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The Italian Wars

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The Italian Wars History of Early Modern Europe: The Italian Wars Western Civilization II Marshall High School Mr. Cline Unit Three CA * The History of Early Modern Europe • Description of the Italian Wars • When I was growing up, my neighbor’s family loved to play Monopoly. • Their dad was especially good at it. He'd wheel and deal with whomever he needed. One move he'd be your ally, trading a 'Get Out of Jail Free' card for Ventnor Avenue. The next move he'd be conspiring with his daughter to send your poor thimble straight to the poorhouse. • When it came to the game, their normally great dad turned into a scoundrel, scheming, conniving, and cajoling to get his hands on Boardwalk and Park Place. • Oddly, this is exactly how most of Europe acted during the 15th and 16th centuries. • Spain, France, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Italian city-states all played a huge game of Monopoly known to history as the Italian Wars. In this game of real-estate conquest, Italy stood as Boardwalk and Park Place combined. • The Italian Wars were a series of wars fought over the city-states of Italy. * The History of Early Modern Europe • Description of the Italian Wars • At the opening of the Wars, some of the prominent Italian city-states, or Italy's sovereign cities and their surrounding territories, were Venice, Florence, Naples, Sicily, and the Papal State of Rome. • With much of Europe involved, these wars waged from the late 15th to the mid- 16th century. • Although they started out with many players who all changed sides and traded alliances, they soon degraded into a power struggle between France and Spain. • In order to make sense of these wars, historians divide them into several sections. Although confusing at best, we're going to discuss a few of the well- known stages in detail. • They are the First and Second Italian Wars, Wars of the League of Cambrai and the Holy League, and the Four Years' War. • As we dive into each of these wars, we'll take a look at their main players and what they did to the political landscape of Italy. We'll also discuss how they weakened the office of the Pope, otherwise known as the Papacy. * The History of Early Modern Europe • First and Second Italian Wars • The first Italian War began when the Duke of Milan allowed King Charles VIII of France to pass through his lands on his way to conquer Naples. • This move caused Venice, the Papal State, the Holy Roman Empire, and Spain to rise up against France. • For those of you wondering, the Holy Roman Empire pretty much encompassed the modern-day areas of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Northern Italy. • Even against all these enemies, France was initially successful. • However, the game changed when the Spanish war hero Cordova rose to defend Naples and defeated France at the Battle of Fornova. • A few years later, France tried again in the Second Italian War. • This time the new French king, Louis XII, got crafty and asked Ferdinand I of Spain to join his side with the promise that the two of them could divide Naples among each other. * The History of Early Modern Europe • Working together, their campaign against Naples was a success. • Not surprisingly, France and Spain couldn't agree on how to divide the plunder. • Fortunately for Spain, they still had their hero, Cordova. • In a short time, Naples was under Spanish rule and France was left with only Milan. • War of League of Cambrai and the Holy League • During the years following the Second Italian War, the Papal State of Rome, ruled by the Pope, decided to get in on the game. • In a shrewd move, Pope Julius invited the Holy Roman Empire to attack Venice. • When the Holy Roman Empire couldn't get the job done, the Pope turned to France and Spain. * The History of Early Modern Europe • War of League of Cambrai and the Holy League • These players, along with the Holy Roman Empire, created the League of Cambrai. • Knowing they were outnumbered, Venice made a deal with the Pope by surrendering some of their territory to the Papal State, which is exactly what the Pope had wanted all along. • Shortly after this, the Pope got worried about France's holdings in Italy, namely Milan. • In another shrewd move, he rallied Venice (yes, the area he had just trounced), Spain, Britain, and the Holy Roman Empire to take on France. • Their alliance came to be known as the Holy League. • For a short time, the Holy League had France on the run; however, France flipped the game by convincing Venice to switch sides. * The History of Early Modern Europe • War of League of Cambrai and the Holy League • With the addition of Venice