§ 62.—How King Charles complained to the Church, and to the king of 1282 a.d. France, and to all his friends, and the aid which he received from them. § 63.—How they of Palermo, and the other Sicilians, sent their ambassadors to Pope Martin. § 64.—Of the aid which the commonwealth of Florence sent to King Charles. § 65.—How King Charles led an expedition against Messina by sea and by land. § 66.—How the king's forces took Melazzo, and how the Messinese sent for the legate to treat for peace with King Charles. § 67.—How the treaty of peace was broken which the legate had arranged between King Charles and the Messinese. § 68.—How Messina was attacked by King Charles' forces, and how it was defended. § 69.—How Peter, king of Aragon, departed from Catalonia and came to Sicily, and how he was made and crowned king by the Sicilians. § 70.—Of the parliament Purg. vii. 112, 114-116, 125, 129. which the king of Aragon held in Palermo, to succour the city of Messina. § 71.—The letter that the king of Aragon sent to King Charles. § 72.—How King Charles called his council and answered the king of Aragon by his letter. § 73.—What was King Charles' answer in his letter to the king of Aragon. § 74.—How the king of Aragon sent his admiral to capture the fleet of King Charles. § 75.—How King Charles must needs depart from the siege of Messina, and how he returned into the Kingdom. § 76.—Who was the first Christian king 1281 a.d. of Aragon. § 77.—How the Lucchese burnt and destroyed the city of Pescia. § 78.—How Rudolf, Emperor elect, sent his vicar into Tuscany.
§ 79.—How the Office of Priors was first created in Florence.
1282 a.d.
In the year of Christ 1282, the city of Florence being under government of the order of the fourteen good men as the Cardinal Latino had left it, to wit eight Guelfs and six Ghibellines, as we afore made mention, it seemed to the citizens that this government of fourteen was too numerous and confused; and to the end so many divided hearts might be at one, and, above all, because it was not pleasing to the Guelfs to have the Ghibellines as partners in the government by reason of the events which were come to pass (such as the loss which King Charles had already sustained of the island of Sicily, and the coming into Tuscany of the imperial vicar, and likewise the wars begun in Romagna by the count of Montefeltro on the Ghibelline side), for the safety and welfare of the city of Florence they annulled the said office of the fourteen and created and made a new office and lordship for the government of the said city of Florence, to wit, the Priors of the Arts; the which name, Priors of the Arts, means to say "the first," chosen over the others; and it was taken from the Holy Gospel, where Christ says to His disciples, "Vos estis priores." And this invention and movement began among the consuls and council of the art of Calimala, to which pertained the wisest and most powerful citizens of Florence, and the most numerous following, both magnates and popolani, of those which pursued the calling of merchants, seeing the most part of them greatly loved the Guelf party and Holy Church. And the first priors of the Arts were three, whereof the names were these: Bartolo di M. Jacopo de' Bardi, for the sesto of Oltrarno and for the art of Calimala; Rosso Bacherelli, for the sesto of San Piero Scheraggio, for the art of the exchangers; Salvi del Chiaro Girolami, for the sesto of San Brancazio and for the woollen art. And their office began in the middle of June of the said year, and lasted for two months, unto the middle of August, and thus three priors were to succeed every two months, for the three greater Arts. And they were shut up to give audience (sleeping and eating at the charges of the commonwealth), in the house of the Badia where formerly, as we have aforesaid, the Ancients were wont to assemble in the time of the old Popolo, and afterwards the fourteen. And there were assigned to the said priors six constables and six messengers to summon the citizens; and these priors, with the Captain of the Popolo, had to determine the great and weighty matters of the commonwealth, and to summon and conduct councils and make regulations. And when the office had endured the two months, it was pleasing to the citizens; and for the following two months they proclaimed six, one for each sesto, and added to the said three greater Arts the art of the doctors and apothecaries, and the art of the Porta Santæ Mariæ, and that of the furriers and skin-dressers; and afterwards from time to time all the others were added thereto, to the number of the twelve greater Arts; and there were among them magnates, as well as popolani, great men of good repute and works, and which were artificers or merchants. And thus it went on until the second Popolo was formed in Florence, as hereafter, in due time, we shall relate. From thenceforward there were no magnates among them, but there was added thereto the gonfalonier of justice. And sometimes there were twelve priors, according to the changes in the condition of the city and special occasions that arose; and they were chosen from the number of all the twenty-one Arts, and of those which were not themselves artificers, albeit their forefathers had been artificers. The election to the said office was made by the old priors with the colleges of consuls of the twelve greater Arts, and with certain others which elected the priors for each sesto, by secret votes; and whosoever had most votes the same was made prior; and this election took place in the church of San Piero Scheraggio; and the Captain of the Popolo was stationed over against the said church in the houses which pertained to the Tizzoni. We have said so much of the beginning of this office of the priors, forasmuch as many and great changes followed therefrom to the city of Florence, as hereafter, in due place and time, we shall relate. At present we will leave telling, for a time, of the doings of Florence, and we will tell of other events which came to pass in those times.
