How the untrustworthy nature of a mercenary commander defined his rule and reputation.
Lord of Faenza, Russi, Brisighella, Solarolo, Bagnacavallo, Oriolo dei Fichi, and Modigliana. Brother of Guidantonio Manfredi, father of Carlo, Galeotto Manfredi and Lancillotto Manfredi, uncle of Taddeo Manfredi, son-in-law of Alberico da Barbiano, and father-in-law of Cecco Ordelaffi and Pino Ordelaffi.
Born: 1412, December
Death: 1468, March
| Year, Month | State, Comp. ventura | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
| 1417 | |||||
| Mar. | He is enrolled in the Venetian nobility with his father Giovanni Galeazzo and his brother Guidantonio. | ||||
| 1425 | |||||
| Milan | Florence | ||||
| Mar. | Florence | Milan | He defects with his brother Guidantonio to the Florentine camp. | ||
| 1426 | |||||
| Sept. | Lombardy | Takes part in the siege of the citadel of Brescia. | |||
| 1428 | Faenza | Modigliana, Imola | Romagna | Fights the counts of Modigliana and the lord of Imola, Ludovico Aldosi. | |
| 1429 | |||||
| May | Church | Bologna | Emilia | He has command of his brother’s company when the latter leaves Borgo Panigale due to disagreements with Jacopo Caldora. | |
| July | Emilia | Serious disputes arise between his men and those of Francesco Piccinino: the conflict ends with the wounding of about a hundred soldiers. | |||
| 1430 | |||||
| Mar. | Florence | Lucca | 40 lances | Tuscany | Opposes the militias of the lord of Lucca, Paolo Guinigi. |
| July | Church | Bologna | Emilia | He serves in the pay of the pontiffs. Still under the orders of Caldora and the papal legate, the bishop of Tarpeja, he moves from Corticella and San Giovanni in Persiceto against Bologna. | |
| 1431 | |||||
| Romagna | Marries Giovanna da Barbiano, daughter of Alberico. | ||||
| Nov. | Milan | Church | Again in the pay of the Duke of Milan, Filippo Maria Visconti. | ||
| 1432 | |||||
| Mar. | 400 horses | Romagna | He leaves Faenza. He goes to Lugo, Massa Lombarda, and Zagonara. | ||
| Nov. | Romagna | He helps Antonio Ordelaffi re-enter Forlì to the detriment of the pontiffs with Antongaleazzo Bentivoglio, Petrino da Tortona, and Giovanni da Lugo. He approaches Oriolo dei Fichi. The castellan of the locality fires a bombard shot; other artillery shots are fired to warn the garrison of Forlì of their approach. The three condottieri decide to fall back for fear that the treaty that should have allowed them to find the Porta Schiavonia of the capital open has been discovered. Astorre Manfredi returns to Faenza; any possibility for Antonio Ordelaffi fails. | |||
| 1433 | |||||
| May | Lombardy | He goes to Milan to see Duke Filippo Maria Visconti. His pro-Visconti policy causes bitter disagreements with his brother Guidantonio who, in the summer, will persecute and imprison his followers in Faenza. | |||
| Romagna | He reconciles with his brother Guidantonio. | ||||
| 1434 | |||||
| Jan. | Romagna | He asks for leave from the Duke of Milan because he is dissatisfied with the conditions offered to him. | |||
| Feb. | Venice | Romagna | In Faenza. In the pay of the Venetians. | ||
| Aug. | Emilia and Lombardy | He is defeated and taken prisoner at Castel Bolognese by Niccolò Piccinino. He is taken to Milan. | |||
| 1435 | |||||
| Aug. | Lombardy | He is released only after the peace signed in the same month. | |||
| 1436 | |||||
| Mar. | Romagna | He returns to Faenza. He is welcomed in the city with great celebrations. | |||
| Sept. | Romagna | In Faenza. Sick. | |||
| 1437 | |||||
| Apr. | Venice | Milan | Lombardy | He follows the captain-general of the Serenissima, the Marquis of Mantua Gian Francesco Gonzaga, across the Adda River. | |
| Romagna and Marche | He falls ill, perhaps as a result of the hardships suffered in the previous war and imprisonment; he withdraws from the front. Once recovered, he goes to Loreto to fulfill a vow. In the autumn, he opposes the ducal forces in the Cremona area. | ||||
| Dec. | He is dismissed by the Venetians. | ||||
| 1438 | |||||
| Feb. | Romagna | He returns to Faenza very dissatisfied with the treatment received from the Serenissima and, moreover, in disagreement with his brother. | |||
