Between loyalty and suspicion in Giampaolo Manfrone’s service
Lord of Petina. Father of Giulio Manfrone.
Born: 1441
Death: 1527, October
| Year, Month | State, Comp. ventura | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| …….. | Angiò | Naples | Serves in the companies of Jacopo Piccinino. | ||
| 1477 | |||||
| Oct. | Venice | Ottoman Empire | Friuli | Participates in the Battle of Gradisca d’Isonzo. | |
| 1478–1479 | Venice | Church of Naples | Broken lance | Umbria and Tuscany | Fights in the company of Charles of Montone (Carlo di Montone) and Bernardino of Montone (Bernardino di Montone); maintains friendship and respect for the latter. |
| ………….. | Naples | Campania | Serves in the companies of the Duke of Calabria Alfonso of Aragon (Alfonso d’Aragona); for his merits is granted the fief of Petina in the Salerno area. | ||
| 1486 | |||||
| May | Church | Naples | Tuscany | Distinguishes himself in the Battle of Montorio. | |
| 1494 | Naples | France | Opposes the French; is among the few captains who, after the defeat, do not join the general defection of the Aragonese army. | ||
| 1495 | |||||
| July | Venice | France | 200 horses | Piedmont | In Venetian service; takes part in the Siege of Novara. |
| ………… | Venice | Florence | Governor of lances 62 lances | Tuscany | Leaves Brescia for Tuscany to fight the Florentines on behalf of Pisa; is given funds to raise troops; the inhabitants of Pontremoli block his passage by order of Ludovico Sforza; forced to retreat, he reaches Tuscany through the Este territories. |
| 1496 | |||||
| Apr. | Tuscany | Attempts to recover horses captured by the Florentines; with 200 men-at-arms is lured into an ambush at Bientina by Ercole Bentivoglio (170 men-at-arms, 160 light horses, 2,000 infantry); defeated, he flees to Vicopisano; Francesco Secco is killed by an arquebus shot among the Florentines. | |||
| May | Tuscany | Assaults castles controlled by the Florentines in the Pisan territory; seeks to block the passes to Livorno to hinder trade and resupply by sea; his mount is wounded in combat; the Florentines place a bounty of 200 ducats on his head and promise a monthly pension of 12 ducats for his capture; he leaves Cascina with 110 men-at-arms, 300 light horse and infantry; sacks Ponsacco, capturing Ludovico da Marciano with 40 lances, 25 light horses and 200 infantry. | |||
| June | Tuscany | At Vicopisano; at Buti captures several men-at-arms and obtains new loot. | |||
| July | Tuscany | Attends a council of war with Provveditore Giustiniano Morosini and Lucio Malvezzi; the latter refuses to support the Venetian offensive due to delayed pay; nevertheless, he storms the Pescia countryside, captures and sacks Borgo a Buggiano and Stignano; returns to the Pisan region. | |||
| Sept. | Tuscany | Conquers Soiana, Morana, Terricciola and Cigoli; is wounded below the knee by a harquebus ball in a skirmish on Lake Bientina; after a raid in the territory of Buti, where the Venetians secure 400 sacks of wheat, is ambushed by ten cavalry squads, many crossbowmen and four infantry squads; both sides suffer heavy losses; renews attacks on hilltop castles, seizing San Regolo, San Luzio, Usigliano, Casanova and other fortresses; with Agostino da Maragliano captures horses belonging to Costantino Arianiti, who repeatedly demands their return from Mantua to Francesco Gonzaga. | |||
| Dec. | Tuscany | Remains in the Pisan region; commands 5 constables with a total of 750 men. | |||
| 1497 | |||||
| Mar. | Tuscany | With 400 light horses and 1,500 infantry attempts to retake the fort at Ponte a Stagno between Pisa and Livorno; is attacked at night by Ranuccio da Marciano; defeated with heavy prisoner losses (150 men, including 22 ensigns). | |||
| Sept. | Tuscany | Defends Pisa with 250 horses. | |||
| Oct. | Tuscany | His company is in disorder and understrength; requests leave to go to the Kingdom of Naples to fetch his wife Angela Mele, a Neapolitan noblewoman; is granted permission. | |||
| 1498 | |||||
| June | 400 horses | Lombardy and Romagna | Leaves the Brescia area to head to Ravenna when Ottaviano Riario, son of the Lady of Forlì Caterina Sforza, is taken by the Florentines. | ||
| Aug. | Romagna | In the Ravenna region; a servant steals three of his best horses and flees to Forlì; after failed demands to Caterina Sforza, obtains Venetian permission for reprisals in Imola; ravages the territory, looting 2,000 ducats, then returns to Ravenna. | |||
| Sept. | Romagna; Tuscany | Enters the Lamone Valley; with Giuliano de’ Medici presents himself at Marradi, whose castle gates open to him; encamps nearby and captures 60 Imolese infantry. | |||
| Oct. | Tuscany | Besieges the castle of Marradi; soon abandons the operation with Bartolomeo d’Alviano. | |||
