Honor and Steel: The Life of Galeazzo da Mantova
Galeazzo da Mantova / Galeazzo Cattaneo (also known as Galeazzo Cattaneo dei Grumelli, Galeazzo Grumello, or Galeazzo Gonzaga) of Mantua. According to some sources, he was originally from Grumello in the Pavia region.
Death: 1406, April
| Year, Month | State, Comp. ventura | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| …………… | France | He fights a duel in front of the king of France with the Englishman Rubino; he throws his opponent to the ground with his mace, winning the contest. Thanks to this victory, he is granted an annual pension of 60 ducats. During the same period, according to a late source, he allegedly risked his life by throwing himself, armed and on horseback, into the Ticino River as a proof of love for a woman he was courting. | |||
| 1393 | Lombardy | In Pavia for the wedding of Elisabetta Visconti with Ernest of Bavaria (Ernesto di Baviera). | |||
| 1395 | |||||
| Aug. | Veneto | He fights a first duel in Padua with Boucicaut. The latter, while dining with Galeazzo da Mantova, accuses Italians of cowardice. A challenge follows, held in Padua before Francesco Novello da Carrara, lord of the city, and Francesco Gonzaga, lord of Mantua. Arriving in Padua at the start of the month, Galeazzo da Mantova is welcomed with honors. A few days later, Boucicaut also arrives, lodging at the Arena. Francesco Novello da Carrara attempts to mediate, but in vain. The duel is scheduled to take place in the square before the Carrarese court. At the end of the month, both champions appear. Boucicaut arrives accompanied by the lord of Padua, by Francesco Gonzaga, Pietro da Polenta, and Carlo Malatesta. He is preceded by these lords and leads three fine chargers by the bridle. The judges are Michele Rabatta, Morando di Porcia, and Paolo Lion. The bloodstained gauntlet is thrown to the ground, and the fight begins on foot (at Galeazzo da Mantova’s request). Boucicaut is wounded by the first lance strike, which pierces the mail hood covering his shoulder. Francesco Novello da Carrara and Francesco Gonzaga intervene to stop the fight. The two combatants agree, remove their helmets, and kiss each other on the mouth. They disarm and attend a banquet organized by Francesco Novello da Carrara. | |||
| Sept. | Lombardy | He attends the ceremony in which Gian Galeazzo Visconti is proclaimed Duke of Milan by Wenceslaus of Bohemia (Venceslao di Boemia). He takes part in a joust in Piazza Sant’Ambrogio, where, alongside the Bohemian Benezio di Cumsich, he wins the prize of 1000 florins. During the same days, a grand tournament involving 1000 knights and 450 squires is held. Half of them are dressed in red, half in white. The winner among the whites is Theodore, Marquis of Montferrat, who earns a pearl-adorned hat valued at 500 florins; a similar prize goes to Galeazzo da Mantova for the reds. | |||
| 1397 | |||||
| Mar. | Milan | Florence | Veneto Lombardy | He moves out of the area around Verona with Ugolotto Biancardo and Antonio Balestrazzo to enter the serraglio. He camps at Pontepossero and Erbé; after being turned back, he heads to Ostiglia, where he prepares a large number of galleons. | |
| June | Tuscany | He is in the territory of Pisa with Giovanni da Barbiano. He passes through Capannoli, San Lorenzo alle Corti, Asciano, Santa Maria del Giudice; he leaves the bridge on the Serchio River. | |||
| July | Tuscany | He marches on Ponte San Piero, causing significant damage. He occupies the village of Ripafratta, joins Carlo Ronghi, and advances with 600 cavalry toward Lupocavo. He is attacked, defeated, and captured by his opponents, who overrun the Florentines in the midst of their looting after an initial success. He is immediately freed, along with Ronghi, by Giovanni da Barbiano. | |||
| Aug. | Veneto and Lombardy | He again engages his enemies in the Mantuan area under the orders of Jacopo dal Verme. | |||
| 1399 | |||||
| Feb. | Tuscany | He enters Pisa with Konrad Von Weitingen (Corrado Lando), Antonio Porro, and Ottobono Terzi, commanding 3000 cavalry and 1500 infantry, for the transfer of the city’s lordship from Gherardo d’Appiano to the Duke of Milan. d’Appiano receives 2000 florins, along with the lordship of Piombino, Suvereto, Campiglia Marittima, and the entire island of Elba. | |||
| 1400 | |||||
