Barbarossa; An Historical Novel of the XII Century. Read online

  _CHAPTER I_.

  _INTRODUCTORY_.

  Towards the middle of the 12th century, Milan had conquered for herselfa powerful supremacy throughout all of Upper Italy, and with theexception of the proud Genoa and the maritime Venetian republic, allthe cities of Lombardy acknowledged her sovereignty. Lodi, Pavia, andsome few of the neighboring towns, had made bold attempts to asserttheir rights, but all their efforts were unsuccessful; and had onlyresulted in riveting more tightly their fetters, while the pride of theMilanese, and a desire for more extended power, increased in proportionto the failing strength of their adversaries. The majority bore insilence the yoke which they could not shake off preferring theadvantages secured to them by prompt submission to the danger of losingin the unequal struggle every vestige of their former independence.

  Lombardy, it is true, was an appanage of the Germanic empire, but thesovereignty of the Emperor was almost nominal, and only acknowledged bythe turbulent Lombards, when forced so to do by his victorious arms;and whenever a war broke out between the Monarch, his greatfeudatories, or the Church, the smouldering embers of rebellion at onceburst forth into open insurrection.

  Scarcely had Frederic the First, of Hohenstauffen, mounted the throne,when his attention was attracted to Italy by an event of grave andunusual importance.

  In 1158, whilst Barbarossa, as the Emperor was usually surnamed by theItalians, was presiding over a High Court of Justice at Kossnitz, andlistening to the various cases submitted for his decision, two men,wearing upon their backs a wooden cross as a symbol of theirmisfortune, presented themselves before the throne with a long list ofgrievances against the Milanese, by whom, they alleged, the city ofLodi had been destroyed after the pillage and the exile of itscitizens. They had come now to implore the intervention of the Emperor,whose power alone, they urged, could check the tyranny of the Milaneseand save from utter ruin the other cities of Lombardy.

  Frederic at once dispatched one of his nobles, Schwicker, of Aspremont,with a letter of reproof and menace to Milan. But on his arrival theconsuls and the people refused to listen to the message. They tore thedespatch to pieces, trampled it underfoot, and obliged the ambassadorto seek safety in flight.

  Such a crime could not go unpunished, and Frederic, at the head of apowerful army, crossed the Alps and appeared, when least expected, inthe plains of Lombardy. Meanwhile the Milanese were putting intoexecution their perfidious designs against Como and Lodi, and offeredto the Emperor the sum, enormous for that age, of four hundred gold_marks_, on condition that he would recognize their sovereignty overthese cities.

  But the proposition was indignantly rejected. "Wretches," said he tothe Milanese ambassadors, "do you presume to bribe me to palliate yourtreachery? Do you propose to the Emperor of Germany to become a partnerin your baseness? Even were it in my power to sell the half of mydomains, I would rather turn your city into a paltry village thancountenance this exercise of arbitrary despotism over a country whichhas as much right to liberty as yourselves." The result of theinterview was a solemn engagement, on the part of the Milanese, toindemnify Lodi and Como for all damages sustained, as the powerfulalliances of Milan, her military strength, and the comparative weaknessof the German army, did not, at the time, permit of the absolutesubjection of Lombardy.

  Thence Frederic marched towards Tortona, an ally of the Milanese, whichhad attacked and ravaged the territory of Pavia. Explanations weredemanded, but, confiding in the strength of its fortifications, Tortonahaughtily refused. The Emperor at once attacked the town, stormed theworks, and reduced it to ashes.

  This terrible example dismayed the Milanese, who were ignorant of thefate in store for them, but they had learned to appreciate the energyand courage of the Emperor, and they began to estimate the necessity ofstrengthening and renewing the alliances which had formerly existedbetween them and the neighboring States.

  Scarcely had the Emperor recrossed the Alps, and received the crownfrom the hands of Pope Adrian IV., when the Milanese resumed theirdepredations upon Lodi. Far from making amends for their formerdamages, and thus fulfilling the stipulations of the treaty, theymarched a powerful army against the city, imprisoned or killed theinhabitants, and only retired after laying waste the vineyards, anddestroying the crops throughout the entire province.

  Again the inhabitants of Lodi sought the assistance of the Emperor.

  Barbarossa was incensed beyond measure at this insolent disregard, notonly of his threats, but even of his Imperial supremacy. Such audacitydemanded prompt repression, and Imperial edicts were at once issued toall the spiritual and temporal princes of the Empire, summoning them tojoin the Army destined to operate in Italy.

  In the month of June, 1158, the German army crossed the Alps, and Milanwas besieged and taken after a heroic defence.

