The Tigress of Forli (11 page)

The new year brought the dawn of a new era, both for the Riario family and for Rome. On January 8, 1480, Sixtus IV announced his ambitious plans to restore the Eternal City to its former grandeur. After the popes had abandoned Rome for most of the fourteenth century, taking up residence in the French town of Avignon, the poverty-stricken city had suffered from rampant illness and lack of clean water. The churches that had been the glory of Rome were falling to pieces. Since the papacy had returned to Rome in 1417, little had been done to alleviate the suffering of most of the inhabitants. From the moment of his election, Pope Sixtus IV had thrown himself headlong into repairs and renovations. One of his first acts was to donate five ancient Roman bronze statues to the people of Rome, housing them in the Conservator's Palace on the Capitoline Hill. When Caterina first arrived, she too had admired the colossal head of Constantine as well as the archaic bronze sculpture of the famous she-wolf—which, according to myth, had suckled Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome.

Careful study had informed the new projects aimed to return Rome to its former status as
caput mundi.
Sixtus demanded a complete rejuvenation of the city's once-famed engineering. The Acqua Vergine, a thirteen-mile aqueduct that had once brought fresh, pure water to Rome, was built by Emperor Augustus's heir, Agrippa, in 19
B.C.
; northern invaders had destroyed it in the sixth century
A.D.
Sixtus rebuilt this conduit, returning clean water to a city that had long made do with the polluted flow of the Tiber River. Sixtus also rebuilt the hospital of Santo Spirito, still functioning today, a few short blocks from Saint Peter's. With its modern structure and large wards, Santo Spirito became a model for other hospitals in Italy and beyond. Wider roads and grander palaces appeared just as the Sistine Chapel, a pet project of the pope that was to replace a dilapidated structure, was nearing completion.

Through these public works, Pope Sixtus cast himself in the role of a Christian Emperor Augustus. Just as the first Roman emperor had boasted that he had "found Rome a city of brick and left it a city of marble," so Sixtus intended to transform the capital of Christendom into a center worthy of its illustrious past. "For if any city should be clean and beautiful," Sixtus declared, "it should indeed be the one which is capital of the world and holds primacy among all others because of the throne of Saint Peter."
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In the course of her daily social calls, Caterina saw busy teams of workers everywhere and witnessed the Romans' delight in these civic improvements. Although her father had also embarked on a plan to renovate Milan, Galeazzo's efforts had been erratic and mostly aimed at improving mercantile productivity. Sixtus's concern for clean water and healthful living conditions for all Romans taught Caterina that demonstrable interest in the well-being of average citizens could serve as a valuable political tool.

New churches built in an innovative yet austere style were cropping up all over town. The monumental Church of Saint Augustine was underway next door to Caterina's palace. Up on the Janiculum Hill, Sixtus built a stately church on the site where, according to contemporary belief, Saint Peter had died. But the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, at the end of the Via Flaminia, stood out as the pope's most cherished ecclesiastical project. Situated at the northern gate of the city, through which most pilgrims entered Rome, Saint Mary of the People was the first building visitors would see in the city. The broad travertine façade recalled the great temple fronts that had adorned the Rome of old. Saint Mary of the People also served as the family church. Three of Sixtus's nephews endowed side chapels, and a steady stream of important painters and sculptors enhanced the structure with imaginative decorations in the family name. Girolamo was appointed chief warden of the newly completed church in 1480, meaning that Caterina and her family attended Mass there regularly. Every Saturday, the pope himself would cross the Tiber River to spend a little time in prayer there. Indeed, every major event of this pontificate—war, victory, thanksgiving—would see the della Roveres and the Riarios gathered at this site. This single building not only brought the diverse members of Sixtus's family together under one spiritual roof (even Caterina's uncle Cardinal Ascanio Sforza would be buried there) but also proclaimed the pope's grand dreams for the Eternal City. The art historian Lisa Passaglia Bauman has written that in this edifice, for the first time in papal history, "one pope and his family had melded an ideology of power with the rhetoric of art to create a vision of dynasty."
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The Riario-Sforza dominions were growing as fast as the family. On August 23, 1480, Pope Sixtus IV formally conferred upon Girolamo the territory of Forlì, a little town slightly less than ten miles south of Imola, thereby doubling the Riarios' realm. The papal bull of investiture lauded the count's "learned experience, circumspect wisdom, and his shining faith," charging him to "nurture concord, treat his subjects kindly, and administer justice to all persons without exception."
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On the following day Caterina gave birth to her second son, named Cesare (Caesar) for the Roman statesman who had so fatefully crossed the Rubicon River just a few short miles from Forlì. As in the case of Ottaviano, the choice of name illustrated the grand hopes of the Riario family: the count and countess of Forlì and Imola were well on their way to creating both a state and a dynasty.

