The shadow of Bartolomeo da Villachiara in Bergamo campaigns
BARTOLOMEO DA VILLACHIARA (Bartolomeo da Martinengo) of Villachiara, Count of Villachiara. Brother of Camillo da Martinengo and son-in-law of Marcantonio Colonna.
Born: 1487
Death: 1558
| Year, Month | State, Comp. ventura | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1509 | |||||
| Aug. | Empire (Impero) | Venice (Venezia) | Veneto | Captured, he is imprisoned in Venice (Venezia) and confined in the harsh prison at Orba. | |
| 1512 | |||||
| Jan.–May | Venice (Venezia) | France (Francia) | Lombardy | He is involved in the conspiracy of Luigi Avogadro against the French. In May, he is sentenced to death in absentia by Gaston of Foix (Gastone di Foix). | |
| 1513 | |||||
| Mar.–June | Venice (Venezia) | Spain (Spagna) | Lombardy | Detained in Verona, he is imprisoned in Castelvecchio. He is released in May upon a bail of 20,000 ducats provided by Galeotto Nogarola and Cortesia da Serego. His release occurs under mysterious circumstances; it is rumored that Emperor Maximilian of Austria (Massimiliano d’Austria) intervened on his behalf or that the Count of Villachiara (Conte di Villachiara) had promised to deliver Crema to the Spaniards. The governor, the Count of Cariati, Giovanni Battista Spinelli (Conte di Cariati, Giovanni Battista Spinelli), is believed responsible. Bartolomeo da Villachiara takes advantage to escape and joins Renzo di Ceri. His assets are confiscated and he is sentenced to death in absentia. In June, his attempt to seize Soncino by surprise fails. | |
| Sept. | Lombardy | At the end of the month, he attempts to enter Bergamo with 300 men from Brescia; he retreats to Crema with Renzo di Ceri. | |||
| 1514 | |||||
| Aug. | Venice (Venezia) | Milan (Milano), Spain (Spagna), Empire (Impero) | Lombardy | He takes part in the Battle of Ombriano (Battaglia di Ombriano), in which Silvio Savelli is defeated. | |
| Sept. | Lombardy | With 300 infantry and some cavalry gathered in the Piacenza area, he tries to induce the people of Bergamo to return under Venetian rule. He is at Quinzano d’Oglio with 600 infantry and 200 cavalry; he reaches Rovato and Iseo until forced to withdraw to Crema with Renzo di Ceri. He contributes to the defense of that city by enrolling 1,000 infantry at his own expense. | |||
| Oct. | Lombardy | He returns to the Brescia area; he approaches Brescia hoping for unrest within the marquis faction. The inhabitants do not move; with the arrival of opposing troops from Verona, Bartolomeo da Villachiara must withdraw. He operates near Pizzighettone, opposes Silvio Savelli, and clashes in Brianza. At the end of the month, he is reported again near Bergamo with 2,000 infantry and 400 cavalry. | |||
| Nov. | Lombardy, Veneto | He enters Bergamo, bringing 300 ducats that the inhabitants of Lovere were about to deliver to the Imperial forces. Defeated at Morengo, he is besieged in Bergamo by Prospero Colonna; he exits with Renzo di Ceri on the stipulation of a conditional surrender. He is threatened with death by the Viceroy of Naples, Raimondo di Cardona; he reaches Venice (Venezia) with Renzo di Ceri. | |||
| Dec. | Veneto, Emilia, Lombardy | He passes through Chioggia and Ferrara. He returns to Crema with Renzo di Ceri. | |||
| 1515 | |||||
| Jan. | Veneto | He is still in Venice (Venezia). | |||
| Apr. | Lazio, Veneto | He is in Rome with Renzo di Ceri. He precedes that captain’s arrival in Venice (Venezia). | |||
| Sept. | Emilia | He follows Renzo di Ceri to Piacenza; he abandons him when the Roman condottiero stops the Venetian pay. It appears he attempted to have Renzo di Ceri killed to avenge old reproaches related to his handling of money during the defense of Bergamo. | |||
| Oct. | Lombardy | He joins the troops of the Republic of Venice (Serenissima) in Lombardy. He participates in the siege of Brescia. | |||
| 1516 | |||||
