reason wherof the Duke that nâ—we is with his friendes had time to make theim selfes stronge and than wolde consent to nothing that the Cardinalles loked for so that with a playne mocke they departed lamentyng their folie that they had chaunged the suretee of their force for the vnsuretee of fayre wordes ¶ This chaunge in Florence and the mocke that the Cardinalles receiued so muche encreased their malice that they with the helpe of Phillip Strozzi and Bartholomew Valori assembled and waged the number of 4000. men whiche by Peter Strozzi that yet liueth and serueth the Frenche kynge shoulde haue be conducted to Monte Murlo and from thense to Florence had not Phillip and Bartholomew who with a smalle companie came before to Monte Murlo ben sette vpon by Alexander Vitelli taken and ledde awaie prâ—soners to Florence where the whole conspiracy of those confederates that were in the towne was discouered and diuers taken and put to execucion and so the whole enterprise broken and destroied Amongest the rest onely Phillip Strozzi was preserued from deathe notwithstandyng he was kepte in prysâ—n in the Cittadella and there died Some saie he killed him selfe rather than he woâ—â—e vndoe his children by paiyng the raunsome that was required of him beyng in dede one of the rychest priuate men that was in his time as it dothe well appeare by the wealth of his sonne Peter and of his other children whiche beyng banished men and hauyng nothyng in their owne countrey doe neuerthelesse lyue abroade in so muche reaputacion that fewe brethern of christendome vnder the degree of prynces doe the like ¶ I haue spoken before of Cittadella buylded by Duke Alexander for the more suretee of his dominion whiche at his deathe remaigned in the kepynge of one of the Dukes capitaines But assoone as Alexander Vitelli one that had serued well the emperour in his warres hearde of the Dukes deathe he came to Florence and entred into the castell to speake with the capitaine where he handled the mattâ—er so well that he excluded the capitaine and kepte it him selfe And thoughe he made many faire promises to Duke Cosmo yet at length he deliuered it to the emperour who therfore rewarded hym with fayre possessions in the realme of Naples ¶ This Duke Cosmo sued first to marrie with the wife of Duke Alexander the emperours doughter but the bishop of Rome that nowe is purchaced hir to his no small coste for his sonnes sonne Duke Octauio For the whiche there hath ben mortall hate betwene Duke Cosmo and the bishop And beyng thus preuented the Duke to obteigne the more stay towardes the emperour maried the doughter of Don Diego di Tolledo Uice Re of Naples by whose meane he hath redeemed the Cittadella of the emperour for the summe of .400000 duckates and is nowe absolute lorde and kynge within him selfe ¶ He hath diuers faier children by his wyfe and loueth hir so well that in maner he neuer goeth abrode vnlesse it be to churche without hir and is reputed to be a very chaste man He is learned and wyse he vseth fewe wordes and is neuerthelesse in his owne tounge eloquente In the administracion of iustice he is so sincere that syns the tyme of his reigne whiche is nowe aboue .x. yeres I haue not hearde that he hath pardoned any person condemned to die He hath restreigned the Uice of Sodomie which heretofore reigned more in Florence than elswhere in Italy with paine of death and hath broughte his astate to suche quietnesse as it hath not ben this .300 yeres past so that Florence may well saie that in hym she hath founde hir longe desired libertee For though he absolutely hath the whole reuenewes to his owne vse yet the suretee that the Florentynes haue in their owne thynges whiche heretofore they neuer had is muche more worthe to theym than the common reuenew was beneficiall to the citee ¶ Finally the vertue of this Duke Cosmo besides the woorthinesse of his dominion hath brought hym in suche reputacion that
great infyrmitee blinded of one eye died without issue leauyng the astate of Myllaine wholly to the emperour who euer sens hath gouerned the same by his lieuetenauntes The fyrst wherof was named Antonio di Leua so lame a man of his limmes that he vsed to be caried on mens shoulders but on the other side so prudent and ware a capitaine in his doyngê as in his daies was not lyghtly to be founde againe ¶ Next vnto whom folowed the Marques of Vasco a verie honourable and courtly man but not altogether man but not altogether so happie in his procedinges as suche noble men couette to be ¶ Finally after his death the emperour hath placed there the famouse Don Ferrando Gonzaga vncle to the Duke of Mantua whose prosperitee hath not onely been great in feates of warre but also wonderfull in purchasyng of fame through the sincere and rare administracion of iustice that he vseth ¶ I call it not rare for other cause than for the rare correction he hath