| Nov. | Captain general of infantry | Tuscany | In the Casentino; receives command of the infantry from Guidobaldo da Montefeltro; destroys the mills of Poppi. | ||
| Dec. | Tuscany | Montefeltro considers reducing operations in Romagna due to lack of men, supplies and artillery; Manfrone opposes the plan and supports Alviano, preferring the defensive line of Bibbiena; advances to Montecoronaro; after Alviano’s defeat at Marzano, moves to the Branzona Valley and towards Pratieghi with Verona provisions and Lamone Valley constables. | |||
| 1499 | |||||
| Jan.–Feb. | Tuscany and Marche | Leaves Pratieghi for Casteldelci, linking with Astorre Baglioni, Taliano da Carpi, Annibale Bentivoglio and Giacomazzo da Venezia; sent to aid Carlo Orsini defending Montecoronaro and Montalone; escorts 400 infantry, each carrying 15–20 pounds of flour for the defenders of Mounts of La Verna; moves toward Verghereto, is in difficulty, rescued by Baglioni and Orsini; reports to Provveditore Francesco Venier the dire situation—numerous desertions among Venetians and peasants looting horses sent by Montefeltro—and returns to Casteldelci. | |||
| Mar. | Tuscany and Romagna | His company is understrength; obtains leave to leave the Casentino and return to Ravenna. | |||
| Apr. | Lombardy | At his quarters in Lombardy. | |||
| May | Veneto and Romagna | Rumours circulate of his imminent transfer to the pay of Duke Ludovico Sforza of Milan; travels to Venice and denies the allegations. | |||
| June | Romagna and Tuscany | Complaints in Venice by the Lord of Faenza Astorre Manfredi concerning reprisals by Manfrone in that territory. | |||
| July | Venice | Milan | Lombardy | At Asola to face the ducal forces; before moving requests funds for his soldiers. | |
| Aug. | 100 lances and 20 light horses | Lombardy | Presses to attack the Sforza forces from Pontoglio; joins the Venetian army with his company of 100 men-at-arms (400 horses) and 20 light horses. | ||
| Sept. | Venice | Ottoman Empire | Lombardy and Friuli | Penetrates the Cremona region; occupies Castelleone after inhabitants expel the Milanese infantry; Cremona falls to the Serenissima; at the subsequent inspection his company is complete save for one mounted crossbowman; sent to Friuli to check the Turkish advance. | |
| 1500 | |||||
| Jan.–Feb. | Veneto and Campania | Travels first to Venice; in February is reported in Campania to see his wife. | |||
| Mar. | Friuli | Again confronts the forces of İskender Pasha (Ottoman). | |||
| Apr. | 125 lances | Friuli | Appointed governor of the Friuli troops; his pay is increased by 100 horses; tasked with taking Gorizia upon the death of Count Leonardo of Gorizia—imperial action prevents Venetian claims and the Council of Ten abandons the attempt. | ||
| July | Veneto | Passes through Treviso with five squads; inhabitants of Meduna di Livenza kill his son and two ensigns; a trial is initiated in Udine; in August Manfrone places a bounty on the assassins. | |||
| Sept. | 119 lances | Friuli | At the muster of his company held at Gradisca d’Isonzo. | ||
| Oct. | Friuli | Continues in Friuli; with Gorlino Tombesi, four engineers and two Venetian patricians, serves on a commission to inspect fortifications and recommend improvements. | |||
| 1501 | Friuli and Veneto | Requests leave to join his wife in Naples; in March is at Montagnana; renews leave request and asks for 200 ducats for travel expenses. | |||
| 1502 | |||||
| June | Governor of lances | Romagna | At Ravenna; monitors movements of Vitellozzo Vitelli, who is at Castrocaro Terme recruiting infantry for Cesare Borgia; his appointment as governor of lances (125 men-at-arms) is renewed. | ||
| Oct. | Romagna | Leaves Cervia and conducts minor raids in Romagna; his men are forced to return their loot. | |||
| 1503 | |||||
| Feb. | Romagna | At Ravenna, reconciles with Giovambattista Caracciolo under pressure from city authorities. | |||
| Aug. | Romagna | Upon the death of Pope Alexander VI, with Filippo Albanese watches Venetian borders from Ravenna; joins Pandolfo Malatesta at Cesenatico. | |||
| Sept. | Romagna | Unsuccessful attempt to seize Cesena via treaty with the Martinelli. | |||
| Oct. | Romagna | Reprimanded by Venice for damage caused by his 500-horse company in Cervia; negotiates in Rimini with castellan Maldonato Valdonsello for Pandolfo Malatesta; moves into the Lamone Valley with Giacomazzo da Venezia, agrees with Dionigi Naldi to occupy Faenza at the expense of the Florentines and Manfredi, who have the same objective. | |||
| Nov. | Romagna | Takes part in the Siege of Faenza; with Dionigi and Vincenzo Naldi and Giulio Vitelli advocates direct three-front assault with 2,000 infantry and Lamone Valley troops (Porta di Imola with two cannons; from the fortress after filling the moat with fascines and earth; Porta Montanara); other captains propose a blockade; upon the city’s surrender is sent to Rimini; Venice must pay for damage caused by his men. | |||