Caterina wrote to her beloved stepmother, Bona of Savoy, to proudly announce the arrival of a "
bellissimo figlio maschio,
"
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little realizing that the rapidly changing situation in Milan was about to deprive her of regular communication with the woman who had been so important to her. Ludovico the Moor had already usurped Bona's role as regent, but he still feared her ability to influence her young son, Gian Galeazzo. One month after Caterina's letter arrived, he transferred Bona to the Abbey of Abbiategrasso, where she died twenty-three years later, never having seen any of Caterina's children. With the sequestering of Bona of Savoy, Caterina's last bond of affection to the Sforza court was severed. Caterina was fond of her brothers and sisters there, but Bona was what made Milan a home to her. Ludovico now occupied the ducal throne, and he would think of Caterina as a pawn, to be used and sacrificed at will. She would have to commit her future fortunes entirely to the Riario clan.

The close of 1480 brought an end to hostilities with Florence. On November 25, twelve Florentine ambassadors from the most famous families of the republic—the Tornabuonis (who were papal bankers), the Vespuccis (one of whom would soon make a trip of discovery to America), the Guicciardinis (one of whom would author the history of Florence), and the Soderinis (who would employ Michelangelo to sculpt the
David
)—came to the portico of Saint Peter's Basilica. Before the enthroned Sixtus, the noblemen dropped to their knees. The pontiff, his angular features set in his sternest expression, "with most binding words and admonitions finally absolved them and admitted them to the kissing of the feet."
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All offenses forgiven, the pope and the ambassadors entered the church together for a Mass of thanksgiving. For the time being, blessed peace settled over Italy.

The Riario clan had much to celebrate this Christmas: the Florentine feud had formally ceased, two hale and hearty baby boys ensured the continuation of the family name, and plans were in the air to visit the new Riario lands in the upcoming year. Any sadness that Caterina felt over the alienation of her stepmother would not be shared by Girolamo or his kin, nor would they indulge any dampening of the jovial mood. Caterina's only outlet for these feelings took place during whispered prayers in her chapel or vigorous rides in the Roman woods. Girolamo was confident that as long the pope stayed healthy, the run of good fortune would continue. As the yule log burned in the new Riario palace, the sweet smell of success filled the air.

W
HILE IN ROME
the count and countess were enjoying a respite from political strife, trouble was already brewing in their new lands. In 1480, the little town of Forlì in the heart of Romagna had a slightly larger population than nearby Imola—about ten thousand people, including both residents within the walls and country dwellers.
¹
The two Riario states, Forlì and Imola, were separated only by the tiny village of Faenza. Any hope the count had of consolidating his two lands would require possession of Faenza, but the Manfredis who ruled the town were backed by the military might of the Este family in Ferrara. For half a millennium, Forlì had known little stability, bouncing back and forth between church possession and domination by a succession of petty tyrants. The town's turbulent history, marked by bloody battles and destruction, had rendered its inhabitants highly suspicious of any new regime, including that of the Riarios.

For almost fifty years, Forlì had been governed by a local family, the Ordelaffis. In defiance of Duke Francesco Sforza, Caterina's grandfather, Antonio Ordelaffi seized power in 1438, largely through the help of the Venetians. Antonio's son Francesco, or "Cecco," had succeeded his father, but he was soon murdered by his brother Pino, who stabbed him to death after failing to kill him with poison. In a rare gesture of clemency, Pino refrained from killing Cecco's sons and merely sent them into exile. Pino then claimed the rule of Forlì in 1466, taking the name Pino III Ordelaffi. Following the scandalous fratricide, Pino went on to become a sort of Renaissance Bluebeard. He poisoned his first wife, Barbara Manfredi from neighboring Faenza, out of jealousy. Then, in a dramatic show of public grief, he commissioned an exquisite marble tomb, still in the Abbey of San Mercuriale today, one of the first Renaissance works of sculpture to grace Forlì. Within a few years, Pino's second spouse, Zaffira Manfredi (from the Imola branch of the family), also died of poisoning, along with her mother. This time Pino didn't bother with a fancy tomb. According to a local diarist, his next bride, the beautiful Lucrezia Pico della Mirandola, "was very cautious about what she ate."
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Despite his numerous wives, Pino never managed to produce a legitimate heir. He finally settled upon his bastard son Sinibaldo and formally recognized him. When Pino fell fatally ill in 1480, shortly after fighting for the pope against Florence, he was so detested that the people of Forlì rose up to speed his demise. He was dragged down the stairs of his house and into the central piazza, where he expired as the Forlivesi spat on him, kicking and beating him into the next world.

