The death of queen Jane Il, of Naples, now re-kindled the war in that country. The Neapolitans embraced the party of Rene of Anjou, son of Louis III. while the duke of Suessa, the prince of Tarento, and the Count of Fondi, declared in favour of Alphonzo of Arrugon. The latter prince, whose actions entitled him to the appellation of the magnanimous, having engaged the Genoese fleet near Gaeta, was defeated, and with his brothers made a prisoner, and conveyed, by order of Visconti, from Genoa to Milan. Here his brilliant talents and amiable manners were more effectual than his arms; and the duke, persuaded by his ar guments, renounced his connection with the French, and allied himself to his captive, whom he immediately set at liberty. But the Genoese, on receiving Visconti's orders to reconvey Alphonzo to Naples, determined no longer to be the submissive slaves of his caprice ; and expelling the Milanese governor, and the garrisons of Genoa and Savona, reasserted their liberty, and leagued themselves with the Venetians and Florentines. The ruling party in the latter state was now that of the Medici. Two years before, the death of Nicholas d'Uzzano, who had kept in order the rival factions, had thrown the chief power into the hands of Ri naldo Albizzi, who having brought Cosmo di Medici to trial, obtained his banishment to Padua, Not content with the exile of his rival, Rinaldo proposed to attack those ma gistratcs who opposed his measures ; but in this his friends refused their aid. The magistrates soon alter having cited him to appear, to give an account of his conduct, on his resistance, exiled Trim and his principal adherents, and re called Cosmo di Medici. Rinaldo, who took refuge at Nilan, incited Visconti again to make war on llorence, and Piccinino again invaded Tuscany. This war, which continued for live years, with various success, is more in teresting from the military achievements of Sforza and Piccinino, than the importance of its results to the parties concerned. It was at length terminated by Visconti, who submitted the terms of the treaty to the arbitration of Sfor za, the commander of the republican troops, whose interest he attempted to conciliate, by conferring upon him the hand of Bianca Visconti, his natural (laughter, with Cre mona and Pontremoli as a dowry.
In the mean time, Eugene IV. had been declared contu macious by the council of Basle, which elected, as his suc cessor, Amadeus VIII. of Savoy, who resigning his tern poral dominions to his son, took the name of Felix V. On the other hand, Eugene called a rival council at Ferrara, which afterwards removed to Florence, where the emperor John Palaeologus VI. and the deputies of the Greek church met, in order, if possible, to effect a union between the churches.
Three years before this period, Rene of Anjou had en tered Naples, but, notwithstanding the assistance of Pope Eugene, his influence daily declined ; and Alphonzo having defeated the lieutenants, and taken possession of the fiefs of Sforza in Abruzzo, proceeded to besiege Naples.
Sforza prepared to march to the assistance of Rene, hut Visconti, jealous of his son-in-law, hinted to Eugene that this was now the time to recover the marquisate of Anco na from Sforza ; and sent Piccinino to command his army.
But during these transactions, Alphonzo succeeded in sur prising Naples, and Rene was forced, like his ancestors, to retire to his hereditary states.
Sforza was now attacked by the pope, the king of Na ples, and the duke of Milan ; and at the end of four years was reduced to the greatest extremity, when he was joined by the Venetians and Florentines, through the influence of Cosmo di Medici, who was his personal friend. Their combined efforts were successful, Sforza was re-established at Ancona, and the war was even carried to the gates of Milan, when Visconti again made offers of accommodation to his son-in-law, which Sforza, by the secret advice of Cos mo, accepted, and leaving the marquisate of Ancona to Pope Nicholas V. who had a short time before succeeded Eugene, proceeded to march to the assistance of the duke against his former allies. But his progress was arrested by the accounts of the death of Philip, of a dysentery, at Porta Zobbia, and the revolution at Milan occasioned by that event.
On the duke's death being known to his council, it was debated whether the sovereignty should be offered to Sfor za, or Alphonzo of Arragon. The latter party had the ma jority, and the first intimation which the citizens of Milan received of the death of Visconti, was the hoisting of the Arragonian banners on the castle. Four distinguished citizens, however, Trivulzio, Bossi, Lampugnani, and Cot ta, having barricaded the streets, and cut off the communi cation with the castle, called a meeting of the deputies of the people, who, asserting the independence of the republic, established constitution similar to Florence. The exam ple of Milan was followed by Pavia and Parma, which esta blished independent governments, but most of the other cities agreed to follow the fate of Milan.
The Venetians having refused to enter into a treaty with the new republic, the war still continued ; and Sforza be ing invited by the Milanese to become their general, found it prudent to become the servant of those whom he had hoped to govern.
The senate of Milan had soon occasion to distrust their new general, on whom the Pavisans conferred the sove reignty of their city ; as, desirous of continuing in his com mand, he contrived to defeat all negotiations for peace : At last the Venetians having suffered a total defeat at Cara vaggio, and having discovered by whom their former prof fers had been frustrated, applied to Sforza, who deserting the republic of Milan, entered into the service of Venice. The war, however, continued only one year longer, for the Venetians, worn out by the length of the war, were easily persuaded by the Mihanese to accede to a treaty ; to which Sforza at first pretended to accede, but having gained the alliance of the Duke of Savoy, continued to carry on the war. Milan was now visited by a dreadful famine, and the army of Slorza cut off all supplies ; the misery of the peo ple at length raised them in an insurrection against the go vernment; the gates were thrown open, and Slorza, enter ing the city at the head of his troops, was acknowledged prince and duke of Milan.