| …………… | Milan | Malaspina | Tuscany | Gian Galeazzo Visconti sends him to the Lunigiana with 900 cavalry and 2000 infantry. He attacks the lands of Riccardo Malaspina, forces him to submit, enter Visconti service, and allow Milanese garrisons to guard his castles, in exchange for an annual stipend of 800 ducats. | |
| July | Count of Savoy | Cane | Piedmont | He serves the Count of Savoy against Facino Cane together with Rodolfo di Gruyères, Giovanni di Verney, Amedeo di Challant, and Count Ugo di Monforte. Leading 800 cavalry, he defeats 1000 of the opponent’s horsemen at Caravino; on the way back, while his troops are retreating in disarray, he is attacked by Facino Cane and is captured, along with all the captains and 600 cavalry. This occurs at Caravino and Settimo Rottaro. | |
| 1401 | |||||
| Oct. | Milan | Florence | Lombardy | Together with Alberico da Barbiano, Pandolfo Malatesta, Jacopo dal Verme, Facino Cane, and Ottobono Terzi (4500 lances, all Italians), he defeats the German troops of Robert of Bavaria at Nave. | |
| 1402 | |||||
| Feb.-May | Milan | Bologna | Emilia | He participates in the battle of Massumatico. In May, he again raids the Bolognese territory. | |
| June | Emilia | Deployed in the third squad together with Jacopo dal Verme, he is the first to strike the opponents in the Battle of Casalecchio di Reno; with part of the cavalry and crossbowmen, he seizes a strong bastion that controls the bridge over the river. He enters Bologna with Facino Cane via the Porta di San Donato. | |||
| Sept. | Emilia and Lombardy | When he hears of the serious illness of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan, he crosses Parma and hastens back to Lombardy with Francesco Gonzaga, lord of Mantua. | |||
| 1403 | |||||
| …………… | Milan | Church | Emilia | He is still engaged in the Bolognese area against the Papal forces led by Alberico da Barbiano, Carlo Malatesta, and Paolo Orsini. Together with Facino Cane, he defends the city against assaults by the troops of the papal legate Baldassarre Cossa. | |
| July | Emilia | His role is crucial in repelling a Papal attack on Bologna: he scales the walls with his men and drives the attackers back. Of the forces entering the city, 22 are killed by his troops. | |||
| Sept. | Milan Milan | Guelphs Padua | Emilia and Lombardy | When Bologna is handed over by the Visconti to the Papal forces with Paolo Savelli, he supports the Maltraversi faction against the Gozzadini. He returns to Lombardy and opposes Guelphs in the Bergamo area. He enters the district of Martinengo against Gerardino Colleoni, taking 45 prisoners, killing 18 men, and seizing 300 head of livestock. In Milan, he is present at the act of pardon for Lombard Guelphs. Leading 1000 cavalry and 500 infantry, he joins Jacopo dal Verme and Ottobono Terzi in relieving the citadel of Brescia from the Carrarese siege. The defenders have agreed to surrender if no Visconti aid arrives within eight days. Galeazzo da Mantova reaches Porta San Giovanni, where he is repulsed along with the other captains; Ottobono Terzi then moves to Porta Pile, enters the citadel with help from the Ghibellines, and supplies it with arms and provisions. Two days later, the Carraresi withdraw from Brescia at night. | |
| Oct. | Milan | Crema | Lombardy | With Giovanni Suardi and Perzino Lanzi, he carries out a raid up to the gates of Crema. The inhabitants come out of the city to push him back. Thirty are killed, 180 prisoners are taken, and all are led to Romano di Lombardia. The cattle seized total 1300 head. | |
| 1404 | |||||
| Apr. | Milan | Padua | Veneto | He defends Verona from Francesco Novello da Carrara, Niccolò d’Este, and Guglielmo, Brunoro, Antonio della Scala. Once he hears that these opponents are assaulting the walls, he mounts up with his men-at-arms and Ugolotto Biancardo. The crossbowmen on guard revolt and shout in favor of the Scaligeri. The Carraresi exploit the confusion and break into the city. Galeazzo da Mantova rallies his troops alongside Biancardo, but after fighting through the night, he is forced to cross the Adige and take shelter in the citadel. The Visconti forces soon surrender. | |
| Oct.-Nov. | Venice | Padua | Veneto | With Ottobono Terzi and Ugolotto Biancardo, he camps at Bussolengo, closing all Valpolicella passes to cut off Carrarese supply routes. | |
