ABSTRACT
The previous chapter examined the marchesi’s political power sharing and decision making in issues of peninsular and international importance as exemplified by their response to the machinations of Cesare Borgia. This final chapter analyses their reactions to later political challenges. It considers the strain on their relations before and after the Venetians’ capture of Francesco in 1509, then when their interests pulled them in different directions during Julius II’s conflict with Ferrara, and, finally, the problems occasioned by Francesco’s long illness.