| Mar. | Milan | Florence, Ravenna | Romagna | With the conquest of Bologna by Piccinino, he abandons the party of Pope Eugene IV (Eugenio IV) and returns to look favorably upon the Visconti. He fights the Florentines and carries out a raid on Modigliana and Oriolo dei Fichi: the second castle is captured and sacked. Precisely because of Oriolo di Fichi, he has a dispute with Antonio Ordelaffi; the castle remains in his hands. | |
| Romagna | The Florentines recover Oriolo di Fichi with a night assault. To get even, Manfredi tries to ally his brother-in-law Ostasio da Polenta with the Visconti against the Venetians. The latter send 300 horses to Ravenna under the command of Giovanni da Tolentino. Astorre Manfredi turns to his sister Ginevra, Ostasio‘s wife, to induce her, in her husband’s absence, not to let the troops of the Serenissima enter the city. Manfredi besieges Ravenna; at the head of 200 horses, he occupies Fusignano and Bagnacavallo, which belong to his brother-in-law Ostasio da Polenta. In the same days, Piccinino grants him the lordship of Bagnacavallo and Russi. | ||||
| May | Emilia and Romagna | Enters Bologna. He goes to Forlì where he takes part in a council of war with his brother and Francesco Piccinino. | |||
| July | Romagna | He returns to Faenza. | |||
| 1440 | |||||
| Apr. | Milan | Florence | Tuscany | He arrives in Mugello with Niccolò Piccinino. He persecutes the inhabitants who fled to the mountains following the conquest of the region by the ducal forces. In the middle of the month, his squadron is attacked at the camp of Pulicciano by the men-at-arms of Angelo d’Anghiari and by Florentine plunderers and infantry of Bernardo Dati. His losses amount to 60 horses, as well as numerous breastplates, cuirasses, surcoats, and silver helmets. | |
| June | Tuscany | He moves from Borgo San Sepolcro (Sansepolcro); he reaches the bridge of a small river controlled by the companies of Micheletto Attendolo. Niccolò Piccinino sends him with his son Francesco, in command of the vanguard, against the opponents. He clashes with Raffaello di Vramonte without either contender being able to prevail over the other. His soldiers move using as their banner the symbol of the “salasso,” the instrument for drawing blood, which the lords of Faenza had adopted at the end of the 14th century. Astorre Manfredi attacks the enemy cavalry; initially, Micheletto Attendolo, inferior in numbers, has to retreat to the foot of the hill of Anghiari. The battle then has alternating phases until the intervention of Pietro Giampaolo Orsini and Simonetto da Castel San Pietro rebalances the outcome. Piccinino decides on a new assault. The allies not only withstand the impact but also manage to react. Manfredi, seeing the situation, on his own initiative moves forward to stop the enemy charge. His action, however, creates a gap in the Visconti formation, which is no longer compact. The condottiero finds himself facing superior forces; wounded by a lance blow to the groin (or thigh), he is unhorsed and captured by Niccolò da Pisa. The latter, according to the terms of his contract, hands him over for 3000 florins to the Florentine authorities, who imprison Astorre Manfredi in Florence in the Stinche prison. According to Florentine chroniclers, Piccinino blames his disobedience for the defeat of the ducal forces against Micheletto Attendolo and Pietro Giampaolo Orsini. | |||
| 1441 | |||||
| Nov. | Tuscany | At the end of the month, he is released in exchange for Manno Barile; he thanks Francesco Sforza. It is likely that he discusses with this captain how to take revenge on Niccolò da Pisa, who also serves under Sforza. | |||
| Dec. | Romagna | In Faenza. | |||
| 1442 | |||||
| Feb. | Emilia | In Bologna, in the palace of the city governor Cervato da Caravaggio, he kills Niccolò da Pisa, who, invited by the local authorities, had gone there unarmed. According to Bolognese chroniclers, the Tuscan condottiero is forced to stop in the Valle dei Bucchi on the Savena River, swollen by recent rains, by some men-at-arms who came out of Bologna commanded by Cervato da Caravaggio. While waiting for Piccinino‘s response because Niccolò da Pisa is traveling without a formal safe-conduct, Manfredi enters the house near San Niccolò degli Albari where the condottiero is staying with eight assassins and kills him. Sforza, to save face, will put a bounty on Manfredi‘s head: as per the predictable script, Manfredi is soon forgiven for his murder. | |||
