Carlo’s Military Tactics in Venetian Service
Carlo di Montone (Carlo Fortebracci) of Perugia.
Count of Montone. Lord of Montone, Fratta Todina, Gualdo Tadino, and Assisi. Son of Braccio di Montone, brother of Oddo di Montone, father of Bernardino di Montone and Braccio di Montone, son-in-law of Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, and brother-in-law of Roberto Malatesta.
Birth: 1421, Sept.
Death: 1479, June
| Year, Month | State, Mercenary Company | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Taken and Other Notable Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1421 | Umbria | At his baptism, two cardinals and Guidantonio da Montefeltro were present. | |||
| 1423 | |||||
| Mar. | His marriage to Anna Colonna, daughter of Lorenzo, is arranged, but it never happens. | ||||
| 1424 | |||||
| June | Umbria | Upon his father’s death, a town council appoints him as Lord of Perugia, with his half-brother Oddo acting as regent. | |||
| ……….. | Umbria | He is forced to flee with his mother to Città di Castello. | |||
| 1428 | |||||
| Apr. | Umbria and Marche | Upon the death of his father Braccio, the Papal forces claim possession of Città di Castello. The inhabitants rebel and admit Piero Donato, the papal governor of Perugia, into the city. His mother Nicolina da Varano is forced to flee with her son Carlo to Camerino, taking 16 loads of household items, to the residence of her brothers Berardo and Gentile da Varano. Montone and Gualdo Cattaneo also fall to the Papal forces. | |||
| 1431 | |||||
| Feb. Mar. | Umbria | The magistrates of Perugia, taking advantage of the death of Pope Martin V and the subsequent vacancy of the Apostolic See, grant him 30 measures of wheat from Montone to pay the staff at the Montone fortress, which he has taken possession of. | |||
| 1434 | |||||
| May | Marche and Umbria | He stays in Camerino until called to Montone by the priors of Perugia, who send him 300 florins. The Perugians pressure the new Pope Eugene IV to grant him the lordship of Rocca Contrada (Arcevia), Gualdo Tadino, and Montone. The Pope grants him only the vicariate of Montone for three years. | |||
| 1435 | Fortebraccio | Church | Marche and Umbria | He gains his first military experiences with Niccolò Fortebraccio. He is present at the battle of Fiordimonte, where his captain is killed. He escapes to Visso with 200 cavalry. Besieged in that town by Taliano Furlano, he surrenders and retreats to Assisi. He is proclaimed lord of the city. | |
| Oct. | Umbria and Tuscany | He is welcomed in Perugia with honors. The Florentines provide him with a safe conduct, and, escorted by two Perugian ambassadors, he travels to Florence to offer all the lands he controls to the Pope. Eugene IV grants him the lordship of Montone and Gualdo Cattaneo in exchange for an annual tribute of a hunting dog for hares. He also agrees not to command more than 25 cavalry. Additionally, he is granted an annual provision of 1,500 florins. He returns to Perugia, where he is again received with great honors and given 500 florins. He releases Leone Sforza from captivity and goes to Montone. | |||
| Nov. | Tuscany | He joins Niccolò Piccinino’s forces in Siena, fearing Giovanni Vitelleschi, the Patriarch. The prelate expels the Perugian castellan from the Montone fortress and replaces him with his own men (Arcangelo dalla Marca and Rinaldo Sassirossi of Perugia). At the end of the month, Vitelleschi occupies the town, dismisses the castellans he had installed, and appoints his own lieutenant. | |||
| 1437 | He asks Niccolò Piccinino for help. The condottiero obtains tax exemption for him from the Perugians. | ||||
| 1438 | |||||
| June | Umbria | He returns to Montone with infantry and cavalry. He is appointed Count of Montone. | |||
| 1439 | Milan | Florence Church | 200 cavalry | ||
| Summer | The Cardinal Vitelleschi besieges Montone. | ||||
| 1440 | |||||
| June | Milan | Florence Church | 200 cavalry | Tuscany | He lays siege to Città di Castello but is repelled by Micheletto Attendolo. At the end of the month, he participates in the battle of Anghiari. Following the defeat, he retreats to Borgo San Sepolcro (Sansepolcro) with Francesco Piccinino. Men, women, and children are killed in retaliation; the next day, the city is handed over to the Papal forces. |
| 1441 | |||||