| Dec. | Romagna | Returns to the Imola area to settle a dispute with Melchiorre Ramazzotto, who has taken refuge in the local fortress; the meeting is postponed due to bad weather; Ramazzotto opts for service under the Papal States; an attempt to obtain Cusercoli via Guido Malatesta fails likewise; in Venice’s Collegio dei Pregadi his conduct is censured by Provveditore Niccolò Foscarini for avarice and failure to maintain discipline among his men. | |||
| 1504 | |||||
| Jan. | Romagna | Pope Julius II complains to Venetian ambassador Antonio Giustinian about his previous attempt to seize Cusercoli; Giampaolo Manfrone is posted in Rimini; oversees his operations. | |||
| Mar. | Romagna | Reconnoiters Cesenatico with Giovanni Greco to prevent Papal forces from seizing it; coordinates its defense with Niccolò Orsini and returns to Rimini. | |||
| Apr.–Aug. | Romagna | Stationed in Rimini. | |||
| Oct. | Veneto | In Venice for consultation with the Council of Savi. | |||
| 1505 | |||||
| Mar. | Romagna | Stationed in Rimini. | |||
| 1506 | |||||
| July | Romagna | Raids San Mauro Pascoli for Cardinal of San Giorgio Raffaello Riario; is driven off by Brunoro da Forlì. | |||
| Oct. | Veneto and Ravenna | Returns from the Rovigo area to Ravenna; commands 700 horses. | |||
| 1507 | |||||
| Apr. | Veneto; Trentino | At Cologna Veneta for the muster of his company; in autumn moves to the Rovereto frontier due to Imperial threats. | |||
| Dec. | Verona | In Verona; protests delayed pay. | |||
| 1508 | |||||
| Jan. | Venice | Empire | 580 horses | Veneto | At Verona, reviews his men (500 horses plus 80 reinforcements) before 12,000 people, city rectors and Provveditore General Giorgio Emo; camps at Bussolengo against the Imperials. |
| Feb. | Veneto | Inspects the passes at Caprino Veronese; moves to Vicenza province and the Seven Communes plateau. | |||
| Mar. | Veneto | Falls ill at Bassano del Grappa, limiting his involvement in the conflict. | |||
| Apr. | Friuli | At Lucinico near Gorizia with Pandolfo Malatesta; local peasants refuse entry to his men; soldiers clash with them, killing 12–16 and wounding 50–60. | |||
| Oct. | Romagna | At Faenza with Giovanni Greco. | |||
| Dec. | Romagna | In Rimini briefly with Giovanni Greco, Carlo Secco, Dionigi and Vincenzo Naldi; returns to Faenza and requests funds—his pay for the year totals 9,000 ducats. | |||
| 1509 | |||||
| ………… | Veneto | Travels to Venice with his son Giulio. | |||
| Apr. | Venice | Church; France | Romagna and Emilia | Assaults Castel Bolognese; skirmishes near Faenza with Papal forces at the gate defended by Francesco da Lonato, captain of 75 mounted crossbowmen; suspecting a plot against Venice, he closes the city gates and imprisons da Lonato, who confesses and is hanged with his son and two soldiers on the city walls; Pope Julius II places a bounty on Manfrone alive or dead; is saved by captured Forlì soldiers who aid his escape. | |
| May | Romagna and Emilia | Leads 800 infantry, 125 lances and 200 light horses from Faenza to engage 4,000 Papal troops; falls into an ambush in the Lamone Valley at the Gesso wood by Giampaolo Baglioni and Ludovico della Mirandola; falls from his horse and retreats to Brisighella fortress; is besieged by Francesco Maria della Rovere, Bernardino Camaiano and Provveditore Andrea Baseggio; gunpowder magazine explodes on first shot and he surrenders at discretion after three assaults; captured by Giovanni da Sassatello while attempting to flee; Spanish king confiscates Petina; initially treated well by Sassatello and Mirandola, then transferred against terms to Mirandola and a 3,000-ducat bounty imposed on him—half to each captain. | |||
| June–July | Emilia | The Council of Ten decides to ransom him; negotiations stall due to Pope Julius II’s opposition. | |||
| ………… | Veneto | Is released; according to a French source fights the French in the latter half of the year; Pietro Baiardo opposes his raids in the Verona area; Imperial foraging parties depart with Pierrepont’s escort (30–40 men-at-arms and mounted archers); Baiardo positions himself at San Martino Buon Albergo with 100 men-at-arms while 500 Venetian horses forage; Manfrone, warned of an ambush, hides 500–600 infantry in a nearby palace; Baiardo attacks with cavalry; Manfrone withdraws and the French fall into his trap, suffering heavy losses (2,000 infantry and 25 men-at-arms killed; 60 prisoners taken to Verona); Manfrone is likely captured in this fight and thereafter reported prisoner of the French, confined in Brescia castle. | |||
| 1510 | |||||
| Mar. | Pope Julius II asks Venice to employ Manfrone if released by the French. | ||||
| Apr. | Lombardy | Transferred to Cremona by Gian Giacomo Trivulzio, who ransoms him for 2,500 ducats. | |||
