258                    MODERN   CIVILIZATION

VIII. descended upon Italy with an army of knights,
6,000 archers, 7,000 cross-bowmen, 8,000 Swiss armed
with pikes or halberds and 150 cannon drawn by
horses. He met no resistance; the Duke of Milan,
through jealousy of the King of Naples, himself had
called upon Charles VIII. The French were received
with enthusiasm throughout all of Italy, and without
a battle Charles VIII. took possession of the whole
Kingdom of Naples. But soon the Italian states formed
a league against him, and he was obliged to fight for
passage on returning to France (1495). This first
occupation of the Kingdom of Naples lasted only two
years.

Louis XII. again began the conquest, but this time
he attacked first the Duchy of Milan, which he occu-
pied without a combat; the duke was delivered up to
him by his own troops. Then he turned to the King-
dom of Naples, which, after the departure of Charles
VIIL, had taken back its king. The King of Spain,
Ferdinand, offered to join with him in the conquest
and to divide the spoil This was done. But the two
rivals could not long agree. The French and Spanish
fought each other in the conquered country, the French
were expelled, and the King of Spain remained sole
master of the whole Kingdom of Naples (1505).

Italy found herself at that time encroached upon at
the two extremities and by two foreign kings, the
King of Spain on the south, the King of France on the
north. The country was filled with knights and for-
eign foot soldiers, who, following the custom of the
times, lived at the expense of the country, and often
insulted or maltreated the inhabitants. These rnisfor-