Stradioti raids and cavalry tactics under the command of Giorgio Busicchio
A Greek, nephew of Domenico Busicchio and father of Vittore Busicchio.
Death: 1528
| Year, Month | State, Comp. ventura | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1495 | |||||
| Oct. | Venice | France | Piedmont | Takes part in the siege of Novara. | |
| 1496 | |||||
| Feb. | Veneto and Apulia | The Venetians dub him Knight of Saint Mark. Follows the proveditor Bernardo Contarini into the Kingdom of Naples to fight the French in favor of the Aragonese. | |||
| June | Campania | Moves on reconnaissance with Giorgio Paleologo and Bernardino da Nona (200 horsemen) against the French who are fortified in Cancello: surprises the Swiss on guard and seizes 25 animals among horses and mules. | |||
| 1508 | Venice | Empire | Veneto | Holds the command of 300 stradioti with Basilio Cillo. | |
| 1510 | |||||
| Apr. | Venice | France, Empire | 20 stradioti | Veneto | Operates in the Veronese area. |
| July | 22 stradioti | Veneto | |||
| Aug. | Veneto | Operates in the Vicenza area. Captures some French troops; others are killed in a skirmish. | |||
| 1511 | |||||
| … | Romagna | Supports in Romagna the proveditor general Paolo Capello. | |||
| July | Veneto | Again in the Veronese area. | |||
| Sept. | 50 stradioti | Veneto | Assists the proveditor of the stradioti Federico Contarini (600 horsemen) near the Montello for an ambush on the Franco-Imperial army. Intercepts a column; forced to flee when the main enemy force arrives. Captured along with Giovanni Detrico, Pietro Busicchio, Pellegrino Busicchio, Paolo Caratola, and Giovanni Balestra. | ||
| 1512 | |||||
| May–June | 27 stradioti | Piedmont and Lombardy | Supports Giampaolo Baglioni in Piedmont and Lombardy. By June, only 27 stradioti remain under his orders. | ||
| July | Lombardy | Mid-month, with the proveditor Antonio da Molin, takes possession of Bergamo at the head of 300 stradioti. | |||
| 1513 | |||||
| Apr. | Venice | Spain, Milan | 20 stradioti | Veneto | Receives a monthly provision of 7 ducats. Stations at the camp in San Bonifacio. |
| July | 20 stradioti | Veneto | At Padua, at the muster of his company. | ||
| Aug. | Veneto | Leaves Padua in pursuit of adversaries when they decide to lift the siege of the city. | |||
| Oct. | Veneto | Takes part in the battle of Creazzo. After the defeat, escapes capture by reaching Padua. | |||
| Nov. | 13 stradioti | Veneto | At Padua, during the muster in the city after the recent defeat. | ||
| 1514 | |||||
| Jan. | Veneto | Granted a monthly provision of 10 ducats. | |||
| June | Veneto | At Padua. | |||
| July | 43 stradioti | Veneto | At the camp of Brentelle near Padua. Leaves the camp of Brusegana with Mercurio Bua, Malatesta Baglioni, Giulio Manfrone, Giampaolo da Sant’Angelo, and Cola Moro (300 lances, many light horsemen, and foot soldiers). Heads to Camposampiero to counter a raid by 100 men-at-arms, 300 light horsemen, and 300 foot soldiers. Crosses the Brenta, proceeds to Cittadella and Castelfranco Veneto, then turns on Camisano Vicentino and surprises the enemy. The spoils are recovered; among the Spanish, 100 horses are captured, and all foot soldiers are killed, wounded, or captured. | ||
| Sept. | Veneto | Follows Giampaolo Manfrone and Giampaolo da Sant’Angelo to Saletto and Valancone. They are joined by the stradioti of Condo Chielmi and Teodoro Renessi. | |||
| Nov. | Lombardy | Moves to Brescia and Rezzato with Teodoro Renessi. The Spanish forces are surprised. The encounter ends with the capture of 80 horses. | |||
| 1515 | |||||
| Mar. | Veneto | Bartolomeo d’Alviano proposes Mercurio Bua as the general captain of the stradioti. Giorgio Busicchio leaves Padua with Renessi and other captains, heads to Venice and requests the appointment of a proveditor over the stradioti to avoid coming under Bua’s command. The Doge Leonardo Loredan orders him back to Padua; Busicchio and the others refuse, prompting harsh reproaches from the Doge. Returns to camp and declines to accompany Bua on a mission in the Veronese area. | |||
| Apr. | Veneto | Some peasants kill Teodoro Renessi at Zogiano (Vicenza area). Giorgio Busicchio, in retaliation, sets the village on fire and kills men, women, and children. Bartolomeo d’Alviano severely reprimands him. | |||
| June | Veneto | Near Lonigo, captures the Spanish captain Salamanca along with five horses. | |||
| July | Veneto | Still near Lonigo, attacks with his horsemen the supply escorts. Forced to withdraw, is attacked at San Bonifacio; in the clash, his mount is wounded, and eight stradioti are captured by the adversaries. | |||