| May | Romagna | With his brother, he meets Niccolò Piccinino in Faenza. | |||
| 1443 | |||||
| June | Milan | Bologna | Emilia | He confronts the Bolognese who have rebelled against the Visconti, led by Annibale Bentivoglio. With Luigi dal Verme, he tries to cut the aqueduct pipes that bring water to the capital. He enters Bologna with 400 horses through the gate near the castle of Porta Galliera, which the inhabitants fail to close in time: the bells are rung as an alarm, and nine thousand men, between armed citizens and soldiers of the garrison, force him to retreat after a bloody skirmish. | |
| July | Emilia | He joins up with Luigi dal Verme. | |||
| Aug. | Emilia | He abandons the field with his brother Guidantonio when Simonetto da Castel San Pietro and Pietro Navarrino attack the Visconti at San Giorgio di Piano. | |||
| 1445 | |||||
| Aug. | 600 horses and 200 infantry | In the pay of the league. He serves under the orders of Francesco Sforza. He is granted an advance of 2000 florins. | |||
| 1446 | |||||
| Jan. | Florence | Milan | 600 horses | Romagna, Tuscany | In Romagna with 500 horses and 200 infantry; he is ready to break into the Bologna area. In the same period, he has an arm of the saint transported from the church of San Savino of Fusignano to the cathedral of Faenza: the relic will be housed in a silver tabernacle. At the end of the month, he is reported in Florence with Sforza. |
| Feb. | Romagna | He lays an ambush for the lord of Rimini, Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, who is on his way to Milan with an escort of only 40 horses. The trap is unsuccessful because the lord of Rimini manages to hide in a swampy area near Russi. | |||
| Lombardy | In defense of Cremona, a fief of Francesco Sforza. | ||||
| Aug. | Emilia | He assists his brother in the Bologna area; he is present at the capture of San Giovanni in Persiceto, Budrio, Castelfranco Emilia, and other fortresses controlled by the opponents. | |||
| Sept. | Florence | Church, Naples | Romagna and Marche | He leaves Faenza and via Dovadola, Calboli, and Galeata reaches the Marche to provide aid to the Marquis of the March, Francesco Sforza, who is attacked in the region by the pontiffs. | |
| Oct. | Marche | In the territory of Urbino with the Sforza forces. At the siege of Gradara. | |||
| 1447 | |||||
| July | Milan | Venice, Duke of Savoy | 400 lances and 300 infantry | Despite the agreements signed first with the Florentines and then with the King of Naples Alfonso of Aragon (Alfonso d’Aragona), he passes into the pay of the Duke of Milan. He is granted a command of 400 lances and 300 infantry; he is given a monthly provision of 3000 florins and an advance of 12000 florins. Meanwhile, Filippo Maria Visconti dies; Manfredi continues to fight against the Venetians in favor of the Ambrosian Republic. | |
| Sept. | Emilia | Assigned to the defense of Parma (700 horses and 200 infantry) with Erasmo da Trivulzio, he asks Sforza for help to recover the fortress of Brescello. | |||
| Oct. | Lombardy, Piedmont | At the head of 500 horses, he crosses the Ticino and Po rivers. He clashes with the French of Rinaldo di Dresay at Bosco Marengo. At first, victory seems to favor the opponents who kill almost all of Giovanni Trotti‘s men (400 soldiers) without taking prisoners; Bartolomeo Colleoni attacks the wing commanded by Dresay and drives it back into its own camp while Campanella exits the castle with the defenders. The enemies are forced to lay down their arms and surrender. When the prisoners enter Alessandria, the citizens, devastated by the defeat of Giovanni Trotti‘s squadron, tear them from the hands of Astorre Manfredi and Colleoni to kill them. | |||
| 1448 | |||||
| Romagna | With the failure of peace negotiations between the Ambrosian Republic and the Serenissima, he claims that his contract time has expired; he refuses to enter into new commitments. He retires to Faenza. | ||||