| Jan. | He is appointed by Niccolò Piccinino as his lieutenant in Umbria and his representative in various cities, including Perugia itself. | ||||
| ……….. | Umbria | He replaces Sebastiano da Milano, appointed by Piccinino (with whom he has now quarreled), as castellan of Montone with his kinsman Giobbe Fortebracci. | |||
| Nov. | Marche | He assists Rodolfo and Giulio Cesare da Varano in returning to Camerino. | |||
| 1442 | |||||
| June | Church | Sforza | Umbria | He leaves Marsciano, invades the Todino region with Piccinino, Pietro Giampaolo Orsini, and Ludovico Gonzaga: they damage crops, raid livestock, defeat enemies attempting to enter Todi via the Bettona mountains, capture 250 infantry, and sack three castles. Commanding 1,000 men, both cavalry and infantry, he reaches San Gemini with Tartaglia da Torgiano to drive Sarpellione out of Todi. | |
| Aug. | Marche | He engages Sforza’s forces between Montefortino and Amandola. He is defeated near the latter location by Pietro Brunoro, Troilo da Rossano, and Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta. | |||
| Sept. | Umbria | The Todini assault Montone to take Fratta del Vescovo (Fratta Todina) from him. He is aided by Giovanni Malavolti, who attacks the enemy camp and captures 800 men. | |||
| Nov. | Umbria | He assists Niccolò Piccinino in the conquest of Assisi; he enters the city at night through an aqueduct, pursues the fleeing defenders to the citadel, and his men, all Umbrians, unlike the rest of the army, refrain from committing any disgraceful acts. He forces 800 foreign infantry who have barricaded themselves in the fortress to surrender and honors the terms of the surrender. | |||
| 1443 | |||||
| Jan. | Umbria | In Perugia. | |||
| Mar. | Umbria | He returns to Perugia and is hosted by Braccio Baglioni. He remains in the Perugian territory as Piccinino’s lieutenant. | |||
| June | Lazio | In Terracina with Niccolò Piccinino when the condottiero meets with Alfonso of Aragon, King of Naples, in that location. | |||
| Sept. | Marche | He participates in the siege of Fano. During an operation, he captures Antonello da Corneto. | |||
| Nov. | Marche | He assists Giovanni da Varano in his return to Camerino. | |||
| 1444 | |||||
| Jan. | Umbria | He camps at Montecchio, nearby Assisi, with Niccolò Piccinino. | |||
| June | Umbria | He leaves Treia with Jacopo Piccinino and Braccio Baglioni, heads to Sterpeto, and captures Antonello della Torre, accused of plotting to kill Niccolò Piccinino or at least imprison him to hand him over to Francesco Sforza. | |||
| Aug. | Marche and Umbria | He participates in the battle of Montolmo (Corridonia) alongside Francesco Piccinino. He flees upon realizing that Alessandro Sforza, Manno Barile, and Dolce dell’Anguillara have executed a flanking maneuver, arriving behind the Papal forces. He escapes with 40 cavalry to Camerino and then proceeds to Perugia for a meeting with the city’s ambassadors. He is urged to remain on the borders of the Marche to defend the Church’s interests. | |||
| Sept. | Umbria | He enters Assisi with Jacopo Piccinino and seizes the local castle under the pretext of a meeting with Cristoforo da Tolentino. | |||
| Oct. | Umbria | Upon Niccolò Piccinino’s death, he goes to Montone to rebuild his company. | |||
| Nov. | Umbria | In Perugia, as a guest of Braccio Baglioni. With Jacopo Piccinino, he requests a loan of 2,000 florins and 100 measures of wheat from the town. The wheat is delivered, and each captain is given 300 florins. Still with Jacopo Piccinino, he reaches Assisi at the head of 4,000 men and requests and obtains a sum of money from the inhabitants to travel to Lombardy in the service of the Duke of Milan, Filippo Maria Visconti. In the city, he meets with Francesco Piccinino but falls out with him, insisting on commanding the companies. He returns to Montone with his soldiers, who are again supported by the Perugians with 300 florins and 100 measures of wheat. He resumes his service with the Papal forces. | |||
| 1445 | Church | Sforza | 800 cavalry and 400 infantry | Marche | He serves the Papal forces under Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta. He goes to Pesaro. He is granted a monthly provision of 1,500 florins. |
| July | Umbria | He harasses the Gubbio countryside with Antonello da Castel Durante, plundering the territory up to the city gates. The Perugian magistrates protest against his actions. | |||
