Treachery on the Tiber

A poor boy from Genoa,

Pope Sixtus has great ambitions for wealth and power and sees Florence as a prize for the taking.  He named his own nephew, argued to be his son by many, as the Bishop of Pisa, a city subordinated to Lorenzo de Medici’s Florence.  The Priors of Florence, the city elders, are unhappy with the choice. They block the papal appointment simply by refusing the passage of the new bishop through their territory. Free thinking Florentines do still fervently practice Catholicism, leavened with generous portions of meritocracy and self-determination in their civic and business affairs.  On the subject of religion they have a healthy dose of skepticism, though less about the Catholic Church than its leadership.

While the Medicis guide the Florentine democracy with the firm hand of seasoned political operatives, all other city states on the Italian peninsula and elsewhere in Europe are ruled by royal despots.  Since the time of Constantine, rulers throughout Europe have continued to seek the blessing of the pope.  From Charlemagne to Otto to the kings of Naples, France, and Spain, benediction by the Pope of Rome is sought, and popes have officiated at many coronations over the centuries. And yet, how far the center of empire has fallen since the glorious days of the Caesars.  At one time the population of the city of Rome is said to have been more than one million souls.  Now, it is barely 75,000.

Florence is thriving, with a larger population and money flowing in from profitable trade in wool and other commodities with countries from England to China.  Meanwhile, as sewage runs freely in its gutters, most of Rome’s viaducts have run dry of fresh water due to lack of maintenance.  The coliseum, ancient city walls and other architectural achievements of earlier days lay in ruins. Many have been cannibalized of their marble and other stone for use in later and lesser projects.

An ambitious pope - some might say greedy - has many projects underway, including the Capella Magna Hall, which will become the eponymous Sistine Chapel. In addition to enriching himself and his extended family, Sixtus has plans to restore Rome to its rightful place atop the political world. Subordinating Florence is the first step. In Ricardo Orellana, the Black Cardinal, he has an advisor who assures him that he can make it happen