Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/414

BOOK VI. THE PROTESTANT REVOLT AND THE WARS OF RELIGION CHAPTER XXIV EMPEROR CHARLES V AND HIS VAST REALMS I. How ITALY BECAME THE BATTLE GROUND OF THE EUROPEAN POWERS 504. Charles VIII of France invades Italy. Louis XI of France, who had done so much to strengthen the kingly power, was succeeded by his son, Charles VIII (1483-1498), who had little of his father's sagacity. Charles dreamed of being a great conqueror, and his first step was to invade Italy on the ground that the kingdom of Naples belonged rightly to his house be- cause of an ancient claim dating back a couple of centuries. The Italian towns did little to oppose the army of the French king, and he actually got control of Naples for a short time. The ruler of Naples was a Spanish monarch, Ferdinand of Aragon, who had no more right to it than Charles. Charles's troops, however, became demoralized by the excellent wines and other pleasures of southern Italy, his enemies began to combine against him, and he was glad to escape with the loss of only a single battle from the land he had hoped to conquer. He died three years later, but the results of his seemingly foolish expedition were very important. 505. Results of the Expedition of Charles VIII. In the first place, it was clear that the Italian towns did not constitute a nation which would combine to repulse invaders. From this time on, therefore, France, Spain, Austria, and the German emperors undertook successive expeditions with the object of bringing 300