The temptation of Pescara
The temptation of Pescara is a novella by Conrad Ferdinand Meyer . It was published in 1887 and is considered one of his most important works.
people
- Fernando Francesco d'Avalos di Pescara = Supreme General of Emperor Charles V in Italy
- Victoria = wife of Pescara
- Karl Bourbon and Antonio de Leyva = two generals subordinate to Pescara
- Moncada = envoy of the viceroy of Naples, assassin
- Del Guasto = sponsored child of Pescara and Victoria, exceptionally brutal fighting behavior
- Franz Sforza = Duke of Milan
- Girolamo Morone = Chancellor and Advisor to Sforza
- Pope Clement VII = ruler of the Papal States and Florence
- Numa Dati = Pescara's personal physician
- Julia Dati = granddaughter of Numa
- Ippolitio = grandson of Numa, one of Pescara's servants
- Guicciardin = representative of the Pope, thus also speaks for Florence
- Lälius Nasi = envoy of Venice
action
The story takes place in Italy in the early 16th century (1525). During this time, Italy was politically divided into city-states and various principalities in the north, the Papal States in the center and the Spanish-ruled Naples in the south. Due to the relative wealth of the Italian city-states, armed conflicts over the possession of northern and southern Italy have occurred time and again since 1495, with frequently changing alliances that make betrayal a feature of the epoch. The most important political power block at the time was the empire of Charles V, who ruled Spain , Naples and Austria and was Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation . Opposite it is an alliance between France , England , Milan , Florence , the Papal States and Venice . It is precisely this alliance that the conspirators are trying to form in this novella.
The book begins shortly after the victory of the imperial general Pescara , who captured the French King Francis I near Pavia .
Chapter I.
In the Milan castle, Morone wants to convince his duke to break his oath to the emperor and to form a league with the pope and other Italian states. The initially undecided Duke Sforza agrees after Charles Bourbon arrives with the imperial demands for the demilitarization of Milan and the extradition of Morone, especially since the Pescara, feared by Sforza, was healed from a spear wound suffered at Pavia, according to Bourbon.
As a result, at a conspiratorial meeting between the prince, Morone and representatives of various Italian powers (Florence / Pope and Venice), it is decided to win Pescara as general for the league. This is to be achieved through the rumor of Pescara's planned betrayal, which is to be spread among the population. Furthermore, one wants to lure him with the idea of a united Italy under his rule. After the decision, Morone sets out to try the general after a brief meeting with the Pope .
Chapter II
In the Vatican the Pope is trying to convince Victoria of the League; he achieves this by citing semi-credible documents which give him a right to Naples and therefore to Pescara, since he was born in the kingdom. In order to fully use her for his plans, he crowns Pescara King of Naples in absentia.
The enthusiastic Victoria is now firmly determined to be “complicit or renunciation”, although she has slight doubts whether she knows the real inner Pescara and is able to convince him. However, their doubts are removed by Girolamo Morone, who visits them at their property and emotionally engages them in the cause of the League, asking them to fight at Pescara for their beloved Italy, for its unity and freedom from the bondage of foreign powers.
Chapter III
Pescara is sitting in a tower room in Novara (his camp), and we learn from a conversation between him and a servant that Pescara's health is apparently not in good shape, as Pescara apparently had difficulty breathing the previous night. Then Del Guasto steps in and reports to Pescara about the rumor of his possible betrayal and the rescue of Italy, whereupon Pescara remains indifferent and emphasizes that he had only the preservation of his honor in view and documents with the rumor already sent to the emperor.
When Morone enters, Pescara Del Guasto and Bourbon hide behind a curtain. He receives the Chancellor, who now intends to "try" Pescara. At first, however, he remains deliberately naive, only to then appear to go into Morone and in the end still put him off until a later point in time, although he had the desperate Morone so far that he would now betray his Duke if Pescara was only Italy would save (= unite among themselves).
