Gentile da Leonessa’s Fatal Victory: Death at the Walls of Manerbio
Gentile da Leonessa (Gentile Colantonio Beccarini Brunori, Gentile Colantonio della Leonessa). A native of Sant’Angelo in Trigillo, a hamlet of Leonessa; it is less likely, as some sources claim, that he was originally from Orvieto. He held lordship over Monte Giove and Sanguinetto. Son of Beccarino, brother-in-law of Gattamelata, uncle of Giovannantonio di Gattamelata, son-in-law of Leonardo da Martinengo, and father-in-law of Bertoldo d’Este.
Born: 1408, January
Death: 1453, April
| Year, Month | State, Comp. ventura | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1415 | Umbria | Upon the death of his father Beccarino, who was beheaded by Tartaglia, he took refuge with his mother and sisters first in Amelia with his paternal relatives, then with his maternal uncle Pierantonio Monaldeschi in the castle of Monte Giove. He began his military career as a common foot soldier in the companies of Ceccolo Broglia. | |||
| 1437/1438 | Venice | Milan | He fought the Visconti forces under Gattamelata; together with Tiberto Brandolini he replaced the Umbrian captain in command during the latter’s illnesses. | ||
| 1441 | |||||
| Feb. | Veneto | In Venice, at the celebrations for the wedding of the son of Doge Francesco Foscari. | |||
| Mar. | Venice | Milan | Lombardy | With Tiberto Brandolini he blocked the passage of Niccolò Piccinino. | |
| ………… | Lombardy | At the siege of Martinengo with Francesco Sforza. | |||
| 1442 | |||||
| Dec. | Lombardy | With Giovannantonio di Gattamelata he had interim command of Gattamelata’s company due to the worsening health of his brother-in-law. | |||
| 1443 | |||||
| Jan. | Veneto | In Padua for the funerals of Gattamelata. | |||
| Jul.-Aug. | Veneto | In the Treviso area. Disorders arose between his troops and the local population in which three soldiers were killed. His troops were quickly transferred to a less populated area. | |||
| Nov. | Church | Sforza | Marche | He fought the Sforza forces under Niccolò Piccinino. He took part in the battle of Montelauro. | |
| 1444 | |||||
| Jan. | Umbria | He purchased from Pier Antonio Monaldeschi della Vipera half of the fief related to the castle of Monte Giove. | |||
| 1446 | |||||
| May | Venice | Milan | Lombardy | He left the Padua area to move into Lombardy. | |
| Aug. | Lombardy | He moved to Manerbio, crossed the Oglio, and stopped at Robecco d’Oglio with Taddeo d’Este, Tiberto Brandolini, Guglielmo di Monferrato, Guido Rangoni, Jacopo Catalano, and Cristoforo da Tolentino. | |||
| Sept. | Lombardy | To Gentile da Leonessa and his nephew Giovannantonio di Gattamelata was officially given command of the militias that had served under Gattamelata: their term was set at two years plus one additional year of respect, and it would be reconfirmed until his death. Leonessa arrived at San Giovanni in Croce and Casalmaggiore, where he joined with the captain general Micheletto Attendolo. He defeated Francesco Piccinino at Mezzano: of the loot seized, he received as his share 800 horses out of the 4,000 that fell into Venetian hands. | |||
| Oct.-Nov. | Lombardy | He besieged Soncino. During the operations one of his squad leaders was killed by a bomb shot; for this reason, he persuaded Micheletto Attendolo not to accept a negotiated surrender but to capture the castle. He crossed the Adda at Spino with Tiberto Brandolini at the head of 700 horses and 1,300 infantry; they fortified it, enabling the completion of the construction of a pontoon bridge. The Venetian army thus crossed the river. The ducal forces reacted late. At night, a fierce encounter began on the right bank, ending after two hours with the flight of the Visconti forces (Luigi dal Verme, Luigi da San Severino, the company of Bartolomeo Colleoni). Six hundred horses, including Campanella, and many war prisoners were captured. Leonessa then besieged Cassano d’Adda; after capturing the locality, he left it under guard with 800 horses and 2,000 infantry. | |||
| 1447 | |||||
| Aug. | Venice | Milan | 1,600 horses | Emilia | Upon the death of Duke Filippo Maria Visconti of Milan, he fought the Ambrosian Republic. He was assigned to defend Piacenza. |
| Dec. | 1,500 horses | Lombardy | He wintered in the Brescia area. | ||
| 1448 | |||||
| Sept. | Lombardy | He faced Francesco Sforza at Caravaggio. He urged Micheletto Attendolo and other so-called “marcheschi” condottieri to engage. He supported Tiberto Brandolini in his assault and saved him from capture when he was wounded and about to fall into enemy hands; he took prisoner Manno Barile and had him brought to his pavilion after rebuking him sharply. Later, he was repelled by Roberto da Montalboddo; he dismounted and took refuge in a nearby marsh. He was then captured by Manno Barile (who had by then freed himself) and brought before Francesco Sforza, who offered him words of comfort; his arms and horses were donated to Barile. Gentile da Leonessa was imprisoned in Cremona along with Roberto da Montalboddo and the provveditore Ermolao Donato. | |||