| May | Lombardy | He returns to Lombardy and seizes Cassano d’Adda after a ten-day siege. He builds a boat bridge and crosses the river with Colleoni. | |||
| June | Romagna | His brother Guidantonio dies; Astorre returns to Faenza to secure the lordship for himself. He writes to Cosimo de’ Medici; the lord of Florence persuades him to trust the Florentines. | |||
| July | Florence | 1200 horses and 300 infantry | Tuscany | He goes to Florence with 1200 horses and 300 infantry. | |
| Oct. | Bologna | Exiles | 600 horses | Emilia | He is hired by the Bolognese after 700 men led by Ludovico and Baldassarre Canedoli penetrated Crevalcore with the help of Alberto Pio. He plunders the entire territory from San Giovanni in Persiceto to Crevalcore. Informed that the lord of Carpi and Baldassarre Canedoli are heading towards the center to supply it with provisions, he joins forces with Scariotto da Faenza, attacks the enemy convoy, puts Alberto Pio to flight, and captures Canedoli with all his companions. The prisoners are handed over to him as spoils of war according to customs: Manfredi sells them to the partisans of the Bentivoglio for 3000 ducats and moves to Faenza to save face. During his absence, Sante Bentivoglio, Galeazzo Marescotti, and Virgilio Malvezzi enter the fortress of San Giovanni in Persiceto at night, capture Canedoli, and take him to Bologna where he will be beheaded. |
| Nov. | He refuses the position of podestà of Milan offered to him by the new Francesco Sforza. | ||||
| 1449 | |||||
| Spring | Naples | Sforza, Venice | Emilia and Romagna | He is sent with 1500 horses and 500 infantry to help Niccolò Terzi to harass the troops of Sforza and the Venetians in the Parma area. Having arrived at Guardasone, he is approached by Alessandro Sforza from whom he accepts several thousand ducats. Manfredi immediately returns to Romagna. | |
| May | Faenza | Imola | Romagna | He is attacked by his nephew Taddeo Manfredi: he has his houses in Brisighella demolished; he occupies various localities in the Imola area at his relative’s expense and advances towards Imola. | |
| July | Exiles | Bologna | Emilia | The exiles of Bologna promise him a large sum of money; he therefore moves to help them against Sante Bentivoglio. He infests the territories of Medicina and Panzano. | |
| Aug. | Bologna | Exiles, Naples | 600 horses | Emilia | He is hired by the Bolognese for six months; he fights Romeo Pepoli and his followers who have fortified themselves in Castel San Pietro Terme. He enters Bologna with 300 horses and has three partisans of the Pepoli beheaded. |
| Sept. | Emilia | He attacks Castel San Pietro Terme; Romeo Pepoli asks for help from Carlo di Campobasso, vicar of the King of Naples in Romagna. | |||
| Oct. | Emilia | He camps under Medicina where many exiles have entered. The inhabitants give him 800 lire so that the exiles can leave the locality freely and return under the dominion of the Bolognese. He enters the city and sacks five houses of the exiles; he returns to Castel San Pietro Terme and begins to bombard its fortress, part of whose walls he demolishes. | |||
| Nov. | Emilia | With the arrival of the Aragonese, he falls back on Bologna; he has houses and fodder set on fire so they cannot be used by the adversaries. He fortifies himself at Ponte Maggiore with embankments and ditches. | |||
| Dec. | Emilia | He joins with Gregorio d’Anghiari and Scariotto da Faenza; he heads towards the Riccardina to confront Ludovico Gonzaga who is devastating the Bologna area. Pre-empted by the enemy captain, he is caught by surprise and put to flight. He reaches Bologna at night. | |||
| 1450 | |||||
| Jan. | Emilia | A truce is concluded with the Aragonese. Astorre Manfredi is dismissed. | |||
| Aug. | Faenza | Imola | Romagna | He takes possession of Rio Secco, heads for Imola and prepares to besiege the city. Taddeo Manfredi sends him Guido Vaina and Domenico Pietro Avonale; the Duke of Milan, Francesco Sforza, forces him to reconcile with his nephew: the agreement includes a penalty of 20,000 ducats for the transgressor of the terms. | |
