Antonio da Castello’s service under Venice, Florence, and the Papal States
Antonio da Castello (Antonio Maria da Castello, Antonio da Perugia). Originating from Città di Castello, he was the uncle of Mariano da Castello.
Death: 1549, May
| Year, Month | State, Comp. ventura | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1499 | |||||
| 1499, ………….. | Firenze | Pisa | Toscana | He fights the Pisans under the orders of captain general Paolo Vitelli. | |
| Oct. | Toscana | He helps Vitellozzo Vitelli flee from Settimo to Pisa at the time of the capture of Paolo Vitelli by the Florentines. He is arrested with Cherubino dal Borgo on suspicion of treason; he is held in prison for six days in the Palazzo della Signoria. Tortured; he is finally released. | |||
| 1501 | |||||
| 1501, ………….. | Chiesa | Piombino | Toscana | He serves in Vitellozzo Vitelli’s company. He takes part in the siege of Piombino. | |
| Nov. | Umbria | He complains in Orvieto about the protection given by that municipality to the counts of Marciano, enemies of the Vitelli. | |||
| 1508 | |||||
| Mar. | Firenze | Pisa | 100 infantry | Toscana | He again fights the Pisans. He is at the camp in the Val di Serchio at the head of 100 infantry from Fiorenzuola. |
| 1510 | |||||
| June | Venezia | France, Empire | Veneto | He is on guard duty in Monselice; he tries in vain to divert some of Chiappino Vitelli’s infantry into his own company. | |
| Sept. | Veneto | At the siege of Verona. At the head of 400 infantry, he attacks with little success the castle of San Felice. | |||
| …………….. | Veneto | In Badia Polesine. | |||
| 1511 | |||||
| Aug. | 257 infantry | Veneto | On the defense of Treviso. | ||
| Oct. | Veneto | In Treviso: his men receive their pay after forceful complaints. He is sent to Cadore with 427 infantry to confront 2000 Germans, who are barefoot and poorly equipped, and who are ravaging the territory. | |||
| Nov. | Veneto | He is reported in Ponte nelle Alpi and in Pieve di Cadore. | |||
| Dec. | Friuli | He supports Renzo di Ceri in his expedition in Friuli aimed at reconquering that territory from the Imperial forces. He takes part in the siege of Gradisca d’Isonzo; his men protest the delayed pay. | |||
| 1512 | |||||
| Feb. | 300 infantry | Veneto | In Treviso. | ||
| …………….. | 204 infantry | Veneto | In the camp near Verona. | ||
| June | 249 infantry | Veneto | |||
| Aug. | 204 infantry | Veneto | |||
| Oct. | 200 infantry | Lombardia | At the siege of Brescia with 200 infantry; he is placed in the second reserve unit in the event of an assault on the city walls. At the end of the conflict, with Serafino da Cagli, he has command of an infantry regiment during the demonstration parade ordered by Giampaolo Baglioni, which proceeds between Torrelonga and the castle to show both enemies and allies the strength of the Venetian army. | ||
| Dec. | 254 infantry | ||||
| 1513 | |||||
| May | Venezia | Spain, Empire | 325 infantry | ||
| June | 249 infantry | Veneto | In Peschiera del Garda; with Giovanni da Cologna, Battista Dotto, and Piero da Bergamo he supports Giampaolo Baglioni in taking Legnago, defended by Spanish and German infantry. The action ends with 85 killed out of 150 men. Antonio da Castello is praised in the Collegio dei Pregadi for his conduct on that occasion. | ||
| July | 267 infantry | Veneto | On guard duty in Padua, in Santa Giustina, as part of Babone Naldi’s regiment. From there, he is transferred to the defense of Treviso; he commands a regiment of 682 infantry, 267 of whom are from his own company. | ||
| Oct. | Veneto | He is present at the battle of Creazzo where he stands out for his courage on the field. He escapes capture and returns with Giovanni dal Borgo (1200 infantry) to guard Treviso: his relationship with the local inhabitants and authorities proves stormy due to late payments and his men’s resulting behavior. | |||
