The peace treaty, concluded at Venice on 24 January 1339, deprived Mastino II of most of his recent gains, reducing Scaliger domains to Verona and Vicenza, as well as Lucca and Parma, which were soon lost.

[2][3] At the same time, Veronese troops helped the Imperials capture Vicenza, which until then had belonged to Padua, one of the chief cities of the pro-Papal and anti-Imperial Guelph faction.

[12] Mastino continued Cangrande's policy of expansion: despite the opposition of Henry VII's son, John of Bohemia, in 1332, the Scaligers captured Brescia, followed in 1335 by Reggio Emilia, Parma, and Lucca.

Modern historians acknowledge the reluctance of the Venetian patriciate to engage in an open conflict; not least Doge Francesco Dandolo is recorded to have been fiercely opposed to the war.

[14][18] Negotiations in April 1336, mediated by Marsilio da Carrara and the lord of Milan, Azzo Visconti, came close to resolving the issue, as the Scaligers agreed to remove the barrier at Ostiglia and Venice to restore the salt supply; but suddenly Venice hardened its position, and on 14 May 1336, the Venetian Senate reaffirmed its demands, seeking full victory.

Contingents of approximately 1,250 men served in turn for terms of fifteen days in local defence duties in Venice and its Lagoon, particularly opposite the Scaliger saltworks and the new Castello di Saline.

[21] German and Italian mercenaries were recruited,[19] along with cavalry contingents from Florence, Bologna and Ferrara, as well as numerous Venetian citizens who were conscripted or volunteered to serve,[21] swept up by a wave of popular enthusiasm for the war.

[20] By September, the allied field army at Motta numbered 4,200 knights and 3,000 infantry; in addition to their pay, the mercenaries were promised any booty they could take, while land and prisoners were to be handed over to the Venetian officials.

[11][22] This allowed Pietro de' Rossi to cross the Brenta River unopposed, and advance to Piove di Sacco and thence to Bovolenta, just 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of Padua, where the allies set up camp.

The Scaliger lord captured several ships laden with supplies, but again declined a pitched battle with his opponents when they arrived on the scene, and withdrew towards Verona.

[29] Pietro de' Rossi moved his army in the direction of Padua on 24 July, establishing contact with Marsilio da Carrara and his followers in the city.

While the German garrison rushed to defend it, Carrara partisans opened the Ponte Corvo gate [it] to the main body of the allied army.

The capture of Padua proceeded swiftly and almost without bloodshed: Alberto della Scala was taken by surprise in his palace and brought prisoner to Venice, while the allies secured the surrender of the German garrison on the promise that they would be allowed safe passage to their homelands through Venetian territories.

[31] The fall of Padua is generally recognized as the decisive turning point of the war,[11][32] but for the moment Mastino refused to enter into negotiations, and the conflict continued.

[35] On 8 August, while leading an attack on Monselice, Pietro de' Rossi was mortally wounded, followed a week later by his brother Marsilio, who succumbed to an illness.

By December, the Veronese terms included ceding Monselice and Bassano, on condition that they were to come under Venetian rule and not handed over to Padua as stipulated in the treaty with Marsilio da Carrara.

[38] At the same time, Mastino tried to secure aid from Emperor Louis, in exchange for ceding his domains at Peschiera del Garda as well as critical Alpine passes in South Tyrol.

[39] On the meantime, the allied army under Rolando de' Rossi and Guecello Tempesta continued its raids into Scaliger territory, reaching up to Vicenza and capturing several Veronese soldiers in the process.

[38] Marsilio da Carrara died on 27 March, and was succeeded by Ubertino, who promptly reconfirmed the 1337 agreement with Venice and Florence, adding further trade privileges as well as a mutual assistance clause for the two protector powers.

[39] In April, an allied army under Rossi and the Paduan commander Tartaro da Lendinara advanced up to Verona, where they held a tournament in full view of the city walls to taunt the defenders.

[39] Mastino's offensive ended in disaster: his army was defeated by Rossi and a small number of German knights at Montecchio, and his later attempt to capture the fortress of Longare was repulsed, with several of his troops losing their lives in the Bacchiglione river during the retreat.

[41] The allies also faced troubles, as in the aftermath of the victory at Montecchio their German mercenaries went on strike, demanding the bonus payment of a double salary.

The Emperor found in favour of the mercenaries, but this in turn caused trouble with Florence, which as a Guelph city aligned with the Papacy refused to acknowledge the authority of the excommunicated Louis.

This was guaranteed by the use of hostages from both the garrison and the Carrara forces in Venice, and on 19 August 1338, the Scaliger troops departed Monselice apart from the citadel of the Rocca, which surrendered in November.

[11] The peace treaty was ratified at Saint Mark's Basilica in Venice on 24 January 1339, and stripped the Scaligers of most of their recent gains: Venice retained Treviso, the Carrara lordship over Padua was confirmed with the addition of Bassano and Castelbaldo, and Florence received the towns of Buggiano, Pescia, Altopascio, and Colle, though not of Lucca, which remained in Scaliger hands.

The Florentines made strenuous financial efforts: some 600,000 florins, or twice the total revenue of the Republic, were spent on the war, involving heavy internal borrowing.

[56] With tax revenue falling, and coupled with the expenditure of another 250,000 florins in 1341 to purchase Lucca from Mastino, the outbreak of a war with Pisa, and the default of King Edward III of England's extensive Florentine loans, a political crisis engulfed Florence, leading to the establishment of a brief autocratic rule over the city by Walter of Brienne.

[57] During the later 14th century, Florence also began to build a territorial state encompassing most of Tuscany, which brought it into near fatal conflict with Gian Galeazzo Visconti.