[History Of Florence And Of The Affairs Of Italy by Niccolo Machiavelli]@TWC D-Link bookHistory Of Florence And Of The Affairs Of Italy CHAPTER III 4/10
To him Pope Gregory, as we have said, applied for assistance against the Lombards, which Pepin promised to grant, but desired first to see him and be honored with his presence.
Gregory accordingly went to France, passing uninjured through the country of his enemies, so great was the respect they had for religion, and was treated honorably by Pepin, who sent an army into Italy, and besieged the Lombards in Pavia.
King Astolphus, compelled by necessity, made proposals of peace to the French, who agreed to them at the entreaty of the pope--for he did not desire the death of his enemy, but that he should be converted and live.
In this treaty, Astolphus promised to give to the church all the places he had taken from her; but the king's forces having returned to France, he did not fulfill the agreement, and the pope again had recourse to Pepin, who sent another army, conquered the Lombards, took Ravenna, and, contrary to the wishes of the Greek emperor, gave it to the pope, with all the places that belonged to the exarchate, and added to them Urbino and the Marca. But Astolphus, while fulfilling the terms of his agreement, died, and Desiderius, a Lombard, who was duke of Tuscany, took up arms to occupy the kingdom, and demanded assistance of the pope, promising him his friendship.
The pope acceding to his request, the other princes assented.
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