| Oct. | Venice | Milan | Lombardy | He was released following the Treaty of Rivoltella between the Serenissima and Sforza. | |
| Dec. | Emilia | In the Parma area, in support of the actions of Alessandro Sforza. | |||
| 1449 | |||||
| Aug. | Lombardy | He entered Crema, ceded to the Venetians by Carlo Gonzaga. He remained in the city with Cesare da Martinengo, Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, and the provveditore Andrea Dandolo. | |||
| 1450 | |||||
| Apr. | 1,500 horses and 400 infantry | Lombardy | In the Brescia area. | ||
| 1451 | |||||
| Mar. | Lombardy | He traveled to Brescia, where he owned a house. Pietro Avogadro and Antonio da Martinengo, along with other nobles, presented him with the honors of the citizenry. | |||
| Apr. | Governor General | Due to his reliability, he was chosen over Bartolomeo Colleoni as governor general. The insignia of command were delivered to him in Brescia by Niccolò da Canal and Andrea Dandolo. Colleoni refused to attend his inauguration ceremony. | |||
| May | Lombardy and Veneto | He received orders to join Jacopo Piccinino and capture Bartolomeo Colleoni at Isola della Scala before the Bergamasque condottiero could defect to the Sforza camp. A tournament was officially organized at Montichiari: Leonessa proceeded to Isola della Scala and surprised his rival’s company; Colleoni nevertheless escaped capture and fled to the Duchy of Milan. | |||
| Nov. | Lombardy | Two inhabitants of Lodi, Berondio dell’Acqua and Bernardo Mammarella, proposed to Jacopo Piccinino handing over to the Venetians the city gate facing the Adda and the bridge gate; Leonessa opposed the plan, as he had with a similar proposal by Piccinino the previous year. | |||
| 1452 | |||||
| Apr. | Venice | Milan | Veneto and Lombardy | He commanded the troops against the new Duke of Milan, Francesco Sforza. He camped at Manerbio and gathered forces over eight days, devastating the territories of the Serenissima in their path. | |
| May | 2,000 horses | Lombardy | Hostilities began. Leading 15,000 horses and 6,000 infantry, he moved towards Roccafranca, built a bridge at Rivolta d’Adda, took advantage of the negligence of Tristano Sforza, and launched raids into the Cremona and Lodi territories, occupying several castles (Covo, Antegnate, Barbata, Mozzanica). He moved towards Caravaggio and reached Casirate d’Adda. He was repelled by Cremona under Giacomo da Salerno. | ||
| Jun.-Jul. | Lombardy | Duke Francesco Sforza himself entered the Brescia territory; he threatened to flank Leonessa with an enveloping maneuver; tactically, Leonessa did not react directly but continued his operations in the Lodi area; he gradually retreated without revealing his intentions to his opponent. He fell back between Martinengo and Romano di Lombardia, reaching Calcio, then moved to Gallignano and Soncino, where he obtained the castle through a treaty; immediately afterward, Romanengo, Treviglio, and Genivolta came into his possession. He moved towards Pontevico, controlling the access roads to the marshes. Mid-month he was already between Pompiano and Corzano. Sforza moved decisively towards Orzinuovi. Leonessa shadowed him closely between Villagana, Gabbiano, and Rossa; a major skirmish occurred, ending with 600 deaths, mainly infantry. Sforza was forced to retreat into the Cremona area. | |||
| Aug. | Lombardy | He fortified between Orzinuovi and Soncino, while Sforza positioned himself at Quinzano d’Oglio. | |||
| Sept. | The Doge Francesco Foscari granted him the fief of Sanguinetto, previously belonging to Luigi dal Verme. Francesco Sforza broke camp and positioned at Bagnolo Mella; Leonessa moved to Bargnano. Both armies fortified and monitored each other for nearly a month. | ||||
| Oct. | Lombardy | The inhabitants of Calvisano welcomed the Sforza forces into the city; their example was immediately followed by those of Carpenedolo the next day. The Venetians moved to Ghedi and evacuated all able men from Montichiari. | |||
| Nov. | Lombardy | He intervened to support Tiberto Brandolini, blocking the Sforza forces between Gottolengo and Iseo and forcing them to take refuge in the nearby marshes. He was defeated near Asola. Francesco Sforza sent him, from Calvisano, the bloodied gauntlet to Ghedi, where he had stopped due to illness, and challenged him to open battle. Leonessa accepted, setting the date at the open field near Tumulo, by Montichiari. On the appointed day, both contenders appeared; there was heavy rain and Sforza was abandoned by his troops, while the Venetians waited in order, later retiring to their quarters. Around the same days, Leonessa clashed with Brandolini because the latter had arbitrarily punished some soldiers of his company, ignoring Leonessa’s authority on military justice. | |||
