97. AD 1527
   Although territorial expansion was far down JMC’s list of priorities for his nascent nation-state, he was not above seizing a bargain when he found one. One of JMC's most significant acts as chief executive was the negotiation for and purchase of a large tract of contiguous land that doubled the size of the republic. Despite doubts at the time as to both the legality of the transaction and the value of the new territory, subsequent events more than justified the acquisition, celebrated by this edifice, as the work of a far-sighted and imaginative leader.