| Aug. | Romagna and Marche | He is in San Salvatore with 500 cavalry and 200 infantry; he joins forces with Giacomo da Caivana at Fossombrone. He escorts Cardinal Ludovico Scarampo towards Fano. | |||
| Oct. | Marche | In Fano with Taliano Furlano, Malatesta, his brother Domenico, and Roberto da Montalboddo. He camps at Osimo with these condottieri. At the end of the month, he makes a truce with Federico da Montefeltro, leaves Umbria, and heads towards Lombardy to fight the Venetians in the service of the Visconti. | |||
| Nov. | Milan | Venice | 800 cavalry | Lombardy | He departs for Lombardy with 800 cavalry to serve the Duke of Milan, Filippo Maria Visconti, against the Venetians. He entrusts the custody of Montone to his aunt Giacoma, widow of Malatesta Baglioni. |
| 1446 | |||||
| May | Milan | Sforza | Lombardy | He moves through the Cremona area to assist Francesco Piccinino, who is engaged in battle with Sforza’s troops in the Cremona area. | |
| June | Church | Sforza | Marche and Umbria | Returning to the Marche region with 1,000 men, he tries to intercept Sforza as he returns from Tuscany and Umbria to his possessions. He leaves Montone with 400 cavalry and many infantry, raiding the territory of Gubbio, and marches into the Todino area to aid Fratta Todina, besieged by Sforza’s cavalry. After a few days, he meets Sforza at Montone. He maintains this fief despite the Church’s claims to it and the traditional ambitions of the Montefeltro family on the same locality. This is due to the protection granted to him by the noble regime of Perugia, an institution founded by his father Braccio and maintained even after the death of his relative, by the agreements with the city by Popes Martin V and Eugene IV. | |
| Oct. | Umbria and Tuscany | He moves towards Lombardy to join the Visconti troops. The Florentines block his passage at Monteverde, so he takes an alternative route, lengthening the journey. | |||
| Nov. | Milan | Venice | Romagna | He reaches Coriano and Savignano sul Rubicone with 800 men: he returns to Lombardy in the service of Visconti. The government of Montone remains with Giacoma di Montone, his aunt, widow of Malatesta Baglioni. During his march, he stops at Forlì and Faenza: in the first locality, his men receive supplies from Antonio Ordelaffi. | |
| Dec. | Lombardy | He passes through the Bolognese area, enters the Cremona region, and occupies Casalmaggiore. | |||
| 1447 | |||||
| Mar. | Lombardy | He operates in the Cremona region to assist Foschino Attendolo, who is threatened by the Venetians following Francesco Sforza’s betrayal of the Republic of Venice. | |||
| May | Venice | Milan | 600 cavalry | Lombardy | An enemy of Sforza, who has been employed by Visconti at the same time, he deserts to the Venetian camp with 600 Bracceschi cavalry. |
| June | 600 cavalry and 100 infantry | Lombardy | The Venetian Republic grants him a contract for 600 cavalry and 100 infantry for one year of active service and one year of reserve. | ||
| Nov. | Lombardy | In the Brescia area. He faces the opposing troops. | |||
| 1448 | |||||
| Aug. | Lombardy | He orders one of his captains to seize Reschio, a castle in Perugia, which belongs to the heirs of Francesco Montemelini, who owe him 650 ducats. | |||
| Sept. | Lombardy | He distinguishes himself among the so-called Marchesi captains. He challenges Micheletto Attendolo to battle. He is defeated and captured in the battle of Caravaggio. | |||
| 1449 | |||||
| July | 800 cavalry | The Venetians renew his contract for one year of active service and one year of reserve; this is increased to 800 cavalry, including 100 cavalry granted to Braccio Vecchio di Montone and another 100 granted to his uncle Deifobo da Varano. | |||
| 1452 | |||||
| May | Venice | Milan | Lombardy | He fights against Sforza’s troops, who have now become the Duke of Milan. He crosses the Adda at Rivolta with Carlo Gonzaga and Tiberto Brandolini over a bridge of boats previously set up; with the two captains, he conducts a raid up to the Muzza canal near Melzo, taking control of some bastions. | |
