Contents.

The Beguines and the Weaving Brothers.
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In 1180, Lambert of Liége founds the first Beguinage; the rapid spread of the Order; invention of the kindred guild of the Beghards or Fratres Textores 8
In 1216 the invention of the Tertiary Orders of St. Dominic and St. Francis supplies a monastic equivalent for Beguinism 12
Beguinism is awhile preserved from decadence by the prestige of Mechtild of Magdeburg 14
After her death, heresy and mysticism swiftly undermine the Beguine Orders 24
Opinions of the Beguines 25
The Church resolves on their suppression 29
The plague of the Wandering Orders 30
The Beguines are absorbed into the Tertiary Orders 31
The Beguines of Strasburg join the Dominican Order 32
And heresy begins to appear among the Dominicans of Strasburg 33
Meister Eckhart and his doctrines 33
Swester Katrei 34
The Beguines are suppressed; but their ideas, stealthily kept alive in quiet places, burst out again in the XVI. century 38
 
The Convent of Helfta.
 
Religious distinction of Thuringia in the 13th century 45
Gertrude of Helfta enters the Convent of RodardesdorfRodardesdorf about 1234; arrival of her sister Mechtild 46
Life in the Convent 48
In 1251 Gertrude is elected Abbess 55
And removes the Convent to her Castle of Helfta 56
Mechtild of Magdeburg enters the Convent, 1265 57
The miracles of St. Gertrude 61
Death of Mechtild of Magdeburg 67
Illness of St. Gertrude 68
Her death 71
 
The Attraction of the Abyss.
 
The science of Mysticism 74
The bottom of the Soul 75
The Soul and God alone real, the world non-existent 75
The bottom of the Soul is Nothingness 8
God is the supreme Non-Existence 82
And created Matter purum nihil 84
The world is Nothing 85
Superiority of the position of the Mystics to the position of Theologians 87
 
The Schism.
 
The Pope comes to Avignon. The Popes remain there seventy years. In 1377 the Pope re-enters Rome 95
Changed aspect of Rome 96
Robert of Geneva leads the Papal armies against the Italians on revolt 97
Death of Gregory XI. The Conclave in Rome 97
Bartolommeo Prignano is elected 97
Triumph of the Italian party 98
The unpopularity of Prignano as Urban VI. 99
The rumour grows that his election was invalid. In September, 1378, Robert of Geneva is elected Pope at Fondi as Clement VII. 100
The Schism 100
 
Valentine Visconti.
 
Birth of Valentine Visconti, 1366 102
Her parentage and childhood 103
The rise of her father, Giangaleazzo 104
Description of Valentine 107
Conquests of Giangaleazzo 110
Valentine Visconti is betrothed to Louis, only brother of Charles VI. of France 111
Reasons for the marriage 112
The dowry of Valentine 113
Antagonism of Prince Louis to his uncle of Burgundy 115
Burgundy resists the marriage 116
Valentine arrives at Court 118
Description of the King and Orleans 119
Mediæval Paris 122
Ascendancy of Valentine over the King 127
Her husband acquires the Duchy of Orleans, 1391 128
The King goes mad 129
The people suspect Orleans 131
And say the Duke of Orleans is a wizard 133
Madness of the King 134
People say that Valentine is a witch, and that she and her husband compass the King’s madness 137
Reasons for popular irritation against Valentine 138
Rivalry of France and Visconti in Genoa 139
Visconti and Orleans play into each other’s hands 140
The Kingdom of Adria 145
Death of Clement VII. 146
France checkmates Orleans and Visconti in Genoa 147
There is talk in France of a Lombard campaign 149
But the disaster of Nicopolis compels the French to keep friends with Milan 150
Nicopolis 151
Tyranny of Orleans in France 156
Death of Giangaleazzo Visconti 162
Orleans leads an army into Lombardy 164
And suddenly returns to Paris 165
The King bestows on him the royal claim to Pisa 165
The Florentines take Pisa 167
And Orleans turns his ambition towards Luxemburg, to the detriment of Burgundy 169
Orleans is murdered in Paris 170
Burgundy avows the deed 173
Valentine struggles to vindicate her husband’s memory 174
She dies broken-hearted 178
 
The French claim to Milan.
 
