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War of Padua
The War of Padua was a conflict in 1404–1405 between the Republic of Venice and the Carrarese lordship of Padua. In the power vacuum produced by the death of the Duke of Milan, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, in 1402, Francesco II da Carrara endeavored to expand into the Veneto and capture cities held by Visconti troops. These designs alarmed Venice, which allied with Milan to counter the common threat posed by the Carrarese state, and for the first time adopted a policy of direct intervention in the affairs of its hinterland.
The war began with the Carrarese move against Verona and Vicenza in April 1404. While Verona was taken, Vicenza instead surrendered to Venice on 25 April 1404, thwarting Carrarese designs. A massive mobilization of the Republic's military capacities followed, with an army of 20,000 or more men assembled by summer. Despite stiff resistance by the Paduans and their Ferrarese allies, during the autumn of 1404 the Venetian forces proceeded to lay siege to Verona, advanced deep into Paduan territory, and contested control of the Polesine. In spring 1405, the Carrarese position began to deteriorate rapidly: Niccolò III d'Este took Ferrara out of the war, while on 22 June 1405, Verona rebelled and surrendered to the Venetian army. Padua itself finally fell to the Venetians on 17 November 1405. After the Venetian victory, the Carrara domains were incorporated into the Venetian state, marking the beginning of Venice's expansion in mainland Italy, while the Carrara family members were executed.
The Republic of Venice had encouraged the seizure of power by the Carrara family in Padua, hoping thus to gain a strong buffer state between themselves and the other Italian states, and for twenty years treated Padua as a sort of protectorate. However, Francesco I da Carrara (r. 1350–1388) turned against Venice, fighting a border war with the assistance of Hungary in 1372–1373, and allying with the Republic of Genoa in the War of Chioggia (1378–1381), which nearly extinguished the Venetian Republic.
Even after the ultimate Venetian victory in the War of Chioggia, Francesco I pursued a policy of expansion and encirclement of Venice. Allied to the Este lords of Ferrara in the west, he purchased Treviso from the Habsburgs, thereby threatening to cut Venice off from the trade routes leading over the Alps to Germany. Francesco I also interfered in the affairs of Patria del Friuli, aiming to gain influence on the Venetians' eastern flank. In 1388, Venice went as far as entering into an alliance with the ambitious Duke of Milan, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, in order to counter the Carrarese state: Francesco I was forced to resign, and Venice gained control of Treviso.
Padua itself fell briefly under Visconti rule, but in June 1390, with the backing of Florence and the tacit support of Venice, Francesco II 'il Novello' recovered control of the city. During the following years, Padua reverted to being a useful buffer between Venice and the expanding Visconti realm. Venice supported the smaller Lombard lordships against Visconti, managing to check the latter's ambitions without itself entering into war with Milan, while at the same time effectively transforming the smaller lordships into its own clients.
The situation lasted until the sudden death of Gian Galeazzo Visconti in September 1402. Up until that point, the Venetian Senate was deliberating sending troops to aid the Carrarese lordship against the Duke of Milan, who had recently triumphed in battle over his enemies at Casalecchio. Francesco Novello immediately exploited the weakened position of the Visconti regime, joining a Papal league against Milan and making contact with the anti-Milanese rebels in Brescia and Bergamo. However, Venice was opposed to these ventures, and forced Francesco to conclude a peace with Milan on 7 December.
Nevertheless, Francesco Novello could not for long resist the temptation to realise his ambitions, even against the clearly stated opposition of Venice. Encouraged by Florence and the local Guelph party, he captured Brescia on 21 August 1403, only to be forced to abandon the city to the advancing Visconti troops within a month. Francesco proposed an alliance to the Milanese regent, Caterina Visconti, in exchange for Vicenza, Feltre, Belluno and Bassano, but the proposal failed due to the opposition of the powerful Visconti condottiero, Jacopo dal Verme. Rebuffed, Francesco took to the offensive. Not even the unravelling of the anti-Visconti league of Italian lords following the withdrawal of the Pope and the King of Germany, Rupert, which effectively left him alone to face the might of Milan, gave him pause. In late 1403, the lord of Padua turned his sights on Verona and Vicenza, and secured the support of his son-in-law, Niccolò III d'Este, ruler of Ferrara.
The prospect of such an expansion of Carrarese power alarmed Venice, whose policy up to this point had been one of maintaining the status quo by playing off the various local potentates against each other.
