of Verona, and
though taken prisoner managed to negotiate a peace in 1318. To put an
end to the perpetual civil strife the Paduans elected him their lord,
and he seems to have governed well, leaving the city at his death (1324)
to his nephew Marsiglio a man famed for his cunning. But Cangrande was
bent on acquiring Padua, and Marsiglio, unable to resist, gave it over
to him and was appointed its governor. Cangrande died in 1319, being
succeeded by his nephew Martino, and Marsiglio soon began to meditate
treachery; he negotiated with the Venetians in 1336, and in the
following year he secretly introduced Venetian troops into Padua,
arrested Alberto della Scala, Martino's brother, then in charge of the
town, and thus regained the lordship. He died in 1338, and was succeeded
by his relative Ubertino, a typical medieval tyrant, who earned an
unenviable notoriety for his murders and acts of treachery, but was also
a patron of the arts; he built the Palazzo dei Principi, the castle of
Este, constructed a number of roads and canals, and protected commerce.
He died in 1345. His distant kinsman Marsiglietto da Carrara succeeded
to him, but was immediately assassinated by Jacopo da Carrara, a prince
famed as the friend of Petrarch. In 1350 Jacopo was murdered by
Guglielmo da Carrara, and his brother Jacopino succeeded, reigning
together with his nephew Francesco.

In 1355 Francesco (il Vecchio) rose against his uncle and imprisoned
him. Francesco changed the traditional policy of his house by
quarrelling with the Venetians, in the hope of obtaining more advantages
from the Visconti of Milan. When the former were at war with Hungary
over Dalmatia in 1356 and asked Carrara to help them, he refused. Their
resentment was all the more bitter when at the instance of the pope he
mediated between them and Hungary and brought about peace on terms
unfavourable to the republic. He received Feltre, Belluno and Cividale
from the Hungarian king, but in 1369 a frontier dispute led to war
between him and Venice. After some defeats, Venice was victorious and
dictated peace; Carrara had to pay a huge indemnity and ask the
republic's pardon (1373). In 1378 he joined the league against Venice
formed by Genoa, Hungary and the Scala, and took part in the siege of
Chioggia. But the Venetians were victorious, and by the peace of Turin
Carrara found himself in the _status quo ante_, but he bought Treviso
from Austria, to whom Venice had given it in the