Valentine Visconti brings the Milanese succession into the House of Orleans 181
Her marriage contract provides that on extinction of male descent she shall inherit Milan 184
The Duke of Milan thus disposes of an Imperial fief 186
Ambiguity of his conduct and intention 189
He intends to secure himself equally against France and against the Empire 190
Unsubstantiality of Imperial power 192
The will of Giangaleazzo Visconti confirms the French claim to Milan 193
Fate of the children of Valentine 196
Orleans and Angoulême, in 1441, send Dunois to Milan to demand the restitution of Asti from their uncle Filippo Maria Visconti 197
Illness of the Duke of Milan 199
The rival claims of his heirs 200
He talks of adopting the Dauphin Louis 202
Meanwhile Louis and Savoy plan the conquest of Milan 203
League between the Dauphin and the Duke of Milan 205
Death of the Duke of Milan 206
His will 207
The French prepare to assert the rights of Orleans 209
Raynouard du Dresnay begins the campaign 210
The Duke of Orleans arrives at Asti, October 17, 1447 213
He sends an embassy to Venice asking aid 215
The Venetians procrastinate 217
Intrigues of Savoy 220
The Venetians determine to assassinate Francesco Sforza 221
Suddenly the Milanese accept Sforza 229
His position as regards Orleans, and before the feudal law 231
The Venetians again determine to assassinate him 233
Efforts of Sforza to legalize his position 237
The Dauphin promises the Venetians to invade Italy, and dispossess Sforza 240
In December, 1453, Venice incites the Dauphin to seize the Milanese and expel Sforza—She professes her readiness to aid him with men or money; or she will do as much for the Duke of Orleans in the same undertaking. (A note quotes Venetian documents to show how, about the same time, Genoa, Milan, Venice, and Florence were taking measures to secure Italy against invasion.) 241
In April, 1459, Venice makes peace with Sforza 242
Opposite policy of Charles VII. and the Dauphin 243
Death of King Charles VII. 245
Louis XI. becomes the firm ally of Sforza, but discards Savoy, Orleans, Dunois, and Anjou 245
In December, 1463, Louis XI. cedes to Sforza the French claim to Genoa 245
Death of Charles, Duke of Orleans 246
Death of Louis XI., August 30, 1483 247
January 16, 1484. Venice sends to Charles VIII. and to the young Duke of Orleans pointing out the French claim to Venice and to Naples 250
The Embassy is renewed in February; but a new peace in Italy and the struggles of Orleans for the Regency in France postpone any further plans for a French invasion 251
The invasion of Italy by Charles VIII. takes place in 1494 at the instigation, not of Naples, but of Milan 252
Illness detains Orleans at Asti, within a league or two of Lodovico Sforza at Milan 252
Venice and Florence begin to intrigue with Orleans, and suggest that the French take Milan instead of Naples 254
Giangaleazzo Sforza, Duke of Milan, dies in prison 257
Rights of the Regent, Lodovico il Moro 257
A diploma from the Emperor declares him Duke 256, 257
The relation between the French and Lodovico Sforza become strained 258
In March, 1495, Venice, Milan, the Emperor, Castile, and Arragon unite in a league to expel the French, unless they retire without offence 260
In June Orleans takes Novara 263
The blockade of Novara. Orleans is released by composition 264
Peace between France and the League is concluded in October, 1495—The French evacuate Italy 265
Florence entreats Orleans to invade Italy, and insists upon his rights to Milan, 1497 266
Orleans refuses to leave France 266
Death of Charles VIII. 267
Orleans becomes King of France as Louis XII. 267
Louis XII. conquers Lombardy, 1499 268
The Emperor confirms his victories, and annals the privileges bestowed on Lodovico Sforza 269
Rights of Louis XII. and of Francis I. to Milan 269
The French lose Milan at the Battle of Pavia 270
Efforts to regain Milan, 1527-1536 271
The treaty of Crépy 271
The death of Charles II. of Orleans leaves Milan to the Spaniards 272
 
The Malatestas of Rimini.
 
Carlo Malatesta, Lord of Rimini, being childless, adopts his dead brother’s three natural sons in 1427 274
And procures their legitimation before his death in 1429 275
He is succeeded by the eldest, Galeotto, a visionary ascetic 276
In 1430 Gismondo, his younger brother, drives back the Papal armies and delivers Rimini, being at the time twelve years of age 279
Galeotto expels the Jews 279
And dies 280
Gismondo succeeds, drives back the armies of Urbino and Pesaro, betroths himself to the daughter of Carmagnola, and marries Ginevra of Este, 1432 281
He rebuilds the Rocca, and becomes acquainted with Isotta degli Atti 284
Character of Isotta 285
In 1440 the wife of Gismondo dies suddenly—In 1442 he marries, not Isotta, but the daughter of Sforza 287
He rebuilds the church of Rimini in honour of Isotta 287
Architecture and decoration 287-294
Sudden death of Polissena Sforza 294
Triumphs and treacheries of Gismondo as a captain 295
He deserts from Arragon to Anjou 296
His reverses begin 296
At this moment his enemy, Æneas Sylvius Piccolomini, is elected Pope, 1453 296
The effigy of Gismondo is buried in the streets of Rome, and he is excommunicated 297
He seeks help in vain of the Angevines at Naples 297
He marries Isotta, and leaves her as Regent in Rimini 297
He hires himself to the Venetians, conducts the campaign of the Morea, and brings home the bones of Gemisthus Pletho in 1465 298
Ruin and death of Gismondo Malatesta 299
 
The Ladies of Milan.
 
