ian Galeazzo. But
there is no honour among thieves. Soon Visconti, hoping to win Pisa all
for himself, plotted against Appiano. The quarrel went on, Appiano
fearing to make treaty with Florence lest he should fall, and fearing,
too, to decide with Visconti lest he should be murdered, till he died,
and his son became Captain, only to sell Pisa to Visconti for 200,000
florins, with Elba also, and many castles.[46] Then Gian Galeazzo died
in 1404.

Now Florence knew that in the confusion which followed the death of the
great Visconti, Pisa was weak and almost without defence, so without
hesitation she sent an army to seize the city: but Pisa, always at her
best in danger, worked night and day, nor was any man idle in building
fortifications. In Genoa the Frenchman Boucicault, who had held that
city, came to her assistance, for the last thing Genoa or Milan desired
was to see Pisa and her port in the hands of Florence. Boucicault
imprisoned all the Florentines in Genoa, and seized Livorno, nor would
he agree to release his prisoners till Florence had signed a four years'
peace. But Pisa soon wearied of this. In the grip of Genoa, fearing
Visconti, unable to save herself, she revolted, and Boucicault sold her
to Florence, for he had to defend himself in Genoa. It was in August
1405 that Pisa was given up to Florence, but although for a moment
Florence then held the city, she was to fight for it in earnest before
she could hold it for good. As yet she only possessed the citadel, and
by a ruse the Pisans managed to win that from her: then they sent to
Florence to negotiate. They offered to buy their freedom, but Florence
was obdurate. She was determined to possess herself of Pisa; her armies
were ordered to advance.

Pisa was ready. At that moment all feuds were forgotten; a united city
opposed the Florentines: there was but one way to take it--by famine.
And it was thus at last, on 9th October 1406, Pisa fell. Preferring to
die rather than to surrender, it would have been into a city of the dead
that the armies of Florence would have marched, but for the brutal
treachery of Giovanni Gambacorti. As it was, it was only a city of the
dying that Florence occupied. After every kind of heroic effort,
Giovanni Gambacorti sold Pisa when she was too weak to fight, save
against a declared enemy, for 50,000 florins, the citizenship of
Florence and Borgo to rule. He opened the gates, and Florence streamed
in. There was scarcely a crust