vsed against the offendours wherby he hath wonne the hertes of theim that loue iustice ¶ As for the progresse of the thynges happened in the state of Myllaine sens the death of Francesco Sforza in whom it semeth the house of Visconti to haue taken his ende I shall not neede here to make any rehersall because on the one syde the dooynges of the same haue not been verie great and on the other side they are present and fimiliare ¶ Of the astate of Mantua THe citee of it selfe is very fayre and stronge and standeth richely by reason the countreis about are plaine and no lesse plentiful than the other partes of Lumbardie be It is stronge because the riuer of Meltio or Mentio as some call it fallyng out of the lake of Garda thoroughe the towne of Peschiera passeth to the Pò by Mantua and maketh about it suche a poole that thre partê of the citee are defended with the bredth of a quarter of a myle of water euery waie whiche in some places is deepe and in some shalow that it can not be passed with botes And than in the necessarie places suche bulwarkes are made to defende that it semeth impossible to be wonne by assaulte on that side ¶ And for the .iiii. parte whiche is towarde the weast it is verie well fortified with stronge wallê and bulwarkes and a large byche well watered besides that the grounde on that side is in maner all marisshe or at the least so ranke that in the driest of the sommer there can none artillerie passe so that the citee is vndoubtedly one of the strongest that I haue seen ¶ The dominion that the Duke hath is not great neyther of circuite nor of reuenew For at the best as I haue ben enformed the rentes neuer passed an .100000 duckates a yere and many times it hath ben much lesse by reason it is not standyng but riseth of customes and casualtees ¶ It is true that the state is muche encreased by reason of Monferrato that the last Duke had by the mariage of his wyfe so that now the Duke of Mantoa's rentes by estimacion are reckened at .130000 duckates or theraboutes ¶ And as for notable buildinges in Mantua other than suche as be vniuersall in the goodly citees of Italie I finde none sauyng certaine propre lodgeynges that the Duke Federico deceased hath made on the southe part of his palaice whiche vndoubtedly are galaunt and riche Wherfore procedyng now to the originall of the citesins and citee with the successe therof hitherwardê ¶ The Originall of Mantua BY agreement of most aucthours I fynde that the people of Mantua are descended of those auncient Tuscanes that before the siege of Troie departed out of Lydia in Asia and vnder the leadyng of theyr prince Tirreno came and enhabited the region of Italie Part of whiche Tuscanes chosyng afterwardes the place of Mantua for theyr habitacion builded the citee before the comyng of Eneas into Italie and before the edificacion of Rome more than .300 yeres The capitaine of which people at that time was named Ogno a verie expert man in Astronomie or in the science of diuinacion For his vertue in whiche science folowyng the Greeke woorde Mantia he named the citee Mantua How be it Dante speakyng therof referreth the beginnyng of Mantua to Manto daughter of Tiresia kynge of Thebes whom the poetes feigne lost his sight for iudgeyng betwene Iupiter and Iuno that the woman in the vse of nature had more pleasure than the man taken for iudge in this mattier because through the killyng of certayne serpentes he before tyme had ben chaunged from a man to a woman and had vsed in bothe kyndes So that Iupiter in recompence of his sight that Iuno had taken from him gaue hym the science of diuinacion and he hauyng a doughter afterwardê according to that science named hir Manto who comyng into Italy was aucthour bothe of the beginnyng and also of the name of Mantua But howe so euer it were I finde that ones it was destroied by Attila kyng of the Goti and after by Agilulfo kynge of the Lumbardes thyrdely by Cacciano kyng of Bauiera and lastly by the Hungariens And than beyng reedified Nicolas the secounde bishop of Rome helde a generall counsaill there in the which these holy Pilates I wold say Prelates decreed that from thense forth the bishops of Rome shulde be elected by the college of Cardinalles to the intent the emperours shoulde haue no more to doe withall At the tyme oâ— whiche counsaill Matilda doughter of the Conte Bonifacio was ladie of Mantua ¶ This Conte Bonifacio was lorde of the citees of Luca Parma Reggio Mantua and Ferrara called altogethers at that tyme Il Patrimonio and was so great a man that he obteigned vnto wife Beatrice sister of Henry the secounde emperour of Almaine Whiche Beatrice after hir husbandes death gouerned the whole dominion 15. yeres and was finally buried in Pisa leuyng hir doughter Matilda before named with an husbande named Godfrey in the astate ¶ Matilda after the death of hir husbande Godfrey maried againe and at