| Nov. | Veneto | He is criticized by the captain general Bartolomeo d’Alviano, who calls his infantry “cowards” because of their conduct at Creazzo. Certain paid soldiers are dismissed. | |||
| Dec. | Venezia | In Venice. He protests the measures taken against his company. | |||
| 1514 | |||||
| Feb. | Veneto | Due to the late payments, his soldiers refuse to stand guard at night. | |||
| June | 257 infantry | Veneto | In Treviso. | ||
| July | Captain general of artillery | Veneto | Stationed at the camp in Brentelle near Padua. Bartolomeo d’Alviano appoints him to oversee the artillery. He leaves Padua with 1000 infantry and 400 light cavalry; he is informed that the Spaniards have brought a large quantity of grain into Este. With 600 infantry and some light cavalry, he moves against Este, defended by 300 infantry and 100 Spanish light cavalry. He scales the walls at night, takes the defenders by surprise (all captured), and carries away part of the grain while the rest is set on fire. He also burns 250 boats loaded with provisions headed for the enemy camp; he returns to the camp in Brusegana escorted by Bartolomeo d’Alviano. He brings back 150 barrels of wine and a large number of stolen animals. | ||
| 1515 | |||||
| Apr. | Veneto | He is again transferred to Treviso. His men unite with those of Giovanni dal Borgo and line up as if to abandon the city in protest over unpaid wages. The podestà Giacomo Trevisan is forced to borrow money from the townspeople to give them a partial payment. Antonio da Castello exchanges harsh words in Treviso’s square with the same podestà, who calls for a punitive measure against him. | |||
| May | 300 infantry | Veneto and Friuli | He leaves Treviso with 300 infantry, heading to Fusina and then Caorle; on orders from Bartolomeo d’Alviano and the Council of Ten, he boards ships to transfer to Friuli. | ||
| June | Friuli and Veneto | His attempt to capture Gradisca d’Isonzo by negotiation fails. He returns to Padua. | |||
| July | 249 infantry | Veneto and Lombardia | He leaves Este. He moves to support Bartolomeo d’Alviano, who is heading toward Badia Polesine and Lombardy. | ||
| …………….. | Lombardia | At the siege of Brescia after the victory of the French and the Imperial forces at Melegnano. Bartolomeo d’Alviano dies. | |||
| Dec. | Lombardia | Leading a regiment, he joins Babone Naldi and Giovan Corrado Orsini to halt the advance of 2500/3000 Spanish infantry marching from Verona to aid Brescia. The three Venetian captains stop halfway, indecisive. He then moves with his regiment to the winter camp at Ghedi and Leno. | |||
| 1516 | |||||
| Apr. | 206 infantry | Lombardia | On the defense of Crema. His work is commended by the provveditore Zaccaria Loredan. | ||
| Aug. | Veneto | He is at the siege of Verona: he is tasked with guarding the artillery and stores of gunpowder. Because of spontaneous combustion, 800 barrels of powder suddenly catch fire, destroying the reserves. | |||
| Sept. | Veneto | He is also given command of 300 pioneers, a number insufficient for the many tasks required by a city siege such as Verona. He mounts a strong attack on Porta Vescovo, which fails; he tries again at the same point with Malatesta Baglioni. He is forced to withdraw to Albaredo d’Adige upon learning that significant reinforcements have arrived in Verona, sent by Emperor Maximilian of Austria. Provveditore Giovanni Paolo Gradenigo assigns Antonio da Castello and Girolamo Barisello to guard the bridge over the Adige. | |||
| Oct.-Nov. | Veneto | At the siege of Verona. He positions himself in Zevio, intercepting supply convoys headed for the defenders. | |||
| Dec. | 150 infantry | Lombardia | Thanks to the allied French, Brescia finally returns to Venetian control. | ||
| 1517 | |||||
| Feb. | 200 infantry | Lombardia and Umbria | The provveditore general Andrea Gritti places him in charge of guarding the fortress of Brescia. He is granted permission to return to Città di Castello to retrieve his family and bring them to Venetian territory. | ||
