The Pope arrived on the 18th June, 1273, with Charles of Anjou, King
of Naples, and Baldwin of Flanders, who styled himself Emperor of
Constantinople, “and, as the sojourn of Florence pleased them,” writes
Villani, “because of the goodness of the water, the salubrity of the
air and the comfort to be found in the city, they determined to spend
the summer there. The Pope observing that so fine a city suffered by
reason of the parties (for the Ghibellines were in exile), willed that
they should return and make peace with the Guelphs, and it was done.
On the 2nd July the said Pope, with his cardinals, King Charles, the
Emperor Baldwin, all the barons and courtiers, and the Florentine
people, collected in the dry bed of the Arno at the foot of the bridge
of Rubaconte [now alle Grazie]; and the illustrious and great people
took their places on huge scaffoldings of wood which had been erected.
And there the Pope judged between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines,
under pain of excommunication to whomsoever did not obey. He caused the
leaders of each party to kiss each other on the mouth and make peace,
and give bail and hostages; and all the castles held by the Ghibellines
were to be given into the hands of King Charles.” The peace was but
short-lived, as the Ghibellines, warned of the evil intentions of the
King towards them, left the city four days later.
Things in Florence went from bad to worse, so that Pope Nicholas III.
was begged to send a legate to promote peace. Once more Palazzo Mozzi
“became a second Rome,” for the Cardinal Fra Latino Frangipani was an
honoured guest there in October 1278. His first task was to reconcile
the Guelphs, who had fallen out among themselves, and then he made
peace between them and the Ghibellines. The “Peace of Cardinal Latino”
was signed, amid general rejoicing, in the Piazza Vecchia of Sta. Maria
Novella in 1280.
In 1314 King Robert of Naples sent his brother Piero, Count of Gravina,
with three hundred horsemen, at the urgent request of the Florentines,
to help them against Uguccione della Fagiuola, whom the Pisans had
taken into their pay. The young Count dismounted at Palazzo Mozzi in
August, and Ammirato describes him as “prudent and discreet. He showed
no sign of the pride and haughtiness of royalty in his dealing with the
citizens, behaving courteously to all.... To these qualities were added
the natural advantages of remarkable beauty both of face and person.”
The Florentines were delighted with him, and his death at the battle of
Montecatini the following year was sincerely mourned. Seven years later
the old palace opened its doors to a very different guest. Walter de
Brienne, Duke of Athens and Count of Lecce, who was to become the hated
tyrant of Florence, stayed there for some time when he first arrived as
Vicario of the Duke of Calabria.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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