Stairway to Glory: a late medieval Italy TL
Prologue: A plot averted
21 July 1329, Treviso, Palazzo del Vescovado
The great Ghibelline lord turned and tossed in the bed who had belonged to Treviso's bishop, his strong body and keen intellect helpless against the pain that was lacerating his bowels.
It had been that spring water drinking it had been a temptation impossible to resist after a whole day on horseback, scouting the defenses of Treviso. But its crystal clear appearance belied a deadly potential.
The cold liquid must have caused a devastating imbalance in his bodily humors, like when contrarian currents meet and turn the sea into a foamy and angry monster, ready to devour men and ships alike... So, that was the end of his life? Not honorably in the field of battle, nor old and satiated in his beloved Verona, but broken by a vile illness in a stranger city? And to think that he had still so much to do...
Cangrande was interrupted in his feverish reflections by the sound of approaching steps; he turned his face towards the sound, and saw in the half-darkness of the bedroom the now familiar figure of his physician, bringing with him something, probably the foul drink that he called a medicine. Funny how that could bring back a life that was about to leave this world because of a much fairer drink... Then – suddenly – the last few days' routine was interrupted by an unexpected commotion.
A smaller figure came in running like if it was hounded by an hell spawn, he ducked and managed to avoid the stunned door-guards, and continued his rush towards Cangrande, while screaming something barely intelligible at first, but that quickly became terribly clear: “Don't drink of that chalice, m'lord, Death is in it!” “Guards, stop this fool! He'll...” the physician was however interrupted by the figure, now recognizable as one of the court pages, tackling him.
Immediately after the door-guards reached the scuffle and, while one pinned the boy to the ground under menace of his sword, the other helped the medic back on his feet. The medicinal potion had however been irremediably spilled.
Cangrande made an effort to put himself upright and commanded silence, in a weak but still authoritative voice. Surprisingly, he addressed the young page, who was literally a few inches away from summary execution, asking him his name and the reason behind his actions: “...and remember boy, I will reward truth with honor, lie with death” “I had been fetched by Lord Alberto” came the stammering answer of the now terrorized youth “but got lost in the palace and entered messer Alciato's [the medic] room. He sent me away, but I had already seen him putting a bunch of foxglove flowers in the mortar, too many of them. Enough to kill a warhorse, I know this because my father is an apothecary in Vicenza...”.
Alciato protested his innocence, but Cangrande ordered that him and the boy be both hold under guard, while the medic's room was examined and another physician, the Jew Melchiorre of Venice, was called to attend to the great ghibelline lord's health. A loaf of bread, soaked with the spilled “medicine” was given to eat to a dog, which died in great pain within the hour. This appeared proof enough to start an harsher questioning of the physician, who soon broke down, confessing that he had been paid to poison his lord. He was tortured until he revealed the Della Scala heir apparent, Mastino II, as the hand behind the plot.
Under Melchiorre's care Cangrande quickly made a complete recovery, ordering that the young page, named Oberto Zeni, to be made a squire in his retinue and to be given the title to a small but fertile land from those confiscated from the defeated Trevisan nobles. Alciato was instead brought to Verona, where he was hanged in the ancient Roman arena, while the treacherous Mastino (against whom no concrete evidence emerged, besides the physician's word and Cangrande's own suspects) was forced into a convent.
His brother Alberto had not been been linked to the plot, but nonetheless it appeared improbable for him to have been completely in the dark about his brothers plans, and he fell from his uncle's favors, with Cangrande starting to think of ways to ensure the succession of his illegitimate son Bartolomeo, having no more hope for legitimate sons, as his wife was now more almost fifty years old and most probably barren.
Cangrande's musings on strategy
After the conquest of Treviso, Cangrande was without doubt the most powerful lord in Lombardy, even stronger than the Visconti in Milan, but he needed to legitimize his rule, or it would evaporate at his death, like it happened to the despot Ezzelino da Romano almost eighty years before. The emperor could maybe be convinced to revive the ancient margravial title of Verona and Treviso, but he would also need the alliance or at least the acquiescence of most of his neighbors, especially Venice, that appeared very concerned about Veronese expansionism so close to the Lagoon, and, although military weak, had the financial power and diplomatic finesse to create powerful alliances. Cangrande had always pursued a policy of friendship with the trading city, and hoped that it could be made to see the advantages of cooperation, rather than hostility with Verona.
To the North East the Patriarcate of Aquileia was hostile, but didn't pose an immediate danger, especially with the Counts of Gorizia as loyal allies of the Della Scala.