| July–Nov. | Lombardy, Veneto | In July, he has Valerio Paiton killed for personal rivalry or political enmity. The rival is ambushed near Nave by assassins led by Giovanni Antonio Pochipani and Luigi Marini. The painter known as the “Master of Nave” (Maestro di Nave) commemorates the murder in a fresco on the road to the chapel of San Francesco. Later, he claims to have ordered the killing also because Renzo di Ceri had accepted money to assassinate him and was wavering in loyalty to the Serenissima while negotiating with the Spaniards to deliver Treviso. In November, summoned to Venice (Venezia), he is appointed to the Collegio dei Pregadi by Doge Leonardo Loredan (Leonardo Loredan) as Count of Villachiara (Conte di Villachiara). | |||
| 1521 | |||||
| Aug. | Church (Chiesa) | Venice (Venezia), France (Francia) | 20 lances | Emilia | He serves under the orders of the Marquis of Mantua, Federico Gonzaga. He is at the camp on the Enza with 100 light cavalry; he devastates the Parma region with Pietro Buso Scotti and Marcantonio della Motella. He stations around Piacenza and clashes with the Swiss, who put him to flight, killing 60 men. He links up with Ettore Visconti and the Pallavicini; he reaches Borgo San Donnino (Fidenza) with 600 cavalry and 3,000 infantry, ravaging the area. He guards Busseto with 20 lances and light cavalry, unites with 1,000 peasants, and ambushes Paolo Camillo da Trivulzio and Cesare Pioli. He is attacked by Pietro Navarro, commanding 300 lances and 2,000 Swiss; the French withdraw due to delayed artillery. |
| Sept.–Oct. | Lombardy, Emilia, Lombardy | He threatens Crema. He later moves to the siege of Parma. In October, he is reported at Medole and Castiglione delle Stiviere. | |||
| Nov. | 25 lances | Lombardy | He links with the Swiss hired by Pope Leo X (Leone X). He visits Dello, Quinzanello, and Leno, where he kills Marco Antonio delle Balestre for refusing to deliver a falcon. He stays with Giovanni dei Medici between Urago and Pontoglio, imposing ransoms on villages and castles. In Caravaggio, he links with the Swiss; at Vailate, with exiles; after the Imperial conquest of Milan, he moves to Melegnano and Lodi, seizing horses. The Serenissima imprisons his wife, brothers, and father in Verona in reprisal. | ||
| Dec. | Lombardy | In Treviglio with 200 cavalry ready to attack the French at Trezzo sull’Adda; he continues to plunder the Bergamo area. Prospero Colonna releases his prisoners without ransom. He is sent towards Alessandria; at month’s end, he is reported at Como, where the Marquis of Pescara, Ferdinando d’Avalos, has just entered. | |||
| 1522 | |||||
| Jan. | Lombardy | Appointed governor of Como by the Duke of Milan, Francesco Sforza: the inhabitants ask him to remove the Tuscan infantry for stealing; he pays them 500 ducats and replaces them with Lombard infantry led by Ettore Visconti. | |||
| Mar. | Lombardy | Still in Como with 2,000 infantry; with Ettore Visconti, he ensures the provisioning of Milan; he persecutes French sympathizers, including clergy; he strengthens the city with new bastions by demolishing houses and gardens near the walls. He carries out the work without paying for materials or wages; he collects 1,500 ducats in advance for soldiers’ future pay. | |||
| June–July | Lombardy, Emilia | Corno, Menaggio, and other Lake Como localities rebel for the French. Bartolomeo da Villachiara exiles many supporters to Germany. After Anchise Visconti is defeated by Torno inhabitants, he counterattacks. Accompanied by Domenico del Matto and with Gian Giacomo dei Medici, he commands a flotilla. Leading 1,500 men, he assaults Torno, sacks it, and confiscates fleeing inhabitants’ property. The French withdraw to Monza. He is reported in the Parma region with Niccolò Varolo, gathering troops. | |||
| Sept. | Milan (Milano) | France (Francia) | 300 light cavalry | Piedmont, Lombardy | Prospero Colonna sends him to defend Novara with 800 Spanish infantry; at month’s end, he returns to Milan (Milano) with Gaspare Maino and Giovanni Francesco Stanga leading 1,500 Romagnol infantry. He sends Ermete Visconti to Valtellina to block the French. |
| 1523 | |||||