| 1451 | |||||
| Mar., Apr. | Romagna | He decides that his seven-year-old daughter, Barbara, will marry the lord of Forlì, Pino Ordelaffi. The future son-in-law goes to Faenza to meet the bride. Astorre Manfredi gives him a beautiful mount and a falcon; he accompanies him to Forlì with all his family. He is hosted in the city by the Ordelaffi for the feast of the city’s patron saint, San Mercuriale. | |||
| 1452 | |||||
| Jan. | Emilia | He is knighted in Bologna in the church of San Petronio, with his sons Carlo and Galeotto, by Emperor Frederick III (Federico d’Austria). | |||
| Feb. | Florence | Naples | Romagna | In Forlì with his nephew Taddeo. Both pass into the pay of the Florentines to oppose the Aragonese (1500 horses). | |
| July | Tuscany | He passes through the Aretino region. He takes part in the defense of Montepulciano; he tries in vain to relieve Foiano della Chiana. | |||
| Aug. | Tuscany | He leaves Montepulciano with 500 horses to cut the supply lines to the enemy camp. He falls into an ambush organized by the adversaries with the complicity of one of his squires: all his men are captured. He discovers the author of the leak to the Aragonese: he has him tied to a post and has his crossbowmen shoot at him. The first to shoot the crossbow at the target will be Astorre Manfredi himself. | |||
| Tuscany | With Simonetto da Castel San Pietro, he attempts to recover the port of Vada, which had fallen into the hands of Antonio Olzina; he withdraws upon news of the arrival of reinforcements for the defenders led by the Duke of Calabria, Ferdinand of Aragon (Ferrante d’Aragona). | ||||
| 1453 | |||||
| Aug. | Tuscany | He recovers Rincine; with Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, Alessandro Sforza, and Simonetto da Castel San Pietro, he captures and sacks the castle of Foiano della Chiana: 700 peasants and 1700 soldiers are captured. | |||
| Sept., Oct. | Tuscany | In Cascina. He is called by the Dieci di Balia to assist Malatesta with Simonetto da Castel San Pietro, Carlo Oddi, and Gian Francesco da Piagnano at the siege of Vada. With the surrender of the locality in October, he is transferred with his nephew Taddeo to the territory between Poggibonsi and Colle di Val d’Elsa. At the end of the month, he is reported with Simonetto da Castel San Pietro and Gregorio d’Anghiari at the camp located between Guardistallo and Volterra. | |||
| 1454 | |||||
| Jan. | Lombardy and Tuscany | In Voghera, a guest of the widow of Luigi dal Verme. He returns to Tuscany at the head of 1000 horses and 500 infantry. | |||
| He is excluded from the Peace of Lodi by the will of the King of Naples, Alfonso of Aragon (Alfonso d’Aragona), who does not forgive him for past wrongs. | |||||
| Oct., Nov. | Romagna | Called by Cecco Ordelaffi, he intervenes in Forlì at the head of many men from the Val di Lamone; he restores peace in the city, which had been disturbed by the misgovernment of Ugo Rangoni. | |||
| 1455 | |||||
| May | Romagna | In Forlì, with his son-in-law Pino Ordelaffi. | |||
| 1456 | |||||
| July | Romagna | In Villafranca, for a banquet organized by Pino and Cecco Ordelaffi. | |||
| 1457 | |||||
| Romagna | Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta is attacked by the Aragonese under the command of Federico da Montefeltro and Jacopo Piccinino: Manfredi asks for protection from Sforza. To the requests for help from the lord of Rimini, Manfredi responds that he cannot come to his aid due to his poor financial condition and because he is in the pay of the Florentines. | ||||
| 1458 | |||||
| Mar. | Romagna | Alfonso of Aragon (Alfonso d’Aragona) asks him for the restitution of 18,000 ducats. | |||
| Aug. | Tuscany | He is summoned to Florence. | |||
| 1459 | |||||
| Apr. | Tuscany | In Florence, to pay homage to Pope Pius II (Pio II). With Malatesta and Taddeo Manfredi, he takes the litter on his shoulders and carries the pontiff to the palace prepared for his reception in Santa Maria Novella. | |||