| July | Lombardy | With Matteo da Capua, he arrives at Abbadia Cerreto, crosses the Adda, and has a bridge of boats built, protected by bastions on both banks. He raids the Lodi area, where he is confronted by Pietro Maria dei Rossi and Antonio da Landriano (1,000 cavalry), who, together with Alessandro Sforza, are tasked with destroying the bastions and the bridge. The attacks of the first two Sforza condottieri are repelled; Alessandro Sforza is defeated, and 800 cavalry are captured when Carlo di Montone manages to surprise them in disarray, with the soldiers searching for supplies. The enemies retreat to Lodi. | |||
| Sept. | Lombardy | He conducts numerous raids in the Cremona and Milan areas, where he clashes with Antonio da Landriano. The enemies receive reinforcements, and Montone is forced to retreat, losing 25 cavalry and the spoils. | |||
| Oct. | Lombardy | He leaves Evangelista Savelli to guard Abbadia Cerreto; with other captains, he continues to ravage the Milan area, capturing 60 cavalry and returning to Crema with significant spoils. Upon his return, he is attacked at night in Abbadia Cerreto by Alessandro Sforza. | |||
| Dec. | Lombardy | He is tasked, along with Matteo da Capua and Tiberto Brandolini, with defending Abbadia Cerreto and the surrounding castles. | |||
| 1453 | |||||
| ……….. | Mercenary Company | Church | Umbria | He confronts the Lord of Perugia, Braccio Baglioni. The conflict ends with the expulsion of the Papal forces from Todi. | |
| July | Venice | Milan | Lombardy | Recalled by the Venetians, he raids the area near Pavone with Orso Orsini and Roberto d’Atene (5 squads of cavalry and 500 infantry): he retreats due to a Sforza attack from Pralboino. Montone heads towards Seniga; with his action, he manages to free part of the Venetian infantry surrounded by the enemy; he defeats the Ducal forces and, with Matteo da Capua, captures Bartolomeo Quartero. | |
| Aug. | Lombardy | He is defeated at Ghedi. In mid-month, he assaults Castelleone with Matteo da Capua and Giovanni Villano: he begins to bombard the local castle; at dawn, he is surprised by an attack by Tiberto Brandolini (now serving with the Sforza forces) and Corrado da Fogliano. The enemies put him to flight, and he loses the bombards. | |||
| Sept. Oct. | Lombardy | He raids the Milan area again. In October, he is forced to retreat to Ghedi with Antonello da Corneto following a skirmish he conducted against Jacopo Piccinino’s advice. | |||
| Nov. | Veneto | Stationed in the Verona area. | |||
| 1454 | |||||
| Sept. | Venice | Tuscany | He is sent by the Venetians to Siena. | ||
| 1458 | |||||
| Mar. | He is contacted by his father-in-law Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta to enter his service to fight the Aragonese forces commanded by Federico da Montefeltro and Jacopo Piccinino. | ||||
| May | Veneto | In Venice with Bartolomeo Colleoni when the Bergamasque condottiero receives the baton of Captain General of the Serenissima from the Doge Pasquale Malipiero. | |||
| 1460 | |||||
| Summer | Umbria | Carlo di Montone’s second wife, Margherita Malatesta, daughter of Sigismondo Pandolfo, arrives in Montone for the first time; she receives some precious gifts from the Perugian priors. | |||
| 1461 | |||||
| May | Veneto | Two emissaries of Giovanni Antonio Orsini del Balzo, Prince of Taranto, travel to Venice to try to recruit him in favor of the Angevin faction in the Kingdom of Naples. | |||
| ……….. | Roberto Malatesta also contacts him, asking him to leave Venetian service to aid him against Pius II’s Papal forces: the Serenissima opposes the plan. | ||||
| 1462 | |||||
| Mar. | Rimini | Church | Lombardy Umbria and Marche | He transfers his companies to the Brescia area. He sends Guido Benzoni to assist his father-in-law; with Venetian troops, he attempts a coup in Perugia. The attempt fails; he then heads to Carpegna, from where he drives out Federico da Montefeltro’s forces. | |
| May | Umbria | Pope Pius II sends a commissioner and a company of infantry to Perugia for fear that the city will fall into his hands. | |||
| Aug. | Marche | He moves towards Ancona to assist his father-in-law in difficulty, but strict orders from Venice force him to abandon his plans. | |||
| Sept. | Venice | His contract is renewed to prevent him from going to fight the Aragonese in the Kingdom of Naples: this does not stop him from sending a considerable number of cavalry and infantry to Romagna in support of the Malatesta. | |||
| 1463 | |||||
