Wars and Peace

Abstract

Girolamo faces a revolt by the citizens of Ceneda while serving as procurator for his brother, and Venice is forced to intervene. But the decades-long blood feud in the Friuli finally comes to an end. After a pamphlet war and a duel, a Venetian procurator negotiates the Peace of 1568 between the heads of the warring families. Bishop Michele serves as papal nuncio to the French court. Gian Matteo is honoured with portraits in the Palazzo Ducale and several book dedications, but he reluctantly declines two prestigious posts because of ill health and dies in June 1570 at the age of seventy-nine. His will, omitting one son, leads to prolonged litigation. The Turks take Cyprus in 1571 and Michele fortifies the castle in Ceneda. As the threat recedes, he enjoys country life. Venice stages the triumphal entry of the new French king Henri III, but suffers two devastating fires in the Palazzo Ducale, and the worst plague in Venetian history.