latter of whom being slain by the people of
Milan, the state fell to Filippo; but he having no male heir, Milan
passed from the family of Visconti to that of Sforza, in the manner to
be related hereafter.

But to return to the point from which we deviated. The Emperor Louis, to
add to the importance of his party and to receive the crown, came
into Italy; and being at Milan, as an excuse for taking money of the
Milanese, he pretended to make them free and to put the Visconti in
prison; but shortly afterwards he released them, and, having gone to
Rome, in order to disturb Italy with less difficulty, he made Piero
della Corvara anti-pope, by whose influence, and the power of the
Visconti, he designed to weaken the opposite faction in Tuscany and
Lombardy. But Castruccio died, and his death caused the failure of the
emperor's purpose; for Pisa and Lucca rebelled. The Pisans sent Piero
della Corvara a prisoner to the pope in France, and the emperor,
despairing of the affairs of Italy, returned to Germany. He had scarcely
left, before John king of Bohemia came into the country, at the request
of the Ghibellines of Brescia, and made himself lord of that city and of
Bergamo. And as his entry was with the consent of the pope, although
he feigned the contrary, the legate of Bologna favored him, thinking by
this means to prevent the return of the emperor. This caused a change in
the parties of Italy; for the Florentines and King Robert, finding the
legate was favorable to the enterprises of the Ghibellines, became foes
of all those to whom the legate and the king of Bohemia were friendly.
Without having regard for either faction, whether Guelph or Ghibelline,
many princes joined them, of whom, among others, were the Visconti, the
Della Scala, Filippo Gonzao of Mantua, the Carrara, and those of Este.
Upon this the pope excommunicated them all. The king, in fear of the
league, went to collect forces in his own country, and having returned
with a large army, still found his undertaking a difficult one; so,
seeing his error, he withdrew to Bohemia, to the great displeasure of
the legate, leaving only Reggio and Modena guarded, and Parma in the
care of Marsilio and Piero de' Rossi, who were the most powerful men in
the city. The king of Bohemia being gone, Bologna joined the league; and
the leaguers divided among themselves the four cities which remained of
the church faction. They agreed that Parma should pertain to the Della
Scalla;