Charles VII leads his army into Italy to invade the Kingdom of Naples. He is invited into the peninsula by Ludovico Il Moro of Milan, concerned about aggression from Naples. Ludovico had expected the French to to travel to Naples largely by sea, and with a smaller force, not the full deployment of the French crown

www.historyeurope.net

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lorenzo il Magnifico, ruler of Florence 1469-1492. In the so-called Pazzi Conspiracy Pope Sixtus IV organises an assassination attempt on Lorenzo and his brother Giuliano. Lorenzo survives and goes on to help negotiate a peace treaty between the five great powers of Italy. For his influence and diplomatic skills he becomes known as 'the needle of the Italian compass'. Lorenzo also sponsored great artists such as Botticelli and Michelangelo da Vinci. However, towards the end of his reign, the people of Florence grow increasingly resentful about economic disruptions and turn to the radical preacher Savonarola

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rise of the Medici dynasty in Florence. Renaissance Italy sees a remarkable flourishing of art and literature, with such writers as Dante, Bocaccio and Petrarch, the architects Brunelleschi and Michelozzo, and the artists Giotto and Pisano. Florence creates a republican system of government, although imperfect, democratic for its time. Cosimo de Medici, a skilled diplomat, rises to power in Florence and helps organise the Peace of Lodi, which brings a period of relative peace and stability to the Italian peninsula

www.historyeurope.net

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Overview of Italy in the 1400's in the lead-up to the Renaissance and Italian Wars. The 5 main powers were The Papacy, Milan, Florence, Naples and Venice, each with very different characteristics. The Maritime Republic of Venice, its overseas territories threatened by the Ottomans, attempts to expand on the mainland. Also, the turbulent history of Naples in 1300's and 1400's

www.historyeurope.net

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Burgundian Wars 1474-1477. Charles the Bold of Burgundy captures the Duchy of Lorraine. But he faces fierce resistance from his neighbours who form an alliance called the League of Constance, which includes several Swiss towns. The culmination of the wars is the Siege of Nancy 1476-77

www.historyeurope.net

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charles the Bold of Burgundy imposes his will on the citizens of Low Countries but, in so doing, creates resentment. Meanwhile, stoked by Louis XI of France, tensions rise between Charles and the Swiss

www.historyeurope.net

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Survey of Western European powers around 1460's, including England, France, Burgundy, Switzerland, Savoy, and the major antagonists; King Louis XI of France (pictured) and Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy

www.historyeurope.net

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Hussite Wars; a series of crusades in the Kingdom of Bohemia (Czech Republic) against religious dissidents, prepared to go to war to protect their religious freedoms against the Catholic Church

www.historyeurope.net

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.