Books
Phase
Florence and the Visconti Wars
c. 1390–1402 CE
Around 1402, Florence faced the expansion of Milan under Gian Galeazzo Visconti, whose control of northern and central Italian territories threatened to alter the balance of power in the peninsula. Florence’s wealth and strategic position made it a major target of Milanese ambition.
The crisis mattered because it showed how the survival of a republic could depend on diplomacy, mercenary commanders, money and the sudden fortunes of rulers. Gian Galeazzo’s death in 1402 abruptly changed the immediate threat to Florence.
The Fight for Florence uses this atmosphere of pressure, faction and impending war as the setting for Flavio Sabatini’s mission.
