Moves And Maneuvers In Stefano Colonna’s Military Path
Stefano Colonna of Palestrina. Lord of Palestrina, Gallicano nel Lazio, San Vittorino, and Castelnuovo di Porto.
Death: 1548, March
| Year, Month | State, Comp. ventura | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1518 | Lazio | Stefano Colonna, together with Girolamo Mattei, is affronted by Camillo Orsini at the home of Giulia la Patrizia, a noted Roman courtesan. | |||
| 1522 | |||||
| Apr. | Milan | France | Lombardy | He takes part in the Battle of Bicocca. | |
| 1523 | |||||
| June | 1000 infantry | Liguria | He participates in the conquest of Genoa. | ||
| Nov. | Lombardy | One of his soldiers uncovers a conspiracy by Giovanni Niccolò dei Lanzi and Morgante da Parma to hand over a city bastion to the French. He informs Duke Francesco Sforza (Francesco Sforza), who notifies Giovanni de’ Medici. Giovanni de’ Medici punishes the conspirators. Later, when a brawl breaks out between Spanish and Italian infantry, he intervenes with Fernando Alarcon to restore order; afterward, the Italian infantry is transferred to Pavia and replaced in Milan by Spanish troops from that same city. | |||
| 1524 | |||||
| Jan. | Lombardy | He disputes with Giovanni de’ Medici over the ransom of a prisoner. | |||
| Feb. | Lombardy | He remains in Milan with the city infantry while Viceroy of Naples Carlo di Lannoy marches to the Pavia area to face the French. | |||
| Mar. | Lombardy | Duke Francesco Sforza orders him to recapture Castelleone with 1700 infantry and 200 cavalry. | |||
| 1526 | |||||
| June | Papal States | Empire | Lazio | He gathers troops with the Orsini for an expedition into the Kingdom of Naples. | |
| Sept.–Nov. | Abruzzo | He stations at L’Aquila but is soon recalled due to the imperial army advancing toward Gaeta. In late September, he confronts the Colonna threatening Rome. He guards Borgo Santo Spirito with 200 infantry and artillery when Ascanio, Vespasiano, and Cardinal Pompeo Colonna, supported by Ugo de Moncada (500 infantry and some cavalry), break into the city. He fires his artillery twice; the Colonna forces break down the gate, and his men flee. His resistance gives Pope Clement VII (Clemente VII) time to reach Castel Sant’Angelo. Later, for this act, he receives the fief of Stroncone in Umbria. In early November, leading 800 infantry, he leaves Rome with Vitello Vitelli toward the Colonna lands. They destroy Gallicano and Zagarolo, sack Marino and the Abbey of Subiaco, then move near Genazzano with Giovambattista Savelli. By late November, he is at Vicovaro with Napoleone Orsini and Amico d’Arsoli. | |||
| Dec. | Lazio | He repels an attack by 2000 Colonna infantry on one of his small strongholds. | |||
| 1527 | |||||
| Jan. | Lazio | He stands out with Giorgio di Santacroce in several skirmishes in the Roman countryside. He defeats opposing forces at Frosinone; supported by Swiss and arquebusiers, he exits the city and scatters four companies of German and Spanish infantry on a nearby hill. The opponents lose 200 men, and 400 more are captured (with their banners). Renzo di Ceri and Vitello Vitelli then bring reinforcements into Frosinone. | |||
| May | Lazio | While defending Rome, he positions his troops near the Vatican; when the city is taken by Landsknechts and Spaniards, he retreats to Castel Sant’Angelo with the pope. | |||
| June | Lazio | Pope Clement VII (Clemente VII) sends him to Isola Farnese to attempt persuading Francesco Maria della Rovere, the Venetian captain general, not to withdraw into the Viterbo area. | |||
| Aug. | Lazio | He rejects an offer from the Venetians for a 600-infantry contract. | |||
| Dec. | France | Empire | Emilia | He meets in Bologna with Odet de Foix, Viscount of Lautrec, then serves as a gentleman under the French captain general. | |
| 1528 | |||||
