Astorgio di Durafort: The Pope’s Faithless Commander

A Portrait of the Commander Who Fought Italian Lords and the Black Prince, Conquering Neither.

ASTORGIO DI DURAFORT (Hector of Durfort, Nestor of Languedoc) From Limousin. Count of Romagna.

Death: 1360 ca.

Year, Month	State, Comp. ventura	Opponent	Command	Area of Activity	Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts
				France	Belongs to the Aurillac branch (diocese of Saint-Flour, Cantal) of the great Durfort family, related by marriage to the la Tour, the la Jugie, and the Chateauneuf. He marries a niece of Pope Clement VI.
1343
Oct.	Church	Forlì		Romagna	He is elected Count of Romagna. He pushes his soldiers towards Cesena but is repulsed.
Nov.				Romagna	He attempts a similar attack against Forlì. He is defeated in the Faenza area.
1344
				Romagna	He continues to oppose Francesco Ordelaffi. He attacks Cesena again and is once more repulsed with heavy losses.
Oct.				Emilia	He abandons the enterprise and retreats to Taibo, where he remains for ten days without carrying out any operations. He meets in Modena with the Marquis of Ferrara Obizzo d’Este, Otasio da Polenta, Giovanni Manfredi, Ramberto Malatesta, and Bertolaccio Mainardi.
1347
Dec.	Church	Manfredi		Emilia	He is appointed by Pope Clement VI, his relative, as rector of Bologna and Count of Romagna. He chooses to live in Faenza: Giovanni Manfredi takes refuge in Bagnacavallo. Astorgio di Durafort captures his brother Guglielmo and threatens to execute him if the town is not handed over. He releases him under pressure from the inhabitants of Faenza; he besieges Manfredi in Bagnacavallo. His rival finally surrenders on terms. Durafort prevents King Louis of Hungary from passing through the territories of Imola and Faenza on his march to conquer the Kingdom of Naples.
1348
Feb. Mar.	Church	Forlì		Romagna	He takes advantage of Francesco Ordelaffi‘s absence in the Kingdom of Naples with the King of Hungary to attack Forlì. The official reason is that the Ordelaffi family refused to pay the census due to the Papal States. He devastates the Forlì area; the lord of Forlì returns, and in early March, the contenders reach an agreement. Meanwhile, in order to raise money, he recalls exiles from the Ravenna and Cervia areas, who are forced to pay a tax to be absolved of all penalties.
June				Romagna	He tries to capture Giovanni di Alberghettino Manfredi in Faenza, who has organized a conspiracy against him. He besieges him in Gatteo and forces him to surrender; he apparently reconciles with the rebels, except for one who is beheaded in the square of Faenza for committing other crimes.
1349
Spring				Romagna	During the Easter period, he organizes a banquet in Faenza, also attended by Giovanni Manfredi: the latter, warmed by wine, asks to assert a right of his. He receives Durafort‘s consent; a gang is formed which, taking up arms, goes to the kitchen to take some poultry. A tumult arises, at the end of which Astorgio di Durafort is forced to expel Manfredi following a brawl between the papal followers and Manfredi‘s men, in which his plenipotentiary Franceschino della Valle and 3 of Manfredi‘s followers are killed.
1350
Feb.				France Romagna	He is in Provence for private reasons. During his absence, Giovanni Manfredi incites Faenza to rebel against the Papal States. Astorgio di Durafort leaves Avignon with numerous soldiers to return to Romagna; he soon leaves the Faenza area to retreat hastily to Imola. He asks for help from the neighboring Guelph towns.
Mar.	Church	Faenza Forlì	Captain General	Romagna	He is elected captain general of the papal army with Niccolò della Serra.
Apr.				Emilia	In Ferrara, seeking aid, which, however, is denied to Giovanni Manfredi by Obizzo d’Este. Florence gives a negative response to his requests because it is engaged in a conflict with the Ubaldini.
May				Romagna	He cannot move to help Bertinoro, which surrenders to Francesco Ordelaffi. Reinforcements finally arrive from the Visconti, the Este, and the Scaligeri: he moves from Forlì towards the fortified bridge of San Procolo, three miles from Faenza, and encounters the enemy. He does not attack the city; with Rostagno da Avignone (400 Provençal horsemen) and another 800 cavalry, as well as 1000 ruffians, he chooses to invest Solarolo. He is repulsed due to heavy rain. He raids the nearby territory; he attacks Bagnacavallo without success. During an assault, 3 German and 3 Italian soldiers are captured: Paolo Manfredi, Guido Roberti, and Simone Bozachi, all from Reggio Emilia. He settles into the siege of Solarolo.
