Scarcely had the Medici re-established themselves at Florence when news came from Itome that the supreme pontiff had died. It was on the 20th of February, 1513, that " the furious nature" of his holiness the pope Julius II was quieted forever. Leaving his brother Giidiano, and his nejihew Lorenzo, son of Pietro, at the head of the affairs of Florence, " our cardinal posts up in all haste to Kome," says Trollope (iv, 351), '• to see whether mayhap Providence, in the utter inscrutableness of its wisdom, may consider him, Giovanni de' IMedici, as the best and fittest person to be intrusted with heaven's vicegerency," accompanied in this excursion to the con- clave by Filippo Strozzi — son of the great banker, the founder of the still well-known Strozzi palace, possessor of one of the then largest fortunes in Florence, and " on ■whose young shoidders was one of the longest heads that day in Florence" — as his friend, companion, and . . . banker. " Especially in this last capacity was Filippo necessary to the asi)iring cardinal, so soon to become ]iope by the grace of God and the capital of Strozzi." The younger members of the conclave had previously decided to elect one of their own age as successor to Ju- lius II. and upon cardinal de' Medici, only thirty-seven years old, fell their choice, infiuenced, as we have seen by tlic ((notation from Trollope, in a great measure by the exertions of the banker Strozzi. One of the first acts of the new pontiff, who assumed the name of Leo X, was to appoint two men of learning, Bembo and Sado- leto, for his secretaries. He next sent a general amnes- ty to be iiublishcd at Florence, where a conspiracy had been discovered against the Mediciifor which two* indi- viduals had been executed, and others, with the cele- brated aiachiavelli among the rest, had been arrested and put to the torture. Leo ordered Giuliano even to release the prisoners and recall those that Avere banished, Soderini among the rest. This accomplished, Giuliano •was invited to Pome, where he was made gonfalioncre of the Holy Church. "AH the rich and lucrative of- fices of the apostolic court were conferred on Florentines, not a little to the disgust of the Poman world" (Trollo]ic. iv, 359). Of course, that Leo shoidd do anything and everything to enhance the dignity and greatness of the Medicean family no one could object to, and, conse- quently, no one had aught to say when he ajipointed his nephew Lorenzo, the eldest son of Pietro, a profligate young scapegrace, but the ohIv heir remaining to suc- ceed in the government of Florence, governor of the re- public and general in cbief. with absolute and supreme autliority over all the Tuscan fnrces contributed by the commonwealth to the armies of a new league formed in
1515 by the emperor, the king of Aragon, the duke of Milan, and the Florentines against France and Venice. To have made Lorenzo, as Leo would have liked to do, sovereign prince, under the title of duke or some other like distinction, would have been premature, but with the appointment as made no one found fault, and it passed generally approved. Nor was any objection raised to Leo's further action in behalf of Florence, constituting it a dependency of Rome, which it continued during the remainder of his life. His cousin Giulio de' jNIedici, archbishop of Florence, on the decease of Julius II, Leo X at once promoted to the cardinal's dignity, and, in ad- dition, intrusted him with the legateship of Bologna. By these new positions the influence of the Medici had been greatly improved, but the ever-plotting Leo, far- seeing as he was, comprehended clearly that still more was needed to secure to his house the throne of Florence. Upon his accession to the pontificate he found the war renewed in Northern Italy. Loius XII had sent a fresh arm}-, under La Trimouille, to invade the duchy of Mi- lan. The Swiss auxiliaries of duke IMaximilian Sforza defeated La Trimouille at Novara, and the French were driven out of Italy. The Venetians, however, had allied themselves with Louis XII, and Leo sent Bembo to Ven- ice to endeavor to break the alliance. Differences oc- curred between Leo and Alfonso d'Este, duke of Ferrara, who demanded the restoration of Eeggio, taken from him by Julius II, which Leo promised, but never per- formed ; on the contrary, he purchased lilodena of the emperor jMaximilian, tlisregarding the rights of the house of Este to that town. The pope held likewise Parma and Piacenza, and it appears that he intended to form out of these a territory for his brother Giuliano, and he made attempts to surprise Ferrara also with the same view. His predecessor Jidius had had in view the in- dependence of all Italy, and he boldly led on the league for this purpose; Leo had a narrower object — his own aggrandizement and that of his family, and he pursued it with a more cautious and crooked policy. To secure tlie adhesion of Louis XII, Leo reopened the Council of the Lateran, which had begun under Julius II, for the ex- tinction of the schism produced by the Council of Pisa, convoked by Louis XII in order to check the power of Ju- lius, who was his enem}'. For such proceedings there was now no longer any reason, and Louis XII gladly made his peace with Leo in 1514, renounced the Council of Pisa, and acknowledged that of the Lateran. But in the following year Louis XII died, and his successor, Fran- cis I, among other titles assumed that of duke of !Milan. Under him a new Italian war opened. The Venetians joined Francis I, while the emperor Maximilian, Ferdi- nand of Spain, duke Sforza, and the Swiss made a league to oppose the French. The pope did not openly join the league, but he ncgf>tiated with the Swiss by means of the cardinal of Sion, and paid them considerable sums to induce them to defend the north of Italy. The S^viss were posted near Susa, but Francis, led by old Tri- vulzio, passed the Alps by the Col de I'Argentier, en- tered the plains of Saluzzo, and marched upon Pavia, wliilo the Swiss hastened back to defend ]Milan. The battle of Marignano was fought on the 14th of Septem- ber, 1515. The Swiss made desperate efforts, and woidd probably have succeeded had not Alviano, with part of the Venetian troops, appeared suddenly with cries of "Viva San ]\Iarco," which dispirited the Swiss, who be^ lieved that the whole Venetian army was coming to the assistance of the French. The result was the retreat of the Swiss, and the entrance of the French into Milan, who took possession of the duchy. Leo now saw clear- ly that the salvation of his house lay in a union with France, and at once made proposals to Francis, who, in turn, eagerly embraced the proffered aid of the Church. It was on the 21st of October, 1515, that news reached Florence of this new alliance concluded by the holy fa- ther and the French king Francis I for the mutual de- fence of their Italian states, the king obliging himself specially to protect the pontiff, Giuliano and Lorenzo de'