| Romagna | Impetuous and violent, he makes his son Carlo feel his wrath when, for unknown reasons, he banishes him from Faenza. Carlo takes refuge in Milan. The good offices of Cecco Ordelaffi (July 1460) are not enough to obtain Carlo‘s pardon. Astorre ensures that his son leaves Forlì where he had first found refuge and then that the Duke of Milan arrests his son in Piacenza and imprisons him in Lodi for a few months. Only in October 1462 will he forgive Carlo. | ||||
| 1460 | |||||
| May | Faenza | Imola | Romagna | With the help of his son-in-law Cecco Ordelaffi, he thwarts a coup attempt by his nephew Taddeo on Faenza. | |
| June, Sept. | Romagna | After another failed attempt by Taddeo Manfredi on Solarolo, he takes revenge on his nephew by occupying some of his castles. The Pope sends the Bishop of Sessa who reconciles the two relatives for some time. The agreement between the two Romagnol lords finally takes place at the end of September. | |||
| Church | Cesena | 500 horses and 1000 infantry | Romagna | He is engaged by the pontiffs against the lord of Cesena, Domenico Malatesta. | |
| 1461 | |||||
| Winter | Romagna | He is excommunicated by Pius II (Pio II). | |||
| July | Romagna | He offers himself to Francesco Sforza to fight against the lord of Rimini, Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta. | |||
| 1462 | |||||
| Apr. | Faenza | Imola | Romagna | He once again attacks his nephew Taddeo. He occupies Riolo Terme. | |
| Aug. | Romagna | He obtains Tossignano and Montebattaglia in Val di Lamone. In the following days, Casole, Baffadi, and Fontana Moneta also come into his hands: he resists the papal injunctions and prepares to besiege Imola. | |||
| Oct. | Church | Cesena, Rimini | 500 horses and 1000 infantry | Romagna | The joint pressures of Cosimo de’ Medici, the Bolognese, and Sforza (who obtains from King Ferdinand of Aragon (Ferrante d’Aragona) the cancellation of all his debts) persuade him to return the occupied castles. His nephew Taddeo, however, is forced to hand over to him two of his partisans who had conspired in Faenza against Astorre. The condottiero is immediately hired by the pontiffs to face Domenico and Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta: he is assured a monthly provision and his arrears of three years owed to the Holy See are cancelled. He invades the Cesena area with 1200 horses and 3000 infantry; after the first clashes, he forces 38 castles to surrender, including Civitella di Romagna and Cusercoli. At the end of the month, he sacks Rocca delle Caminate. He vainly besieges Meldola for three days; he takes refuge in Riolo Terme. |
| Nov. | Romagna | He is attacked by Silvestro da Lucino who destroys his camp at Meldola: Manfredi takes refuge in Rocca delle Caminate. Almost all the baggage falls into the hands of the adversaries. During the retreat, there are numerous deaths on both sides; among his men, ten soldiers from the Val di Lamone are captured and a ransom is imposed on them. With the arrival of reinforcements brought by Corrado d’Alviano (300 horses) and the reorganization of his troops, he resumes the offensive with the Bishop of Sessa; he recaptures Rocca delle Caminate and forces the castles of Montevecchio, Cusercoli, Valdoppio, Civitella, Castelnuovo, and Sarsina to surrender (more through agreements than by force). Cocco Malatesta also submits with six castles and passes to serve in the papal camp against the lord of Rimini. Manfredi does not dare to attack Cesena. | |||
| Dec. | Romagna | He returns to Meldola and starts a treaty with a constable guarding the gate: attacked in turn, he is forced to retreat to Rocca delle Caminate. He sends his son Carlo to raid the adversaries’ livestock gathered at Casemurate and guarded by the Ordelaffi. The raid causes a serious conflict with his son-in-law: Cecco Ordelaffi attacks Carlo Manfredi, puts him to flight, and recovers a large part of the booty. In retaliation, Astorre Manfredi forbids the people of Forlì from buying grain in his territories and increases the duties on wheat that, bought in Lugo, must necessarily cross his lands. Astorre Manfredi winters in Faenza and sends some soldiers to guard Russi. | |||
| 1463 | |||||
| Apr. | Romagna | He is given 2000 ducats by the pontiffs. | |||