| Nov. | 2000 infantry and 200 light cavalry | Lombardy | He is assigned these forces under French command. | ||
| 1529 | |||||
| Mar. | Marche | He is reported in Fano. | |||
| May | Lombardy | He is recalled to Lombardy and reaches Vermezzo. | |||
| June | Lombardy | Under François de Saint-Pol, he is defeated by Antonio de Leyva at Landriano while trying to cross the Lambro. Most of the anti-imperial infantry flee due to delayed pay; he stands fast, but his horse is killed. He nearly drowns in a ditch under the weight of his armor. Captured, he is taken to Milan. | |||
| July–Aug. | France | He is released and travels to France. | |||
| Sept. | Florence | Empire–Papal States | Tuscany | He returns to Italy. In Tuscany, he defends the Florentines with a Gascon captain and 300 infantry. | |
| Oct. | Tuscany | Besieged in Florence, he fortifies the hills of San Miniato and San Francesco near Marzio Orsini, forming the first defensive line. He is entrusted with the civic guard of 16 companies (250 men each, ages 18–50). Members of the “Ordinances” wear a green sash. | |||
| Dec. | Tuscany | He attends a troop review by Malatesta Baglioni at Monte di San Miniato. Assigned to defend Monte di San Miniato, he focuses only on that sector and acknowledges no higher-ranking officer there. By mid-month, he camps in the San Frediano district. With 1000 arquebusiers (in Spanish style, wearing white shirts over armor by night) and 400 halberdiers and pikemen, he exits Florence through Porta San Niccolò, circles the imperial camp, and makes a nighttime attack on Sciarra Colonna’s forces at Santa Margherita a Montici. The sentries at Cinquevie are killed; others are taken by surprise. Alarmed, Giovambattista Smeraldi’s camp intervenes. In the darkness, Florentines break open a pen of Maremma pigs, which rush toward the imperials with loud squeals. Nearby German soldiers respond, and a fierce melee ensues for more than an hour. Additional Florentine units appear from the city gates, but Baglioni orders a retreat, stopping a more decisive victory. About 200 opponents are killed, with no Florentine losses. After Marzio Orsini dies, he receives command of Orsini’s company. | |||
| 1530 | |||||
| Jan. | Tuscany | He repeatedly repulses Prince of Orange’s attacks on the bastions of San Giorgio, which he defends. The King of France openly orders him and Baglioni to leave Florentine service but secretly advises them otherwise. | |||
| June | Tuscany | Angered by disobedience, he injures Amico da Venafro (the knight of San Miniato) with a dagger to the neck, and his lancers finish him with 27 wounds. Seeking forgiveness, he later departs Florence at night via the gate toward Faenza (or Prato) to attack German infantry under Ludovico di Lodrone, who occupy the monastery of San Donato in Polverosa on the Arno’s right bank. Baglioni positions 1500 infantry on the opposite bank, while Pasquino Corso leads a regiment of Perugian infantry against another sector of the imperial camp. Stefano Colonna’s troops take a longer route and arrive after Pasquino Corso’s men have already caused confusion. They seize a bastion with Pasquino Corso and Giovanni di Torino. Lodrone regroups with pikemen. He asks Pasquino Corso for help, but those troops are looting. Eventually, Florentines led by Ivo Biliotti charge the Landsknechts. A pike wound strikes his mouth, knocking out some teeth; a halberd wound hits his groin. At dawn, Baglioni signals retreat, and he withdraws with captured spoils. The Florentines suffer 30 dead and 80 wounded; the imperials lose about 500 dead and 100 wounded. | |||
| Aug. | Tuscany and France | After Francesco Ferrucci’s defeat at Gavinana, he senses the impending end of the republic and requests to leave for France. Possibly aware of Baglioni’s intrigues, he does not actively join them. Disguised as a friar, he heads to France with Dante da Castiglione. | |||
