The contest at Genoa between the old and new nobility, and the subsequent insurrection of the people against their divided lords, was fortunately terminated by the mediation of the pope, the emperor, and the king of Spain ; and Ge noa lemained, till our days, undisturbed by any more intes tine revolutions. Not long after this, the last Marquess of Saluces died in France, having previously ceded his do minions to Charles IX. whose troops immediately took possession of it, notwithstanding the remonstrances of the duke of Savoy, who claimed it as an ancient dependency of his dukedom. The latter prince, unable to accomplish his object by pacific measures, and unwilling to have recourse to war, was forced. during the remainder of his reign, to acquiesce, and the French remained possessors of Saluces. AGe r his death, however, his son Charles Emanuel, taking ac,%antage of the difficulties in winch Henry Ill. was in volved, made himself master of Saluces, where his cruel p.rsecution of the Protestants has made his name odious in the annals of the reformed churches, while it acquired him, at Rome, the reputation of the active and zealous defender of the Catholic faith.
In Tuscany, the grand duke Francis (son of Casino di Medici) and his duchess, the celebrated Bianca Capella, died at Florence in the course of the same night ; and as he only felt two daughters by his first wile, Jane of Austria, the dukedom descended to his brother cardinal Ferdinand di Medici, who, laying aside the purple., assumed the go vernment of Tuscany.
Soon alter the peaceable establishment of Henry IV on the throne of France, having at length obtained the consent of the pope to his divorce of Margaret of Valois, he was married to Mary di Medici, the youngest daughter of the grand nuke Francis; and the Tuscan family was thus ho noured by a second alliance with the royal family of France. Henry. now turned his arms against the duke of Savoy, de sirous to recover Saluces, and punish that prince for his interference in the wars of the league. In one campaign, lie made himself master of most of the duke's strongest fortresses ; hut the war was put an end to by the interven tion of Pop'. Clement VIII. and the King of Spain. Salu ces was left under the dominion of SAvoy ; but the country of Bresse was ceded to France, and 100,0u0 crowns were paid by the duke to defray the expenses of the war.
Much about this period Alphonzo 11. of Est(,, duke of Ferrara and Modena, died, and was succeeded by his son Cmsar ; but Clement VIII. took advantage of this conjunc ture, to assert the ancient claims of the church to the city of Ferrara, which was immediately seized by his troops. Czsar, unable to contend with the pope, retired to Modena ; and Ferrara was united to the papal territories. These changes, however, but little affected the general peace of Italy, which continued for upwards of twenty years; a pe riod. doubtless, of great advantage to that country, but of little interest to the historian The succession to the duchy of Mantua occasioned a con test, which once more laid Italy open to foreign invasion. Francis IV. duke of Mantua, left only a daughter, and was succeeded by his brothers Ferdinand and Vincent II.; but
neither leaving any children, the dukedom was claimed by Charles Goozaga, duke of Nevers, the heir-male of the family, and whose son was also married to Maria, daughter of duke Francis. The emperor Ferdinand 11. unwilling that so valuable a principality should fall into the hands of a subject of France, conferred Mantua on the duke of Gua stalla ; while Charles Emanuel of Savoy asserted the old claims of his family to the marquisate of Montferrat, and obtained the support of the Spaniards. The duke of Ne vers, unable to contend against such power ful rivals, ap plied for assistance to Louis XIII. of France, and was se conded by the Venetians, who dreaded-the consequences of Mantua fatting under the dominion of the Spaniards. The cardinal de Richelieu having, by the capture of La Roche, succeeded in subduing the Protes:ants, was not unwilling to enter into a war which ini,;ht conduce to the great end he had now in view, the humiliation of the house of Aus tria. The French accordingly, commanded by Louis in pet son, crossed the Aips, and, without receiving opposi tion from the duke ul Savoy, (o hose prudence, or perhaps indecision, prevented him from taking any active part in the war,) proceeded to the relief of Casal, then besieged by the Spanish troops. The news of the insurrection in Gas cony, of the Protestants under the duke of Rohan, obliged Louis to return to France ; and the duke of Savoy, imagin ing all danger from the French at an end, united his forces with the besiegers of Casal. But the duke was soon taught the impolicy of his conduct, by the speedy return of the French army tinder the command of Richelieu ; which, alter menacing Turin, and forcing the duke to concentrate his troops for its defence, laid siege to the fortress of Pig net ol, a post commanding the passes of Italy, and reduced it in a few days.
In the mean time, Louis returned and entered Savoy, which soon submitted to his arms; and the duke, over whelmed with the weight of these sudden calamities, died at Turin, in the sixtieth year of his age. His son, Victor Amadeus I. instructed by the example of his father, has tened to conclude a treaty with Louis ; whose troops now proceeded to Casal, which still continued to hold out. In Lombardy, however, the cause of the imperialists had been successful ; the Venetian and French troops, com manded by Marshal d'Estrees, were defeated, and the city of Mantua taken by assault by Count Colalto, the imperial general. But the active mediation of Pope Urban VIII. or rather of his agent Julio Mazarine, succeeded in pro curing a suspension of arms; and, at the diet of Ratisbon, the intrigues of Richelieu procured the acknowledgment of the duke of Nevers' right to Mantua, which was deliver ed up to him ; while the duke of Savoy received a few towns in Montferrat ; and the Gonzagas of Guastalla a pe cuniary indemnification ; and Pignerol, Luza, and two other fortresses, remained in the hands of the French, as securi ties fur the performance of the treaty. The subsequent treaty of Querasque secured to the French the entire pos session of Pignerol, and thus left them an easy entrance into Italy.