| Mar. | Chiesa | Comp. ventura | Marche | Probably with the approval of the Venetians, he enters the pay of Pope Leo X to confront Francesco Maria della Rovere, who aims to recapture the Duchy of Urbino. He reaches Pesaro. | |
| Apr. | Marche | He leaves Pesaro and clashes with enemy infantry who recently captured 100 pontifical horses in the area. | |||
| May | Umbria | On the defense of Perugia, attacked by opposing forces. | |||
| June-Aug. | 50 infantry | Umbria and Veneto | Recalled to Brescia by the Venetians, he arrives there in August. He is again entrusted with guarding the local castle. | ||
| Dec. | Veneto | In Venice. He is knighted by Doge Leonardo Loredan. | |||
| 1518 | |||||
| Sept. | 25 infantry | Lombardia | Given the relatively secure situation, only 25 men remain guarding the castle. | ||
| 1520 | |||||
| Sept. | Lombardia | On a mission to Crema to inspect the city’s fortifications after two towers have collapsed. | |||
| Oct. | 25 infantry | Lombardia | Still on guard in the castle of Brescia. | ||
| 1521 | |||||
| Apr. | Lombardia | He reaches the fortress of Anfo to supervise its defensive upgrades. | |||
| June | Venezia | Empire | 300 infantry | Lombardia | He gathers 300 infantry to defend Brescia. |
| Aug. | Lombardia | At the camp in Verolanuova; he brings some artillery. Teodoro da Trivulzio sends him to Anfo to block the passage of 8000 Swiss and German infantry moving from Trento toward Mantua. | |||
| Sept. | Governor of infantry | Lombardia | He returns to the camp in Fontanella; he is appointed governor of the Italian infantry. He leaves Brescia with his 300 men, though reluctantly, having been promised their overdue pay within eight days. | ||
| Nov. | Lombardia | He moves to defend Milan, tasked with guarding Porta Romana alongside the men-at-arms of Teodoro da Trivulzio. Attacked by 1000 arquebusiers, he fails to prevent the entry of Imperial troops into the city. Forced to flee, he retreats to Trezzo sull’Adda with Marco da Napoli and Maffeo Cagnolo. | |||
| 1522 | |||||
| Jan. | Lombardia | On the orders of provveditore general Gritti, he leaves Palazzolo sull’Oglio and, with Rizino d’Asola (2000 infantry), moves to guard Bergamo. Of these men, 1200 quarter in the Sant’Antonio district and the rest in various points in the city. | |||
| Feb. | 305 infantry | Lombardia | At the camp in Rovato. He is given command of a regiment of 1219 infantry. | ||
| …………….. | 291 infantry | Lombardia | |||
| July | 200 infantry | Lombardia | At the end of the conflict, he returns to Brescia. His company is first reduced to 200 infantry, then further down to 70. | ||
| 1523 | |||||
| Sept. | Venezia | France | 500 infantry | Lombardia | He is still garrisoned in the castle of Brescia. When hostilities with the French erupt, he is assigned 500 infantry. He heads to the camp in Verolanuova, where he is placed in command of a regiment. |
| Oct. | Lombardia | In Pontevico with 400 infantry. He is ready to assist the defenders of Cremona. | |||
| Nov. | Lombardia | Cremona is freed from the siege. He moves to the camp in Martinengo. | |||
| 1524 | |||||
| Feb. | Lombardia | He crosses the Adda under the orders of the captain general, Francesco Maria della Rovere (Duke of Urbino). | |||
| Mar. | Lombardia | He takes part in the capture of Garlasco, where he oversees an artillery battery. The defenders signal their surrender, and the Venetians rush forward in a disorderly manner. A bridge collapses in the crowd, causing 80–90 men to drown; in retaliation, Garlasco is sacked, and all defenders (600 infantry and 300 light cavalry) are killed on the orders of Francesco Maria della Rovere. Then he is at the camp in Occimiano. | |||
| Apr. | Lombardia | In Covo. In Venice, his conduct is commended by the former provveditore general Leonardo Emo. | |||
| July | 50 infantry | Lombardia | The hostilities subside. He is recalled to Brescia and, as usual in such cases, the number of men under his command is reduced. | ||
