Villani's Chronicle: Being Selections from the First Nine Books of the Croniche Fiorentine of Giovanni VillaniVillani, Giovanni
History
Villani's Chronicle: Being Selections from the First Nine Books of the Croniche Fiorentine of Giovanni Villani
Villani, Giovanni
Florence (Italy) -- History
In the said year 1310, on the 30th day of September, King Robert came
to Florence on his way back from his coronation at Avignon, where was
the Pope's court; he abode in the house of the Peruzzi dal Parlagio
[of the Forum], and the Florentines did him much honour, and held
jousts, and gave him large presents of money, and he abode in Florence
until the 24th day of October, to reconcile the Guelfs together, which
were divided into factions among themselves, and to treat of warding
off the Emperor. He could do but little in reconciling them; so much
had error increased among them, as before has been narrated.
Sec. 9.--_How the Emperor Henry passed into Italy and gained the city of
Milan._
[Sidenote: 1310 A.D.]
[Sidenote: Johannes de Virgilio. Carmen _v._ 26.]
In the year 1310, at the end of September, the Emperor departed from
Lausanne with his followers, and crossed the mountains of M. Cenis,
and at the beginning of October he came to Turin in Piedmont:
afterwards he came to the city of Asti, the 10th day of October. By
the people of Asti he was peaceably received as lord, and they went
out to meet him, with rejoicing and a great procession, and he
pacified all the disputes among the people of Asti. In Asti he awaited
his followers, and before he departed he had nigh upon 2,000 horse
from beyond the mountains. In Asti he abode more than two months,
forasmuch as at that time M. Guidetto della Torre was ruler in Milan,
a man of great wit and power, which had, between soldiers and
citizens, more than 2,000 cavalry, and by his force and tyranny he
kept out of Milan the Visconti and their Ghibelline party, and also
his associate, the archbishop, with many other Guelfs. This M.
Guidetto was in league with the Florentines and with the other Guelfs
of Tuscany and of Lombardy, and opposed the coming of the Emperor, and
would have succeeded if it had not been that his own associates with
their following led the Emperor to make for Milan, by the counsel of
the cardinal of Fiesco, the Pope's legate. M. Guidetto, not being able
to provide against everything, consented to his coming, against his
will; and thus the Emperor entered into Milan on the vigil of the
Feast of the Nativity, and on the Day of the Epiphany, the 6th of
January, he was crowned in S. Ambrogio by the archbishop of Milan,
with the second crown of iron, with great honour, both he and his
wife. [And the said crown is in Milan, and is of fine tempered steel
as for a sword, made in the form of a wreath of laurel, wherein rich
and precious stones were inlaid, after the fashion of the Caesars which
were crowned with laurel in their triumphs and victories; and it is
made of steel by way of a figure and similitude, for like as steel and
iron surpass all other metals, so the Caesars, triumphing by the force
of the Romans and Italians, which then were all called Romans,
surpassed and subdued to the Empire of Rome all the nations of the
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