The chronicles of Enguerrand de Monstrelet, Vol. 12 [of 13]

In Short

Serving as the concluding volume of a sprawling historical record, this text chronicles the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, primarily focusing on the Italian wars of Charles VIII and Louis XII. It captures a world in flux, where traditional feudal warfare, religious fervor, and the emerging influence of Renaissance states collide. Through its methodical reporting of royal entries, sieges, and diplomatic maneuvers, the volume offers a panoramic, if fragmented, look at the mechanisms of European power on the eve of the modern era.

The Story

The narrative opens in the final years of the fifteenth century, centering on the ambitious military excursions of the French monarchy into Italy. King Charles VIII enters Naples in triumph, asserting his claim as monarch of the peninsula. Yet this conquest is brief; he soon retreats, winning a victory at the battle of Foronuovo before returning to France, where he dies unexpectedly of apoplexy at Amboise. His death marks a transition to the reign of Louis XII, who continues the French obsession with Italian territories.

Louis XII seeks to consolidate power, turning his attention toward the Duchy of Milan. The conflict is marked by the shifting loyalties of Italian princes, the betrayal of cities, and the imprisonment of key figures like Ludovico Sforza and his brother, Cardinal Ascanius, both of whom are brought to France as high-stakes captives. The narrative expands to include a wide theater of influence: French troops are deployed to reconquer Naples, new alliances are brokered with the Papacy, and the influence of the Borgia family looms large over Rome.

As the century turns, the focus shifts to the broader pressures facing Europe. The narrative details the rise of international leagues—most notably the League of Cambray—formed to check the growing power of Venice. This diplomatic machinery is juxtaposed with the violent reality of the battlefield, such as the engagement at Agnadello, and the internal strife that plagues various European courts. Alongside these political machinations, the record notes the encroachment of foreign threats, including the rise of the Sophi of Persia and the shifting fortunes of the Ottoman Turks, with whom European powers engage in a complex dance of conflict and suspicion.

The concluding sections bridge the gap toward the sixteenth century. The narrative follows the death of Louis XII and the ascension of Francis I, who immediately sets out to secure his position through grand processions and military campaigns against the Swiss. The focus remains on the persistent cycle of war, the consolidation of royal authority through marriage and treaty, and the heavy toll exacted by famine and shifting seasons. The account leaves the reader at the threshold of a new age, where the old feudal order struggles to maintain its grip against the emergence of centralized royal power and the constant, destabilizing pressure of European geopolitical competition.

How It Unfolds

The Italian venture The narrative begins with the triumphal entry of Charles VIII into Naples, detailing the capture of major fortifications and the subsequent establishment of royal authority. These initial chapters emphasize the pomp and ceremony of the French occupation, culminating in the King’s decision to return home.

The shift of power Following the sudden death of Charles VIII, the focus turns to the reign of Louis XII and his aggressive pursuit of the Duchy of Milan. The text tracks the capture of key Italian leaders, the bribery of local populations to secure their allegiance, and the physical relocation of noble prisoners to French dungeons.

The theater of war The central portion describes the messy, persistent conflicts in Italy, including the siege of Bologna and the shifting alliances between the Pope, the French crown, and the Venetian republic. It highlights the brutal nature of these campaigns, marked by the ravaging of monasteries and the mercenary behavior of Swiss forces.

The dawn of a new reign The final chapters chronicle the death of Louis XII and the coronation of Francis I, tracing his rapid transition from the cathedral of Rheims to the battlefield. The volume concludes with the ongoing instability of Italy, as the Emperor Maximilian and the French crown prepare for renewed confrontation, framing the era as one of perpetual, unresolved conflict.

The People

Charles VIII appears as a monarch driven by the lure of expansion, whose sudden death in the midst of his ambitions leaves a vacuum filled by his successor. Louis XII acts as the central engine of the later narrative, a king preoccupied with holding the volatile Milanese territory and managing the complex, often duplicitous, politics of the Italian states.

Ludovico Sforza serves as the primary adversary in the struggle for Milan, representing the fragile power of the local Italian nobility who find themselves outmatched by the French war machine. His capture and eventual imprisonment in the castle of Loches underscore the totalizing power of the French crown over its rivals. Pope Alexander VII and his successor, Julius, function as geopolitical actors rather than mere spiritual leaders, shifting their allegiances with the tide of war to protect their own territorial interests. Meanwhile, figures like the Cardinal of Amboise emerge as the architects of diplomacy, orchestrating the leagues and treaties that govern the shifting board of European conflict, often moving with a pragmatism that mirrors the cold calculations of the monarchs they serve.

In Its Own Voice

The king of France enters the city of Naples in triumph.

The opening of the volume establishes the primary motivation for the French military activity in Italy.

The king marched from Sienna on the 17th of June for Poggiobondi, where he lay, and staid the following morning, on account of its being the feast of the holy sacrament, and attended the procession to high mass with great devotion.

This passage illustrates the routine intersection of military logistics and religious observance in the life of a medieval king.

What It's Really About

The text grapples with the transition from feudal, localized conflict to the broader, state-centered warfare of the early modern period. It explores the inherent instability of power, where alliances are transactional and quickly discarded, and where the legitimacy of a monarch is measured by their ability to maintain control over distant, hostile territories. Beneath the chronicle of sieges and royal processions lies an underlying concern with the fragility of peace. The narrative consistently questions how a ruler can navigate the conflicting demands of international diplomacy, religious duty, and the preservation of dynastic honor in a landscape where the only constant is the shifting allegiance of allies and the unpredictable nature of death.

Why Read It Today

Reading this volume feels like stepping into the raw, unpolished notes of a history still in the making. It will appeal to those who enjoy the "ground-level" view of the past, where the majesty of royal entries is juxtaposed with the grim realities of plague, betrayal, and the cold logic of the dungeon. Because the prose is direct and focused on the immediate events, it provides an immersive experience that strips away the romanticism often associated with the late Middle Ages.

However, the reader must be prepared for the book's archaic structure. It is a work of reportage, not a modern narrative, and it frequently shifts from grand political movements to the sudden death of a minor official or the specific details of a bridge’s collapse in Paris. The period’s attitudes—the casual dismissal of the "refractory" nature of foreign populations or the stark descriptions of conflict—reflect the sensibilities of a world that viewed violence as an inevitable component of statecraft. For the patient reader, the book offers a fascinating, if sometimes disorienting, window into a time when the boundaries of Europe were being redrawn by the vanity and ambition of its kings, leaving behind a legacy of perpetual struggle that defined the end of an era.