| 1533 | France | He receives an annual allowance of 12,000 ducats. | |||
| 1536 | |||||
| Mar. | France | Empire | Piedmont | He confronts the forces of Duke Charles of Savoy. | |
| Apr.–May | Piedmont | Nicolas Perrenot de Granvelle sends him to defend Turin with 500 men-at-arms and 4000 infantry. He is appointed governor of the city. | |||
| June | Piedmont | Forced to withdraw with Poton de Xaintrailles (Rossin), Giovanni Caracciolo, and Buonavalle, he attempts to block the imperial advance toward Provence. | |||
| July | He halts at Grasse with Buonavalle. | ||||
| Aug. | France | He helps defend Arles alongside Giovanni Caracciolo, both serving as royal lieutenants. While they start fortifications, Anne de Montmorency sends Buonavalle with different instructions, creating confusion among residents. They ultimately follow Buonavalle; Giovanni Caracciolo also complies, but Stefano Colonna resists. Fighting ensues between his Italian infantry and the French from Champagne, resulting in 60–80 casualties on each side. Buonavalle mediates, convincing him to move elsewhere. After the mutiny subsides, he demands an audience with Buonavalle, feels affronted, and tries to leave. The French protest, but Buonavalle allows him to sail from the port of Trinquetaille back to Italy. | |||
| Nov. | Papal States | He enters the service of Pope Paul III (Paolo III). | |||
| 1537 | |||||
| May | Marche | He greets the new Papal Gonfalonier Pier Luigi Farnese in Ancona; obtains 400 infantry and some artillery, then strengthens the city’s defenses. | |||
| Summer | Papal States | Urbino | Marche | He and Alessandro Vitelli are sent to Camerino against Duke Guidobaldo della Rovere of Urbino. He collects around 12,000 men (infantry and cavalry), stationed between Fermo and Macerata. | |
| …(no month) | Umbria | He advances to Valfabbrica, near Gubbio, and quickly forces Urbino’s troops to withdraw into the Marche. | |||
| 1540 | |||||
| July | Lazio | Papal representatives, through Paolo Giovio, contact him. | |||
| 1541 | |||||
| Feb. | Lazio | He is at Palestrina. | |||
| 1542 | |||||
| May | Tuscany | He stays in Florence. | |||
| 1543 | |||||
| …(no month) | Tuscany | He returns the collar of the Order of Saint Michael to the French. | |||
| …(no month) | Florence | Tuscany | He accepts employment from Duke Cosimo de’ Medici when Pirro Colonna is dismissed. He is granted the title of lieutenant with a monthly pay of 300 ducats and a contract for 10 lances spezzate. He travels to Florence, where he is received with honors, and proceeds through Pistoia, Arezzo, and Borgo San Sepolcro (Sansepolcro) to inspect fortifications. | ||
| …(no month) | Florence | France | General Field Master | Germany and France | He is dispatched to Cologne with 1000 infantry and 300 cavalry to support imperial forces against the French under Duke William of Jülich-Cleves-Berg (Guglielmo di Clèves). Named general field master, he receives a monthly allowance of 200 scudi. He participates in the capture of Düren and the siege of Landrecies (Landrecy). |
| 1544 | |||||
| Summer | Florence | Ottoman Empire | Tuscany | He is sent with 4000 infantry to Casole to oppose Hayreddin Barbarossa, who has seized Talamone and Porto Ercole. He joins Chiappino Vitelli and the Spanish troops of Giovanni de Luna, driving the opposing forces from Orbetello as well. | |
| 1547 | Lazio and Tuscany | He returns to Rome, then is summoned to Florence upon news of the Fieschi revolt in Genoa. | |||
| 1548 | |||||
| Mar. | Tuscany | He dies of fever in Pisa in early March. His funeral takes place in Florence with solemn ceremony. Benedetto Varchi delivers the funeral oration. He is portrayed by Agnolo Bronzino, and possibly by Benedetto and Gabriele Calari in the Colonna Gallery in Rome; also by Giorgio Vasari in the Sala of Pope Clement VII (Clemente VII) at Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. He corresponds with Paolo Giovio. He marries Elena Franciotti della Rovere. |
