Pazzi Conspiracy

Looking for an Out

The following year, 1478, was even worse. Plague broke out in Tuscany. More castles and fortified towns fell, and Roman or Neapolitan troops remained within two days' march for most of the year. The countryside was despoiled, making food dear and the threat of famine loomed. Lorenzo worked relentlessly through all these long months, trying to work out finances with too little money, war with too few men, and government in the midst of dearth and death. In late summer 1479, he fell ill with a fever that persisted for weeks.

Despite all this gloom, there were rays of light. For one thing, despite minor, relatively easy victories, the Duke of Calabria and his ally from Urbino had been unable to take Florence or even to invest it with a siege. They had always to worry about Milan and Venice and even France. Florence had held out against all comers for three years; it was in bad shape, but it still stood, and meanwhile its enemies were beginning to have their own problems.

In particular, Milan was making noises about wanting to return to an alliance with Florence, but only if Lorenzo was willing to give up an alliance with Venice. This was not acceptable, but if a replacement for the Venetian alliance could be found, well then perhaps. Strangely enough, a possibility was emerging—Naples.

King Ferrante was happy to snap up a juicy morsel when it was offered, but Florence was turning out to be tough and expensive, and in any case he bore Lorenzo no ill will personally. Sixtus hated the man, but Ferrante did not. Politics always came first with Ferrante, and he was now discreetly giving signals that he might be willing to accept Lorenzo remaining in Florence if the right terms could be worked out.

It was an extremely delicate bridge to cross. Venice was to be abandoned. So were the lords of the Romagna, who would be left to the tender mercies of Sixtus. Ferrante would no doubt have to be allowed to keep at least some of the places Alfonso had taken. But it was clear that matters could not go on as they were. Florence was holding out, but it was dying. Lorenzo was the key problem. Well, Lorenzo and the Riarios in Rome. That personal hostility had to be resolved.