| May | Veneto and Emilia | Taken first to Verona, then Ferrara to negotiate exchange with the Boissy; sends his son Giulio to Brentelle camp to inform the French captain that if not freed within three days he will be returned to Verona. | |||
| June | Venice | France; Empire | 70 lances | Veneto | Freed at Monselice, travels to Venice; falls ill; meets Doge Leonardo Loredan, receives 300 ducats in advance, moves to Brentelle camp near Padua; his proposal to retake Bassano del Grappa with 100 infantry and 200 lances is first opposed by Bernardino of Montone and Lucio Malvezzi but later approved; inspects Monselice fortifications—unsatisfactory; sallies at Valbona with Giovanni Forti, then toward Rovolon, skirmishes en route; Council of Savi grants him and his son Giulio 150 men-at-arms and annual pay of 500 ducats, plus 700 ducats to complete his company; he complains and Council increases his command to 150 lances and grants Giulio 60 mounted crossbowmen, and raises his monthly pay to 50 ducats (600 annually). |
| July | 93 lances | Veneto | Argues that Padua, not Treviso, is threatened by the French and that dividing the army is pointless; uncovers a plot by Girolamo da Vercelli; proposes himself as governor-general; reaches Monselice with Andrea Gritti, Lucio Malvezzi and Renzo di Ceri; fights in front line, captures 18 men-at-arms; quarters at Santa Croce Bigolina, San Pietro in Gu, Longare, Mestrino and Montegalda; Council adds 30 mounted crossbowmen to his Ravenna forces to total 100; Malvezzi appointed governor-general; Manfrone feigns illness and avoids Padua; criticized at the next review for understrength company; relocates to Polesine and demands more money to satisfy his crossbowmen; returns to Padua, departs Torre camp for Verona with his colonel. | ||
| Sept. | Veneto | Blocked at San Bonifacio by Andrea da Capua, reaches San Martino Buon Albergo camp and falls ill again; goes to Cologna Veneta with his son Giulio for tertian fever treatment. | |||
| Oct. | Governor general | Veneto | Supports Andrea Gritti in recapturing Belluno, defended by Andrea of Liechtenstein with 100 infantry and 200 horses, aided by 4,000 engineers and 5,000 armed peasants; moves to Cittadella; 6 artillery pieces bombard Belluno’s walls, Pradella gate falls; defenders resist through eight assaults; Venetian losses 2,000; defenders lose 200; Manfrone withdraws two miles; receives heavier cannons, infantry and horses; Liechtenstein surrenders at discretion; held in Venice’s arsenal with officers; Manfrone remains in Padua through year-end for illness recovery under physician Giovanni Speroni. | ||
| 1511 | |||||
| Jan. | Veneto and Emilia | In Venice’s Collegio dei Pregadi; requests release of rebel Veronese Brunoro da Serego in exchange for 10,000 ducats guarantee; Doge rebuffs him; leaves Montagnana with his company for Mirandola to aid Papal siege. | |||
| Feb. | 150 lances | Emilia | Crosses the Po by boat with his company and 1,000 infantry; mule falls on him, leg severely swells. | ||
| Apr. | 100 lances | Emilia | |||
| May | Emilia and Lombardy | Leads 300 light horses in clash at Massa Finalese with 300 French infantry and 500 cavalry under Fleuranges de la Marck and Imbercourt; takes battle position on a bridge; Venetian infantry cannot withstand heavy cavalry; Manfrone is captured by a stradiot and eight men-at-arms; transferred to Parma then Brescia castle. | |||
| June | Lombardy and France | Transferred from Mantua to France. | |||
| July–Aug. | Veneto | Released on parole, travels to Padua where son Giulio commands remaining company (75 lances); urges ransom or exchange for the “Cavalier Bianco”; Council of Ten opts to release the French captain, allowing Manfrone to resume arms. | |||
| Sept. | Veneto | Upon Lucio Malvezzi’s death accepts Bernardino of Montone as deputy governor without objection; leaves Padua with Carlo of Montone (150 men-at-arms, 800 light horses, 150 infantry, two falconets) to burn Bassano del Grappa bridge. | |||
| Oct. | Veneto | Pursues French leaving Treviso siege with Meleagro da Forlì to block Brenta crossing; reported at Isola Mantegna; moves into Vicenza province to occupy Scala and Covolo. | |||
| Nov. | Veneto | Leaves Padua again, renews Scala attempt; arrives at Bassano del Grappa with Giovanni dal Borgo; sent by Gritti to Asiago plateau against 3,000 Germans; guards Marostica passes with 800 infantry, burns Ospedaletto; repulsed at Covolo. | |||
| Dec. | Veneto | Leads 6,000 men (100 lances, light horses, infantry) to Cadore, seized by Imperials; with Giovanni Forti and Provveditore Girolamo Zorzi; forced to abandon Castle of Gardona pass after heavy fighting costing 350 villagers; retreats to Serravalle (Vittorio Veneto) then reconquers Belluno; attacked by 6,000 infantry and 500 light horses, withdraws via Rudo Gate to Ponte di Piave with 800 horses and 600 infantry; Imperials abandon Belluno due to inferior numbers, Manfrone returns with 50 men-at-arms. | |||
