e Innocent IV.,
with a great host of the Church, entered into the Kingdom to regain
the lands which Manfred was holding against the will of the Church,
and under sentence of excommunication; and when the said host of the
Church had entered into the Kingdom, all the cities and villages as
far as Naples surrendered themselves to the said Pope; but he had
sojourned but a short time in Naples ere he fell sick, and passed from
this life the year of Christ 1252, and was buried in the city of
Naples. Wherefore by the death of the said Pope, and by the vacancy
which the Church had after him, which for more than two years abode
without pastors, Manfred regained all the Kingdom, and his strength
increased greatly both far and near; and with great care he allied
himself with all the cities of Italy which were Ghibelline and
faithful to the Empire, and aided them by his German knights, making a
league and alliance with them in Tuscany and in Lombardy. And when the
said Manfred saw himself in glory and state, he thought to have
himself made king of Sicily and of Apulia, and to the end this might
come to pass, he sought for the friendship of the greatest barons of
the Kingdom, with monies and gifts and promises and offices. And
knowing that King Conrad, his brother, had left a son named Conradino,
the which was by law the rightful heir to the realm of Sicily, and was
in Germany under the guardianship of his mother, he devised guileful
practices whereby to become king; wherefore he gathered together all
the barons of the Kingdom, and took counsel with them what should be
done with the lordship, forasmuch as he had received tidings that his
nephew Conradino was grievously sick, and could never rule over a
realm; wherefore it was counselled by his barons that he should send
his ambassadors into Germany to learn of the state of Conradino, and
if he were dead or ill; and meanwhile they counselled that Manfred
should be made king. To this Manfred agreed, seeing it was he which
had falsely arranged it all, and he sent the said ambassadors to
Conradino and to his mother with rich presents and great offers. The
which ambassadors being come to Suabia, found the boy whom his mother
guarded most carefully, and with him she kept many other boys of
gentle birth clothed in his garments; and when the said ambassadors
asked for Conradino, his mother being in dread of Manfred, showed to
them one of the said children, and they with rich presents, offere