| Sept. | Milan (Milano) | France (Francia) | Lombardy | Assigned to defend Cremona with 1,200 Spanish infantry, he links with the local garrison of 3,000 men. French attacks are repelled. Reduced in condition, he reaches Pontevico seeking reinforcements from Federico Gonzaga. | |
| Oct.–Nov. | Lombardy | He skirmishes at Soncino with 50 light cavalry. In November, he leaves Trezzo sull’Adda and enters the Bergamo area, where 400–500 Venetian infantry led by Alessandro Donato and Farfarello join him. | |||
| 1524 | |||||
| Jan. | Lombardy | At Gorgonzola, Federico Gonzaga da Bozzolo loots 400 cavalry and 400 infantry under his orders: they are surprised at night. 200 of his horses are looted. He barely escapes capture with Masino dal Forno, disguised as a peasant. | |||
| Feb. | 50 lances | Lombardy | He remains defending Milan (Milano) with 3,200 infantry, 200 lances, and 200 light cavalry when the Viceroy of Naples, Charles of Lannoy (Carlo di Lannoy), leaves to join the Venetians near Pavia. | ||
| Apr.–May | Lombardy | He moves around Castelleone, agrees surrender terms with Andrea da Birago, who surrenders to the Venetians denying any pact with da Villachiara. He reaches Casalmaggiore with 300 cavalry, stations at Rivarolo del Re and Villanova. The inhabitants of Capella pay him a sum, prompting his move to Calvatone and Rivarolo del Re, accompanied by Masino dal Forno with 100 lances. | |||
| Oct. | Lombardy | Still governor of Como, he leaves Fontanella and positions 1,000 infantry to defend the city, forcing the community to supply provisions; he arrests treasury officials and devastates nearby villages for forage. He plunders the Milan area, releasing captives only upon ransom. | |||
| Nov. | Lombardy | He is defeated in the Brianza mountains by Girolamo Castiglione, with 33 men-at-arms killed or captured. He leaves Como for Lodi; his position is taken by the Count of Arco (Conte d’Arco). | |||
| 1525 | |||||
| Jan. | Lombardy | He remains in Lodi with Girolamo Morone and 1,500 Italian infantry when the Imperial army moves towards Pavia to confront the French. | |||
| Feb. | Lombardy | His men escort supplies to the camp. He vainly attacks San Colombano al Lambro, defended by Giovanni Francesco della Somaglia and Gianfrancesco da Trivulzio. | |||
| Mar. | Lombardy | In Como with 300 cavalry. | |||
| July–Aug. | Lombardy, Piedmont | He ravages the Milan area with Rodolfo da Varano. In August, he moves to Alessandria. | |||
| Nov. | Emilia | After the imprisonment of Girolamo Morone by Ferdinando d’Avalos, he flees to Ferrara to avoid the same fate. | |||
| 1526 | |||||
| June | Milan (Milano) | Empire (Impero) | Lombardy | At Villachiara, he seizes Caravaggio and Soncino in the name of Francesco Sforza. | |
| July | Lombardy | He stops at Castelleone and damages its territory. He refuses to defend Brescia as Francesco Maria della Rovere wishes; the Podestà of Crema, Niccolò Trevisan, suspects him of duplicity. | |||
| Sept. | Lombardy | He enters Cremona, becoming its governor. | |||
| Dec. | Lombardy | He attacks the Imperial forces at Castelleone. | |||
| 1527 | |||||
| Sept. | Lombardy | He is recalled to the camp in place of Ludovico Vistarini. | |||
| 1545 | |||||
| Sept. | Church (Chiesa) | Emilia | He serves Pope Paul III (Paolo III), who assigns him to Parma. He is in Piacenza at the entrance of Pier Luigi Farnese’s new duchy, appointed prime minister and general viceroy. | ||
| 1546 | Lombardy | On a mission in the Cremona area. | |||
| 1547 | Empire (Impero) | Parma | Emilia | He is tasked by Ferrante Gonzaga to raise militias to support opponents of Pier Luigi Farnese. | |
| ……… | Lombardy | He obtains honorary citizenship of Cremona and, in 1552, from Emperor Charles V (Carlo V) that of Milan (Milano). | |||
| 1558 | Lombardy | He dies in Brescia. He marries Rizzarda d’Este, daughter of Sigismondo d’Este, and Ortensia Colonna, daughter of Marcantonio Colonna. He remains an enemy of the Gambara family. He is related by subsequent marriages to the Este of Ferrara, the Colonna, and possibly the Secco d’Aragona. |
