Francesco Guicciardini, having successfully governed Modena and …
Years: 1527 - 1527
April
Francesco Guicciardini, having successfully governed Modena and Reggio, had been appointed to govern Parma, and in 1523 had been appointed viceregent of the Romagna by Clement VII.
These high offices had rendered Guicciardini the virtual master of the Papal States beyond the Apennine Mountains.
As he will later describe himself during this period: "If you had seen messer Francesco in the Romagna...with his house full of tapestries, silver, servants thronged from the entire province where—since everything was completely referred to him—no one, from the Pope down, recognized anyone as his superior...".
Like many Florentine aristocrats of his day, Guicciardini believes in a mixed republican government based on the model of the Venetian constitution; despite working so often and closely with the Medici, he views their rule as tyrannical.
Guicciardini is still able to reconcile his republican ideals and his support of the Medici: "The equality of men under a popular government is by no means contradicted if one citizen enjoys greater reputation than another, provided it proceed from the love and reverence of all, and can be withheld by the people at their pleasure.
Indeed, without such supports, republics can hardly last."
(Francesco Guicciardini, Maxims and Reflections (Ricordi), Mario Domandi, trans., Introd.
by Nicolai Rubinstein, (New York, Harper & Row, 1965) p.144) The political turmoil in Italy is continuously intensifying.
As hostilities between King Francis I of France and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, escalated, the Pope had remained undecided over which side to back and so sought Guicciardini's advice.
Guicciardini had advised an alliance with France and urged Clement to conclude the League of Cognac in 1526, which had led to war with Charles V. Later that year, as the forces of Charles V threatened to attack, Clement had made Guicciardini lieutenant-general of the papal army.
Guicciardini had been powerless to influence the commander of papal forces, Francesco Maria della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, to take action.
However, in April 1527, Guicciardini succeeds in averting an attack on Florence from the rebellious imperial army, which turns toward Rome instead.
Locations
People
- Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
- Francesco Guicciardini
- Francesco Maria I della Rovere
- Francis I of France
- Pope Clement VII
Groups
- Papal States (Republic of St. Peter)
- Christians, Roman Catholic
- France, (Valois) Kingdom of
- Holy Roman Empire
- Florence, Medici-ruled
- Spain, Habsburg Kingdom of
- Urbino, Duchy of
