Kings & rulers > History of the reign of the Emperor Charles V. > Volume 1

15© A VIEW OF THE $ 3.
inheritance, that they tranfmitted it quietly to a
baftard branch of their family k.
The race of the Angevin kings, however, was
not extinft; nor had they relinquiihed their title
to the Neapolitan crown. The count of Maine and
Provence, the heir of this family, conveyed all his
rights and pretenfons to Louis XL and to his fuc-
ceffors [A.D. 1494]. Charles VIII. as I have
already related, crofled the Alps at the head of a
powerful army, in order to profecute his claim with
a degree of vigour, far fuperior to that which the
princes from whom he derived it had been capa¬
ble of exerting. The rapid progrefs of his arms
in Italy, as well as the fhort time during which
he enjoyed the fruits of his fuccefs, have already
been mentioned, and are well known. Frederic,
the heir of the illegitimate branch of the Arago-
nefe family, foon recovered the throne of which
Charles had difpolfeffed him. Louis XII. and
Ferdinand of Aragon united againft this prince,
whom both, though for different reafons, confi-
dered as an ufurper, and agreed to divide his domi¬
nions between them [A.D. 1501]. Frederic, un¬
able to refill the combined monarchs,each of whom
was far his fuperior in power, reiigned his feeptre.
Louis and Ferdinand, though they had concurred
in making the conqueft, differed about the divi-
fion of it; and from allies became enemies. But
Gonfalvo de Cordova, partly by the exertion of
fuch military talents as gave him a juft title to
the appellation of the Great Captain, which the
Spanilh hiftorians have bellowed upon him ; and
partly by fuch Ihamelefs and frequent violations
of the moll folemn engagements, as leave an in-
* Giannone, book. xxvi. ch. 2.
dclible