way turned into a hereditary aristocracy. Accepting this fact constituted the
compromise of the lower classes. Its counterpart by the ruling families was to
suppress (in large measure) their private interests in favor of the general welfare of
the city. That welfare depended mainly on the sea for both necessities and wealth.
Only at the end of the fourteenth century did the Venetians begin to expand within
Italy itself, becoming a major land power in the region. But as it gobbled up Bergamo
and Verona, Venice collided with the interests of Milan. Wars between the two city-
states ended only with the Peace of Lodi in 1454. Soon the three other major Italian
powers—Florence, the papacy, and Naples—joined Venice and Milan in the Italic
League. (See Map 8.5.) The situation in Naples eventually brought this status quo to
an end. Already in 1442 Alfonso V of Aragon had entered Naples as Alfonso I,
ending Angevin rule there. A half century later, the Valois king of France’s desire to
reinstate French rule over Naples helped fuel his invasion of Italy in 1494.