| 1405 | |||||
| Apr. | Veneto | He acquires the fortress of Garda by agreement and sacks the surrounding countryside as far as Monte Tomba, stopping first at Isola della Scala and then at Oppeano. He compels Cologna Veneta to surrender. He requests the Doge to remove that district from Verona’s jurisdiction and place it under Vicenza. | |||
| May | Veneto | Departing Oppeano at night, he nears Verona. He sets up ladders by the hillside to take Porta di San Gregorio (San Grigolo). His men begin to climb, but the guards spot them, and he withdraws to Pescantina at the cost of 200 men. Soon after, with a Venetian flotilla led by Rosso Marin, he attacks the fortress of Castelcarro, defended by Francesco Buzzaccarini. Forty Paduans are captured (20 are held for ransom), 12 are killed, and 150 flee. The castle holds many weapons, about twenty large bombards (three or four of them capable of firing 400–500-pound projectiles), 200 cuirasses, a few quarrels, numerous crossbows, hand-held spingards, and provisions for six months, along with much wine and stale bread. Many women and children, found hidden in the moat, are released. | |||
| June | Veneto | He moves to Bussolengo, then to Villafranca di Verona, where he is generally received favorably. He plans another assault on Verona via Porta di Santa Croce, but his men are detected while still exposed. The bells of Santa Croce, San Francesco, and the Trinità ring out; Giacomo da Carrara and Ludovico degli Obizzi repel the attempt. A similar attack at Acquaccio by Francesco Gonzaga also fails, driven back by Cecco da San Severino. | |||
| July | Veneto | He takes possession of the fortress of Soave, defended by Ludovico di Saluzzo with 50 crossbowmen and other infantry. | |||
| Aug. | Veneto | He lays siege to Padua, encamping at Le Maddalene near San Francesco. Carlo Zeno and Francesco Novello da Carrara enter peace discussions. At the end of the month, the lord of Padua (with 7400 men) launches a desperate attack on Paolo Savelli’s camp. The Carraresi seem poised to win, even capturing the opposing commander, but the arrival of Galeazzo da Mantova with 400 lances—returning from a raid—partly reverses the day’s events. However, Venice suffers losses amounting to over 100000 ducats. | |||
| Sept. | Veneto | A short truce follows, allowing the burial of the dead. Talks resume between Paolo Savelli, Carlo Zeno, and Roberto Morosini on one side, and Francesco Novello da Carrara with Michele da Rabatta on the other. The terms are nearly set when news from Florence prompts the lord of Padua to renew hostilities. | |||
| Oct. | Captain General | Veneto | Following the death of Paolo Savelli, command of the troops is given to Galeazzo da Mantova, after Jacopo dal Verme declines and retires to Vicenza. Galeazzo da Mantova pays for control of the fortress of San Martino della Vanezza and the castle of Arlesega, and he advances toward Padua for the final move. First, he blocks all supplies from Piove di Sacco. Any person caught bringing food to Padua is punished by death: men hanged, women burned. | ||
| Nov. | Veneto | He launches a full-scale assault on Padua with 8000 troops arranged in four divisions. Francesco Bembo with Peraghino and Marino da Peraga (2000 cavalry and numerous infantry) targets the Carmine side; Giannino, Battista, and Francesco Sanguinazzi, along with Niccolò di Lazara, attack the Santa Giustina moat, considered the weakest point; Lo Sparapano, recently defected from the Carraresi, presses the walls stretching from Ognissanti to the small Porciglia; the fourth division assaults the so-called Graticci dei Cesti bridge. Galeazzo da Mantova joins Lo Sparapano, scales the walls, and is wounded. The attack lasts from two hours before dawn until evening. Francesco Terzo da Carrara repels them, and the Venetians retreat to their entrenchments, abandoning ladders and other war engines, which are taken into the city. Galeazzo da Mantova continues operations, encamping at Terranegra, where engineer Domenico da Firenze advises building a covered passage from the Porta dei Leoni to the portello of Ognissanti. The Carraresi counter with a deep ditch and reinforce the walls. He secures the castle of Limena by negotiation with Il Trapolino, causing unrest in the city. Giovanni Beltramini bribes the