Prudence and Controversy in the Life of Ercole Bentivoglio
From Bologna, Count Palatine. He was the half-brother of Annibale Bentivoglio, Alessandro Bentivoglio, and Ermes Bentivoglio. He was the father-in-law of Niccolò Guerra da Bagno and Galeazzo Sforza, the brother-in-law of Francesco Torelli, and the nephew of Francesco Secco.
Born: 1459, May
Death: 1507, June
| Year, Month | State, Comp. ventura | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1461 | Tuscany | Because the succession to the lordship of Bologna is destined for his cousin Giovanni, Ercole Bentivoglio is sent by his father Sante to Florence to be raised at the Medici court. | |||
| 1463/1464 | Tuscany | He is in Florence when his father suddenly dies; he is still reported in the city the following year at the wedding of his mother Ginevra Sforza, daughter of Alessandro, with Giovanni Bentivoglio: it seems she had already been Giovanni’s lover for several years. | |||
| 1475 | |||||
| May | Marche | In Pesaro, for the wedding of Costanzo Sforza with Camilla di Marzano d’Aragona. | |||
| Oct. | Emilia | In Bologna. He takes part in the joust of San Petronio organized by Antonio Trotti. | |||
| 1482 | Ferrara | Venice | Veneto | With the fall of Adria into the hands of Cristoforo da Mula, he positions himself in Polesella with Sigismondo d’Este to block the enemies; attacked by the Venetians, he must retreat. | |
| 1483 | Florence | Genoa | Tuscany | He faces the Genoese in the Lunigiana area. | |
| 1484 | |||||
| July | Tuscany | He gathers horsemen and infantry in Pisa for the continuation of the war. | |||
| Nov. | Tuscany | He is placed in charge of guarding Pietrasanta after its capture by Florence. | |||
| 1486 | |||||
| (…no specific month…) | Liguria | He lays waste to the territory of Sarzana. | |||
| 1487 | |||||
| Jan. | Emilia | At the end of the month, he is present in Bologna at the wedding of his half-brother Annibale Bentivoglio with Lucrezia d’Este, natural daughter of Ercole. | |||
| Spring | Florence | Genoa | Tuscany and Liguria | He leaves Pisa again to take part in the war of Sarzana. He tries to free Sarzanello from the siege set by the adversaries. | |
| (…no specific month…) | Liguria | At the siege of Sarzana. | |||
| 1491 | |||||
| (…no specific month…) | Florence | Tuscany | In garrison at Pisa. His men have constant clashes with local university students. | ||
| Oct. | He marries Barbara Torelli, daughter of Marsilio and sister of Francesco; within two years, they will have daughters Costanza and Ginevra. | ||||
| 1492 | Tuscany | He is still in Pisa. He attends the ceremony in which Giovanni de’ Medici (the future Pope Leo X) is declared Doctor in Canon Law. | |||
| 1493 | |||||
| Feb. | He sends an agent of his to Ferrara to recover a 50-ducat debt loaned to Leonello Brandolini. | ||||
| 1494 | |||||
| (…no specific month…) | Florence | Pisa | Tuscany | He does not aid Barigo da Barga when Ripafratta is attacked by the Pisans; together with Francesco Secco and Ranuccio da Marciano, he occupies Palaia, Peccioli, Marti, and Buti. | |
| Dec. | Tuscany | He tries in vain to take Ponsacco. | |||
| 1495 | |||||
| Feb. | Tuscany | He opposes the Pisans with Francesco Secco. | |||
| Apr. | Tuscany | He is defeated at Ponte Cappellese on the Serchio by Lucio Malvezzi. His mount is killed under him; Francesco Secco risks capture. Bentivoglio manages to flee with his cavalry, while almost all the foot soldiers are killed or taken prisoner. He takes refuge in Montecarlo and from there returns to the camp at Pontedera. | |||
| June | Florence | Siena | Tuscany | He is sent to retake Montepulciano. Giovanni Savelli, who is serving Siena, comes out of the city against him with 200 cavalry: alongside Ranuccio da Marciano and Secco, he defeats and captures the captain in the service of Siena at the Ponte di Valiano. | |
