he rebellion of his cities in Sicily and Apulia,
caused by the treacherous barons of the Kingdom (the most of whom he
had released from prison), and by Don Henry of Spain, immediately
departed from Tuscany, and by hasty marches came into Apulia, and left
in Tuscany M. William di Belselve, his marshal, and with him M.
William, the standard-bearer, with 800 French and Provencal horsemen
to keep the cities of Tuscany for his party, and to oppose Conradino
so that he should not be able to pass. And Pope Clement, hearing of
the coming of Conradino, sent to him his messengers and legates,
commanding him, under pain of excommunication, not to go forward, nor
to oppose King Charles, the champion and vicar of Holy Church. But
Conradino did not by reason of this abandon his enterprise, nor would
he obey the commands of the Pope, forasmuch as he believed that his
cause was just, and that the Kingdom and Sicily were his, and of his
patrimony, and therefore he fell under sentence of excommunication
from the Church, which he despised and cared little for; but being in
Pisa, he collected money and people, and all the Ghibellines and
whosoever belonged to the imperial party, gathered themselves to him,
whence his force grew greatly. And being in Pisa, his host marched
against the city of Lucca, which was held for the party of Holy
Church, and within it were the marshal of King Charles with his
people, and the legate of the Pope and of the Church, with the forces
of the Florentines and of the other Guelfs of Tuscany, and with many
who had taken the cross, and through proclamations and indulgences and
pardons given by the Pope and by his legates, had come against
Conradino; and he remained over against Lucca ten days with his host;
and the two hosts met together to fight at Ponterotto, two miles
distant from Lucca, but they did not fight, but each one shunned the
battle, and they remained one on each side of the Guiscianella; so
they returned, the one part to Pisa, and the other to Lucca.

Sec. 24.--_How the marshal of King Charles was defeated at Ponte a Valle
by Conradino's army._

[Sidenote: 1268 A.D.]

Then Conradino departed with his followers from Pisa, and came to
Poggibonizzi, and when the inhabitants thereof heard how Conradino was
come to Pisa, they rebelled against King Charles and against the
commonwealth of Florence, and sent the keys to Pisa to Conradino. And
then from Poggibonizzi he went to Siena, and by the Sienese