| Oct. | Lombardia | The French invade Piedmont. Antonio da Castello is given money to raise 500 infantry. | |||
| Dec. | Lombardia | In Brescia for the christening of a son of the city’s podestà, Antonio Suriano. | |||
| 1525 | |||||
| Apr. | Lombardia | With Pietro da Longhena, he is tasked with monitoring the movement of the Landsknechts dismissed from the Imperial camp, who are returning to Germany. | |||
| 1526 | |||||
| Mar. | Lombardia | In Brescia. He is forced to release 70 infantry and allows them to depart because of their protests over two months’ unpaid wages. | |||
| June | Venezia | Empire | Captain of artillery | Lombardia | From Brescia, he proceeds to Chiari; he is assigned command of the artillery. With 500 infantry, he supports Francesco Maria della Rovere (Duke of Urbino and captain general of the Serenissima) and the papal captain Guido Rangoni at the camp in Melegnano. |
| July | Lombardia | After the failed Venetian attack on Milan’s Porta Romana, he joins a war council with other captains and provveditore general Piero Pesaro. He supports Francesco Maria della Rovere’s cautious strategy. He returns to Melegnano. Leading 1000 infantry and aided by ten artillery pieces, he supports Giovanni dei Medici in the capture of the castle of Monza. Many defenders are killed in the clash. | |||
| Aug. | Lombardia | At the siege of Cremona with 1900 Italian infantry and 4 artillery pieces; there, he supports Malatesta Baglioni. He returns to Brescia due to illness. Though not fully recovered, he hastens back to the Cremona camp. At the end of the month, leading 330 infantry, he attacks the city walls near Porta Mosa, deployed in Camillo Orsini’s battery. The action fails; a roll call reveals 5 killed, 36 wounded, and 4 deserters in his unit. He sets up the artillery again and, with Pier Onofri da Montedoglio, is tasked with building a covered trench from the castle to the borgo of San Luca. Ultimately, due to the worsening of his illness, it is decided to send him back to Brescia for treatment. | |||
| Sept. | 330 infantry | Lombardia | |||
| Dec. | Lombardia | In Palazzolo sull’Oglio, at the roll call conducted there by provveditore general Domenico Contarini, he commands a regiment of 500 infantry. Piero Pesaro, former provveditore general, praises him before the Venetian Senate. | |||
| 1527 | |||||
| June | Lombardia | He crosses the Lambro with his regiment under Domenico Contarini. While crossing a bridge, he is ambushed along with Babone Naldi, Giampaolo Manfrone, Giacomo Novello, Ambrogio da Landriano, and Gian Ludovico Pallavicini by Imperial forces emerging unexpectedly from Melegnano. A skirmish ensues with 2 Italian companies that fortify themselves in a church awaiting reinforcements brought by Antonio di Leyva from Milan (14 Landsknecht companies, 4 Spanish and Italian, plus some artillery). Eleven infantry and two light cavalry are captured; Cesare da Napoli is wounded in the arm, and the Spanish captain Jacheto is killed. | |||
| July | Lombardia | He has further minor clashes with varying results. He is again at the camp in Melegnano. | |||
| Aug.-Sept. | 500 infantry | Lombardia | He is given funds to recruit 500 infantry in Brescia. In September, he is first noted at the camp in Melegnano, then at that of San Donato Milanese. | ||
| Oct. | Lombardia | He takes part in the siege of Pavia; with a determined intervention, he prevents the capture of Cesare Fregoso, who is surprised in his lodgings by some infantry that sortie from the city. While Ludovico Barbiano da Belgioioso negotiates the surrender, he enters Pavia and takes part in its sack. He follows Giano Fregoso to the camp in Landriano; the French allies instead move to Castel San Giovanni. | |||
| Nov. | 500 infantry | Lombardia | He prepares the accommodations for the new fortified camp in Cassano d’Adda. The Collegio dei Pregadi confirms his command of 500 infantry. | ||
