On the death of pope Innocent, Urban V. had returned to Rome, aware that his presence was necessary in Italy to check the power of the Visconti ; who, being now allied by marriage to the kings of France and England, set no bounds to their ambition. For this purpose, at his desire, the em peror Charles IV. entered Italy with a powerful army ; but the Visconti, aware of his avarice, procured a peace by the advance of a sum of money. His other transactions in Italy were of a similar nature : for money he granted a peace to the Pisans and Florentines ; and, for a similar rcason, liber ty to the city of Lucca. Having attempted to interfere in the affairs of Sienna, his troops were defeated, and he him self obliged to secure his safety by flight. his return to Germany was soon followed by that of the pope to Avignon, after venting his wrath by excommunicating Barnabas Visconti ; a sentence which that tyrant so much disregard ed, that he forced the legates actually to swallow the bulls which they had presented to him.
On the death of Urban, Gregory XI. recommended war ; but the Florentines, distrusting him, concluded an alliance with Visconti. The states of the church again rebelled, and Gregory was obliged to visit Italy, having first con demned the Florentines. But these republicans, despising the interdict, continued the war, having engaged in their service Hawkwood and the English condottieri. At length, Bologna having detached itself from the league, and made a separate treaty with the pope, a congress met at Sarzana to negotiate a general peace. It was, however, suddenly dissolved by the death of Gregory—an event which produc ed important changes in the state of Italy.
As there was a majority of Limousin cardinals in the conclave, the election fell on the archbishop of Bari, who took the name of Urban VI. a person entirely devoted to their views. But his election was opposed by the other cardinals; and, as his character soon shelved itself in his imprudent and violent conduct, his enemies in the college having assembled, declared the election illegal, and nomi nated Robert of Geneva, who took the name of Clement VII. To him, Spain, France, and Naples adhered; while Urban was acknowledged in Italy, Germany, England, Hungary, and Portugal. This schism almost completely destroyed he papal authority ; for neither the one nor the other pontiff could, from their individual character, com mand the respect of the Christian world.
The schism in the church was followed by general revo lutions in Italy. At Florence, the family of the Albizzi having endeavoured to expel their political rivals from the city by force of arms, were successfully opposed by Salves tro di Medici and Benedetto Alberti ; but during these commotions, the Ciompi, or lowest class of artizans, having j taken arms, defeated the magistrates and officers of justice, effected a temporary change in the government ; but this new administration was (as might be supposed) of no long duration ; and, after a few weeks, the Alberti and Medici families acquired the ascendancy.
The same year, Galeazzo Visconti died at Milan, and was succeeded by John Galeazzo, his son. The death of the emperor Charles IV. soon followed, and NN renceslaus, his son, was elected king of the Romans. The antipope Clement, hitherto protected by queen Jane, was forced, by the machinations of Urban, to take refuge at Avignon. The pope also raised up a rival against the queen, in the person of Charles Durazzo, her nephew, the legitimate heir of the crown ; although Jane had adopted, as her son and successor, Louis of Anjou, brother of king Charles V. of France.
The army of Charles, consisting chiefly of adventurers, and a few Hungarians, passing through Tuscany, made a i conquest of Arezzo. At Rome, Charles received the n vestiture of the kingdom, and took the title of Charles III. and then made himself master of Naples, without opposi tion. The queen having surrendered herself, was smoth ered to death by his orders.
Louis of Anjou immediately asserted his rights, and in vaded Naples with a powerful army ; but his death at Bari dispersed his troops, and left Charles, for a time, without a competitor. He, however, only survived one year, being murdered in Hungary, (whither he was called by the barons of that country,) by order of the widow and daughter of king Louis. I lis son Ladislaus, only ten years old, was left under the care of his mother Margaret ; but a powerful party in the kingdom proclaimed Louis II. of Anjou, also a minor ; and Naples, torn by the contests of the rival fac tions, remained in a state of anarchy.
In the mean time, John Galeazzo Visconti having poi soned his uncle Barnabas, and being now sole master of Milan and its conquests, aimed at the dominion of all Lom bardy. The Venetians had incited Antonio della Scala of Verona to make war against Francisco Carrara of Padua, who had formerly assisted the king of Hungary against them ; but Visconti, having allied himself with the latter prince, made himself master of Vicenza and Verona, and obliged della Scala to take refuge at Venice. In order to evade his promise of giving up Vicenza to Carrara, he next agreed with the Venetians to divide the Paduan territories, and made war on his former ally. On this formidable league being formed against him, the elder Carrara abdicat ed in favour of his son Francisco Novelle', and retired to Treviso.