| 1512 | |||||
| Jan. | 121 lances | Friuli | His men protest severe pay delays. | ||
| Feb. | Captain general | Veneto and Lombardy | Supports Provveditore General Andrea Gritti in reconquest of Brescia: leaves Albaredo d’Adige with Baldassarre di Scipione, joins Luigi Avogadro, enters city via Porta Sant’Alessandro; commands troops; attacked by 700 lances and 8,000+ French infantry from the castle, resists at Porta Pile with Babone Naldi’s infantry and 60 men-at-arms of Taddeo della Volpe; incoming Gascon infantry and French lances force his surrender at the Broletto to Governor of Lodi du Plessis; Venetian losses heavy; Brescia subjected to seven-day sack. | ||
| June–Sept. | Lombardy and France | Taken to Milan; in September is sent prisoner to France. | |||
| 1513 | |||||
| Apr. | Lombardy and Veneto | Released as Venice and France ally against Spain and Empire; travels incognito to Crema then to Venice, reports in Collegio on Verona situation, Brescia events and his captivity; his command of 150 men-at-arms is renewed. | |||
| May | Venice | Spain; Empire | 50 lances | Veneto | In Venice for public ceremonies including the Marriage of the Sea; Alviano calls him courageous but unfit for command; witnesses Alviano receive General Captain stendardo and silver baton in St. Mark’s; returns to Collegio and receives 1,000 ducats (having refused 500 earlier) to operate with 50 men-at-arms in the Vicentino. |
| June | 45 lances | Veneto | Defends Vicenza with 45 lances; given command of city militia (4,000 infantry, 500 cavalry); fortifies the city, brings in many rural troops; surprises German and Spanish companies at Villaverla, recovers booty; in Vicenza faces discipline issues, disputes with Agostino da Brignano; with Battista Dotto holds Tavernelle against possible Verona attacks. | ||
| July | 50 lances | Veneto | Leaves Vicenza when Spanish army reaches San Bonifacio; Alviano sends him to Cittadella to protect harvesters; escorts 100 carts of grain and wine to Padua with Matteo Toso; commands numerous ravaging parties to harass the enemy when vulnerable. | ||
| Aug. | Veneto | At Marostica and Treviso; Giampaolo Baglioni sends him to defend Bassano del Grappa and Marostica with Lorenzo da Bassano, Niccolò da Pesaro and Provveditore Giovanni Vitturi; skirmishes Spanish at Villorba, captures 12 men-at-arms (2 killed) and 25 light horses, all taken to Bassano; engages again in Treviso area, is routed and reaches Asolo for safety. | |||
| Sept. | Veneto | Supports Guido Rangoni near Frassine; backed by light horse of Galeazzo Rapetta and Marco of Calabria; moves to Cittadella as base for raids in the Vicentino (12 horses captured); Spaniards withdraw from Venetian Cittadella countryside; Manfrone links with Bernardino da Sesso to defend that territory with 300 men; turns to Marostica when Imperials led by Antonio da Thiene ask for its surrender; relocates to the Brenta to block enemy passes. | |||
| Oct. | Veneto | Alviano sends him with 5,000 ravagers and light artillery to Montecchio Maggiore to destroy the Retrone bridge toward Vallarsa; after difficulty and Alviano’s guidance moves to Schio with Andrea Civran and Bartolomeo da Porto (1,000 peasants, 70 mounted crossbowmen from Vicenza); fights at the Battle of Creazzo, his ravagers flee and he withdraws to Padua; sent to defend Treviso; travels to Venice, blames others for defeat, demands his 50-ducat monthly allowance, full command of 150 men-at-arms, and three months’ pay; referred to Council of Savi, which grants his monthly allowance and adds 50 lances to his effective command. | |||
| Nov. | Veneto | In Padua for funeral of Spanish captain Alfonso di Carvajal and solemn mass attended by Alviano and Baglioni. | |||
| 1514 | |||||
| Feb. | Veneto | In Venice’s Collegio dei Pregadi with his son; requests captain-general of infantry. | |||
| Mar. | 100 men-at-arms | Friuli | Council of Savi reduces his command from 150 to 100 men-at-arms; appointed governor of Friuli in place of Malatesta Malatesta da Sogliano; supports Alviano in the Battle under Pordenone walls. | ||
| Apr. | 109 lances | Veneto and Friuli | From Treviso to Venice’s Collegio; at Noale and Motta di Livenza; ordered to cooperate with Girolamo Savorgnano to capture Marano Lagunare defended by 400 Bohemian arquebusiers, 50 Germans and 200 locals; has 130 men-at-arms, 500 light horses, 700 provisions and 2,000 Friulian ravagers with four artillery pieces; clashes with Savorgnano over assault versus siege tactics—Manfrone underestimates marshy terrain and peasant troops near harvest; his plan prevails. | ||
