Wheels In Motion: Naples, Genoa, France and Spain

Here is a late January reflection from a few years ago. Mentioned there are notes from some of Sanudo's daily January items. One from 29January, 1499 is the reception of a letter from Andrea Gritti in Constantinople warning that the sultan there was building ships. Another marks the beginning of the failure of the Garzoni bank in Venice.

The Italian Wars of 1494-1559 have primarily been seen as a contest between France and Spain deciding who would hold the most influence along the Italian peninsula. Famously, long before, French Norman Kings held control in Naples and Sicily during the Crusader times. But since the episode in 1282 called the Sicilian Vespers, the Kings of Aragon (now within modern day Spain) had maintained their sovereign rights over a number of mid-Mediterranean spots. The island of Sicily was a great granary and Naples was a great natural harbour on Italy's western coast. The Kings of Aragon also gained control over the eastern Iberian ports of Catalan like Valencia and Barcelona. Sardinia and Corsica came into their holdings now and then as well. Genoa often were allowed to act as the primary shippers.

For two hundred years the Kings of Aragon, and of Naples and Sicily, could often claim the western Mediterranean (and several chief spots around its shores) as theirs, if they could keep it. While Genoa would act in concert with them most of the time and help repel pirates and usurpers, and gain much profit as well, the attention span of kings could be quite variable. The home territories were just one of several spots along the Mediterranean and beyond that craved their attention.

On the other hand, despite their efforts and profits, by the late 1400's, Genoa herself had taken on an enormous amount of debt. In fact, so much debt threatened to overwhelm progress of any kind. One consequence was a massive internal restructuring involving selling public debt. Another dramatic turn was in how so many of her merchants were moving to Spain. Later, after France would retake Naples not once, but twice, French influence in Genoa began in earnest leading, in part, to the advance of one Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere. That story would show a large aspect of the push of French interests in Italy into the sixteenth century.

But still a couple generation before in one of the many episodes in Genoa's slide, in 1464, that city had allowed herself to be overtaken by Francesco Sforza the duke of Milan. In those days, John II of Aragon was busy both losing internal wars in Spain and bogged down in talks with French King Louis XI over Navarre and Rousillon. Meanwhile Naples attracted humanists and scholars and artists in what many at a later time called a court of corruption including the venal sale of office for money. But it was certainly a creative one, if increasingly insecure.

Ferdinand II, later remembered with great fondness and respect, was the son of John II and Juana Enriquez. His reign would last longer than most. He spent most of his time trying to unify the several Iberian states within the peninsula alongside his Queen of Castile, Isabella. As a result, as King of Aragon, Sicily and Naples, he still had little time to simply ever visit the latter. But, even with very little oversight Naples had prospered. In many ways it became and remained a preferred destination for artists and counsellors of all kinds despite the conflicts that plagued all of Italy in this period.

Despite her entreaties, this changed dramatically in the 1490's when France under the young King CharlesVIII took his armies and crossed the Alps with an aim to take back Naples as a staging ground for a new Crusade against the Ottoman Turk. The crusade never happened but all Italy was thrown into turmoil that lasted for decades. For one thing, Naples was thereafter targeted by both France and the Spanish monarchs as their own.

Taking a step back some pertinent things are worth noting. Previously, in past generations, the major cities and powers had strong sensible leaders. With the deaths of certain of these notables things fell apart. By the 1490's and into the 1500's, a certain vacuum grew in both Naples and Genoa. Pisa is another example beset by wars for control at the same time. Unable to maintain a stable center they became prey that were then abused and then used by outsiders.

The same thing then happened in Milan. By the beginning of 1499, it became clear to the leaders in Venice, France, Rome and elsewhere that Ludovico Sforza, the Duke in Milan (and fourth son of the famous Francesco) could not be trusted. This would be a theme in both Guicciardini and Bembo when they would write their histories in the next generation. Ludovico was always insisting to whoever came for him that he was their friend first of all. All would be well, he would promise, if he had just a little more time and money. This time it was the new French King Louis XII who took matters into his own hands and had the Duke captured by summer.

This new French adventure would again set Italy back and Greater Spain too, temporarily. But it would set all the powers to again reassess, recalibrate and realign.