| Dec. | 800 infantry | Lombardia | He is sent with seven companies of infantry and twelve artillery pieces to assist Gian Giacomo dei Medici in his attack on Lecco. Antonio da Castello bombards the town from one side, demolishing part of the walls; informed that from Oggiono are approaching 1200 infantry (Landsknechts and Spaniards), two standards of men-at-arms, and 100 light cavalry with two artillery pieces, he prefers to withdraw with Giovanni dei Medici to Malgrate. At the end of the month, some reinforcements enter Lecco. He asks for ammunition and pioneers to resume siege operations. After Cesare Fregoso’s inspection, provveditore general Tommaso Moro orders him to abandon the enterprise and return to Cassano d’Adda. The commander dislikes receiving this order. | ||
| 1528 | |||||
| Jan. | Lombardia | In Cassano d’Adda with 800 infantry. He is struck by severe fevers at the camp. | |||
| Feb. | Lombardia | He enters Trezzo sull’Adda, ravages its suburbs, and besieges the castle for five hours. The defenders sortie and clash with him for an hour and a half. They are repulsed with 14 killed and 20 wounded. | |||
| Mar.-Apr. | 1000 infantry | Lombardia and Veneto | The Council of the Sages increases his command from 800 to 1000 infantry. He leaves Cassano d’Adda, arrives in Vicenza, and accompanies Francesco Maria della Rovere in inspecting that city’s defenses. | ||
| May | 541 infantry | Lombardia | In Caravaggio for a strategic meeting with Francesco Maria della Rovere, Duke Francesco Sforza of Milan, provveditore Tommaso Moro, Giano Fregoso, and other captains to decide how to confront the advance of the Duke of Brunswick’s 15,000 infantry and 1200 cavalry (Landsknechts). He goes to Orzinuovi to oversee the construction of some bastions. | ||
| June | Lombardia | He moves to defend Bergamo with 350 infantry due to Antonio di Leyva’s threats toward the city. He falls ill and returns to Brescia. | |||
| Aug.-Sept. | Captain of artillery | Lombardia | He heads to Orzinuovi with 74 carts of munitions and artillery; then he supports Francesco Maria della Rovere at the siege of Sant’Angelo Lodigiano. After heavy artillery fire, three enemy infantry companies exit from one side while the Venetians enter from another. Antonio da Castello moves to Locate di Triulzi. Along with Annibale Picenardi, he assesses a possible attack on Milan near Cascina Scanascio: the inspection leads to a negative verdict, so the decision is made to attack Pavia, defended by 2400 men (2000 between Landsknechts and Italians, 200 Spanish infantry, and 200 cavalry). The city is bombarded from three directions by 14 heavy cannons and 24 smaller pieces. The commander leads a battery formed by the Italian infantry, 300 lances, and many light cavalry all fighting on foot: he launches the first assault with Sigismondo Malatesta and the Romagnol infantry, and it is repulsed. After three hours of fighting, Pavia falls into Venetian hands: among the Imperial forces, 600 are killed and many captured; among the Venetians, 50 die and 50 are wounded. At the end of the battle, his efforts receive the public praise of Francesco Maria della Rovere. Next, he besieges the castle; soon, 80 Italian infantry, 60 Spaniards, and 10 Landsknechts under Captain Aponte capitulate. He then goes to the camp in Landriano; then back to Pavia. | ||
| Oct. | Lombardia | He leaves Pavia because of late pay. | |||
| Dec. | Captain general of infantry | The Council of the Sages formally appoints him captain of the infantry, reaffirms his command of a regiment of 500 infantry, and raises his yearly pay from 400 to 600 ducats. | |||
| 1529 | |||||
| Jan. | Lombardia | He asks the Venetians for permission to go to Città di Castello and Rome to negotiate personal issues with Niccolò Vitelli, mainly concerning an ecclesiastical benefice. The authorities refuse, so his lieutenant handles the mission. | |||