  Again Frederic, either through pity or a desire to spare the noblecity, or through the temptation of a costly bribe, delayed theexecution of his threats, although urgently counselled to inflict uponMilan the fate of Tortona. But he humbled the pride of the haughtyLombards: all their rights and privileges were confiscated, and theywere compelled to rebuild Lodi and Como, while all duties and customswere henceforth to revert to the Imperial treasury; a fine of ninethousand silver marks was imposed, and as a guarantee for thefulfilment of these and many other conditions, three hundred of theprincipal citizens were to be given up and held as hostages.

  The Emperor then disbanded the greater portion of his German levies,and convoked a Diet of the princes, prelates, counts, and chief civildignitaries, who in general assembly were to attend to the pacificationof Italy, and the re-establishment of order, and to define preciselythe respective rights of the sovereign and his subjects.

  An immense camp was pitched in the midst of the vast plain which iswatered by the Po; in the centre stood the Imperial tent, and aroundit, in order of rank, those of the princes. Streets at right anglesdivided the various quarters of this city of canvas, and to avoid alldanger of collisions, the Germans and Italians were encamped onopposite sides of the river. Frederic had invited four of the mostcelebrated _juris consults_ of Bologna, and had given them ascoadjutors twenty-eight counsellors from the other Lombard towns, inorder to investigate and define thoroughly the origin and spirit oftheir statute laws and their oral traditions.

  From his throne, Frederic opened the assembly with a solemn discourse.

  "Called to the supreme power, by the grace of God," said he, "our taskis to elevate the courage of the good, to restrain and punish theevil-doer. At the close of the late campaign which we have terminatedso fortunately; the pacification of the country demands our earnestattention, for it is only simple justice that we should protect, by ourarms, the people who are governed by our laws. But before anything bewritten, or decided concerning our respective rights, duties, andprivileges; we must establish what is equitable and expedient,necessary and useful, according to the locality and the epoch; for oncethese laws adopted and promulgated, there will be no further discussionadmitted in the matter, they will be rigidly and exactly enforced."

  The Italians were astonished at the ability of the young monarch. Histalents and his policy compelled their respect, for it became evidentthat under such a ruler, their only safe course of action would beimplicit obedience.

  Whilst the Bolognese legists insisted upon privileges being accorded tothe Emperor, based upon the old Roman law, the Lombard counsellorscomplained of an autocratic despotism, in the decisions, subversive oftheir own peculiar rights, and inimical to the interests of theircountry. For example, all revenues from tolls on rivers and bridges,and tonnage dues in ports and harbors, were to revert hereafter to theEmperor; and all duties on grain, salt works, and fisheries, with theright of coinage, hitherto a prerogative of the dukes, counts, and freecities, were in future to belong exclusively to the Imperial treasury.

  Barbarossa had destroyed the autonomy of the Lombard cities, andreduced them to be mere dependencies of th
e empire. Still, so long ashe remained in Upper Italy, no open signs of discontent weremanifested, but scarcely had he turned towards Rome, when the revoltbroke out. In order to pacify, if possible, the malcontents, Otto deWittelsbach; the Chancellor Rinaldo, and the Knight of Goswin were atonce sent to Milan. But the exasperated populace assembled before thedwelling of the ambassadors, who with much difficulty escaped beingtorn to pieces.

  This unexpected outrage excited the rage of the German nobles whoaccompanied the Emperor, and the rebellious city was threatened withsack and pillage, while its inhabitants were doomed to slavery. Thisfierce menace, however, by no means disheartened the Milanese, whodetermined to employ every means of resistance in their power, and todie gloriously rather than wear the fetters of serfdom. The strugglebegan at once, and while Barbarossa was celebrating the festival ofEaster at Bologna, the Lombards seized the Imperial treasury, in whichwere lodged the enormous sums which he had collected in Italy. Thenthey burned the castle and hung all the garrison, who were Italians, astraitors to their country.

  The Emperor hastened back with his little army, but he arrived toolate; the Milanese had retreated behind their works, and from the wallsof the city could see Frederic, in his anger, lay waste all thesurrounding country; for, weak in numbers and destitute of siegeartillery, his army was powerless against the town. Scarcely had heleft the neighborhood, when the Lombards took up again the offensive,and retaliated upon the Emperor's allies for the havoc which he hadcaused in their territory. Joining their forces to those of theBrescians, they took Lodi and Cremona, and made several attacks uponthe Imperialist forces; and such was the vindictiveness displayed; thatseveral abortive attempts were made to assassinate the German Emperor,who was unable to check or punish these acts of hostility. His army wascomposed almost entirely of Italians, and although the rebellious cityof Cremona was taken and burned, his reprisals were without result.

  This continual strife and its attendant misfortunes, equally disastrousfor both factions, reduced Lombardy almost to a desert. The devastatedfields produced no more crops, and the ground being unable to sustaineven the native population, the foreign troops suffered severely fromfamine. Barbarossa convoked again his knights and nobles, thanked andrewarded them publicly for their devotion to his cause, and disbandedthe Germans, promising to open the campaign with a strong army, earlyin the following spring.