guards of the barbican at Porta di Santa Croce, allowing Venetian forces to climb the walls and enter the suburb. The bells toll, and few rise to defend the Carraresi, whose fate is now sealed. Francesco Novello da Carrara seeks a meeting with Galeazzo da Mantova to discuss surrender terms with Roberto Morosini, Leonardo Dandolo, and Francesco da Molin. Entering Padua with the banner of Saint Mark through Porta di Ognissanti, Galeazzo da Mantova knights the defectors Peraghino da Peraga, Palamino dei Vitaliani, and Giovanni Beltramini. Outside the gate, he meets Francesco Novello da Carrara. He lodges in the court palace and convinces the former lord of the city and his son Francesco Terzo to go to Venice, claiming the Serenissima would not impose impossible conditions. Contrary to their agreement, he also takes over the city’s castle. Escorted by Galeazzo da Mantova, Francesco da Molin, and numerous men-at-arms, the Carraresi are transferred to Oriago, then placed on five armed boats for Venice, where father and son are later strangled. In recognition of his services, Galeazzo da Mantova is granted Venetian nobility by Doge Michele Steno and an annual stipend of 1000 ducats. | |||
| 1406 | |||||
| Jan. | Comp. ventura | Trento Venice | Trentino and Veneto | After the conflict with Farina and Pietro dei Proti, he gathers 3000 cavalry and moves into Valsugana, joined by Sicco da Caldonazzo. They devastate the Trentino region. Bishop George (Giorgio) of Trent pays him 5000 ducats as a ransom. He then enters the Veronese and Vicentine areas, claiming Venice owes him 30000 ducats. An agreement is reached: the venturieri are paid 15000 ducats in two installments. | |
| Feb. | Friuli Veneto and Lombardy | He accepts four and a half months’ pay from Venice, provides the required hostages, leaves the Veneto, and returns to Lombardy to serve the Duke of Milan with 1000 cavalry and a similar number of infantry. | |||
| Mar. | Milan | Genoa | 1000 cavalry and 1000 infantry | He confronts Boucicaut, who has left Genoa to move against the Duke’s forces. Likely around this time, a second duel with the French captain occurs, again prompted by his contempt for Italian arms. Boucicaut is defeated and, out of shame, resolves never to wear a helmet or visor again. | |
| Apr. | Milan | Guelphs | Lombardy | With Jacopo dal Verme, he attacks Giovanni, Paolo, and Pietro Colleoni at Trezzo sull’Adda. He commands 5000 cavalry, many infantry (including numerous local levies), more than 1000 pioneers, many carts full of lumber (for building bastions and a bridge over the Adda), and numerous bombards. Entering the Bergamo area, he secures the castle of Marne by coming to terms with Andriolo Avogadro, then captures the castles of Suisio and Chignolo d’Isola, where flour, wine, and many household items are found. He presses on Medolago, facing stronger resistance. The defenders request a parley; coming before the walls and raising his visor, he is struck by a quarrel that pierces his eye and brain, killing him. Another account states he was killed while lifting his visor to encourage his men. His body is retrieved by Ghibelline forces at a cost of further casualties. He learned swordsmanship from the Friulian master Fiore dei Liberi. Some writers identify him with the Gonzaga family, as a son of Bartolomeo. |
Sources
-“Uno dei più prodi Condottieri d’armi che s’avesse allora l’Italia.” MURATORI
-“Capitano animoso e valente; celebrato per un duello col Boucicaut, uomo di smisurata statura e altezzoso dispregiatore degl’Italiani.” ARGEGNI
-“Spectabile et potente cavalier.” SANUDO
-“Magnanimus ductorum armorum..:qui fuit vir fortissimus et acerrimus, et vicit multa certamina.” ANNALES FOROLIVIENSES
-“Huomo fidelissimo e fortissimo. Questi è quel Galeazzo che riportò tante vittorie, si a pié come a cavallo, da diverse parti, provocando famosi cavalieri a battaglia.” EQUICOLA
-In duello con il Boucicaut “Misser Galeazo el mantoan mai fallo/ Fece a chi l’invitasse in tal guisa/ a Padoa prese misser buccicallo./ (E se gli è ver quel che odo) in campo (a) Pisa/ Con aspro concorrente per amore/ d’una donzella se scontrò in camisa./….Cognominobatur civitatis suae lumen.” CORNAZZANO
-In occasione della sua morte “Alcuni credettero ciò accaduto per vendetta di Dio, per aver egli, come dicevano, sotto la parola tradito Francesco da Carrara.” VERCI