| June | Romagna | His son-in-law Pino comes to visit him in Faenza: he fuels his hatred towards his brother Cecco. Meanwhile, an agreement is reached with his nephew Taddeo through Sforza‘s chancellor Lancillotto Brippio and the papal envoy, the Bishop of Sessa, Angelo Gherardini. He returns some villages to his rival, such as Pedicano, Mazzancollo, Monte Mediolo, Pubblico, and Torricchio. He is now free to move with his troops against Domenico Malatesta. | |||
| Summer | Marche | He besieges Roberto Malatesta in Fano. | |||
| 1464 | |||||
| May | Venice | 300 horses | He passes into the pay of the Venetians with a command of 300 horses, of which 200 are under the orders of a son and 100 are destined to remain on guard in the Faenza area. The contract is set for two years, plus another two of option; he is granted an annual provision of 7000 florins in peacetime. He reconciles with the Ordelaffi and hosts his son-in-law Pino in Faenza, who is heading to Lombardy in the service of the Serenissima. | ||
| Nov. | Lombardy | In Milan with his nephew Taddeo to settle their disputes regarding the jurisdiction of some castles that Astorre had conquered and occupied with the approval of Pope Pius II (Pio II). He negotiates with the Florentines to pass into their pay. He leaves Milan and goes to Mantua to meet Ludovico Gonzaga. | |||
| 1466 | |||||
| Romagna | In April, he assists his son-in-law Pino Ordelaffi in his maneuver to seize the lordship of Forlì from his brother (also Manfredi‘s son-in-law) Cecco. He goes to the city with his son Carlo. However, when Pino has his wife Barbara Manfredi (another of his daughters) poisoned, he will oppose him with extreme determination and support Caterina Rangoni, the mother of the two brothers, in a conspiracy aimed at restoring power to the sons of the murdered man. | ||||
| Lazio | He goes to Rome. | ||||
| 1467 | |||||
| Florence | Venice | Romagna | He is ordered to guard the passes of the Val di Lamone to prevent Bartolomeo Colleoni from entering Tuscany with the exiles. He is given some money. | ||
| Mar. | Venice | Florence | 600 horses | Romagna | Lured by the greater offers of the Venetians (command of 600 horses, salary of 10,000 ducats a year, a contract for two years plus one of option, the lordship of Imola), he makes a sensational U-turn and declares himself in favor of the Florentine exiles. |
| May | Romagna | He is repulsed by the Florentines at Tossignano. | |||
| July | Emilia | He participates in the battle of Molinella; in command of the third squadron, he helps to block the attack of Federico da Montefeltro‘s cavalry. | |||
| Sept. | Romagna | In Val di Lamone. | |||
| Oct. | Romagna | In Val di Lamone, he has a skirmish with the Feltreschi forces: defeated, he takes refuge in the castle of Rontano. 60 men-at-arms and 60 ransomable men are captured. A lot of livestock is also raided by the adversaries. | |||
| 1468 | |||||
| Mar. | He dies in the middle of the month. He designates his firstborn Carlo as his successor; while his son Federico, future bishop of Faenza, is in possession of substantial ecclesiastical assets. To his son Galeotto, finally, are assigned 4000 lire a year and 3000 to the other son Lancillotto. He is buried, with solemn funerals, in Faenza on the churchyard of the Friars of the Observance. On the tomb is placed a large marble slab with the Manfredi coat of arms: the inscription and coat of arms have been eroded by time. He initiates ambitious urban renewal plans in Faenza, especially concerning the city walls; he has the Palazzo del Popolo enlarged and the church of Santo Stefano refurbished. He has the defenses of the castles of Russi and Brisighella strengthened. Mourned by the poet Angelo Lapi, who also celebrates him with a Latin poem about his warlike deeds, “De conflictu Gallorum.” His court is frequented by the music master Pietro Cavina, the art master Rustighello, the humanist Matteo Chironomo, a scholar of Dante’s Comedy, and Lapi. Marble bust by Mino da Fiesole. He marries Giovanna da Barbiano, daughter of Alberico and Giovanna Vestri. |
Sources
-“Chiaro per nobiltà di sangue più che per virtù d’armi.” BRUTO
-“Faventinorum princeps, vir fortis et bellicosus.” SIMONETTA
-“Fu eccellente Capitano del tempo suo.” SANSOVINO
