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
which all for love of him, retained and bore his arms, barry, white
and red, with divers charges.
Sec. 3.--_Of the Seven Princes of Germany which have to elect the
Emperor._
Sec. 4.--_Of the progeny of the Kings of France, which descended from
Hugh Capet._
[Sidenote: 987 A.D.]
[Sidenote: Purg. xx. 49-60.]
Hugh Capet, as we before made mention, the lineage of Charles the
Great having failed, was made king of France in the year of Christ
987. This Hugh was duke of Orleans (and by some it is held that his
ancestors were all dukes and of high lineage), son of Hugh the Great,
and his mother was sister to Otho I. of Germany; but by the more part
it is said that his father was a great and rich burgher of Paris, a
butcher, or trader in beasts by birth; but by reason of his great
riches and possessions, when the duchy of Orleans was vacant, and only
a daughter was left, he had her to wife, whence was born the said Hugh
Capet, which was very wise and of great possessions, and the kingdom
of France was wholly governed by him; and when the lineage of Charles
the Great failed, as was aforesaid, he was made king, and reigned
twenty years.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: 1003 A.D.]
Sec. 5.--_How Henry I. was made Emperor._
Sec. 6.--_How in the time of the said Henry, the Florentines took the
city of Fiesole, and destroyed it._
[Sidenote: 1010 A.D.]
In the said times, when the Emperor Henry I. was reigning, the city
of Florence was much increased in inhabitants and in power,
considering its small circuit, especially by the aid and favour of the
Emperor Otho I., and of the second and third Otho, his son and
grandson, which always favoured the city of Florence; and as the city
of Florence increased, the city of Fiesole continually decreased, they
being always at war and enmity together; but by reason of the strong
position, and the strength in walls and in towers which the city of
Fiesole possessed, in vain did the Florentines labour to overcome it;
and albeit they had more inhabitants, and a greater number of friends
and allies, yet the Fiesolans were continually warring against them.
But when the Florentines perceived that they could not gain it by
force, they made a truce with the Fiesolans, and abandoned the war
between them; and making one truce after another, they began to grow
friendly, and the citizens of one city to sojourn in the other, and to
marry together, and to keep but little watch and guard one against the
other. The Florentines perceiving that their city of Florence had no
power to rise much, whilst they had overhead so strong a fortress as
the city of Fiesole, one night secretly and subtly set an ambush of
armed men in divers parts of Fiesole. The Fiesolans feeling secure as
to the Florentines, and not being on their guard against them, on the
morning of their chief festival of S. Romolo, when the gates were
open, and the Fiesolans unarmed, the Florentines entered into the city
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