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War of Padua
The War of Padua was a conflict in 1404–1405 between the Republic of Venice and the Carrarese lordship of Padua. In the power vacuum produced by the death of the Duke of Milan, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, in 1402, Francesco II da Carrara endeavored to expand into the Veneto and capture cities held by Visconti troops. These designs alarmed Venice, which allied with Milan to counter the common threat posed by the Carrarese state, and for the first time adopted a policy of direct intervention in the affairs of its hinterland.
The war began with the Carrarese move against Verona and Vicenza in April 1404. While Verona was taken, Vicenza instead surrendered to Venice on 25 April 1404, thwarting Carrarese designs. A massive mobilization of the Republic's military capacities followed, with an army of 20,000 or more men assembled by summer. Despite stiff resistance by the Paduans and their Ferrarese allies, during the autumn of 1404 the Venetian forces proceeded to lay siege to Verona, advanced deep into Paduan territory, and contested control of the Polesine. In spring 1405, the Carrarese position began to deteriorate rapidly: Niccolò III d'Este took Ferrara out of the war, while on 22 June 1405, Verona rebelled and surrendered to the Venetian army. Padua itself finally fell to the Venetians on 17 November 1405. After the Venetian victory, the Carrara domains were incorporated into the Venetian state, marking the beginning of Venice's expansion in mainland Italy, while the Carrara family members were executed.
The Republic of Venice had encouraged the seizure of power by the Carrara family in Padua, hoping thus to gain a strong buffer state between themselves and the other Italian states, and for twenty years treated Padua as a sort of protectorate. However, Francesco I da Carrara (r. 1350–1388) turned against Venice, fighting a border war with the assistance of Hungary in 1372–1373, and allying with the Republic of Genoa in the War of Chioggia (1378–1381), which nearly extinguished the Venetian Republic.
Even after the ultimate Venetian victory in the War of Chioggia, Francesco I pursued a policy of expansion and encirclement of Venice. Allied to the Este lords of Ferrara in the west, he purchased Treviso from the Habsburgs, thereby threatening to cut Venice off from the trade routes leading over the Alps to Germany. Francesco I also interfered in the affairs of Patria del Friuli, aiming to gain influence on the Venetians' eastern flank. In 1388, Venice went as far as entering into an alliance with the ambitious Duke of Milan, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, in order to counter the Carrarese state: Francesco I was forced to resign, and Venice gained control of Treviso.
Padua itself fell briefly under Visconti rule, but in June 1390, with the backing of Florence and the tacit support of Venice, Francesco II 'il Novello' recovered control of the city. During the following years, Padua reverted to being a useful buffer between Venice and the expanding Visconti realm. Venice supported the smaller Lombard lordships against Visconti, managing to check the latter's ambitions without itself entering into war with Milan, while at the same time effectively transforming the smaller lordships into its own clients.
The situation lasted until the sudden death of Gian Galeazzo Visconti in September 1402. Up until that point, the Venetian Senate was deliberating sending troops to aid the Carrarese lordship against the Duke of Milan, who had recently triumphed in battle over his enemies at Casalecchio. Francesco Novello immediately exploited the weakened position of the Visconti regime, joining a Papal league against Milan and making contact with the anti-Milanese rebels in Brescia and Bergamo. However, Venice was opposed to these ventures, and forced Francesco to conclude a peace with Milan on 7 December.
Nevertheless, Francesco Novello could not for long resist the temptation to realise his ambitions, even against the clearly stated opposition of Venice. Encouraged by Florence and the local Guelph party, he captured Brescia on 21 August 1403, only to be forced to abandon the city to the advancing Visconti troops within a month. Francesco proposed an alliance to the Milanese regent, Caterina Visconti, in exchange for Vicenza, Feltre, Belluno and Bassano, but the proposal failed due to the opposition of the powerful Visconti condottiero, Jacopo dal Verme. Rebuffed, Francesco took to the offensive. Not even the unravelling of the anti-Visconti league of Italian lords following the withdrawal of the Pope and the King of Germany, Rupert, which effectively left him alone to face the might of Milan, gave him pause. In late 1403, the lord of Padua turned his sights on Verona and Vicenza, and secured the support of his son-in-law, Niccolò III d'Este, ruler of Ferrara.
The prospect of such an expansion of Carrarese power alarmed Venice, whose policy up to this point had been one of maintaining the status quo by playing off the various local potentates against each other.
