In this peace, the cities of the League of Lombardy were included, at the desire of Gregory, who knew the value of their assistance ; and their independence was thus for the second time publicly recognized.
The emperor had now to contend with a new enemy in his own family. His son Henry, king of the Romans, whose ambition, it is said, was excited by the secret in trigues of the pope, appeared in Germany in open rebellion against his father ; and the Milanese had promised to crown him king of Italy, an honour which they had constantly re fused to Frederic. In public, however, Gregory affected the utmost horror at this rebellion, and exhorted the Ger man prelates not to lend their aid in so disgraceful a course. But on the approach of the emperor, the young prince was deserted by all his partisans, and obliged to throw himself on the mercy of his father. Frederic having deprived him of the crown of Germany, sent him into Apulia, where, after a confinement for many years, he died a prisoner. He now returned into Lombardy to punish the defection of the Mi lanese. To this he was incited by Eccelino III., (common ly called the cruel) who had for 10 years governed Vero na, as podesta, with absolute authority, and who, also, as chief of the Ghibeline faction, had considerable influence in Cremona, Parma, and Modena, which were zealously at tached to that party.
Frederic's first exploit was the surprise of Vicenza, which having been taken by storm, was pillaged by the Germans. Padua, the defence of which had been commit ted to 16 of the principal inhabitants, was treacherously surrendered by then, to Azzo, 7th Marquis of Este, who, in his turn, was obliged to deliver it up to Eccelino.
The emperor having collected an army near Verona, marched into the territory of Brescia ; and having come up with the Milanese army at " Corte Nuova," completely defeated it, and carried cif the carroccio as a trophy of his victory. After the battle many of the fugitives were cut to pieces by the inhabitants of Bergamo, but the greater number were protected by Pagano' della Tort e, lord of Val sasina, whose family afterwards acquired so much power in Milan. The imperial army then marched into P.edmont, where the terror it occasioned detached, for a time, the cities from the Guelph league ; and Brescia, Pla centia, and Bologna, were left alone in their resistance to Frederic. The latter laid siege to Brescia, and continued for some months before it, but with so little success, 11-t. he was obliged to raise the siege.
The long dissembled enmity of the pope at length forth in a regular sentence of excommunication Frederic ; his subjects were released from their aikgit.L,
and every place that received him was placed under an in terdict. The first effects produced by this was the defec tion of Azzo of Este, and Alberico Romano, brothel- of Ec celino. The emperor retired to winter at Pisa, where he still had a powerful party, who were called Conti. in op position to the Visconti, a noble Pisan family of the Guelph faction. Ilenzius, the natural son of the emperor, having married the widow of Ubaldo Visconti, chief of the Pisan colony in Sardinia, was invested by his father, with consent of the republic, with the title of king of Sardinia. The barbarous Eccelino was, in the meantime, exercising the most dreadful cruelties on the unhappy Guelphs and friends of the house of Este at Padua, and every day adding to the unpopularity of the Ghibelines. Frederic now marched towards Rome ; but a crusade was preached against him by Gregory, the people every where took up arms, and he was forced to abandon his design and retire into Apulia. The Guelphs then besieged and took Ferrara, from whence Salinguerra had expelled the Marquess of Este, and im prisoned the former nobleman at Venice, where, after a confinement of five years, he died at the age of 80. But the papal party received a check by the defeat and capture of the Genoese fleet, by the Pisans and Neapolitans ; and two cardinals, and several French prelates, who were in the former squadron, fell into the hands of Frederic.
The aged pope, overwhelmed by this disaster, died a few months after ; and his death was followed, in three weeks, by that of Celestine IV. his successor. The con clave, after very long discussions, came to the resolution of electing Cardinal Sinibald Fiesco, of the Lavagna family at Genoa, who had always been friendly to the emperor. But the new pontiff, who assumed the name of Innocent IV. soon sheaved that his former attachments were lost in the interests of his new office. Frederic having in vain at tempted to gain him over by negotiations, determined to seize on his person ; but Innocent, being apprized of this, secretly left Rome, and, embarking on board the Genoese fleet at Civita Vecchia, arrived in safety at Genoa, where he was received with enthusiasm by his countrymen. He then travelled to Alexandria and Asti, which cities were persuaded again to join the Guelph league, and from thence to Lyons; where, under the protection of Louis IX. king of France, (commonly called St. Louis), he summoned a general council of the church.