When Pescara realizes that his two secretly listening witnesses are thoroughly impressed by Morone's fiery speech, after Morone was led away, he explains that there is only theater being played here, a tragedy called "Death and Fool".
Chapter IV
Shortly before Victoria arrives, Pescara is confronted with Moncada, who announces that he will be watching him in the future, on the pretext of better coordination between the troops from Naples and Pescara's army in the north. Furthermore, we learn from a conversation between Numa Dati and Morone that the Chancellor should better flee, since, according to Numa Pescara, he could no longer serve the League, even if he wanted to, and Morone cannot make sense of these words.
Before he goes to dinner with Viktoria, Pescara Bourbon makes it clear that there is no other way than that of loyalty to the emperor, since Italy is chronically self-destructing through intrigues (which is why he was sent to Moncada as a guardian). After he swore Bourbon to the loyalty to Charles V, Pescara also appoints him as his successor and asks him to show mercy over Italy. We also learn that Moncada murdered Pescara's father, although Pescara only replied to Bourbon's offer to kill Moncada in a duel that he was leaving Moncada to a higher justice.
In the following conversation with Viktoria, Pescara does not allow her to come, guessing why she wants to speak to him and instead lapses into explanations about the shamefulness of various historical traitors or resolutely contradicts her patriotic interpretations of various poets when the conversation falls on these. When the desperate Victoria now asks directly, he declares his love for Italy, but also explains that he is now above all things; his genius freed him from the turmoil of his life.
Before Viktoria can ask about this genius, they both hear (now walking through the garden) a conversation between Moncada and Leyva, who, should Pescara continue to proceed gently against Italy, decide to have him arrested, fearing his betrayal. Viktoria tries to convince him again, but he remains steadfast, all the more so when a messenger brings a vote of confidence from the emperor. When Victoria asks again about Pescara's genius, Pescara's genius collapses with the words: "I think there is himself".
Chapter V
Pescara confesses to Victoria that his genius, his mainspring, is death itself, which overtaken him through the wound in Pavia, where a spear thrust pierced the lungs and injured the heart. All he wants to do is finish his last work, the conquest of Milan. Meanwhile, Viktoria is to be brought to a monastery, to which she will accompany Pescara. There he sees at the altar, which depicts Jesus being stabbed in the side by a Roman, that the Roman is depicted in Swiss costume and that his face is that of the soldier who wounded him in Pavia.
In fact, he even meets the soldier again when his troops lead him in front of a prisoner who turns out to be the same Swiss. However, Pescara forgives him and even releases him with a hand money. Shortly after arriving in Novara, Pescara again clashes with Moncada, who accuses him that Morone offered him the leadership of the league and that, although according to the testimony of Bourbon and Del Guasto, he believes Pescara only played with Morone, he had not enough taken to prevent the rumor. As a result of the conversation, Moncada announces again that he will be watching Pescara closely, while Pescara is now moving towards Milan with the army and Morone as prisoners.
last chapter
Sforza watches as the imperial army, Pescara at the head, storms Milan, and returns to the partly looted throne room to await his fate. When Pescara storms the throne room with Bourbon, Sforza regrets his betrayal and claims to have only been seduced by Morone, whereupon Pescara follows his resolve to be lenient and offers him to become a follower of the emperor again.
This meets with resistance from Moncada, who demands hardship and a tribunal with him as a member, which Pescara rejects; instead he composes the tribunal of Bourbon, Leyva, and himself. Even if Leyva votes in favor of Moncada, both Pescara and Bourbon vote for gentleness towards Milan and Sforza, and Morone is neither tortured nor killed (contrary to Leyva's wishes), but taken by Bourbon as a scribe.
Moncada and Leyva then plan to arrest Pescara, who, while the situation is worsening (Leyva pulls his troops together), makes his will against Bourbon's pressure to take up arms. In this he asks the emperor for mercy for Morone and Sforza and officially appoints Bourbon as his successor; besides, he emphasizes his loyalty to the last breath, then he dies. Moncada decides to respect Pescara's wishes, Bourbon becomes the new commander in chief.