During the brief reign of Pius III, lasting only twenty-six days, and in the interval between his death and the election of a successor, Venice moved swiftly. She occupied Bertinoro, Fano, and Montefiore, and was already hastening to seize Rimini and Imola.

At first, Julius II looked favourably upon Venetian ambitions. This goodwill, however, lasted only a few weeks. The occupation of Rimini and the capture of Faenza transformed Venice from papal ally into papal enemy.

When Julius protested angrily and threatened to reconquer Romagna at any cost, Venice defended herself with pious language. She professed devotion to the Holy Church and claimed benevolent motives: the liberation of Italy from the tyranny of Cesare Borgia.

“Signor Oratore,” cried the Pope,
“your words are good, but your Signory’s deeds are evil. We have neither men nor money to make war, but we will complain to the Christian princes and invoke divine aid.”

To Julius’ demand for restitution, the Venetian reply was defiant:

“We will never restore the territory, even though we have to sell the very foundations of our houses.”

Europe Turns on Venice

Writing after his return from Venice in 1495, Philippe de Comines observed:

“I have found Venetian statesmen so wise and so bent upon increasing their Signory that if it be not soon provided against, all their neighbours will curse the hour.”

The response of the great powers was decisive — and cynical.

As Rawdon Brown later wrote:

“By an unprincipled treaty of spoliation, the Great Powers of the Continent bound themselves together to fall upon Venice by surprise in a time of profound peace.”

In November 1508, representatives of Europe’s dominant powers met in secret at Cambrai.
Present were:

• Cardinal d’Amboise, for the King of France
• Margaret of Austria, for the Holy Roman Emperor

The papal nuncio and the Spanish envoy were nearby, though deliberately excluded for safety.

After furious altercations — “so violent that they nearly tore out each other’s hair,” as Romanin records — the plenipotentiaries agreed that it was:

“not only useful and honourable, but necessary, to call upon all the Powers of Europe to take just vengeance and quench, like a general conflagration, the insatiable greed of the Venetians.”

The Planned Dismemberment of Venice

The proposed rewards for ending Venetian “rapine and usurpation” were lavish:

• The Pope: Ravenna, Cervia, Faenza, Rimini, and all Venetian lands in Romagna
• The Emperor: Padua, Vicenza, Verona, Roveredo, Trevisano, Friuli, and Istria
• The King of France: Brescia, Bergamo, Crema, Cremona, the Ghiaradadda, and Milanese dependencies
• The King of Spain and Naples: Trani, Brindisi, Otranto, Gallipoli, and pledged cities
• Hungary (if it joined): Dalmatia
• Savoy: Cyprus

Minor states were promised scraps, should they run at the heels of the royal predators.

Florence even informed the Ottoman Sultan, urging him to seize Venetian possessions in the East once the Republic lay fallen. The Pope, for his part, pledged to reinforce temporal arms with spiritual weapons.

Venice Forewarned

Yet the Lion of St Mark, though aging, had not lost his cunning.

A dramatic warning came early in 1509. Spinola, emissary of Gonsalvo of Cordova, secretly approached Cornaro, the Venetian ambassador at Valladolid. Under cover of a mass in a deserted church, the conspiracy was revealed.

Cornaro doubted the story — until Spinola produced a letter from Genoa detailing the proposed partition. Cornaro informed the Council of Ten.

At first, they hesitated. But confirmation soon arrived from England. The Ten met day and night, preparing for the coming storm.

They quickly perceived the league’s weakness:
each predator sought its own share, not Venice’s total destruction. Self-interest, which had formed the league, would also dissolve it.

Collapse and Despair

On April 27, 1509, Julius II hurled a bull of excommunication against the Republic, couched in savage terms. The Ten forbade its publication and tore down posted copies.

They appealed to canon law, to a future council, and nailed their protest to the doors of St Peter’s.

War followed swiftly.

At Agnadello, the French annihilated the Venetian army. Four thousand lay dead. Lombardy collapsed almost overnight. Bergamo and Brescia fell. Venice prepared for siege.

One senator, Paolo Barbo, said grimly:

“Give me my cloak, wife, that I may go to the Senate, speak a couple of words, and die.”

Desperate Measures

Venice sought aid everywhere:

• Negotiations with France and Spain
• Offers to the Pope of partial restitution
• Appeals to England and Scotland
• Even overtures to the Ottoman Sultan, requesting men and money

The Republic promised cloth, jewels, and commercial retaliation against Genoese and Florentine interests in the East.

Meanwhile, the Imperial Eagle swooped down from Trent. Padua fell. Treviso alone remained loyal.

The Turning of the Tide

In July 1509, mysterious armed envoys visited Venice by night. Movements of troops followed. On July 17, Padua — alienated by Imperial oppression — returned to Venetian rule.

Two Imperial assaults failed. By October, the Emperor withdrew in fury.

In February 1510, after hard negotiations, the Pope accepted his territorial prize and withdrew from the league. Venice paid dearly.

In a scene heavy with symbolism, Venetian ambassadors bowed before the Pope in St Peter’s, surrendered ecclesiastical privileges, admitted the justice of excommunication, and begged absolution.

They were forgiven — and commanded to perform the penance of the Seven Churches.

Privately, however, the Ten entered a formal protest in their registers, declaring that these concessions had been extorted by violence.

Survival Through Diplomacy

The Pope, now allied with Venice, declared that he had no wish to see Italy delivered to barbarians. Cities, weary of invasion, returned to Venetian allegiance.

By skilfully playing King against Emperor, and Pope against both, Venice recovered most of her dominions.

Bruised, humbled, but unbroken, the Republic endured.