Da in den neuern Zeiten das kaiserliche Ansehn in Italien fiel, und das weltliche Ansehn des Papstes dagegen zunahm, war dieses Land in verschiedene Staaten zertheilt. Mehrere der großen Städte ergriffen die Waffen gegen die Herren, welche sie unter Begünstigung des Kaisers in der Unterdrückung hielten; der päpstliche Stuhl aber unterstützte jene, um sich weltliches Ansehn zu verschaffen. In manchen andern erhoben sich Bürger zur fürstlichen Würde.
You must understand that the empire has recently come to be repudiated in Italy, that the Pope has acquired more temporal power, and that Italy has been divided up into more states, for the reason that many of the great cities took up arms against their nobles, who, formerly favoured by the emperor, were oppressing them, whilst the Church was favouring them so as to gain authority in temporal power: in many others their citizens became princes.