| July | Florence | Pisa, Venice | Tuscany | At the camp of Ponsacco with commissioner Piero Capponi. He wins against Lucio Malvezzi at Cascina/Pandera, capturing 16 lances and 60 foot soldiers, including two nephews of Malvezzi and a natural son of Roberto da San Severino. | |
| Nov. | Tuscany | He moves to Cortona upon news that Virginio Orsini has halted in the territory of Chiusi to back the Medici’s claims. | |||
| Dec. | Tuscany | His contract (condotta) is renewed for another six months. | |||
| 1496 | |||||
| Apr. | Tuscany | He besieges the Verrucola fortress in the Valdarno; he camps at Bientina. Notified that the Venetian forces under Giampaolo Manfrone have arrived in Vicopisano, he lies in ambush with 170 men-at-arms, 160 light cavalry, and 2,000 infantry. He routs the enemy. In the engagement, Francesco Secco is killed by an arquebus shot. | |||
| May | Tuscany | He withdraws near Pontedera upon the approach of the Venetian proveditor Giustiniano Morosini with 800 stradioti; he routs 300 cavalry raiding the Valdera. | |||
| Sept. | Tuscany | He unites with Ranuccio da Marciano to recapture the castle of Soiana; in a skirmish, the Florentine commissioner Pier Capponi is killed. | |||
| Dec. | Tuscany | He supports Ranuccio da Marciano in his attack on Pisa: the French garrison of the citadel does not remain neutral as had been hoped; the Florentines are repulsed. | |||
| 1497 | |||||
| Spring | Siena | Exiles | 100 lances | Tuscany | He is approached by the Sienese to enter their pay with 100 men-at-arms for one or two months to keep the local exiles in check. |
| July | Church | 100 lances | He enters the pay of Pope Alexander VI. | ||
| 1498 | |||||
| (…no specific month…) | Ascoli Piceno | Fermo | Marche | He fights for Ascoli Piceno against Fermo. The enemies besiege San Pier degli Agli. Together with the local troops, Ercole Bentivoglio slaughters the opponents beneath the walls of that locality. | |
| Summer | Comp. ventura | Fermo | Umbria and Marche | Once the conflict between Fermo and Ascoli Piceno ends, he moves into the plain of Nocera Umbra with 400 lances. He stays for eight days to gather infantry; then he reaches Macerata, passes through Chiaravalle, and via San Ginesio arrives at Ascoli Piceno and Castrignano. He occupies Montefortino, tries to gain Gualdo Cattaneo, sets fire to some houses in San Giovanni in Pontano, returns to Chiaravalle, and from there raids the territory of Fermo. He unsuccessfully besieges the tower of San Patrizio for six days; he marches on Montegranaro, where he seizes livestock. He is pushed back from Grottazzolina and likewise from Alteta (6 of his men-at-arms are killed and another 8 wounded); he then heads toward Falerone and stops again at Chiaravalle. He passes by the tower of San Patrizio and crosses the Tenna River. | |
| Oct. | Marche | At Monterubbiano, he plunders the countryside. In the end, seeing his efforts are futile, he heads to Grottazzolina, Servigliano, and Falerone, returning to the camp in Chiaravalle. Peace negotiations begin; Fermo commits to handing over 25,000 scudi in exchange for returning San Pietro and Montefortino to the commune. The pope does not want to confirm the agreements signed by Bentivoglio. | |||
| 1499 | |||||
| Jan. | Church | Marche | He obtains leave from the pontifical forces, which cannot pay the back wages owed to his company. | ||
| Feb. | Marche | In Montegranaro. He offers himself in vain to the Venetians. | |||
| (…no specific month…) | Marche | He remains with his company in the Marche region around Ancona. Eventually he is paid some money. | |||
| June | Marche | He demands 10,000 ducats from the inhabitants of Fermo; otherwise, he threatens war on the commune. | |||
| Aug. | He reiterates his offers to the Serenissima through Antonio Maria della Mirandola. | ||||
| (…no specific month…) | Church | Forlì | Lazio and Romagna | He is called back to Rome; he remains in the service of the Papal States to fight the Lady of Forlì, Caterina Sforza. | |
