Thence upon his all-conquering way, he marched upon Castel San
Giovanni, whence he sought to oust the Sforza, and at the same time he
committed the mistake of attempting to drive the Gonzaga out of Soragna.
This last rashness brought down upon his head the direct personal
resentment of Ferrante Gonzaga. With the Imperial troops at his heels the
Governor of Milan not only intervened to save Soragna for his family, but
forced Pier Luigi to disgorge Bobbio and Romagnese, restoring them to the
dal Verme, and compelled him to raise the siege of San Giovanni upon which
he was at the time engaged--claiming that both these noble houses were
feudatories of the Empire.
Intimidated by that rude lesson, Pier Luigi was forced to draw in his
steely claws. To console himself, he turned his attention to the Val di
Taro, and issued an edict commanding all nobles there to disarm, disband
their troops, quit their fortresses, and go to reside in the principal
cities of their districts. Those who resisted or demurred, he crushed at
once with exile and confiscation; and even those who meekly did his will,
he stripped of all privileges as feudal lords.
Even my mother, we heard, was forced to dismiss her trivial garrison,
having been ordered to close the Citadel of Mondolfo, and take up her
residence in our palace in the city itself.
Pages:
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342