The newly widowed Lucrezia didn't waste time. She assumed the regency for fourteen-year-old Sinibaldo only moments before Cecco's three exiled sons, Antonio Maria, Francesco, and Ludovico, stormed into Forlì with a contingent of troops from Ravenna to reclaim the town. But unlike Bona of Savoy, who had marshaled powerful allies to stave off her brothers-in-law, Lucrezia found herself alone. Her only recourse was to close herself up in the strongest fortress of Forlì, Ravaldino, and wait out the siege. With things seemingly at an impasse, events suddenly took a surprising turn: the new lord of Faenza, Sinibaldo, mysteriously died in the fortress.

Meanwhile, Sixtus IV and Girolamo had been circling like vultures as the struggle of the Ordelaffis played out. When Sinibaldo died, they seized their opportunity. Declaring the Ordelaffis' claim invalid, they sent a contingent of soldiers to take possession of Forlì and turn it over to Girolamo.

Lucrezia, however, proved herself a gifted negotiator. She left the fortress with 130,000 ducats and a baggage train of thirty-two carts, and moved into a new castle given to her by the pope. Shortly thereafter, the clever widow remarried. The three sons of Cecco, on the other hand, retreated empty-handed to Faenza to await their next opportunity.

Girolamo did not visit his new lands immediately. Instead, he sent his extremely able and trusted
condottiere
Gian Francesco Maruzzi, known as "Il Tolentino," to serve as governor. Speculation was rife over Girolamo's reluctance to leave Rome. Some thought the pope was ill and Girolamo was afraid to leave lest Sixtus should die; others suspected he was relying on the advice of astrologers, who were counseling him as to the most propitious time to arrive in Forlì.
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Most likely, Girolamo was so busy scheming to garner power in Rome that Forlì seemed unimportant by comparison. After a time, a delegation of notables of Forlì came to Rome to take stock of their new ruler. Girolamo made a good first impression, welcoming them graciously and sending them back to Forlì with promises of lucrative positions and good news for the citizens: they could expect a certain amount of tax relief.

The Ordelaffi brothers, for their part, were seething with anger at being deprived of what they regarded as their rightful inheritance. Upon their return to Faenza, they had immediately begun plotting against the new count of Forlì. On October 13, 1480, they struck, sending sixty men with orders to take control of the fortress of Ravaldino. The band, abetted by two local priests, was to assassinate the keeper and occupy the castle. Fortunately for the Riarios, Il Tolentino had a nose for conspiracies. The loyal governor discovered the plot, rounded up the rebel band, hanged the two puppet priests, and exiled the remaining soldiers. The Ordelaffi brothers licked their wounds and awaited another chance. Tranquility returned, but the incident gave the Riarios a taste of intrigues to come.

Finally, in the spring of 1481, Girolamo and Caterina began preparations to visit Imola and Forlì. An immense baggage train, piled high with the finest possessions of the Riario household, departed under a heavily armed escort, accompanied by the Riario children, Ottaviano and Cesare. Caterina was pregnant again, and the servants packed an array of the latest and costliest fashions in different sizes to accommodate their mistress's expanding figure. The party traveled at a leisurely pace, putting in few hours on the road and stopping every evening at aristocratic estates or humble inns along the way. Two weeks later, the Riarios arrived two miles outside Forlì and for the first time laid eyes on the town that would be their new home. The territory of Forlì sprawled over eighty-eight square miles of Romagna, but the town center was enclosed by an irregular brick wall, 3.3 miles long. This thick shell was punctured by eight gateways, where merchandise passing through was tallied and taxed and foreign visitors were registered. The town was dwarfed by the fortress of Ravaldino, which dominated the southern roads leading to the Apennines. Its crenellated walls, towering over a wide moat, were the first thing the Riarios saw as they approached.
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