| Dec. | Romagna | He leaves Cesena with 300 cavalry; he takes part in the siege of the fortress of Forlì. He lodges his men at Pianta; with Achille Tiberti, he quells a peasant uprising. | |||
| 1500 | |||||
| Jan. | Romagna | He remains to guard Forlì after the city’s conquest. He commands 500 cavalry, while Consalvo di Mirafonte leads 300 infantry. | |||
| Feb. | 500 cavalry | Romagna | In Forlimpopoli and Imola. At the end of the month, he moves on to guard Imola. | ||
| Apr. | Romagna | One of his natural daughters marries Niccolò Guerra da Bagno. | |||
| July, Aug. | Church | Cesena, Rimini | Lazio and Romagna | He is summoned to Rome by the pope. He moves near Cesena to settle disputes between the Guelph and Ghibelline factions. Rebuffed for allegedly favoring the Tiberti side, he goes to Ghiaggiolo, which belongs to his son-in-law. He receives reinforcements from Girolamo Barisello and breaks into Cesena via the river gate, through a breach in the walls, and also into the fortress with 25 men-at-arms; soon he is replaced there by Polidoro Tiberti and his partisans. He heads to Santarcangelo di Romagna and alarms the territories of the Malatesta. He sends his wife to reside in Fermo, where the locals have given him a palace. At the beginning of August, he reviews his troops in the city square. Together with Polidoro Tiberti, he helps the return of exiles to Cesena. | |
| Oct. | Church | Pesaro | Romagna and Marche | He enters Rimini with the population’s consent. He unites with Cesare Borgia and returns to Cesena. He goes back to Rimini, then moves into the Marche: he obtains Pesaro from Giovanni Sforza. He besieges Giorgio da Cotignola in the fortress. At the end of the month, he appears at the city gates with a small cavalry detachment. Galeazzo Sforza obtains safe conduct and surrenders with his garrison. Finally, Bentivoglio returns to Romagna (Imola) with 125 men-at-arms. | |
| Nov. | Church | Faenza | Romagna | He assists Dionigi Naldi in seizing Brisighella; he then moves to Forlì and prepares to attack the Manfredi in Faenza. The siege proves difficult, so he leaves the camp together with Paolo and Carlo Orsini and Giovanni Battista Conti. | |
| Dec. | Marche | In the territory of Pesaro with Giovanni Battista Conti, commanding 120 lances and 50 mounted crossbowmen. | |||
| 1501 | |||||
| Feb. | Perugia | Exiles | 100 lances | Romagna, Marche, and Umbria | He leaves Romagna; with his company, he heads toward Pesaro and Umbria to oppose Girolamo dalla Penna and the Oddi, who are raiding Perugia. He aids the Baglioni family. In Fermo, suspecting his wife of infidelity, he accuses her of adultery, attempts to poison her, and locks her in a cell of the city palace. |
| May | dei Medici | Florence | Tuscany | He supports Piero dei Medici, Vitellozzo Vitelli, and the Orsini against the Florentines. | |
| June | Florence | Pisa | Governor General | Tuscany | He opposes the Pisans, commanding 100 men-at-arms, 300 light cavalry, 3,000 foot soldiers, and numerous pioneers. He raids the Val di Calci, appears before Vicopisano to recapture it, and besieges it, aware that the defenders lack adequate supplies. Around this time, convinced the accusations against his wife are baseless, he frees her. Barbara Torelli flees to Urbino with her mother, accusing him of trying multiple times to force her into prostitution. Her dowries and those of their daughters, who also fled, remain in Bentivoglio’s hands. |
| (…no specific month…) | Emilia | By order of his mother Ginevra Sforza, he has some members of the Marescotti family killed. They are guilty of plotting to hand over Bologna to the Borgia. | |||
| 1502 | |||||
| (…no specific month…) | Tuscany | From San Savino, he heads directly toward Pisa. He crosses the Arno and spreads into the Val di Calci. | |||
| May | Florence | Church | Tuscany | He tries to retake Vicopisano with Commissioner General Antonio Giacomini. He ravages the countryside of San Rossore, cutting vines, trees, and burning crops; he must halt at the Serchio River due to lack of pay. Borgia’s troops invade Florentine territory to restore Medici rule. | |