| May | Friuli | At San Gervasio to build a bastion with Giacomo Pinadello to block Imperial reinforcements from Gradisca d’Isonzo; defenders sortie to disrupt engineers; only Savorgnano’s intervention repels them. | |||
| June | Friuli | Coordinates with Savorgnano to seize an islet before Marano Lagunare as an advanced base; a Bohemian sortie with incendiary devices is repulsed; Venetian infantry attack the Bastion of San Giovanni without support from Girolamo Fatinanzi and Damiano di Tarsia, failing; Manfrone moves to Porpetto Castle with Provveditore General Vitturi with 160 men-at-arms, 1,200 infantry and 600 light horses; discord between commanders allows Imperial forces to burn the castle. | |||
| July | 140 lances | Friuli and Veneto | At Predomano near Udine, complains of only 500 ducats sent for soldier pay; called back to Veneto by Alviano, arrives with 120 lances; moves among Venice, Treviso and Sacile until news of Vitturi’s capture at Castions; upon threat’s end is summoned to Treviso for fear of conflict with Taddeo della Volpe, newly appointed governor of Friuli; his company is reviewed at Motta di Livenza—21 discharged, 109 deemed ill-equipped; in Padua. | ||
| Aug. | Veneto | In Venice; complains in the Pregadi as usual; criticized also by Vitturi (recently freed) for Marano Lagunare events. | |||
| Sept. | Veneto | Guards Padua with 100 lances and 1,000 infantry while Alviano moves to the Vicentino and Rovigo to seize Polesine headquarters. | |||
| Oct.–Nov. | Veneto | At Montagnana; continues his protests; in November transferred from Castagnaro to Badia Polesine. | |||
| 1515 | |||||
| Feb. | Veneto | In Venice. | |||
| May | Veneto | Still in Venice; voices complaints about his treatment compared to other captains. | |||
| Aug. | Veneto and Lombardy | Leaves Este with Bartolomeo d’Alviano; serves in vanguard; alongside the Serenissima’s General Captain at Badia Polesine and in Lombardy. | |||
| Sept. | Lombardy | Takes part in the Battle of Melegnano; by month’s end is at Castelleone. | |||
| Oct. | Veneto and Lombardy | Forces entry to Peschiera del Garda fortress defended by 100 Spanish infantry—all killed; leaves Giovanni da Rieti and Marco Loredan with Riviera di Salò soldiers as garrison; joins the Siege of Brescia; artillery bombards Garza bastion; sudden sortie of 1,500 infantry routs gun crews (100 men-at-arms and 6,000 infantry under Pietro da Longhena), Venetian losses 200 men and all powder; Manfrone intervenes with 30 men-at-arms; at night recovers 13 guns, 10 more retrieved from moat, including the “Cometa dell’Alviano.” | |||
| Nov. | Veneto and Lombardy | Commands with Mercurio Bua 400 men-at-arms and 400 light horses; surprised at Valeggio sul Mincio by 4,000 under Marcantonio Colonna; takes refuge at Goito while son Giulio is captured; Bua accuses him of complacency despite warnings. | |||
| Dec. | 110 lances | Veneto and Lombardy | In Padua; falls gravely ill; with 110 lances at winter quarters at Padenghe sul Garda. | ||
| Dec. | 110 lances | Veneto and Lombardy | Moved from Ostiglia to Vicentino; in Vicenza lodges in San Pietro suburb; his company quarters at Barbarano Vicentino. | ||
| 1516 | |||||
| Feb. | Veneto | Raises peasant levies in Garda lands and with his company moves to Croara (Corvara) on the Adige’s right bank; kills the German castellan; blocks river supply route to Verona; road to Trento unsafe for Imperials; Marcantonio Colonna sallies from Verona with four artillery to retake Croara; peasants and Venetians flee to nearby hills; a German captain with 25 infantry is reinstated at Croara. | |||
| Mar. | Veneto | Brief visit to Venice’s Collegio; returns to his men; leaves Vicenza with Lorenzo da Pisa (100 men-at-arms, 100 infantry, 2 falconets) to retake Legnago defended by 30 infantry; bombards town with four artillery and captures both town and fortress. | |||
| Apr. | Veneto | Reaches Terzago near Legnago; returns to Venice and expresses regret over son Giulio’s suffering in Bernardino Frangipane’s custody; dines with the Doge and Venetian nobility. | |||
| May | Veneto | At Vicenza and San Bonifacio; with 1,000 horses and 300 infantry protects engineers rebuilding the fortress of Legnago. | |||
| June | Veneto | At Legnago; departs with 6,000 infantry and numerous horses to take possession of Brescia ceded by the French to Venice; by month’s end with Girolamo Fatinanzi and Mercurio Bua (200 men-at-arms, 1,000 light horses, 2,000 infantry) protects San Bonifacio peasants during grain threshing; harvest transported to Padua. | |||
| Aug. | Veneto | Supports Lautrec at the Siege of Verona defended by Marcantonio Colonna; requests funds and attends war councils with French captains; quarters at Belfiore. | |||
| Sept. | Veneto | Attends a council of war with Teodoro da Trivulzio and Provveditore General Gritti to discuss Parma relief; receives 9,000 German infantry reinforcements for Verona defense; quarters at Albaredo d’Adige with Provveditore General Giovanni Paolo Gradenigo and Antonio da Martinengo; moves to Villafranca di Verona. | |||