| Aug. | Venice | Trieste | V. Giulia | He takes part in the siege of Trieste with Antonio da Marciano, Gerardo da Martinengo, and Antonello da Corneto at the head of many infantry and 1,500 cavalry. The Venetians camp at the Geppa fountain towards Roiano, Scorsola, Chiadino, and Sant’Andrea, while the city is blockaded by many ships and 4 pontoons armed with large bombards. | |
| Dec. | There is talk of his possible use as Captain General in Morea against the Turks. | ||||
| 1466 | |||||
| Mar. | Veneto | At Grancona in the Berici Hills; Roberto Malatesta visits him on his way back to his possessions. | |||
| 1467 | |||||
| Apr. | Lombardy | In the Brescia area. | |||
| June | Venice | Milan | Lombardy | He faces the Ducal forces. | |
| 1468 | |||||
| May | Lombardy | Still reported in the Brescia area. | |||
| Autumn | Romagna | He follows Fantino Coppo, the Provveditore, in Romagna. | |||
| 1469 | |||||
| Oct. | Veneto | In Asolo. | |||
| 1472 | |||||
| Mar. | He orders the castellan of Montone to reinforce the castle’s garrison with 20 or 25 trusted men, to provide supplies for the garrison; he warns him against Ser Innocente, who is trying to tarnish his reputation with the Venetians to seize Montone. He also orders the nephews of Ser Innocente to come to him under penalty of death and confiscation of their property. | ||||
| Aug. | He imprisons Ser Innocente and a servant in the tower of Montone. | ||||
| 1473 | Venice | Ottoman Empire | Lombardy and Friuli | He is transferred from Brescia to Friuli to take command of the troops against the Turks; with only 1,400 cavalry, he is tasked with guarding the state’s borders. | |
| 1475 | Tuscany | He leaves Venetian service to pursue a venture in Tuscany. | |||
| 1476 | |||||
| ……….. | Venice | Ottoman Empire | Friuli | Returning to Friuli in Venetian service, he strengthens the defenses of the region’s cities and castles, making them impregnable. | |
| Dec. | Romagna Umbria | He is dismissed by the Venetians in mid-month without explanation. Later, the Serenissima cites his significant debts as the reason (apparently due to the upcoming campaign in Umbria). He reaches Rimini with numerous cavalry and infantry. He leaves the city to return to Montone and winter his companies there. Pope Sixtus IV accepts his presence in the territory: in return, he agrees to enter the area with only his family. He is contacted by the Papal forces for a contract with the Church. The agreement is hindered by Federico da Montefeltro, who flatters him by proposing a kinship between the two houses: the marriage of his son Bernardino to one of his natural daughters. | |||
| 1477 | |||||
| Mar. Apr. | Mercenary Company | Church | Umbria and Lazio | He returns to Montone accompanied by many soldiers and his sons: convinced by Lorenzo de’ Medici, he aims to conquer Perugia. He is joined in Umbria by a large number of veterans and mercenaries. In April, he gathers troops in the Roman countryside. | |
| June | Mercenary Company | Church Siena | Umbria and Tuscany | The Papal Legate of Perugia orders him to leave Montone. The condottiero positions himself on the Niccone River with 300 cavalry and 500 infantry, and with these men, he sacks the surroundings of Città di Castello with the connivance of the Florentines, who wish to reinstate Niccolò Vitelli in the city. In nearby Perugia, he tries to revive the Bracceschi faction; he threatens the city using the pretext of a poisoning attempt against him by Baglioni. The Papal condottieri Giovanni Francesco Gonzaga, Giovanni Francesco da Bagno, and Antonello da Forlì with 430 cavalry and 100 infantry march against him from Perugia. Montefeltro also leaves Montone on the Pope’s orders. Carlo di Montone moves away from Pieve al Toppo and penetrates the Val d’Ombrone in the Sienese territory under the pretext of recovering debts owed to his father fifty years earlier by the Republic. He seizes three small castles near Bagno a Rapolano (Rapolano Terme) and sacks them. The nearby center also falls under his control. | |