length founde meane to be diuorsed insomuche that diyng without issue she lefte hir whole astate vnto the churche of Rome and was buried in the abbey of S. Benette di Bondeno besides Mantua ¶ After whose death the citee of Mantua was gouerned by Romaine vicares and legates vntill aboutes the yere of grace .1220 one Sordello founde the meanes to be principall gouernour therof the mightiest man of body and strength that was in those daies insomuche that beyng prouoked many tymes to feighte he alwaies remained vanquisher Through the notable fame wherof the Frenche kynge sente for hym and beyng arriued in his presence merily saied vnto him he belieued not that he shoulde be Sordello wherwith Sordello beyng offended incontinently tourned his backe without speakyng any worde and beyng called againe was demaunded by the Frenche kyng what he meaned so sodeinly to tourne
his backe he aunswered I wolde haue retourned to Mantua to bryng witnesse that I am Sordello ¶ He maried one of the doughters of Ezelino da Romano who first beyng enamoured on him vsed secretly to departe from hir fathers house and goe to Mantua vnto him Wherof Ezelino at length hauyng knowlage tempted by meane of his doughter that Sordello shoulde haue betraied the Mantuanes into his handes but Sordello wolde neuer consent therunto insomuche that at laste Ezelino came him selfe and besieged Mantua hopyng to gette it by force But all in vayne for after he had lien before it certaine daies he finally was constreigned to raise his siege and not longe after died So that the Mantuanes prouoked through that example immediately endeuored them selfes to fortify their citee with diches and water to the ende that in tyme to come their vittailes might not easily be cutte from theim And in shorte space after fell in contencion with the Cremonese for the possession of the ryuer of Oglio In whiche time the notablest families of Mantua were the Poledroni that had chaced awaie the Crabrosi and next theim were the Arloâ—â—i the Caccialodi the Grassolani and the Agnelli but at length the Buona Colsi became most puissaunte of all the rest the heade of whiche house was named Pinamonte who beyng conspired against by all the other forenamed families founde the meane to ouercome all their forces And beyng elected with an other named Ottonello vnto the chiefest office of iudgement vpon life and death for terme of .vi. monethes he founde the meane also to slea his colleage and to vsurpe the dominion ouer the citee by force ¶ Neuerthelesse afterwardes he behaued hym selfe so well that throughe his gentile and iuste dealynges he gatte the citesins fauour and continued in the astate .18 yeres After whom succeded Bardelaio yll beloued of all men and nexte him Botticello indifferently well beloued on the other side But last of all Passerino enioied the dominion whose sonne named Francesco caused the destruction of his father of him selfe and of their other kynne and friendes by this meane ¶ Amongest his many friendes Philippino sonne of Luigi Gonzaga was one Of whom this Francesco beganne to conceiue a ialousy touchyng his wife and so muche encreased this suspicion that beyng on a day as â—he maner is greeted by Philippino he churlishly aunswered that he wolde be euen with him by forsyng his wife again openly in the markette place The arrogancy of whiche aunswere so muche enflambed the innocent hert of Philippino that incontinently he began to imagine how to be auenged not on Francesco alone but also on the father Passerino considering that the one coulde not be well done without the other And so declaryng the terrible wordes of Francesco lamented the case vnto his brother Guido Gonzaga and to diuers other of his friendes and kynne who all togethers with the helpe of Cane lorde of Scala determined to dispatche Passerino And at the daie appoyncted assemdled in armes in the markette place and there slewe Passerino as he fledde towardes his owne house to haue saued hym selfe So that whan Passerino was slayne the house of Gonzaga toke on it the dominion banished diuers of the contrary part beheaded Francesco and therwith ceased from further crueltee against their enemies by commaundement of the forenamed Luigi Gonzaga that firste of that name was lorde of Mantua ¶ This familie of Gonzaga had his beginnyng of one Luigi Tedesco an Almaine of royall bloudde who in the tyme that all Italie was in armes and so many armies about Robicone had taken place for hym and all his familie at Mantua Of whom afterwardes descended this Luigi Gonzaga before named that aboutes the yere of grace .1328 beganne his dominion ouer Mantua and gouerned the same afterwardes the space of 53. yeres He had three wifes and by euery wife three sonnes By the fyrst he had Guido Philippino and Feltrino By the seconde Currado Alberto and Federico And by the thyrde Azo Iacopo and Giouanni Insomuche that there