A History of Verona Page: 200 of 493

                                
CANGRANDE I                      179
During the winter of 13I6-17 Cangrande came to a momentous
decision. In his theory of the universe a supreme overlord,
to whom he could offer his devotion and loyalty, was quite as
essential a part of the whole scheme of things as the unwavering
fidelity of his own subjects. Since the death of Henry
VII., however, the Empire had had no generally acknowledged
head. In October, 1314, there had been a divided election, one
party voting for Frederic the Handsome of Austria, the other
for Louis the Bavarian. Neither of the two rivals would retire,
but neither had as yet succeeded in establishing his authority,
and meanwhile the Imperial rights in Italy were fast falling into
abeyance. The Ghibelline party felt the ill effects of having
no official head, all the more that the Guelphs possessed a very
capable leader in the person of Robert of Naples. Under these
circumstances Cangrande felt it would be wise to declare definitely
for one or other of the candidates for the Imperial throne.
After careful consideration he decided that Frederic's claims
were the stronger, and on i6th March, 1317, took the oath of
allegiance to him and in return received the confirmation of the
Vicariates of Verona and Vicenza. The presence of the great
Tuscan Ghibelline, Uguccione della Faggiuola, at Verona at
this time probably had no small share in influencing Cangrande
to take this step. Uguccione had formerly been lord of Pisa,
but had been driven out by his subjects and entered the Scaligeri
service in 1316. Cangrande's action was not followed, as he had
hoped, by other Ghibelline leaders. On the contrary its main
result was to stir the Guelphs up to renewed hostility. On 30th
March, John XXII., by a most unwarrantable assumption of the
electoral prerogative, issued a bull declaring the Imperial throne
vacant, and threatening with excommunication any one who
should dare to receive the title of Imperial Vicar without his
leave. Cangrande, in spite of his genuine piety, was quite unmoved
by the Papal threats, and proceeded to show his loyalty
to the Ghibelline cause by harrying the district of Brescia
(which city had been in the hands of the Guelphs since February,
13 6), and was just preparing to lay siege to the town, when he
suddenly heard that Vicehza was on the point of being betrayed.
Some of the Paduan and Veronese malcontents, led by