| June | Tuscany | He is in Quarata, in the Valdarno, when Vitellozzo Vitelli, Giampaolo Baglioni, and Fabio Orsini enter Arezzo. Unable to relieve the citadel, he is forced to retreat to Montevarchi. | |||
| July | Tuscany | At the beginning of the month, he leaves the camp at Montevarchi to meet Imbault Rivoire, who has arrived to support the Florentines. | |||
| Dec. | Emilia | Together with Antonio dalla Volta, he escorts as far as the Panaro River the French troops who served with Borgia in Romagna; he greets Montaison; immediately afterward, both he and Dalla Volta are captured by Rigault, who imposes a 5,000-ducat ransom to avenge the death of a French man-at-arms killed by peasants in Casalfiumanese. He is taken to Parma and released by the governor of Milan. | |||
| 1503 | |||||
| Mar. | Tuscany | In mid-month, he leaves Arezzo. | |||
| Winter | Florence | ||||
| 1504 | |||||
| Jan. | Tuscany | With Antonio Giacomini and Paolo da Parrano, he is in Prato to devise a plan to divert the course of the Arno in the Pisan area and flood Pisa from the Val di Calci side. | |||
| May | Florence | Pisa | Governor General | Tuscany | The Florentines again appoint him Governor General with an annual payment of 1,200 florins. Leading 3,000 infantry, he sets out against Cascina and lays waste to the Pisan countryside. The local castellan of Ripafratta surrenders at discretion; he encamps at Poggiuolo di Val di Serchio and assaults the capital (Pisa). Rinieri della Sassetta arrives by sea from Naples with 200 light cavalry and several captains, and the Genoese introduce 1,000 infantry into Pisa. The corsair Giacomo Bardella supplies the city daily from the sea. |
| June | Tuscany | At the camp of Cascina. He dines with Giacomini and Marcantonio Colonna. | |||
| 1505 | |||||
| Apr. | Florence | 50 lances | He obtains a condotta from the Florentines for 50 men-at-arms. His troops are stationed in Bibbona and Campiglia Marittima. | ||
| May | Tuscany | ||||
| Aug. | Florence | Comp. ventura | 50 light cavalry and 800 infantry | Tuscany | His annual provision is raised to 6,000 scudi. Along with Marcantonio Colonna and Antonio Giacomini, he aids Piombino. Upon hearing of the imminent arrival of Bartolomeo d’Alviano, he recalls Marcantonio Colonna and Jacopo Savelli from Campiglia Marittima, replaced by Vittorio da Canale. All troops gather in Bibbona. When the adversaries draw near, he sends Malatesta Malatesta da Sogliano and Paolo da Parrano with part of the light cavalry to pursue them. He attacks d’Alviano at the tower of San Vincenzo. Seeing the Colonna cavalry being pushed back, he positions six falconets, using these pieces to break up the enemy lines and put them to flight. After this victory, the Dieci di Balia urge him to approach the walls of Pisa, to devastate the Lucchese territory, and to raze Viareggio. He camps at Casaccia; he requests the title of Captain General. Giacomini supports his request. |
| Sept. | Florence | Pisa | Captain General | Tuscany | He attacks the Pisans with 560 men-at-arms, 300 light cavalry, and 8,000 infantry; he also has 36 artillery pieces (12 cannons, 4 passavolanti, 4 mezzani, 10 large falconets, and another 6 on tripods. Fourteen guns can fire 150-pound iron balls, and another 14 can fire 100-pound balls). He reaches San Casciano in Val di Pesa. In early September, he positions himself beneath the walls of Pisa between the Church of Santa Croce in Fossabonda and San Michele degli Scalzi in Orticaia. There are no signs of uprising within Pisa that Bentivoglio and Antonio Giacomini had counted on. The Florentine artillery brings down 136 braccia (about 20 meters) of wall near the Porta Calcesana and San Francesco. The first assault is carried out by three columns of 1,000 infantry each: those led by Zitolo da Perugia, Piero del Monte a Santa Maria, and Chiriaco dal Borgo. The Florentines are driven