Isabella's Life and Times

Isabella played the double game at which she had become so expert. She got her husband Gonzaga to fight for the pope, knowing he would not fight very hard. While she publicly complained that the French had invaded her territory, she privately supplied them with valuable information. To succeed in the game of power, you have to master your emotions. But even if you succeed in gaining such self-control, you can never control the temperamental dispositions of those around you. And this presents a great danger.