To the South the Estensi family of Ferrara was relatively friendly and could maybe be persuaded to become an ally, maybe through marriage. To the South West, Mantua was in the hand of Ludovico Gonzaga thanks to the support of Veronese troops, but it was not certain that the ambitious Gonzaga would always remember to whom he owed his fortunes... maybe one day it would became necessary for the Veronese to directly control that strategic stronghold on the mid course of the Po river.
Finally, to the West, was Brescia and further the lands of western Lombardy, where Milan and its Visconti rulers held an hegemony, challenged however by the Guelph factions powerful in many comuni. The Visconti made for good allies: together Milan and Verona could be an invincible bulwark for the rights of the Emperor against any Guelph league, although Cangrande could imagine a time when conflict between the two could erupt, as, like Sparta and Athens in the Greece of old, only one city could hold the hegemony over the Po valley.
At the moment however the biggest problem was Brescia, as Cangrande hosted a great number of Ghibelline exiles from the cities, who had pledged it to him, if only he helped them with his army to dislodge the Guelphs who had expelled them some years before. Honor and expansionist desires would compel him to heed them and mount a campaign, but the risk of upsetting the delicate balance of power in Lombardy and to upset the Milanese made it a decision that needed time to be pondered.
Author's Notes:
Hi everybody! I come back with a new timeline, this time not set in XIX century Italy, but instead in the late middle ages. I hope the somewhat narrative prologue got your attention, but from now on the updates will mostly be more normal, the next one will be an introduction, detailing the rise to power of the Della Scala's family on Verona and Cangrande's earlier life, then the Timeline will begin to diverge in earnest from OTL.
The POD here is obviously Cangrande I della Scala not dying in1329, when he was just 38. The 2004 authopsiy on Cangrande's partially mumified body evidenced a digitalis purpurea poisoning as the most probable cause of death. It could well have been accidental, as it was used as a medicine, but I chose to go with the murder plot hypothesis, which is imho more probable and interesting. I implicated Mastino to take him out (?) of the succession line, as he was a terrible politician, squandering all his uncle's accomplishments in about five years. Clearly the problem of succession is very big. Ideally I would have Giovanna di Svevia die way earlier, so that Cangrande can remarry (who would be an interesting bride?) and have a legitimate heir. Otherwise one of the illegitimate sons could be legitimized, if a cooperatve enough pope can be bribed.
The minor characters are clearly my inventions, I hope they are somewhat plausible.
Prologue: A plot averted
21 July 1329, Treviso, Palazzo del Vescovado
The great Ghibelline lord turned and tossed in the bed who had belonged to Treviso's bishop, his strong body and keen intellect helpless against the pain that was lacerating his bowels.
It had been that spring water drinking it had been a temptation impossible to resist after a whole day on horseback, scouting the defenses of Treviso. But its crystal clear appearance belied a deadly potential.
The cold liquid must have caused a devastating imbalance in his bodily humors, like when contrarian currents meet and turn the sea into a foamy and angry monster, ready to devour men and ships alike... So, that was the end of his life? Not honorably in the field of battle, nor old and satiated in his beloved Verona, but broken by a vile illness in a stranger city? And to think that he had still so much to do...
Cangrande was interrupted in his feverish reflections by the sound of approaching steps; he turned his face towards the sound, and saw in the half-darkness of the bedroom the now familiar figure of his physician, bringing with him something, probably the foul drink that he called a medicine. Funny how that could bring back a life that was about to leave this world because of a much fairer drink... Then – suddenly – the last few days' routine was interrupted by an unexpected commotion.
A smaller figure came in running like if it was hounded by an hell spawn, he ducked and managed to avoid the stunned door-guards, and continued his rush towards Cangrande, while screaming something barely intelligible at first, but that quickly became terribly clear: “Don't drink of that chalice, m'lord, Death is in it!” “Guards, stop this fool! He'll...” the physician was however interrupted by the figure, now recognizable as one of the court pages, tackling him.
Immediately after the door-guards reached the scuffle and, while one pinned the boy to the ground under menace of his sword, the other helped the medic back on his feet. The medicinal potion had however been irremediably spilled.
Cangrande made an effort to put himself upright and commanded silence, in a weak but still authoritative voice. Surprisingly, he addressed the young page, who was literally a few inches away from summary execution, asking him his name and the reason behind his actions: “...and remember boy, I will reward truth with honor, lie with death” “I had been fetched by Lord Alberto” came the stammering answer of the now terrorized youth “but got lost in the palace and entered messer Alciato's [the medic] room. He sent me away, but I had already seen him putting a bunch of foxglove flowers in the mortar, too many of them. Enough to kill a warhorse, I know this because my father is an apothecary in Vicenza...”.