-“Aveva avuto grandi qualità ossia la virtù e i vizi del tempo in abbondante misura, e che molto aveva operato come venturiero e come principe.” ZAMA
-“Simile agli antenati suoi nell’ardimento, nel valore e nella doppiezza astuta, Astorgio II Manfredi, di carattere prepotente e di temperamento violento.” MESSERI-CALZI
-“Hic Manfrede iaces Astor, cui splendida virtus/ inter semideos contulit esse duces/ Mars altero bello vivens et pace Licurgus/ lux et gentis eas gloria magna tuae.” Da un epitaffio del LAPI
-“Duce quidem foerissimo.” PORCELLIO
-“Ecco un altro soldato di ventura; per conseguenza un uomo senza principj e senza fede..Il solo racconto dei fatti della sua vita qualifica quest’uomo di sleale, malvagio, vendicativo ed avaro.” LITTA
-Con il Gattamelata, Tiberto Brandolini, Pietro Navarrino, Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, Bartolomeo Colleoni, Guerriero da Marsciano ed Antonio da Martinengo “Condottieri esperti e di provato valore.” BELOTTI
-Con Guidantonio Manfredi “Del fiore de’ più illustri guerrieri Italiani di quella età.” RIGHI
-“Huomo bellicoso.” TONDUZZI
-“Animoso capitano..Gagliardo capitano di condottieri.” BROGLIO
-“Come molti capi di piccole signorie nel centro Italia, praticò l’arte militare per garantirsi l’indipendenza”. N. CAPPONI
-“La storiografia locale vede nei vent’anni di signoria del Manfredi il momento di maggiore prosperità della dominazione manfrediana su Faenza: il lusso raffinato della corte, i rapporti con le più note dinastie signorili e aristocratiche, l’opera di sviluppo edilizio a Faenza fanno del Manfredi un protagonista di primo piano, seppur controverso, della storia faentina. Come il fratello Guid’Antonio, anch’egli fu accompagnato per tutta la vita da una dubbia fama di mancatore di parola. Inoltre, la decantata prosperità dell’età del Manfredi non poté nascondere i prodromi della crisi successiva: crisi economica di una signoria urbana da sempre priva di una solida e duratura base finanziaria e di un radicamento profondo nel territorio; crisi politica di un potere signorile il cui spazio politico veniva drammaticamente riducendosi.” LAZZARINI
-“Condottiero e tiranno illuminato..il signore di Faenza, che nell’esercizio del mestiere delle armi non esitava a violare i 10 comandamenti, aveva pure la buona abitudine di osservare quel precetto ecclesiastico che proibiva di mangiare grasso il venerdì…(Ha) la trista nomea (di traditore) che ritorna in un anonimo rimatore dell’epoca: “E de Romagna tutti quei tiranni/ che n’tradimento sum gente subtile.” RENZI
-“Aveva curato personalmente l’educazione dei sei figli, circondandoli di precettori di chiara fama, favorendo la circolazione a corte di poeti ed artisti, inviandoli adolescenti a Ferrara, alla scuola di Guarino Veronese, perché potessero affinare il proprio bagaglio culturale…Si sa anche delle grandi spese sostenute per incrementare la biblioteca di famiglia, che sarebbe diventata nel tempo così ricca di manoscritti rari da spingere gli ultimi eredi a trarre lauti guadagni dalla sua vendita al Re d’Ungheria…Guerriero e signore, tenero marito e terribile padre, uomo pio e sanguinario.” SPADA
-“Si diede fin da giovane al mestiere delle armi.” ARGEGNI
-“Astorre, della stipe Manfredi..non era del tutto privo dell’arte di guerreggiare, (nel 1467) prestava milizia sotto il comando dei fiorentini ed era annoverato tra i capitani; ma, da uomo di fedeltà incerta, sapeva importato assai se qualcuno avesse occupato Faenza per primo. Allettato da grandissime promesse dei veneziani, mutò lealtà all’insaputa dei fiorentini. Gli mandaron denaro per pagare la condotta militare, ma Astorre, per il quale romper la fedeltà era attitudine assai abituale, accolto male l’oratore, sottrasse il denaro e, lasciata la decenza, dichiarò apertamente d’esser passato ai veneziani. Investì d’ogni oltraggio e colmò di insulti per questo l’inviato oratore, e perché fossero più evidenti il suo tradimento e la sua perfidia tenne discosto dagli approvvigionamenti il duca d’Urbino (Federico da Montefeltro), e s’adoperò in modo sfacciato perché uscisse dal territorio, appoggiando scopertamente i veneziani.” MADRIGNANO