-In occasione della sua morte “Miserabilis casus tanti hominis, quo nemo fere me puero audacior dictus… Vir quantum eo tempore militaris roboris esset acerrimus.” BILLIA
-Al comando delle truppe veneziane al posto di Jacopo dal Verme “A lui nell’armi nell’imper supremo/ Grumel succede, Mantovan guerriero.” GABARDI BROCCHI
-“Homo di grande virtù.” SERCAMBI
-“Fu in questo tempo come un altro Hercole per fortezza e per valore.” SANSOVINO
-“Era Galeazzo animosissimo e valorosissimo cavalliere, e combattendo molte volte da corpo a corpo ne restò sempre superiore.. Picciolo della persona, ma tutto spirito.” TARCAGNOTA
-“Condottiero assai rinomato.. nel secolo XV.” BOSI
-“Viro fortissimo et manu prompto..Qui singulari certamine, tum equestri tum pedestri, victor toties evasit, non in Italia modo, sed etiam in Gallia.” PLATINA
-“Celebrato cavaliere del suo tempo.. Fu uno dei più gentili e prodi cavalieri del suo secolo.. Si narra che, essendosi il Grumello invaghito d’una fanciulla pavese, questa per offrirgli l’amor suo gli ingiunse di saltar giù col proprio destriero dal ponte Ticino. Ed egli mattamente adempì al desiderio di lei. Egli.. tra la Pieve del Cairo e Lomello, fece edificare la villa Galla aula (Galliavola) ed i suoi discendenti nel 1549 formavano parte delle famiglie decurionali di Pavia.” MAGENTA
-Con Jacopo dal Verme, Alberico da Barbiano, Ottobono Terzi, Facino Cane, Pandolfo Malatesta “Peritissimos belli duces.” BRACCIOLINI
-“Miles fortissimus.” REDUSIO
-“Il miglior prencipe, che in quel tempo portasse arme.” CORIO
-“Nobile di Mantova ed uomo di celebrato valore e perizia militare.” TENTORI
-“Vir quantum eo tempore militaris roboris esset acerrimus.” CAVRIOLO
-“Un condottiere di fama.” MALLETT
-“Del Cattaneo si ignorano il luogo e l’esatta data di nascita; incerto è anche il cognome, che nelle cronache e nei documenti è dato in varie forme. Il cognome “Gonzaga” e l’appellativo “da Mantova” potrebbero far pensare ch’egli appartenesse a un ramo cadetto della famiglia: ma le prime testimonianze sul Cattaneo si riferiscono tutte all’ambiente padovano. In seguito egli appare al sevizio della grande famiglia mantovana, motivo per cui i cronisti finiranno per confonderlo molto spesso con Francesco Gonzaga. Non è improbabile quindi un errore nell’attribuirgli tale cognome, come non è da escludere che i Gonzaga gliene avessero l’uso a titolo d’onore. D’altronde anche il cognome Cattaneo o Cattaneo di Grumello, attestato dai documenti più antichi, potrebbe essere un semplice titolo nobiliare, indicante una investitura a feudatario “in capite” (capitaneus, da cui Cattaneo) di Grumello.” O’RIORDAN COLASANTI
-“(Informazioni tratte dal libro di Paride del Pozzo, “Duello”) Nel corso di una festa nel suo palazzo di Avignone, non ancora venduta al Papa (ma per altri la storia è ambientata a Gaeta), la regina Giovanna convocò tutti i poeti della Provenza in una competizione in versi di cui elesse giudice le dame del suo seguito. Fu in questa occasione che Galeazzo da Mantova, già noto per la sua bravura nel ballo per un giro che la regina gli concesse ad Aversa, fu scelto da Giovanna come suo cavaliere all’aprirsi delle danze. Galeazzo, stupito ed onorato da quella scelta, non appena il ballo terminò, si inginocchiò davanti alla regina e, in un impeto cavalleresco che ricorda l’amore donchisciottesco, fece voto ai suoi piedi di vagare per il mondo alla ricerca sfidando i cavalieri che avessero negato la bellezza e la gentilezza della regina, fino a che non ne avrebbe sconfitti due e donati a lei come regalo affinché ne disponesse come voleva. Giovanna divertita, gli concesse il baciamano, gli diede un guanto da usare nell’atto di sfida ed un nastro annodato, segno di voto fatto. Galeazzo entusiasta e fedele all’impegno, cercò duelli in Francia, Borgogna, Inghilterra, Spagna, Germania ed Ungheria. Ci volle un anno affinché tornasse a Napoli con due prigionieri. Fu ricevuto dalla regina con grandi onori, presentò i suoi prigionieri chinato in ginocchio e Giovanna si complimentò con lui. la regina si volse poi ai due cavalieri prigionieri concedendo loro la libertà, del denaro per ritornare in patria e il dono di grosse catene d’oro.” ANGELO D’AMBRA (La regina Giovanna I e Galeazzo da Mantova. Historia Regni).
Featured image: Armizare