Alciato protested his innocence, but Cangrande ordered that him and the boy be both hold under guard, while the medic's room was examined and another physician, the Jew Melchiorre of Venice, was called to attend to the great ghibelline lord's health. A loaf of bread, soaked with the spilled “medicine” was given to eat to a dog, which died in great pain within the hour. This appeared proof enough to start an harsher questioning of the physician, who soon broke down, confessing that he had been paid to poison his lord. He was tortured until he revealed the Della Scala heir apparent, Mastino II, as the hand behind the plot.
Under Melchiorre's care Cangrande quickly made a complete recovery, ordering that the young page, named Oberto Zeni, to be made a squire in his retinue and to be given the title to a small but fertile land from those confiscated from the defeated Trevisan nobles. Alciato was instead brought to Verona, where he was hanged in the ancient Roman arena, while the treacherous Mastino (against whom no concrete evidence emerged, besides the physician's word and Cangrande's own suspects) was forced into a convent.
His brother Alberto had not been been linked to the plot, but nonetheless it appeared improbable for him to have been completely in the dark about his brothers plans, and he fell from his uncle's favors, with Cangrande starting to think of ways to ensure the succession of his illegitimate son Bartolomeo, having no more hope for legitimate sons, as his wife was now more almost fifty years old and most probably barren.
Cangrande's musings on strategy
After the conquest of Treviso, Cangrande was without doubt the most powerful lord in Lombardy, even stronger than the Visconti in Milan, but he needed to legitimize his rule, or it would evaporate at his death, like it happened to the despot Ezzelino da Romano almost eighty years before. The emperor could maybe be convinced to revive the ancient margravial title of Verona and Treviso, but he would also need the alliance or at least the acquiescence of most of his neighbors, especially Venice, that appeared very concerned about Veronese expansionism so close to the Lagoon, and, although military weak, had the financial power and diplomatic finesse to create powerful alliances. Cangrande had always pursued a policy of friendship with the trading city, and hoped that it could be made to see the advantages of cooperation, rather than hostility with Verona.
To the North East the Patriarcate of Aquileia was hostile, but didn't pose an immediate danger, especially with the Counts of Gorizia as loyal allies of the Della Scala.
To the South the Estensi family of Ferrara was relatively friendly and could maybe be persuaded to become an ally, maybe through marriage. To the South West, Mantua was in the hand of Ludovico Gonzaga thanks to the support of Veronese troops, but it was not certain that the ambitious Gonzaga would always remember to whom he owed his fortunes... maybe one day it would became necessary for the Veronese to directly control that strategic stronghold on the mid course of the Po river.
Finally, to the West, was Brescia and further the lands of western Lombardy, where Milan and its Visconti rulers held an hegemony, challenged however by the Guelph factions powerful in many comuni. The Visconti made for good allies: together Milan and Verona could be an invincible bulwark for the rights of the Emperor against any Guelph league, although Cangrande could imagine a time when conflict between the two could erupt, as, like Sparta and Athens in the Greece of old, only one city could hold the hegemony over the Po valley.
At the moment however the biggest problem was Brescia, as Cangrande hosted a great number of Ghibelline exiles from the cities, who had pledged it to him, if only he helped them with his army to dislodge the Guelphs who had expelled them some years before. Honor and expansionist desires would compel him to heed them and mount a campaign, but the risk of upsetting the delicate balance of power in Lombardy and to upset the Milanese made it a decision that needed time to be pondered.
Author's Notes:
Hi everybody! I come back with a new timeline, this time not set in XIX century Italy, but instead in the late middle ages. I hope the somewhat narrative prologue got your attention, but from now on the updates will mostly be more normal, the next one will be an introduction, detailing the rise to power of the Della Scala's family on Verona and Cangrande's earlier life, then the Timeline will begin to diverge in earnest from OTL.
The POD here is obviously Cangrande I della Scala not dying in1329, when he was just 38. The 2004 authopsiy on Cangrande's partially mumified body evidenced a digitalis purpurea poisoning as the most probable cause of death. It could well have been accidental, as it was used as a medicine, but I chose to go with the murder plot hypothesis, which is imho more probable and interesting. I implicated Mastino to take him out (?) of the succession line, as he was a terrible politician, squandering all his uncle's accomplishments in about five years. Clearly the problem of succession is very big. Ideally I would have Giovanna di Svevia die way earlier, so that Cangrande can remarry (who would be an interesting bride?) and have a legitimate heir. Otherwise one of the illegitimate sons could be legitimized, if a cooperatve enough pope can be bribed.
The minor characters are clearly my inventions, I hope they are somewhat plausible.
Last edited: