Bembo Shows Venice Most Willing For War Over Pisa: Fall 1496

The official view from Venice was that the City had been playing its role in the recovery of Pisa. At last coming to agreement to do something, they agreed to build more ships, and as the summer wore out, to send plenty of gold and troops and envoys out into the field. There were the discussions with Maximillian, then on Italian soil, with details of his perambulations closely following Burchard's own. But tensions were rife as this anecdote from Bembo's History of Venice shows. 

Bembo implies that it was while the King was at Vigevano that the discussions with the Pisans were had, and that there was some sort of impasse. [iii,54] But for him as well, it also seems that when word came that Venice was willing to take a more prominent role in protecting Pisa, and the money came in, Maximillian then resolved at last to actually go help the Pisans. Word came out that Max would go first through Tortona on his way to Genoa and there board ship in a fleet to approach Pisa, via Livorno (Leghorn) its port. 

The scene quickly tumbles into view. Florence had its partisans, to be sure, but all Florentines (with or against the current Council) could point to Pisa as being their traditional protectorate. And it was the French who had liberated it from the de'Medici faction, only lately previously in power in Florence. So, for those remaining as Florentine partisans, it seemed, Pisa should naturally fall under Florentine rule. The Pisans as they repeatedly told all, wanted to find some way to maintain their independence from all callers. Yet, Venice would say, that's not what was told to them.

"At Tortona, the following incident occurred. Meeting by chance on the street two Florentine ambassadors who had come to Maximillian, the Venetian ambassadors greeted them, but got not a word in return as the Florentines continued on their way in an ill-bred and haughty manner. Meeting again the next day, they would not give way to the Venetian ambassadors, but practically jostled them with their retinue in an arrogant manner. Morosini, who had a face of remarkable dignity and was very strongly built, cried, "Learn to give way to your betters!" and gave one of them such a push that he fell over in the mud."

Then after this exchange, almost as an afterthought or a conclusion, this additional transaction was (quite a bit) more simply spelled out.

"As he reached Genoa from Tortona, Maximilian asked to be given the Genoese citadel. When his request was refused, he left the town the next day and spent a number of days in the outskirts preparing his fleet." [iii,55]

It would not be until October that Maximiliian would actually make his approach to Livorno. When soon after a French and Florentine fleet arrived full of grain and troops, Bembo says it was a Venetian ship that drew off the French captain's ship, while Maximillian retreated in the hail of explosions and cannon fire.
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from Pietro Bembo: History of Venice; edited and translated by Robert W Ulery, Jr.; in english and latin, for The I Tatti Renaissance Library; by The President and Fellows of Harvard College, USA 2007