Murder of Galeazzo Maria Sforza in 1476 300
The Duchess Bonne and her children leave the conduct of affairs to Cecco Simonetta, secretary of the late Duke and of his father, the great Francesco Sforza 300
Simonetta exiles the brothers of the late Duke 301
He falls out with the favourite of the Duchess, who persuades her to recall her brother-in-law, Lodovico il Moro 302
Lodovico returns secretly to Milan; beheads Simonetta 303
And shuts his two little nephews in the Tower 303
He rules Milan by the title of Regent, and exiles the Duchess 304
His nephew, Giangaleazzo Sforza, marries Isabel of Arragon, granddaughter of the King of Naples 305
Lodovico Sforza marries Beatrice d’Este, daughter of the Duke of Ferrara 306
Jealousies of Beatrice and Isabel 306
Isabel appeals to Naples, and induces her father and grandfather to declare war on Lodovico in defence of the rights of Giangaleazzo 306
Lodovico invites the French to invade Italy in support of the French claim to Naples, 1494 307
Death of the Duchess Beatrice, January, 1496 309
Sforza and Visconti portraits 312
 
The Flight of Piero de’ Medici.
 
Charles VIII. invades Italy, 1494 315
Enthusiasm of the people and of Savonarola for the French 315-319
Savonarola 319
Piero Capponi 320
Piero de’ Medici 321
His light-minded and frivolous government leaves Florence at the mercy of the French 322
Piero secretly leaves Florence and goes to make terms with Charles VIII. 325
Assents to the extravagant demands of the King 331
Indignation of Florence 335
Piero is expelled the city 337
 
The French at Pisa.
 
Gabriel’ Maria Visconti, Lord of Pisa, declares himself the vassal of the King of France, 1404 340
Marshal Boucicaut is sent as French Governor to Genoa, 1402 341
Character of Boucicaut 341
His schemes for capturing a town in Lombardy 341
But his allies, the Florentines, are too busy in laying siege to Pisa 342
Louis of Orleans marches towards Lombardy, 1403 343
And suddenly returns to France 343
Boucicaut having accepted Visconti as the vassal of the King for Pisa 345
The King transfers to Orleans all the royal rights on Pisa 345
Florence remonstrates with Boucicaut, her ally, asserting that she has more right than the French have to Pisa 345-8
Meanwhile the Pisans expel Gabriel’ Maria Visconti, who takes refuge at Genoa, and demands succour of the French King, his liege lord 350
Boucicaut attempts to arrange affairs a l’amiable 351
The Pisans refuse to accept Gabriel’ Maria, but offer to give themselves directly to France, even as Genoa had done before 351
Boucicaut induces Gabriel’ Maria to accept a compensation, and sends a French garrison and a galley of provisions to Pisa 352
The Pisans seize the crew of the galley, cast them into prison, and provision the city for a long resistance at Boucicaut’s expense 352
Visconti sells Pisa to the Florentines 353
Boucicaut persuades the King of France to accept the Florentines as his vassals for Pisa 354
The King agrees and signs a treaty to that effect; yet in the next year he declares Burgundy and Orleans Lords of Pisa, and bids Boucicaut help them against the Florentines. Boucicaut refuses 365
The Florentines take Pisa. Anger in France. The Duke of Orleans casts the Florentine ambassadors into prison: they are released by his widow after his death  
Seventy years of slavery for Pisa 367
But when, in 1494, Charles VIII. of France invades Italy 368
He undertakes to maintain the Pisans in their liberties 369
The Pisans expel the Florentines, and constitute themselves a Free Republic 369
Divided opinions in the camp of Charles 370
Charles solemnly swears to Florence that he will restore Pisa on his return from Naples 371
The Pisans send an advocate to the King in Rome, beseeching him not to deliver them to Florence 373
Louis de Ligny—Luxemburg, with other adherents of the party of Orleans, favours the Pisans’ cause 376
Savonarola meets the King at Poggibonsi, and summons him to return by Florence 378
But the King returns by Pisa, and does not yield the city, 380
The King promises to let the Florentines know his decision so soon as he arrives at Asti 385
Meanwhile he leaves Entragues with a French garrison in Pisa 385
The King, arrived at Turin, summons Entragues to yield Pisa to the Florentines 388
Entragues refuses 390
He treats with the Pisans 391
Pisa becomes nominally a Free Republic 393
Distress of the French in Naples 394
Distress of Florence 395
Milan and Venice intrigue for Pisa 396
And Pisa never forgives the French her liberty 396