Sources
-“Fu soldato intrepido ed audace, ma uomo ambiziosissimo e cupido di denaro…Animoso combattente.. destinato ad una lunga carriera militare.” PASERO
-“Nell’armi molto riputato.” ADRIANI
-“Vidde e pratticò (lodatissimo in tutti gli esserciti) tutte le guerre de’ suoi tempi. Fu nondimeno tenuto per tanto avido di ricchezze, quanto di gloria. Diceva egli però, che non era buon soldato chi non guadagnava nelle guerre; e che le guerre venivano permesse da Dio, accioché s’arricchissero con la spada e col fuoco in mano, e indifferentemente i valorosi. Il mestier dell’armi l’haveva reso crudele, onde era temuto fuor di modo da soldati.” O. ROSSI
-“Uomo celebre ne’ patrii fasti per valore militare, per vendette da sicario, per alterezza, per avarizia, per crudeltà.” ODORICI
-Uccisione di Valerio Paiton “Fu Martinengo il fier Bartolommeo,/ Che dié dell’uccision comandamento,/ Crudel vendetta tanto in lui potero/ E fece sì, che fu Valerio spento,/ Che soffrisse Paiton destin sì reo,/ Fu a prenci, ai capitani di tormento,/ Ma l’Alvian Bartolommeo protesse,/ E fé che mal alcun non ricevesse.” GAMBARA
-“Cinquecento anni fa, il 23 dicembre 1517, il conte Bartolomeo III Martinengo da Villachiara..dal suo castello scrisse una lettera indirizzata all’amico ambasciatore veronese in Venezia. Nello scritto egli riferiva che nei dintorni di Verdello..da vari giorni si verificavano delle stupefacenti apparizioni di eserciti fantasmagorici. Dai boschetti limitrofi un’ampia radura innevata, nei pressi dell’antico oratorio dedicato a San Giorgio, si vedevano uscire due schiere contrapposte di soldati armati di tutto punto, con fanti, cavalieri e carri di artiglieria pesante..Lo spaventoso combattimento avveniva in una grande confusione, tra squilli di trombe e rulli di tamburi..Il campo di battaglia si copriva di corpi tagliati a pezzi da spade e alabarde o trafitti da frecce e lance, e dopo un’ora quel terribile scontro si concludeva con la completa scomparsa di tutti i contendenti (segue la descrizione di un sopralluogo compiuto dal Villachiara sul posto con altri nobili)…Alla fine del conflitto..sul campo di battaglia erano rimaste solo le orme dei soldati e dei cavalli, assieme alle tracce dei carri di guerra. Quei prodigi durarono vari giorni e accadevano più volte ogni giorno, suscitando un grande scalpore e attraendo migliaia di persone, che giungevano anche da lontano per vedere con i propri occhi.” R. SCOTTI
-Alla difesa di Crema “Quale ne l’armi un novo semideo/ pien d’ardir, vigilantia, amor, e fede/ da lui mostrata in più d’un caso reo/ come ne l’opre sue chiaro si vede/ esser si forte tal che non me ascondo/ a dir che rarri ne produce il mondo./…/ Costui fece a nemici molto danno/ per esser forte de ogni misura/ e con inaudito, e grave affanno/ ogni prodo guerrier contra lui dura./ Quivi s’adopra la forza, e l’inganno/ e quanto ingiegno a l’hor dotò natura/ per ristar con la vita, e con l’honore/ che di raro un ben nasce, e meglio more.” DEGLI AGOSTINI
-“E voi Conte signor invitto e raro/ esempio di virtù nell’età nostra/ in cui quanto può fare illustre e chiaro/ il largo ciel, un spirto human si mostra/ come del sangue non sareste avaro/ per adornar la cara patria vostra/ siate così di farne scorte larghe/ qual palinuro a Enea qual tissi (si spinse) ad argho (al largo).” BANDARINI
-“Nell’inverno del 1517 un soldato (che milita agli ordini del condottiero) si ammala di paura dopo avere assistito ad una terribile apparizione di spettri nelle campagne di Verdello. Il nobile capitano decise allora di recarsi personalmente sul luogo della visione, dove erano stati trovati alberi spezzati e strane impronte di uomini e di cavalli.. E videro un re dal ferocissimo aspetto togliersi il guanto di ferro dalla mano e gettarlo in aria: nello stesso momento si udì un fragoroso rumore di artiglieria accompagnato da suoni di tamburi, di trombe e di nacchere, così come deve avvenire all’inferno.” C. CASINI (Edizioni Pubblicità Italia Srl)
Image: eternoulisse.it
Featured image: bresciatourism.it