| Apr. | Lombardia | In Rivolta d’Adda. | |||
| May | 377 infantry | Lombardia | He crosses the Adda with Annibale Fregoso and captures Cassano d’Adda, defended by a Spanish captain and 80 infantry. He reaches the camp in Pozzuolo Martesana; he also goes to Belgioioso, where he and Francesco Maria della Rovere and the Saint-Pol discuss a possible Franco-Venetian attack on Milan. He halts at the camp in Melegnano. | ||
| June | 307 infantry | Lombardia | In Binasco. He takes part in another war council. | ||
| July | Lombardia | Stationed in Cassano d’Adda; with Cesare Fregoso, Roberto da San Severino, and Ambrogio da Landriano (600 arquebusiers, 200 pikemen, and 250 light cavalry), he supports Francesco Maria della Rovere in an offensive against enemy cavalry. The Imperial forces lose 50 men; 40 horses are wounded, and 5 or 6 captains are captured, among them a nephew of Antonio di Leyva; the Venetian losses are fewer. | |||
| Aug. | Lombardia | In command of a regiment of 850 infantry. | |||
| Sept. | Lombardia and Veneto | He returns to guard Brescia with 700 infantry, as the Landsknechts once more threaten a possible invasion of Venetian territory from Trentino. He bravely defends Ghedi from enemy assaults, rejecting a surrender demand, and with few men manages to hold off much larger forces. Francesco Maria della Rovere sends him to Vicenza to strengthen its existing defenses. | |||
| Oct. | Lombardia | In Calvisano and Leno with Cesare Fregoso to scout suitable terrain for billeting light cavalry. He is surprised in Leno by 200 cavalry and 400 infantry commanded by Paolo Luzzasco; the Venetians initially hold, but Luzzasco is then reinforced by 1000 Landsknechts and two artillery pieces from Gambara. Bernardino da Montauto and Mariano da Castello are forced to surrender when surrounded by the enemy and out of ammunition. | |||
| Dec. | Lombardia | At the end of the conflict, he remains stationed in Brescia with 300 infantry, reduced the following month to 50 as usual. | |||
| 1530 | |||||
| Jan. | 50 infantry | Lombardia | In Brescia. His annual salary remains 1000 ducats. | ||
| May | Lombardia | In Venice, the Collegio dei Pregadi is told by the former provveditore general Paolo Nani that his actions in the recent campaign merit praise. | |||
| 1531 | |||||
| Dec. | Lombardia | Still garrisoned in Brescia. From the city, he dispatches spies into the Cremona area to observe Spanish troop movements in the Piacenza region. | |||
| 1532 | |||||
| Feb. | Marche | The Venetians send him to Ancona to advise the papal authorities on reinforcing the city’s defenses. | |||
| Mar. | Lombardia | He recovers in Bergamo six artillery pieces that had been loaned years before to Gian Giacomo dei Medici. | |||
| June | Lombardia | Together with the other local authorities, he welcomes Cardinal Francesco Corner to Brescia. | |||
| July | Lombardia | He inspects Ghedi’s fortifications with Francesco Maria della Rovere. | |||
| 1533 | 20 infantry | Lombardia | |||
| 1536 | |||||
| …….. | Lombardia | When the alliance between Venice and the Imperial forces is renewed, he and Babone Naldi are tasked with assembling 6000 infantry and 500 light cavalry in Asola to defend Cremona. The troops are soon recalled because the war is confined to Piedmont. | |||
| …….. | France | Empire, England | The English allies seize Guise and Montreuil from the French at the outbreak of renewed conflict with the Empire. This event compels King Francis I to see the need to reinforce the defenses of Picardy’s cities. | ||
| 1537 | |||||
| Feb.-May | France | Hostilities resume in Artois. Twenty thousand French soldiers lay siege to Hesdin in mid-February; the city falls in mid-April. The French, encamped at Pernes, occupy Saint-Pol and Lillers. Antonio da Castello is now approached. He is requested to strengthen the defensive works of the town and castle of Saint-Pol and Hesdin. | |||