July Aug.				Emilia and Romagna	Intent on the siege of Solarolo, he begins to plot a treaty in Bologna to take the city from the Pepoli, who are his allies. He promises 30,000 florins to Buonincontro d’Andrea and Ranieri di Castel San Pietro. The Pepoli learn of the conspiracy, have the traitors captured, and convince them to talk. They are beheaded on the balconies of the Palazzo del Podestà: their heads are thrown into the square where they remain for the whole day, to be later hoisted on 2 lances and carried around the city. Astorgio di Durafort protests his innocence and invites the Pepoli to the camp at Solarolo to mediate in the ongoing conflict with Giovanni Manfredi. Giovanni Pepoli arrives, flattered by his words and false oaths. A sumptuous banquet is prepared in Durafort‘s pavilion: at the moment of departure, Pepoli is captured with a son of his brother Giacomo and 200 Bolognese horsemen who accompanied him to the papal camp. All are taken prisoner to the fortress of Imola. Astorgio di Durafort secretly agrees with Mastino della Scala to attack Bologna. He occupies Castel San Pietro Terme, Fagnano, Piancaldoli, Lugo, Dozza, Varignana-Palesio, Ozzano dell’Emilia, and the entire Bolognese area up to the Idice river. Bagnacavallo also falls into his power; the vicariate of the town is again entrusted to Guglielmo Manfredi. He promises the soldiers double pay and a full month’s wage for each conquest: however, he is unable to meet his commitments, so the troops mutiny and demand 70,000 florins immediately. Bologna will be attacked only when their dues are paid. Durafort pawns Giovanni Pepoli and all the prisoners taken up to that moment; he also pawns Castel San Pietro Terme to the soldiers. Giovanni Pepoli immediately ransoms himself by paying a ransom of 80,000 florins, 20,000 immediately and the rest in a short time; he also gives three sons as hostages. After 52 days, he will return free to his brother.
Sept.				Emilia	He rejects the proposals of the Florentines, whom he does not trust. He wants to enter Bologna as a conqueror. His allies, like the lord of Milan, Archbishop Giovanni Visconti, deplore his behavior and recall from his army 500 barbuta previously sent to his aid. The Visconti soldiers refuse to leave the camp until they receive the balance of their emoluments. They are dismissed and hired by the Count of Romagna.
Oct.	Church	Milan		Emilia	He discovers a conspiracy organized against him by the Pepoli and the captain of Castel San Pietro Terme: he has the accomplices hanged after having them dragged by a horse’s tail. The turning point occurs mid-month: Giovanni Visconti buys Bologna from the Pepoli. The latter are assured the lordship of the castles of San Giovanni in Persiceto, Crevalcore, Mirandola, and Sant’Agata Bolognese, the sum of 200,000 florins, of which 80,000 immediately, the payment of 8,500 florins to Guarnieri di Urslingen (so that he leaves the city without fighting, satisfied in his dues), a monthly provision of 200 florins to Giacomo and Giovanni Pepoli, while another 2,000 florins are granted to 6 other members of their family. Astorgio di Durafort continues the war with greater ferocity against the Visconti.
Nov.				Emilia	Joined by the militias of Guarnieri di Urslingen, he leads a general assault on Bologna. Galeazzo Visconti sends 1,000 soldiers against him, who are repulsed; many enemies are killed and a nearby village is set on fire. The action is unsuccessful.
Dec.				Emilia	He retreats to Budrio; he occupies Argenta and San Giovanni in Persiceto. He reaches San Giorgio di Piano and Volta di Reno; he positions himself before the gates of Bologna to prevent reinforcements from reaching the defenders. His offensive is halted by a lack of money for the soldiers’ pay: they mutiny and prefer to stay in the bastion of Budrio until the last days of January to continue their raids. Bernabò Visconti gives 80,000 florins to the German and Burgundian mercenaries of Astorgio di Durafort, and the papal army disbands. 70 banners (1,500 horsemen) pass directly into the Visconti ranks.
1351
Feb.				Romagna	He returns to Imola with his Provençals.
Mar. Nov.				Emilia Veneto and Tuscany	He goes to Ferrara, Verona, and Florence in search of aid: since November, in fact, the Apostolic Camera of Avignon has only been able to send him 35,000 florins, half of which comes from a loan imposed on the cardinals and various members of the curia. He is therefore short of money to pay the militias that have arrived from Rimini, Cervia, Pesaro, Fano, Perugia, Gubbio, and the few Provençals at his side. He is thus forced to desist from the enterprise against Bologna, also because Jesi has rebelled against the Papal States. He then joins his forces with those of Alberghetto Chiavelli and Gentile da Mogliano, with whom he has reconciled, to try to quell this revolt.
Dec.				France	In Avignon. He returns the mandate of defender of the Church to Pope Clement VI. He remains in his position as rector of Romagna.
1352
May				Emilia	Pope Clement VI and the lord of Milan, Archbishop Giovanni Visconti, reach an agreement. Astorgio di Durafort goes to Bologna and leaves the city with money that is given to him by the Visconti themselves. The Pope, out of gratitude towards him, cancels a debt of 1,000 florins that he owes to the Apostolic Camera.
1355
Nov.	France	England		France	He fights in the Hundred Years’ War. He positions himself with 1,000 cavalry in the forest of Crugny to ambush the Prince of Wales (the Black Prince) who is returning with rich booty to the territories controlled by the English. He is soundly defeated because the adversaries anticipate his ambush by placing numerous troops in the intended location (a forest) in advance.
1360				France	He dies.