DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42861#0179
OF THE VENETIAN ARMY
143
in the pavement of Isabella’s Grotta and in the frieze
of her camerini, and still adorns one of the vaulted
ceilings in his favourite palace of San Sebastiano.1
All through the summer the Marquis made re-
peated efforts to recover the Signory’s good graces.
He offered to place his wife and child as hostages in
their hands, and even to surrender some of his for-
tresses. And when he reviewed his troops on the
Feast of the Assumption, he told them that they
were kept for the use of the Signory, and threw
them gold when they shouted Marco! But the
Signoiy refused to see him or even accept a pre-
sent from him, and were persuaded that he was
secretly in league with the French king. There
seems no doubt that Francesco had lately held
secret communications with the French court, and
in November Lodovico Sforza addressed an indignant
remonstrance on the subject to Isabella, telling her
that he held proofs of her husband’s dealings with the
French and the Florentines in his hands, and only
refrained from sending them to Venice out of love
and regard for her. Isabella was deeply distressed at
this breach between her husband and brother-in-law,
and did her best to effect a reconciliation between
them, but her position was a difficult one and her
path was by no means strewn with roses. To add to
her family sorrows in this year of misfortunes, her
brother Alfonso’s wife, Anna Sforza, died on the
30th of November, after giving birth to a dead child,
who was buried with her in the same grave. Alfonso
was left a childless widower, and the sudden death of
this gentle young princess was a fresh cause of grief
to Duke Ercole and his people. A fortnight later
another Este princess, the once brilliant and beautiful
1 Paolo Giovio, Imprese, p. 33.
143
in the pavement of Isabella’s Grotta and in the frieze
of her camerini, and still adorns one of the vaulted
ceilings in his favourite palace of San Sebastiano.1
All through the summer the Marquis made re-
peated efforts to recover the Signory’s good graces.
He offered to place his wife and child as hostages in
their hands, and even to surrender some of his for-
tresses. And when he reviewed his troops on the
Feast of the Assumption, he told them that they
were kept for the use of the Signory, and threw
them gold when they shouted Marco! But the
Signoiy refused to see him or even accept a pre-
sent from him, and were persuaded that he was
secretly in league with the French king. There
seems no doubt that Francesco had lately held
secret communications with the French court, and
in November Lodovico Sforza addressed an indignant
remonstrance on the subject to Isabella, telling her
that he held proofs of her husband’s dealings with the
French and the Florentines in his hands, and only
refrained from sending them to Venice out of love
and regard for her. Isabella was deeply distressed at
this breach between her husband and brother-in-law,
and did her best to effect a reconciliation between
them, but her position was a difficult one and her
path was by no means strewn with roses. To add to
her family sorrows in this year of misfortunes, her
brother Alfonso’s wife, Anna Sforza, died on the
30th of November, after giving birth to a dead child,
who was buried with her in the same grave. Alfonso
was left a childless widower, and the sudden death of
this gentle young princess was a fresh cause of grief
to Duke Ercole and his people. A fortnight later
another Este princess, the once brilliant and beautiful
1 Paolo Giovio, Imprese, p. 33.