back by the defenders and by 300 Spanish infantry who had arrived by sea from Piombino in some fustae and galleys; the Spaniards are sent by Consalvo di Cordoba, commanded by Nuno de Ocampo. The Spaniards lose about 10 dead and 40 wounded; the Florentines suffer 60 wounded and 3 dead. A further three days of intense bombardment follows, creating another 45-meter breach near the Barbagianni tower. Ercole Bentivoglio sets the formation: in the first rank, the company of Ludovico Orsini with the infantry regiment of Piero del Monte a Santa Maria; in the second, Jacopo Savelli with the Bolognese infantry and the company of Niccolò da Bazzano; in the third, Colonna and the regiment of Chiriaco dal Borgo. Through the breach at Porta Calcesana, the plan is for the cavalry lances spezzate (detached lances), plus the infantry of Marchese Galeotto and Carlo da Cremona, together with the men-at-arms of Luca Savelli and Annibale Bentivoglio, to move in. Lastly, Zitolo da Perugia and Ceccotto Tosinghi are supposed to cross the Arno once fighting has begun. The infantry of the first rank refuses to advance; Orsini (wounded in a foot by an arquebus shot) and Del Monte a Santa Maria enter the breach with only a handful of men. Bentivoglio then sends in the second rank; again, the infantry, alarmed by the Pisans’ fortifications, balks. Jacopo Savelli, with 10 men-at-arms, and Niccolò da Bazzano, with 3, descend into the ditch to set an example. Commissioner Antonio Giacomini shouts, wounds the reluctant soldiers, and even kills some in an attempt to force them to obey their captains; he also has those struck by Pisan artillery buried immediately so as not to spread panic. Zitolo da Perugia and Tosinghi perform no better. Arriving at the Arno bridge, they are halted by enemy troops posted on the riverbank. Seeing this, Giacomini and Bentivoglio decide to call off the attack and order a withdrawal to Santa Croce, leaving a battery of three large passavolanti, three mezzani cannons, and several falconets in action. Bentivoglio also removes the overnight guard, unable to defend the artillery properly. The Florentines try to rally Bentivoglio and Giacomini. In mid-September, he retires to Ripoli upon learning that Consalvo di Cordoba has strengthened the Spanish garrison in Pisa by another 2,000 infantry and an additional 400 from Piombino. From Ripoli, he returns to San Casciano in Val di Pesa and then to Cascina. The troops are sent to winter quarters. |
| 1506 | Church | He is dismissed by the Florentines. He passes into the service of Pope Julius II, to serve under Francesco Maria della Rovere. He suffers from gout. | |||
| 1507 | |||||
| June | Marche | He dies suddenly at the end of June in Pesaro, shortly before his daughter Ginevra marries Galeazzo Sforza. He is buried in the Church of San Giovanni. He corresponds with Niccolò Machiavelli, who in the “Arte della guerra” (The Art of War) mentions a treatise by Bentivoglio on civic militias, an opus about which no further details are known. |
Sources
-“Tenuto uomo prudente e di grande giudizio a disegnare, ma di poco animo e male atto a mettere a esecuzione.” GUICCIARDINI
-“Intendente nell’arte della guerra.” AMMIRATO
-“Divenne huomo nelle armi di gran stima per molte prodezze da lui sendo capitano.” GHIRARDACCI
-“Gran Capitano di Fiorentini.” GIOVIO
-“A messer Ercole bisogna mettere un po’ d’animo, perché egli è un poco vil; et anche ha oppinione che noi non l’abbiamo per gagliardo..: ma e’ nostri pari n’hanno grande utile di lui, perché vedrete un consiglio non v’essere migliore consiglio che il suo; e se voi avete a porre campo a una terra o a riparare agl’inconvenienti che possino nasciere, abbiate accanto messer Ercole.” Da una relazione di PIERO CAPPONI
-“Hercol de bentivogli signor degno/ ch’era a pisa fu primo mandato/ qual cavalcono senza alcun ritegno/ con le sue squadre & ciascun ben armato.” Da “La la guerra di Sarzana” in GUERRE IN OTTAVA RIMA
Featured image: wikimedia