Sources
-“Uomo di molta e chiara virtù.” VARCHI
-“Si portava con tanta umanità, e con tanta gentilezza e bontà di costumi in ogni suo affare, che non mai più s’era veduto in quei tempi un signore, che facessi il mestiero delle armi, né sì religioso, né sì costumato.” SEGNI
-“Uomo fidelissimo e molto avveduto nell’arme.” UGHI
-“Del signor Stefano ho veduto ed inteso assai lodare la prudenza e la gravità da tutti; non si lodò egli però molto dell’ultimo (con gli imperiali), nel quale gli parve che di lui poco conto fosse fatto, onde ei procurò con ogni istanza di ritornare a Fiorenza, ed avendone avuto licenza per mezzo del duca (Cosimo dei Medici), ritornò contentissimo.” ALBERI
-“Generoso Guerriero.. Dissero alcuni, ch’egli sempre fu nel combattere più soldato, che capitano: cioè a dire più coraggioso, più agile, ed audace, che consigliato, e provido.” DE’ CRESCENZI
-“Huomo vigilante e animoso.. Huomo di grandissimo credito in guerra.” GIOVIO
-Con Giovanni Caracciolo “Tous deux chevaliers de l’ordre (di San Michele).” DU BELLAY
-“Operò segnalatissime imprese.. mostrò senno non ordinario, e estremo valore.. Stefano era alto e assai forte; il volto havea bianco; gli occhi, barba e capelli neri.” ROSCIO
-“Buon condottiero, che apprese l’arte militare alla scuola di Prospero Colonna suo cugino.. Uomo che non fu digiuno delle belle lettere, che fece grato accoglimento a Leandro Alberti, quando costui venne nel 1526 a visitar Palestrina, e che nel 1543 diventò consigliere dell’accademia fiorentina.” LITTA
-“L’honor del Phygio & bel seme latino/ Stephan de la colonna ver sostegno/ in soccorso ne ven del firentino/ mandato da Re Franco, altero, e degno. De lui s’alegra, il grande: e ‘l piccolino/ che della fede regia è chiaro pegno./…/ Che dirò poi della mirabil arte/ dell’alto ingegno ardir e cortesia/ del mio Stephan Colonna anzi Dio Marte/ esempio d’humanitade, e leggiadria/ dipenger doverebbe, in mille carte/ de Firentin l’invitto Signore/ sculpir in vivo saxo, sua figura/ di cui la fama più d’un secul dura./…Stephan Colonna, il degno, e gran signore/ delibera uscir for della Citade/ & far a Hispagna noto il suo valore.” ROSEO
-“Buon condottieri d’armi del secolo XVI.” BOSI
-“Comandante insigne nell’arte militare.” GALLUZZI
-“(Lasciò) si se fama di valoroso e prudente capitano, ma non egualmente tenero della causa dei Fiorentini, ai quali mancò quando il suo braccio loro abbisognava.” ALLODOLI
-“Indifferente al tradimento del Malatesta.” ADAR
-“Turin en particulier était déjà entourée d’une enceinte bastionnée, sous la forme d’un rectangle dotée de quatre bastions er de plateformes au milieu de chaque courtine. Celle-ci avait été initiée à l’initiative des Savoyards peu avant l’invasion française. Ainsi, les frères Du Bellay attestent de travaux réalisés par les Français à cette époque sous la direction de Stefano Colonna. Ces bastions devaient étre suffisamment imposants pour étre cités par Rabelais dans Gargantua et Pantagruel publié en 1552 comme “quatre horrifiques pastez de jambon si grands, qu’il me soubvient des quatre bastions de Turin.”” FAUCHERRE-MARTENS-PAUCOT
-“Capitano di molto chiaro nome.. Era alto, e assai forte: il volto havea bianco: gli occhi, barba, e capelli neri.” CAPRIOLO
-“Veniva stimato, e honorato grandemente dall’istesso Imperatore, havendolo dichiarato suo Mastro di Campo Generale.” LAZARI
-“Molto amato dai Fiorentini per avergli fedelmente serviti.” BOTTA
-“Alto e robusto, di carnagione chiara, con barba e capelli neri, Stefano Colonna – ottimo stratega e coraggioso soldato – aveva al suo attivo un lungo “palmarés” di battaglie, combattute al servizio della Francia contro l’impero.” A. MONTI