| July | Tuscany | He raids cattle and takes many prisoners: among his forces are many Perugians like Gentiluomo degli Arcipreti and Everardo da Montesperelli. He builds a pontoon bridge and crosses the Chiana River, taking control of Campiglia dei Foci and Laticastelli; he besieges Torrita di Siena for eight days. He rejects the defenders’ proposal for a conditional surrender and burns houses, huts, and crops in the vicinity. He moves into the Pisa region, has wheat harvested and threshed, which is sold in Foiano della Chiana and Montepulciano; he burns his camp and moves first to the Maremma and then to the Amiata mountains, where he raids 15,000 head of livestock, including 5,000 cattle. He takes the spoils to Chianciano; occupies Bagno Vignoni; rides into the Val d’Asso, and also occupies Altesino. He is blocked near Salentippo and Sant’Anna by Luca di Rieti and Onorato da Fermo; he defeats 2,500 Sienese sent to confront him with the Possa, captain of Aragonese infantry; he escapes to the Florentine territory. According to Sienese sources, he is instead surprised by the enemy, reinforced by many peasants, in a narrow valley: he is saved from disaster thanks to the intervention of the inhabitants of Montepulciano and the Florentines, with whose help he overcomes the difficulties after a long and bitter fight. He returns to Chianciano; unsuccessfully tries to persuade the Perugians not to grant passage to the Montefeltro troops moving against him. | |||
| Aug. | Tuscany and Umbria | He defeats Antonio da Montefeltro at Chianciano; unexpectedly returns near Perugia, where part of the noble faction is favorable to his cause. The plot is uncovered, and the instigator Giovanni della Caterina is beheaded. Carlo di Montone withdraws first to Montone and then to Florence (lodging in the houses of the Martelli family), where he encourages his supporters to resist. | |||
| Sept. Oct. | Tuscany | The castle of Montone falls into Papal hands: his brother-in-law Roberto Malatesta convinces his wife Margherita to surrender on a day when Carlo’s son Bernardino is camped with the troops outside the walls. The condottiero is stripped of the title of Count of Montone by Pope Sixtus IV. In mid-month, he flees to Florence, where he receives a warm welcome. He is accompanied to the Palazzo dei Signori and given a generous gift of 1,000 florins. | |||
| Oct. | The Pope orders the Bishop of Cortona to excommunicate anyone who gives him refuge. | ||||
| ……….. | Venice | Ottoman Empire | He returns to Venetian service to fight the Turks in Friuli: he is granted a loan of 50 ducats per lance to rebuild his company. The contract is set for 800 cavalry and 200 infantry. | ||
| 1478 | |||||
| Jan. | Veneto | In Verona. | |||
| Mar. | Romagna and Emilia | He is rehired by the Venetians under pressure from the Florentines. He leaves Ravenna with 8 squads of lances, passes through Ferrara; he is hosted by the Duke Ercole d’Este. Upon leaving the city, he is escorted for a mile by the Este lord. | |||
| May | General Governor 720 cavalry and 200 infantry | Veneto | He attends the review of his companies held in Noale (720 cavalry instead of the 778 provided for by the contract). The Senate sends him 2,000 ducats through Lorenzo Loredan, the collateral. He is appointed General Governor in place of Cola di Monforte. As soon as he arrives, his men begin to harass the local population, which quickly yields the desired results. The Venetians hastily send chancellors with the money; Lorenzo Loredan, the general collateral, also arrives on-site to start the review at the end of the month. Montone presents 720 cavalry on a contract that provided for 778. | ||
| June | Veneto and Friuli | At the beginning of the month, he is in Mestre, where he demonstrates the professionalism of his men. A company of mounted crossbowmen and a company of infantry, paid by Montone himself, also join them. After the parade, he heads to Friuli to take command of part of the troops. His actions immediately prove effective, although some of his men protest because he withholds their pay and acts arrogantly. He arrives in Gradisca d’Isonzo, supplies the town with provisions, and strengthens its defenses by enlarging the moat and building trenches and stockades. | |||
| July | Friuli | In Fogliano Redipuglia with 2,000 cavalry, of which 600 are Sforza’s and 300 are from the Este. Few infantry are available. | |||