| Oct. | Veneto | From Villafranca links with Povegliano Veronese under Teodoro da Trivulzio. | |||
| Nov. | Veneto | Requests 1,000 ducats from Provveditore Gradenigo. | |||
| Dec. | 104 lances | Veneto | With Giano Fregoso (200 men-at-arms) supports Gradenigo against 2,000 infantry and 200 cavalry from Verona with 4–5 falconets at Illasi; enemy forced to retire after minor cavalry clash. | ||
| 1517 | |||||
| Jan. | Veneto | After war’s end enters Verona through Porta Calzari with Teodoro da Trivulzio; travels to Venice, meets the Doge over son Giulio’s continued detention by Frangipane despite release of Annibale d’Altan; Gritti advises against renewing his command and offers a pension; his men (153 lances total with his son’s company) sent to winter in Brescia. | |||
| Mar. | Veneto | In Venice for Teodoro da Trivulzio’s celebrations; Council of Savi discusses his dismissal and increase of his pension from 600 to 800 ducats; Gritti unexpectedly intervenes in his favor; appears frequently in Collegio concerned solely with his son’s fate. | |||
| May | Veneto | After intervention by Provveditore of light horse Vitturi, Council restores command of 60 men-at-arms; Manfrone accepts. | |||
| June | The annual cost of his company is assessed at 5,400 ducats. | ||||
| 1518 | |||||
| May | Veneto | With Bernardino of Montone and Giovanni da Sassatello serves on a commission in Padua to adjudicate a dispute between the Signoria and the Benedictines of Santa Giustina over convent expansion to city walls. | |||
| Nov. | Veneto | In Venice again to plead for son’s release; Frangipane demands no ransom (800 ducats offered) but the release of Cristoforo; Venetians agree to the exchange. | |||
| 1519 | |||||
| May | Lombardy | In the Brescia area and at Crema. | |||
| 1520 | |||||
| Feb. | Veneto | In Venice; Council of Savi grants him certain tax privileges. | |||
| Mar.–Sept. | Lombardy | Garrisoned at Crema with 256 horses; in September ensures order during local fair. | |||
| 1521 | |||||
| Feb. | His Neapolitan properties are again confiscated. | ||||
| June–July | Venice | Empire | Veneto | From Padua guards Verona; in July offers to raise a large infantry force; falls ill and must return to Padua. | |
| Aug. | Governor of infantry, 49 lances | Lombardia | At Chiari camp; sent by Teodoro da Trivulzio with Pietro da Longhena to Peschiera del Garda to monitor 8,000 Swiss and German infantry moving from Trento to Milan; delays departure seeking operational command; Trivulzio appoints him infantry governor; his inaction allows many Germans to pass—criticized by Captain of Bergamo Paolo Nani. | ||
| Sept. | 60 lances | Emilia | At Fontanelle camp; attends war council with Gritti, Trivulzio and Lautrec on Parma relief. | ||
| Nov. | Lombardy | At Asola; crosses the Oglio at Pontevico, unites with Giano Fregoso, moves to defend Lodi with 2,000 infantry and 200 lances; after Milan falls to Imperials, transferred to Romano di Lombardia. | |||
| Dec. | Lombardy | Guards Bergamo; contacts Prospero Colonna, a friend, to learn if son Giulio was captured by Imperials. | |||
| 1522 | |||||
| Jan. | Lombardy | Guards Bergamo with Podestà Giovanni Vitturi; mid-month reported at Capriolo. | |||
| July | 50 lances | Lombardy | |||
| 1523 | |||||
| Sept. | Venice | France | 60 lances | Lombardy | Moves along the Oglio River. |
| 1524 | |||||
| Jan. | Lombardy | At Martinengo requests retirement from military life and that his command be given to son Giulio; Council of Savi accedes, grants him an annual pension of 200 ducats; completes his final mission escorting Francesco Maria della Rovere from Treviglio to Milan to meet the Neapolitan Viceroy for campaign coordination against the French. | |||
| Feb. | Veneto | In Venice’s Collegio; declines all pension to be free. | |||
| 1525 | |||||
| Apr. | Venice | Empire | Veneto | Recalled into service by Venice. | |
| May | Veneto | In Canda and Rovigo to monitor Imperial movements. | |||
| Oct. | Lombardy | At Capriolo. | |||
| 1526 | |||||
| June–July | Veneto | In Venice for numerous religious and secular ceremonies. | |||
| Aug. | Veneto | Son Giulio dies before Cremona walls; Manfrone returns to arms and requests command of 100 men-at-arms; receives Doge Gritti’s support; in a letter to Antonio Loredan complains of slow French operations, believing all is done to lose the war. | |||
| Sept. | Lombardy | Supports Francesco Maria della Rovere at the Siege of Cremona; by October is at Castelleone. | |||
| Nov. | Lombardy | Praised in Venice’s Collegio by former Provveditore General Piero Pesaro for his fighting spirit. | |||
| 1527 | |||||
| Jan. | Veneto | In Venice. | |||
