avoit — 15. françois. For avait and français

159. — Subtitle. La découverte de l'Italie et la Renaissance. At the end of the fifteenth century Italy was the most highly civilized country in Europe; however, national unity was lacking because of the discordant and independent states of the peninsula (these were Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome governed by the popes, and Naples). Because of its beauty, wealth and lack of unity, Italy was in danger of three invasions: on the east from the Turks who had captured Constantinople in 1453, on the west from the rival powers, France and Spain. The invasion came from France. This country had prospered since the time of Jeanne Dare; the English had been driven out and under Louis XI the central power had been increased. Especially fortunate for France was the death of the Duke of Burgundy and the acquisition of much of his territory by Louis XI; his successor, Charles VIII, was ably directed in the early years of his reign by his older sister Anne de Beaujeu. There were several motives that led Charles VIII to invade Italy: he was imbued with a romantic dream of conquest which embraced even the Orient as far as Jerusalem, he also claimed the throne of Naples through the house of Anjou, and lastly he was invited by the enemies of the pope, Alexander VI. Charles VIII reached" Naples, as may be seen from the selection, and was crowned king of this state; however, a formidable league was formed against him by some of the Italian princes, Spain, Austria and England, and he was forced to return to France. The importance of the expedition lies in the fact that it served as the introduction of the Renaissance into France. This was further helped by the three Italian wars of Charles's successor, Louis XII, so that by the time of François I®'" the ideas of the Renaissance were firmly established in France.

161. — I. Les chevau-légers. In this compound plural form X is omitted in the ending of the substantive.

3o8 NOTES

7. or et pourpre. These are substantives, hence there is no agreement; compare note to p. 31, 1. 2.

164. — 5. L'inquisition. This name is given to the tribunals of the Middle Ages and of modern times charged with hunting out and punishing heretics. In 1183 the Council of Verona ordered the Lombard bishops to deliver over to justice such heretics as should refuse to be converted. This order formed the basis of the Albigensian crusade. The inquisition then spread, taking its strongest hold in Spain and Italy. In Spain especially there was the greatest and most criminal severity under the chief inquisitors Torquemada and Ximenes (contemporaries of Columbus).

167- — 29. Les Provençaux, qui avaient fait les expéditions de Naples. Charles d'Anjou, brother of Saint Louis, had acquired the kingdom of Naples and Sicily in the thirteenth century; he lost Sicily at the time of the Sicilian Vespers, but retained Naples, where the French line ruled until Naples passed to Spain in 1435. There were then two parties in Naples, the French and the Spanish; it is because of the former French rulers of Naples that Charles VIII put forward his claim to the throne.