| Oct. | Friuli | Iskanderbeg Michaloghli, Pasha of Bosnia, arrives on the Isonzo River with 15,000 cavalry; he is forced to halt under Gradisca d’Isonzo. The Ottoman captain does everything to provoke Montone into battle, making his cavalry run up to the Venetian fortifications; he waits for him in the camp for twelve hours. Montone, vastly outnumbered, does not leave the trenches. Despite his cautious behavior, he does not hesitate to seek a clash when possible; he triumphs over the Turks in a skirmish near Cividale del Friuli. The enemies, after unsuccessful attempts to penetrate the region, cross the mountains and pour into Austria, taking 8,000 people with them and killing another 8,000, including the elderly, women, and children. Falling ill, Carlo Montone reaches Udine to recover. | |||
| 1479 | |||||
| Feb. | Romagna | He is transferred to Ravenna. | |||
| Apr. | Venice | Church Naples | General Captain | Romagna Tuscany | He leaves Ravenna, passes through Ferrara; he reaches Florence with 50 cavalry along with Deifobo dell’Anguillara to be elected General Captain of the League. He forces Roberto da San Severino to leave the banks of the Serchio and retreat to Lunigiana. |
| May | 175 lances | Liguria and Tuscany | He pursues Roberto da San Severino towards Avenza. He commands 7 squads of lances. He captures 200 large livestock and 1,500 smaller animals. He begins fortifying the camp at Poggio Imperiale (Poggibonsi); he moves into the Sienese territory, raiding up to the outskirts of the capital: he burns houses, raids livestock, and takes prisoners. | ||
| June | Tuscany and Umbria | His troops clash with those of Costanzo Sforza; Carlo di Montone is then transferred to Umbria. From the Val di Chiana, he resolutely enters the Perugian territory at the head of 40 squads of cavalry: Roberto Malatesta, Gentiluomo and Carlo degli Arcipreti are at his side. His presence raises the Bracceschi faction throughout the region: he negotiates the surrender of Passignano sul Trasimeno and besieges Baglioni in Perugia. With part of his men, he approaches the Porta di Sant’Angelo, hoping for help from the Arcipreti supporters who lead the district. Repelled by the Apostolic Protonotary Giovambattista Savelli, he has three mills and some houses and palaces destroyed outside the walls, captures 150 men, and seizes 500 head of livestock. He continues his offensive. Within a few days, more than 20 castles surrender without a fight (Fontignano, San Feliciano, Zocco, Montecolognola, Magione, Castel Ringione, Antria, Mantignana, Capocavallo, Preggio, Monte Gualandro, the fortress of Angelo Piccinino). He is confronted by Federico da Montefeltro and Alfonso d’Aragona, Duke of Calabria. Carlo di Montone moves to Val di Pierla; after losing Passignano sul Trasimeno, he heads to Cortona. He dies in this city a few days later. He is buried in the Church of Sant’Agostino: it is suspected that he was poisoned by his captain Andrea Corso at the instigation of the Papal forces behind the promis of 6000 ducats as a pay in wartime and 4000 in peacetime. His body is transported to Florence. He is honored with an ode by Cambino Aretino; Francesco Materazzo dedicates a poem titled “Ad Carolum Imperatorem Illus. Victoria”; Lorenzo Spirito commemorates him in “Lamento di Perugia soggiogata”; Giovanni Antonio Campano presents him with the first copy of his father’s biography “De gestis et vita Braccii”. He is also remembered alongside Giovanni Giacomo Piccinino, Braccio Baglioni, and Silvestro da Lucino in a sirventese and a canzonetta, by an unknown author, written on the occasion of Jacopo Piccinino’s death. He has an altar erected midway along the left wall of the Church of San Francesco in Montone as an ex-voto for the birth of his son Bernardino. |
Sources
-“Ello ne la Militia è lo splendore,/ Lumiera e specchio di tutta sua parte/ Come si vede al trionfate onore/…/Al mondo non fu mai alma perfetta/Simile a te oprando tuo potere/Vedi il tempo volar come saetta./… E spero ancor per te vedere strutta/ La venenosa vipra e sua sementa (gli Sforza)/ C’han fatto Italia adulterata putta./../Al mondo non fu mai alma perfetta/Simile a te oprando in tuo potere,/Vedi ‘l tempovolar come saetta.” Cambino Aretino, riportato da FABRETTI
-“Frutto d’eccelso lume, inclito e franco,/Di Signor nato e non di cittadino/Son Conte Carlo e non di vita stanco,/In fatti d’arme un altro paladino:/Prima ch’io sia canuto e bianco/Spero d’alzarmi al mio lungo cammino;/E colla spada in man fama aquistare/Che miglior frutto non si dee cercare.” da un epitaffio del Matarazzo, riportato da FABRETTI, sotto il suo ritratto un tempo collocato a Perugia nel palazzo di Braccio Baglioni.
