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Why did Maximilian I join the League of Cambrai against Venice?
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Maximilian I
Maximilian I, charcoal drawing by Albrecht Dürer, 1518; in the Albertina, Vienna.
Maximilian I joined the League of Cambrai in 1508 primarily to partition the Republic of Venice and reclaim territories in Lombardy, such as Verona, Vicenza, and Padua.12
Beyond these territorial ambitions, Maximilian’s participation was driven by his desire to overcome the political obstacles Venice had placed in his path. The Venetians had effectively excluded him from Italy, which prevented him from traveling to Rome to receive his formal coronation as Holy Roman emperor from the pope. By aligning with France, Spain, and Pope Julius II, Maximilian sought to dismantle the Venetian power that hindered his imperial authority and expansionist goals.21