The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 08: The Later Renaissance: from Gutenberg to the Reformation
History
The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 08: The Later Renaissance: from Gutenberg to the Reformation
World history
The terms of the treaty stood as follows: That there should be a good
and faithful friendship between the republic and the King; that their
subjects should have reciprocal protection; that the King should receive
the title of restorer and protector of the liberty of Florence; that he
should be paid one hundred twenty thousand florins in three instalments;
that he was not to retain the fortresses for more than two years; and if
the Neapolitan expedition finished before that date, he was then to give
them up without delay; that the Pisans were to receive pardon as soon as
they should resume their allegiance to Florence. It was also stipulated
that the decree putting a price on the heads of the Medici should be
revoked, but that the states of Giuliano and Cardinal Giovanni were to
remain confiscated until all Piero's debts had been paid, and that the
said Piero was to remain banished to a distance of two hundred miles, and
his brothers of one hundred, from the Tuscan border. After the agreement
had been drawn up in regular official form, the contracting parties met
in the Duomo to swear to the observance of all its clauses, and in the
evening there was a general illumination of the city, although the people
gave no signs of their previous good-will toward the King.
But no sooner was one difficulty disposed of than another arose. When
all was concluded Charles relapsed into his normal state of inertia, and
showed no disposition to depart. The city was thronged by the French
quartered in the houses, and the Italian soldiery hidden on all sides;
the shops were shut up and all traffic suspended; everything was in a
state of uncertainty and disorder, and the continual quarrels between the
natives and the foreigner might at any moment provoke the most serious
complications. There were perpetual robberies and murders by night--a
most unusual state of things for Florence; and the people seemed to be on
the verge of revolt at the least provocation. Thus matters went on from
day to day, and consequently all honest citizens vainly did their utmost
to hasten the King's departure. And the universal suspense was heightened
by the impossibility of finding any way of forcing him to a decision.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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