Stung by the oppression and insolence of their conquerors, Italian armies and intrigue were to drive the French in the years to come temporarily out of Naples; but in spite of this success the effect of Charles VIII’s military ‘walk-over’ was never to be effaced. Italy, in Roman times the centre of Europe from which all law and order had radiated, had clung to a fiction of this power and glory through mediaeval days. Now at last the sham was exposed, and before the forces of nationality her boasted supremacy collapsed. The centre of political gravity had changed, and with it the traditions and ideals for which the supremacy of Italy had stood.
Supplementary Dates. For Chronological Summary, see pp. [368–73].
| Invention of Printing | 1435 | |
| Caxton’s Press | 1474 | |
| The Aldine Press | 1494 | |
| Duns Scotus | (died) | 1308 |
| Petrarch | 1304–74 | |
| Giotto | 1276–1337 | |
| Leonardo da Vinci | 1452–1519 | |
| Ferrante I of Naples | (died) | 1494 |
| French Invasion of Italy | 1494 |
SOME AUTHORITIES ON MEDIAEVAL HISTORY
Periods of European History.
The Dark Ages. C. W. Oman.
The Empire and Papacy. T. F. Tout.
The Close of the Middle Ages. R. Lodge.
Text-Books of European History.
Mediaeval Europe. K. Bell.
The Renaissance and the Reformation. E. M. Tanner.
Epochs of Modern History.
The Beginning of the Middle Ages. R. Church.
The Normans in Europe. A. H. Johnson.
The Crusades. G. W. Cox.
Edward III. W. Warburton.
Home University Library.
Mohammedanism. D. S. Margoliouth.
Mediaeval Europe. H. W. Davis.
The Renaissance. E. Sichel.