| June-July | France | Saint-Pol is attacked by Imperial forces under the Count of Bure. After more than 1600 cannon shots at the Dourlans bastion, an all-out assault follows; almost all 2000 soldiers of the garrison are killed. Antonio da Castello is captured by the Imperial troops when the city capitulates. He is accused of recklessness and greed by his French colleagues. Freed at the end of July following the conclusion of a truce and after the king pays a large ransom, he returns to Italy. | |||
| Sept. | Venezia | Ottoman Empire | Captain of artillery | Greece | He is in Corfu to strengthen its defenses (according to Marin Sanudo). Together with Francesco Maria della Rovere, he demolishes all houses near the city, levels Monte delle Castrate, and extends the two bastions that enclose its outer edges. |
| 1538/1542 | France | Empire | France and Lombardia | In 1538, King Francis I of France summons him again to France; he is named a gentleman of the chamber. His activities begin in January at Bourg-en-Bresse, where he lays out new defenses such as lowering the towers and building new bastions. In March, he is granted 225 livres for expenses related to a mission to Moulins and Thérouanne. He is to oversee the strengthening of those localities’ fortifications and the entire Picardy region. On this occasion, he collaborates with Jean de Renaud de Saint-Rémy. He begins reinforcing Guise, Thérouanne, and Doullens. At Guise, he surrounds the old tower with a bastion of three large ramparts known as L’Alouette, La Charbonnière, and La Haute-Ville. The works he built in Thérouanne will be destroyed by the Imperial forces in 1553 when they raze the city. The fortifications he constructed in Doullens remain visible; those in Hesdin were demolished in the same year, 1553. In May 1539, Antonio da Castello still appears among those granted a pension in France. He is appointed “maître des ouvrages” in Picardy. In 1541 and 1542, he works on the defenses of Péronne, where he disputes with Feuquière, the harbor captain, over rebuilding part of the walls damaged three years earlier in the war. During the same period, he also works on the fortifications of La Capelle. Eventually, he returns to Brescia; the Venetian Republic grants him command of a regiment. Under him are four captains; the total cost of his regiment is estimated at 6000 ducats a year. | |
| 1543 | Veneto | Along with architect Michele Sanmicheli, he is tasked with rebuilding the fortress of Sant’Andrea, known as Castelnuovo, in the Lido of Venice. | |||
| 1547 | |||||
| Autumn | Captain general of artillery, 45 infantry | Lombardia | He enters Brescia with 45 infantry upon hearing the news of Pier Luigi Farnese’s killing in Piacenza; he maintains public order in the main square and at two other city points. | ||
| 1549 | |||||
| May | Lombardia | He dies in Brescia in mid-May. He is buried with solemn rites in the city’s cathedral. |
Sources
-“Qual è di primi contestabili habia la Signoria nostra e tutta Italia, è fidelissimo.” Da una valutazione del doge Andrea Gritti riportata dal SANUDO
-“E’ homo di gran fazon e molto aficionato a la Signoria nostra.” Dalla relazione di PIERO TRON al Senato.
-“Homo valentissimo, fidato et da far conto.” SANUDO
-“Hor ecco un capitan per fama noto/ al cieco mondo più che Mario o xerxe/ suggetto a Marte al suo regno divoto/sì como quel che già col petto aperse le schiere de nemici a fiero volto/quantunqua morte poi nel fin suferse/ vetusto in guerra Antonio da Castello/ è quel che guida l’altro colonnello/ Costui ne la Bandiera in campo verde/ portava un vitel d’or (lo stemma dei Vitelli) con una stella.” CANDELFINO
-“Omo de inzegno.” BUZZACCARINI
-“Est capitaine d’artillerie pour la République de Venise et conseiller pour les fortifications.” Wikipedia
-“Ingegnere e uomo d’arme.” BRODINI
-“Il apparait comme un capitaine ingénieur d’un Etat monarchique qui pense la défense globale de ses frontières.” GUINAND
Featured image: tripadvisor