§ 80.—How Pope Martin sent M. Jean d'Appia into Romagna, and how he 1282 a.d. took the city of Faenza and besieged Forlì.
§ 81.—How M. Jean d'Appia, count of Romagna, was defeated at Forlì by the count of Montefeltro.
1282 a.d.
In the said time, when the said M. Jean d'Appia, count of Romagna, was in Faenza, and was making war against the city of Forlì, he dabbled in practices whereby he might gain the said city by treachery; the which practices Count Guido of Montefeltro himself, which was lord of the city, had set in motion and floated, as one that was master both of Inf. xxvii. 76-78. plots and of war, and who knew the folly of the French. At last, on the first day of May, in the year of Christ 1282, the said M. Jean came with his forces in the morning very early before day to the city of Forlì, thinking to have it; and as it was ordered by the count of Montefeltro, the entrance to one gate was granted him, which he entered with part of his followers, and part he left without with the orders, if need arose, to succour those within, and if things went against them, to assemble all his forces in a field under a great oak. The French which entered into Forlì rode through the city without meeting any opposition; and the count of Montefeltro, which knew all the plot, had gone forth from the city with his followers; and it was said that this same count of Montefeltro was guided by the augury and counsel of one Guido Bonatti, a roof-maker, who had turned astrologer Inf. xx. 118. or the like, and that it was he who prompted his actions; and for this emprise he gave him the standard and said, "Thou hast it at such a pitch, that so long as a rag of it hold, wheresoever thou bearest it thou shalt be victorious." But I more believe that his victories were won by his own wit and mastery of war. And according as he had planned, he charged those without under the tree, and put them to rout. They which had entered in, thinking the city was theirs, had given themselves to plunder and gone into the houses; and as was ordered by the count of Montefeltro, the citizens had taken off the bridles and saddles from the most of their horses; and suddenly the said count, with part of his followers, entered again into Forlì by one of the gates, and overran the city; and part of his horse and foot he left in troops drawn up under the oak, as the French had been. M. Jean d'Appia and his men, seeing themselves thus handled, when they thought they had conquered the city, held themselves for dead and betrayed, and whosoever could recover his horse fled from the city, and came to the tree without, thinking to find friends there; and when they came thither they were taken or slain by their enemies, and likewise they which had remained within the city; wherefore the French and the followers of the Church suffered great discomfiture and loss, Inf. xxvii. 44. and there died there many good French knights, and of the Latin leaders, among others, Count Taddeo da Montefeltro, cousin to Count Guido, which by reason of disputes concerning his inheritance held with the Church against the said Count Guido; and there died there Tribaldello de' Manfredi, which had betrayed Faenza, and many others; Inf. xxxii. 122. albeit the count of Romagna, M. Jean d'Appia, escaped with certain others from the said discomfiture, and returned to Faenza.
§ 82.—How Forlì surrendered to the Church, and how there was peace 1282 a.d. in Romagna. § 83.—How the king of Armenia with a great company of Tartars was defeated at Cammella [Emesa] in Syria by the soldan of Egypt. § 84.—How the war between the Genoese and Pisans began. § 85.—How the prince, son of King Charles, with many barons of France and of Provence, came to Florence to march against the Sicilians. § 86.—How King Charles and King Peter of Aragon engaged to fight in 1283 a.d. single combat at Bordeaux, in Gascony, for the possession of Sicily. § 87.—How on the appointed day, King Peter, of Aragon, failed to appear at Bordeaux, wherefore he was excommunicated and deposed by the 1282 a.d.
1283 a.d. Pope. § 88.—How there was in Florence a flood of waters and great scarcity of victuals. § 89.—How a noble court and festival was held in the city of Florence, whereat all were arrayed in white. § 90.—How the Genoese did great hurt to the Pisans returning from Sardinia. § 91.—Still of the doings of the Pisans and the Genoese. 1284 a.d. § 92.—How the Genoese discomfited the Pisans at Meloria. § 93.—How Charles, prince of Salerno, was defeated and taken prisoner at sea, by Ruggeri di Loria, with the fleet of the Sicilians. § 94.—How King Charles arrived at Naples with his fleet, and then made ready to pass to Sicily.
§ 95.—How the good King Charles passed from this life at the city of Foggia in Apulia.