to their team, France was able to hold on to Milan. • France being able to withstand the Holy League was a huge blow to the power of the Papacy. • First, the fight for land and power made many devout Christians simply disgusted with the power-hungry Pope. • Making it worse, the loss, and the willingness of Venice to play turncoat, proved the Pope was no longer in command. • Four Years' War and More • Throughout all these conflicts, Spain and France kept a close eye on one another; each making sure the other wasn't getting too far ahead in the race for Italian and European dominance. • When Charles V, king of Spain from the Habsburg Dynasty, was selected to also be the new Holy Roman Emperor, France had had enough. * The History of Early Modern Europe • Four Years' War and More • Making matters even more infuriating for France, Charles V was also the king of Austria and the Netherlands. War soon ensued. • Liking the idea of France suffering, England joined the Spanish team. • The Pope also fought with Spain in what came to be known as the Four Years' War. This is where things start to get very, very hairy. • After several devastating losses, France turned the game completely upside down by stealing the Pope and England from Spain's side. • France, England, and Rome then formed the League of Cognac to fight against Spain. • When the Habsburg Charles V of Spain heard that he had been betrayed, he attacked and conquered the Papal State of Rome. • This move devastated the power of the Papal State, causing the Pope himself to run for his life. * The History of Early Modern Europe • Four Years' War and More • Witnessing the devastation of Rome, France decided to back down, giving Spain's Habsburg Dynasty predominance in Italy. • The Wars Conclude • This leads us to the last stage of the Italian Wars, the Habsburg-Valois War. • Once again, France's ruling house, known as the Valois, tried to regain its holdings in Italy. • Perhaps getting tired of being betrayed by fellow Europeans, France turned to the Ottoman Empire of modern-day Turkey for help. • For this one, Spain and England fought together and were able to repel the French/Ottoman forces. • Although France made several attempts to unseat Spain from Italy, they were unsuccessful. * The History of Early Modern Europe • The Wars Conclude • When the Habsburg and Valois fighting finally ceased, most of Italy was firmly under the control of Habsburg Spain, thus ending the Italian Wars. • Machiavelli and Italian Wars • So, here's a question. If someone calls you a Machiavellist, are they calling you a) kind b) smart c) adorable d) deceitful and cunning • If you chose D, you're right, which means you're either lucky, or you already know a bit about this topic, the man Niccolo Machiavelli and the lessons of the Italian Wars. • If so, good for you! If not, no worries, you're about to learn. • In order to fully understand the Machiavelli's lessons, it's important to be familiar with the Italian Wars. * The History of Early Modern Europe • Machiavelli and Italian Wars • Although Machiavelli was a government official who played a role in the politics of Florence during part of the Italian Wars, he is most famous for his written masterpiece, The Prince. • In it, he lays out a formula for how a ruler should act in order to keep control of his land. • The intent of this famous work was to teach Lorenzo de Medici and his family, the rulers of Florence, how to rule in order to make Florence free from outside domination. • Sadly for Florence, Machiavelli's words came a bit too late, but his lessons still capture the imaginations of 21st century psychologists and political scientists. • Since we don't have the time to cover the whole work, we'll just focus on a few of its lessons, and we'll call them, 'Master Machiavelli's Musings.' • (Yes, I made that up.) * The History of Early Modern Europe • Machiavelli and Italian Wars • As we discuss these musings, it's important to realize Machiavelli had a rather unpopular view of politics. • He lived in a time when people were just gaining freedom from the oppressive rule of the church, when most still held to the Platonic philosophy that rulers should be of upright, moral character. • In contrast, Machiavelli claimed that leaders need to be selfish and self-protective in order to stay in power and keep their lands free from invasion. • In other words, virtues like mercy and kindness only make a ruler weak and susceptible to invasion. • As we hear some of the words of Machiavelli, we are going to try to stick true to the intent of his writings, and keep in mind his works have been re-published and re-translated for years upon years so the wording probably isn't exact.
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