-“Piange Carlo di Montone/Con ciascun capo gradito/Poi Silvestro (da Lucino) e ‘l buon Baglione (Braccio Baglioni),/Braccio vecchio insieme unito (Braccio Vecchio di Montone).” Dalla canzone “In morte del conte Jacopo Piccinino” riportata da VERMIGLIOLI
-“Per colpe non proprie, gravi mali soffrirono le terre dell’agro perugino e la città istessa, la quale da un pezzo non aveva visto tanti armati serrarglisi attorno. Braccio Fortebracci avventando le armi contro i cittadini, gl’infiacchì, gli condusse a soffrire l’ultimo de’ mali – la “servitù”: il conte Carlo pretendendo alle usurpazioni del padre senza averne redato la forza, la mente e il coraggio, afflisse per quanto fu in suo potere quella patria che non l’aveva dimenticato.” FABRETTI
-“Valentissimo nell’arte della guerra.” CONTI
-“Era dissoluto dall’altri costumi, e portava barba longa, e non si mutava panni, alloggiava sotto a verdure senza tende.” DI JUZZO
-“Gran Capitano di guerra.” MARCELLO
-“Capitano famoso.” GUAZZO
-“Chiarissimo Capitano di quel tempo.” SANSOVINO
-“Bracchii maximi ducis filius.” PORCELLIO
-“El conte Carlo, el qual perdette el nido (Montone)/ presso al suo fine e d’alto honor fu casso.” SANTI
-“Militò a Venezia, ove acquistò credito e forza.” G. MUZZI
-“L’amor l’ingegno la vivida gloria/ El placido e quieto preliare/ lo honor braccesco e i premi di vittoria/ O conte Carlo di animo preclare/Cantar comincierà nostra Talia/ Di quanta fama in Ciel fa triumphare.” MATARAZZO
-“Il quale haveva seco tutta la militia Braccesca Perugina, che era la più valorosa, che all’hora fusse in Italia.” LAZARI
-“Il conte Carlo era un condottiero vecchio stile, che sapeva tenere a freno i suoi uomini, ma che sapeva anche tutto ciò che occorreva fare perché i rapporti con Venezia funzionassero al meglio.” MALLETT
-“Celebre condottiero.” MORO
-“Valente condottiero.. Con la sua ultima azione si rivela attore di un’azione strategica risolutrice, che assume nel quadro generale delle operazioni il carattere di una indovinata contro-manovra legata, tuttavia, alle eventuali favorevoli vicende politiche, non riuscendo a perdere il limite della strategia logoratrice del suo tempo.” PIERI
-“Carlo Fortebraccio di Montone era fanciullo alla morte di Braccio, suo padre, e prima fra le schiere del Piccinino (Niccolò), quindi al soldo di Venezia, egli era invecchiato nel mestiere dell’armi: suo padre e suo fratello avevano avuto in signoria Perugia, ed egli sperava di poter fare tuttora assegnamento sopra una fazione. Nell’estate del 1477 con un esercito d’avventurieri, condotto a proprie spese, entrò dall’Umbria in Toscana. Cotali spedizioni fatte da un capitano per conto proprio, un secolo prima erano state molto frequenti fra noi: né gli Italiani se ne erano anche adesso affatto dimenticati: ventidue anni prima abbiamo trovato la spedizione di Giacomo Piccinino che per molti aspetti somigliò alla presente del Montone. Anche per costui, come per il Piccinino, la città per prima presa di mira fu Siena.” CIPOLLA
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