| Mar. | Emilia | At Castellazzo. | |||
| May | 100 lances | Lombardy | In Lombardy with 70 lances under Provveditore General Domenico Contarini; another 30 in Tuscany under Provveditore General Alvise Pisani. | ||
| June | Lombardy | Moves toward the Lambro with Babone Naldi, Giacomo Novello, Ambrogio da Landriano, Antonio da Castello and Gian Ludovico Pallavicini; attacked at the bridge by Imperials from Melegnano; skirmishes with two flags of Italian infantry in a church; Antonio de Leyva sallies from Milan with 14 flags of Landsknechts and four of Spanish and Italian infantry with artillery; Cesare da Napoli is wounded, Spanish captain Jacheto killed; subsequent skirmishes ensue. | |||
| July | Lombardy | Near Melegnano. | |||
| Aug. | Lombardy | Complains in Venice of disorder in Venetian camp and resulting dangers. | |||
| Oct. | Lombardy | Takes part in the Siege of Pavia; is killed at the Santa Giustina battery by an arquebus shot to the stomach while speaking with Giano Fregoso and Paolo Camillo da Trivulzio; buried in Padua with solemn funeral in the cloister of Basilica of Saint Anthony near the choir door; commemorated by now-lost tombstone; married a Neapolitan noblewoman Angela Mele and Lucrezia Gonzaga da Bozzolo. |
Sources
“Uomo di gran riputazione nelle cose di guerra.” CONTI
“Tropo gajardo, bon condutier, ma non capo.” SANUDO
“Fedele e valoroso capitano.” MANFRONI
“E’ valentomo.” PORTOVENERI
“Capitano di molta stima.” LAZARI
“Uom forte.” BEMBO
In visita a Venezia nel 1509 “Giunse a vinetia Ioampaul manphrone/ a nostri tempi un specchio di fortezza/ col franco figliuol iulio garzone/ non men del padre pien d’ogni prodezza,/ o gloriosa stirpe, o genti buone/…/ che inalzar cercan la veneta altezza/ il padre fatto fu gubernatore/ di tutta la romagnia a grande honore./…/” (Battaglia di Pordenone) “Ioampaul mamphron da sir ardito/ con una targa in man a pié smontoe,/ e fra le gienti sotto le mura a la battaglia andoe/ dove poi inaudito/ i guerrier franchi tanto inanimose/ che saliro le mura, e dentro entrato, dove il crudel assalto cominciaro.” DEGLI AGOSTINI
“Ung cappitaine fort gentil, galant et plein d’entreprinses.” LE LOYAL SERVITEUR
“Homme ancien et maigre, et l’un de plus estimés de tou les Venitiens.” DE LA MARCK
“L’impeto e l’audacia della fazione braccesca furono fino alla morte norma costante di tutte le imprese militari dello Scledese…Grande per coraggio, per fede eroica, per fermo carattere.” MARCELLO
“Huomo valoroso.. Da natura molto inclinato a combattere.. Di singolar valore; il quale essendo d’ottanta anni, e tuttavia molto forte e gagliardo d’animo e di corpo, non s’era mai partito dalle fatiche, e da’ pericoli della guerra.” GIOVIO
“Capitano valoroso de’ Venetiani.. Molto affetionato alla republica nostra.” P. GIUSTINIAN
Con Baldassarre di Scipione “Capitani molto famosi.” ROSEO
“Capitano nelle amministrationi della guerra eccellentissimo ..trovossi a combattere in molti fatti d’arme, oltre all’altre tante honorate fattioni e imprese, laonde veniva tra i buoni e esperimentati capitani di sua età noverato.” PAGLIARINO
“Di soldato privato pervenne ai primi honori della milizia.” A. SCOTO
“Trovossi a combattere in molti fatti d’arme, oltre all’arme tante honorate fattioni et imprese, laonde veniva tra i buoni ed esperimentati Capitani di sua età noverato.” MARZARI
Con Giulio Manfrone “Famosi condottieri di genti d’arme.” MACCA’
“Strenuo militare Duce.” CANDIDO
“Non ebbe nel suo tempo chi lo eguagliasse nella fede, nel valore e nella indomita energia.” A. MARCELLO
“Capitano veneziano di valore.” SHAW
“Questo è colui che di Marte el sceptro/ dove tutte virtù fiorir si vede.” SACCHINO
“Il Manfrone fu anche il principale artefice delle fortune economiche della famiglia: attraverso numerose operazioni finanziarie, tra il 1520 e il 1525 acquistò possedimenti a Vicenza, Padova, Schio, Rovigo, Verona; inoltre creò una rete di legami e parentele con importanti e facoltose famiglie.” COSMA (Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani)
“Il nome del Manfrone figura tra i condottieri più noti al servizio di Venezia, nell’arco di tempo (1494-1527) contrassegnato delle guerre tra Francia e Spagna per l’egemonia in Italia…Il Manfrone fu anche il principale artefice delle fortune economiche della famiglia: attraverso numerose operazioni finanziarie, tra il 1520 e il 1525 acquistò possedimenti a Vicenza, Padova, Schio, Rovigo, Verona; inoltre creò una rete di legami e parentele con importanti e facoltose famiglie.” COVINI
Sulla sua tomba è inciso il seguente epitaffio “Bellipotens Mavors Venetum tutamen in armis/ Ioannes Paulus lumen honorque, ducum,/ Hic iacet: est animus spoliis redimitis opimis,/ Manfronus vivens integer astra tenet./ Marcellos referens animo virtute Camillos,/ Occidit impulsa suphure et igne pila.”
Featured image: wikipedia