hapned in Mantua three notable mariagê of that house in one time Luigi him selfe to his last wife of the house of Malespini Currado his son to the sister of Mastino della Scala and Vgolino his sons son borne of Guido vnto a little girle of Becacci da Pauia At whiche mariagê there assembled a wonderful nuÌ„bre of people insomuche that Luigi him selfe gaue away amongest nobles gentilmen .120 goodly horses ¶ After the successe of these thynges whylest Philippino was folowyng the warres in seruice of the kynge of Hungarie against the kynge of Naples there hapned a mischaunce vnto the house of Gonzaga ¶ Isabell wyfe of Lucchino Visconti lorde of Myllaine a verie fayre woman feigned to hir husbande that she had made a vow to goe in pylgrimage vnto Uenice and vnder that colour obteignyng licence she toke Mantua in hir waie where she lodged in the house of Gonzaghi auncient friendes vnto hir husbande And after she hadde supped secretely sent for Vgolino vnto whom she declared that for the feruent loue she bare to hym she had taken on hir that iourney praiyng hym therfore to kepe hir company vnto Uenice ¶ This thyng came to the eares of Lucchino who prouoked therby laied siege to Mantua Neuerthelesse findyng the friendes of Vgolino innocent of the fault and that Guido the father did his best to correcte hym Lucchino through intercession leueied the siege And shortly after Luigi Gonzaga of the age of .93 died hauing ledde an happie life to see so many forewarde persones to the .iii. and fourthe degree of his owne generacion ¶ After whom Guido his eldest sonne entred into the astate and whilest the empyre was vacant by the helpe of his brother Philippino gatte Lamporeggio and contended longe tyme in armes with Obizone Marques of Ferrara who at length was ouercomen by Philippino and with great losse constreigned to withdraw hym home vnto Ferrara ¶ This Guido had .iii. soonnes Vgolino Francesco and Luigi And because the two younger perceiued that the father fououred more the eldest they takyng counsaile together determined to ridde hym out of the waie and so biddyng hym to supper on an euenyng slew hym ¶ This vnnaturall part of the sonnes was supported of the dolorouse father as well as nature woulde suffre it But because the correction therof shoulde haue drawen more bloudde of his owne he therfore sought to abate his passion with the new mariage of his sonne Francesco vnto the doughter of Guido Polenta lorde of Rauenna Neuerthelesse Bernabo Visconti vncle to the wife of Vgolino to auenge Vgolino's death after he had first fette awaie his neece laied siege to Mantua by reason wherof Guido was constreigned to sue for helpe to the emperour Charles that than warred in Italie who before time goyng towardes his coronacion and passyng through Mantua had been there most honourablie receiued by Luigi father of Guido so that by the emperours
meanes the mattier was remedied and within shorte space after died Guido and his sonne Francesco bothe ¶ And than came the astate clerely to Luigi who builded the palaice wherin all his successours to this daie haue dwelled He begatte on his wife Alda a sonne named Francesco whom he maried verie yonge vnto Agnesa doughter of Bernabo Visconti and at last beyng knowen openly to haue committed auoutrie the people arose and cruelly slew hym ¶ After whose death the astate descended to his sonne Francesco than beyng of the age of .xiiii. yeres But growen afterwardes to more tyme he so muche loued peace that he refused to entre in confederacion with Giangaleazo Duke of Myllaine And vpon displeasure therfore folowyng betwene theim Francesco caused the adder that for the great amitee and aliaunce betwene those two houses had in tyme past been ioygned to the armes of Mantua to be cleane taken out therof For whiche despite Giangaleazo besieged Mantua and laie before the same an whole yere in whiche meane tyme there perisshed many notable men on bothe sydes and specially of the house of Gonzaga .4 that is to wete Guido Torello Bartolino and Galeazo Whiche Galeazo Gonzaga amongest all other was reputed the strongest and hardiest man of his daies hauing fought oftentymes bodie to bodie and remained euermore vainquisher namely against Buccialdo a notable stronge man than gouernour for the Frenche kynge in Genoa These businesses at length beeyng pacified and Francesco somewhat awakened in armes he enterprised warre in the name of Giangaleazo against the Bologniese and against Giouanni Bentiuogli in the thicke wherof he toke Iacopo Carraro of Padoa prisoner and ledde hym to Mantua geuyng him suche curteyse libertee there that yeldyng vnkyndnesse for kyndnesse Iacopo escaped awaie wherof folowed muche a dooe afterwardes For assoone as the Duke of Myllaine was dead the Uenetians consideryng the prouoked displeasure before rehersed elected the saied Francesco to be their generall in thenterprise