ABSTRACT
Naples; consequently, Venice ought to support France. The counter ... argument was that if France were settled in Milan, Venice would have a restless and ambitious prince as neighbour. From the Venetian point of view, it would be preferable to have Francesco Sforza, a weak and self ... indulgent prince, as ruler in Milan. This could be done only with the help of Charles V, and thus spoke for an alliance with him. Historical events of the recent past were cited as proof for all these statements. The Italian campaigns of Louis XII, the origin of the League of Cambrai, the unreliability of the Swiss mercenaries-all were referred to in order to justify the speakers' theories about the future policy of the French and the Spanish.