| Dec. | Lombardy | He remained at Ghedi; he repelled an attack by Bartolomeo Colleoni. The general situation for the Venetian army worsened: forage was lacking, causing two thousand horses to die, and there were no provisions for the soldiers. Disorders arose in the camp. Leonessa and other captains had to intervene to suppress a revolt by the saccomanni due to lack of every kind of comfort. He distributed his militia across the plains, in Val Trompia, in Val di Sabbia, in the Salò Riviera, and in the piedmont strips. | |||
| 1453 | |||||
| Jan. | Lombardy | He assaulted Castiglione delle Stiviere with 2,000 horses and 400 infantry: a first assault ended with heavy Venetian losses (300 men killed or wounded, including his nephew Giovannantonio). When a bombarda broke, Leonessa ordered a large quantity of hay near the walls to be set aflame, forcing the defenders to surrender under negotiated terms. The agreement was not honored; the booty was substantial for the victors. | |||
| Mar. | Lombardy | He besieged Manerbio with 1,000 horses, 2,000 infantry, 1,000 saccomanni, five bombarde, and one briccola. He died mid-month in a skirmish under the walls from wounds received from a musket shot; according to other accounts, he was mortally wounded by a long-barreled arquebus shot to the shoulder fired by Cristoforo Torelli. He was brought to his house in Brescia in the Porta Matolfa district, where he expired mid-month on Easter after receiving last rites and making a will. His funeral used the same funeral apparatus arranged for his nephew Giovannantonio, previously believed dead by physicians. He was initially buried in the church of Sant’Alessandro, whose restoration few months earlier he had funded with 500 ducats; his sister Giacoma, widow of Gattamelata, did not fulfill his last wishes due to lack of funds, with ecclesiastical permission. Later, his body was buried, also in Brescia, in the church of SS. Annunziata. A portrait of him on horseback, holding the command staff, was painted by the priors of Leonessa two centuries later in the council hall; the fresco disappeared in the early 1800s. His heirs were his nephew Giovannantonio and a posthumous son. Lorenzo Spirito recalls him in “Lamento di Perugia soggiogata”. His coat of arms: red with three silver knots, derived from that of Gattamelata, silver with three red knots in a horizontal band. In Leonessa, in his memory, the Velvet Palio (Palio del Velluto) is organized. |
Sources
-“Uomo saggio e prode.” MURATORI
-“La Repubblica perdette in lui un capitano generale veramente degno del suo dolore. Mai uomo non mostrò maggiore arte di lui nella scelta delle posizioni e nell’ordine delle delle marce militari. Opposto allo Sforza ebbe la sorte di arrestarlo coll’ardimento e prudenza de’ suoi movimenti. Questo è il maggior elogio che possa farsi alla sua abilità.” LAUGIER
-“Di humil fante, ch’era, in molte occasioni più facendo conoscere i meriti del valor suo, e ottenendo di grado in grado maggior carico in tal guerra, hebbe sotto di sé una grossa condotta di cavalli: con la quale non mancò sempre di portarsi honoratissimamente..Sarà ricordato da ogni secolo, e la sua morte nata d’una ferita, non harà forza di ferire il suo nome; mentre finché duri la cognitione del valore, si dirà sempre, che quell’ultimo sospiro, fu prima l’anima della sua vita e poscia della sua fama. Era Gentile di statura giusta e robusto assai; il volto hebbe bruno, gli occhi neri e il pelo castagniccio.” ROSCIO
-Con Roberto da Montalboddo, Guido Rangoni, Tiberto Brandolini, Jacopo Catalano “Viris omnibus in bello experti.” RIPALTA
-“Hujus mortem Senatus quam familiariter flevit, ac moleste tulit; erat enim dux maxima erga Senatum fide et observantia singularis.” PORCELLIO
-“Capitano della repubblica di grande stima.” VIANOLI
-“Capitano di stima.” VERDIZZOTTI
-“Di statura giusta, molto robusto, ha il volto bruno, gli occhi neri ed i capelli castani.” BASSETTI
-“La salma di Gentile da Leonessa sepolta in S. Alessandro, ma sulla sua tomba non fu collocata nemmeno una semplice iscrizione che ricordasse ai posteri il valore militare e l’immatura morte del celebre capitano di ventura. La morte spezzava a soli 52 anni, un grande sogno di potenza e di gloria.” GUERRINI
-“Il quale salì alla gloriosa altezza dell’eccellenza militare con laude maravigliosa..Era Gentile di statura giusta; e robusto assai: il volto hebeb bruno: gli occhi neri: e il pel castagniccio.” CAPRIOLO
-Ottava trascritta nel palazzo dei Priori di Leonessa al fianco del suo ritratto “La Leonessa generosa e fiera/ Fa i suoi figli tremendi e valorosi/ Così Leonessa nobile e altera/ Genera i figli intrepidi e famosi./ Questo dei Veneziani l’armata schiera/ Ha comandato con trofei pomposi./ Questo grande e magnifico Gentile/ Fu glorioso in arme, almo e gentile.
Specific Biographies
-R. Damiani-A. Di Nicola-A. Guerra- L. Nicoli- F. Silvestrini- F. Vitali- M. Zelli. Gentile da Leonessa