against the Carrari and were so well serued of hym that after he had chased the Carrari out of Padoa and Verona he reduced bothe those citees to the Uenetian obedience And so after a gloriouse life died ¶ Leauyng after hym his sonne Gianfrancesco in the dominion of the age of .14 yeeres who by his wyfe Paola daughter of Malatesta lorde of Rimini had .4 sonnes Luigi Carlo Lucido and Alexandro To the fyrst wherof he obteined for wyfe Barbera daughter of the Marques of Brandenburgh and kynneswoman vnto the emperour Edmonde who at his comyng into Italie and passyng through Mantua was there honourablie receiued by Gianfrancesco insomuche that before his departure he made hym Marques and gaue hym in his armes the ensigne of the empyre ¶ After the atteignyng of whiche honours he was thre seuerall tymes made generall of the Uenetians and in euery enterprise gatte the vpper hand And at last forsakyng theim he was waged against theim by Philippo Duke of Myllaine and in that seruice in company of Niccolo Piccinino was parte of the occasion that the Uenetians than lost the citee of Verona with many other townes of the Bressane and Uicentine so he died leauyng his dominion diuided in .iiii. partes vnto his foure sonnes To Luigi as eldest the citee of Mantua with those other townes that he had about Verona to Carlo who was an excedyng stronge man Luceâ—a with the reste of those landes that he helde on the Cremonese territorie To Lucido yll shapen and weake of person Capriana La Volta and Ciregiaia and finally to Alexandro who was crokebacked and becomen religiouse Canneto with that lande that he hadde on the Bressane ¶ Thus Luigi the eldest toke the astate vpon hym and continued not longe in the same vnuexed of his brother Carlo whose mightinesse and force of body was coupled with suche an haultenesse of minde that for desire of atteignyng his elder brothers astate he coulde not be contented to liue in peace ¶ And albeit that in the warres betwene Francesco Sforza and the Milanese he fledde from one part to an other and backe again yet by his brothers meanes he recouered the fauour of Sforza at whose handes he receiued diuers benefites But Luigi seeyng now the yll disposicion of his vnquiete mynde finally toke from hym all the landes that his father lefte hym so that Carlo fledde to the Uenetians and became their captaine so longe till at lengthe through their helpe he assembled a power of men wente againste his brother and foughte with him to the ieopardy of the losse of the Mantuan astate But in conclusion the right of Luigi preuailed againste the force of Carlo who beyng discomfited and fledde died afterwardes verie poorely in exile ¶ This enterpryse beeynge thus ouercomen and the thynges of the astate quieted Luigi triumphantly receiued the emperour Federico the thyrde as he passed through Mantua to Rome and beyng than a wydower by the death of his first wife maried Margarite doughter of the Duke of Bauiera and cousen to the forenamed emperour ¶ He was so great of body that he was commonly called the Turke so well exercysed in armes and so beloued specially of the Dukes of Millaine that Duke Philippo called him sonne Francesco called him brother and Galeazo called him father ¶ He was noble of courage fine of witte and somewhat learned whiche thinges together with his liberall and courteise life made him beloued of all men ¶ Finally through some disorder in liuyng as he that loued to liue in pleasure he died somewhat before the full course of his naturall terme Leauyng by his first wife Barbara .v. sonnes Federico Francesco made Cardinall Luigi Gianfrancesco and Rodolfo all notable and vertuouse persons ¶ Federico as eldest succeded in the astate and was afterwardes generall to the Duke of Millaine and maried La Margerita Tedesca on whom he begatte a sonne named Francesco and in the Uenetian warres againste the Duke of Ferrara hauyng gotten Asola whiche afterwardes he was constreigned by force to restore sickened for sorow and died ¶ By reason wherof his sonne Francesco of the age of 18. yeres entred into the astate and at the age of .38 was made generall of the Uenetians in whose seruice he did wonders specially againste Charles the eighte Frenche kyng nere vnto the riuer of Taro besides Parma as the same kynge retournyng from the conquest of the realme of Naples laden with great richesse was goyng into Fraunce In whiche enterprise Francesco so behaued him selfe that he ledde many noble men prisoners with hym at his retourne insomuche that the Frenche kynge made verie great offers to haue had his seruice but all in vaine For continuyng his ennemie he afterwardes fought with the Frenche men in Puglia and so discomfited theim that he restored the kynge Ferrandino vnto his astate And leauyng three sonnes by his wife Beatrice doughter of Ercole Duke of Ferrara that is to wete Federico that next succeded him Ercole