16 - Guelphs and Ghibellines- A Short History of Mediaeval Italy from 1250-1409 by Oscar Browning

Discover the tumultuous era of the High Middle Ages in Italy, from 1250 to 1409, where rival city-states engaged in relentless conflict. On one side were the Ghibellines, supporters of the Holy Roman Empire, and on the other, the Guelphs, aligned with the Papacy. Mercenary captains led bands of soldiers, some rising to power as despots over the very cities that hired them. Witness Florences rise, the oppressive rule of the Visconti in Milan, and the decline of Genoa after a devastating defeat by the mighty Venice, the Queen of the Adriatic. (Summary by Pamela Nagami, M.D.)