| Sept. | Lombardy | Joins Bartolomeo d’Alviano in Lombardy, arrives at San Martino dall’Argine. With 100 stradioti, raids up to the gates of Cremona, forcing the Spanish to raise the alarm in their camp. Also takes part in the battle of Melegnano that month. | |||
| Nov. | Veneto | With Giampaolo Manfrone and Mercurio Bua, he is defeated by Marcantonio Colonna at Valeggio sul Mincio. In the clash, unhorses three men-at-arms and frees the stradioti proveditor Alvise Bembo, who was about to be taken prisoner. | |||
| 1516 | |||||
| Mar. | Veneto | At Lazise. A French knight challenges the Spanish to a duel; he is captured. Giorgio Busicchio promptly intervenes to remove him from that predicament. The proveditor Giovanni Vitturi places Busicchio with 60 horsemen in the rearguard; he meets Bernardino Calderaro and another captain who unsuccessfully challenges him to a duel. | |||
| Apr. | Lombardy | With the proveditor Giovanni Vitturi along the Oglio River. Stops at Roccafranca with 10 stradioti; clashes with 60 Burgundian men-at-arms on their way to the Imperial camp at Pontoglio. Attacks them, soon joined by another 60 stradioti and the rest of the light cavalry; captures ten men-at-arms. With Malatesta Baglioni, Giampaolo da Sant’Angelo, and Baldassarre Signorelli, sets an ambush at Monticelli Brusati to trap the Margrave of Brandenburg returning from Salò with extorted funds. Instead, 200 foot soldiers fall into the trap; nearly all are killed except three kept alive for information. Pursues some Imperial horsemen and battles another 60 infantry from Brescia, mostly killing them. | |||
| June–July | Veneto | Operates in the Veronese area, especially around Soave. In July, conducts a raid toward Verona, capturing 25 horses from the supply column. Overextends himself and is captured, taken to Verona. | |||
| Aug. | Veneto, Trentino | Imprisoned in Verona but allowed to move around the city. Conspires with two stradioti in Imperial service for an escape via Porta di San Giorgio. Fails at the guard post; unhorsed by the Landsknechts. Locked up first in Castelvecchio. The two stradioti who aided him are captured and hanged by order of Rigo Porro on the small bridge in Piazza Bra. In Oct., Busicchio is moved to Trento. He regains freedom in a prisoner exchange for Martino della Torre. | |||
| Dec. | Veneto | Stations at San Bonifacio with Pignatelli and Cesare della Volpe. Their troops are surprised at night by 150 light horsemen under Zuchero and Andrea Bua, plus 300 Spanish infantry. The sentries and many others are killed. The Imperials seize 170 mounts, plus quantities of wheat and livestock. | |||
| 1517 | |||||
| Feb. | 29 stradioti | Veneto and Friuli | Released on parole, goes to Venice to secure 600 ducats for ransom or a prisoner for exchange. The Venetians send him to Friuli with 29 stradioti. His work is commended by the proveditor general Andrea Gritti. | ||
| Mar. | Veneto | Freed from any obligation to the Marquis of Gravisa through a prisoner swap (Corrado di Festimburg). | |||
| June | 23 stradioti | Veneto | |||
| 1520 | |||||
| Jan. | Friuli | Dispatched to defend Udine upon rumors that Cristoforo Frangipane might return to Marano Lagunare as governor of the region. | |||
| 1521 | |||||
| June | Venice | Empire | Lombardy | At Castelleone with other stradioti captains. | |
| July | 46 stradioti | Friuli and Lombardy | In Friuli with 16 stradioti. Recruits 30 more (including some from the company of Alessio Bua). Transferred to Lombardy. | ||
| Aug. | 50 stradioti | Lombardy and Emilia | Tasked with supporting Lautrec (who disregards him) on the Po with 200 light cavalry. Crosses the river with Pignatelli, Signorelli, Farfarello, and 2,000 infantry, entering Busseto. | ||
| Sept. | Emilia | At the camp of Fontanelle; moves into the hills near Reggio Emilia. Trapped in a marsh, is captured along with 14 horsemen by Zuchero (previously his prisoner, later freed by him). A few days later, Busicchio escapes and rejoins the Venetian camp. | |||
| Oct. | Lombardy | Along the Mella River to pursue the Swiss and German infantry enlisted by the Papal States. At the camp of Pontevico. | |||
| 1522 | |||||
| … | 54 stradioti | ||||
| July | Lombardy | At the end of the conflict, the complement of his company is reduced. | |||
| … | Croatia | ||||
| 1523 | |||||
| Apr. | Venice | Ottoman Empire | Croatia | Granted a provision of 15 ducats per pay, for eight pays a year. Located near Zara. After a Turkish incursion, goes against them with only 40 stradioti; attacks them and recovers the spoils. | |
| 1524 | |||||
| … | Friuli | Counters the Turks in the Gorizia area. Challenged to a duel by the pasha Lizafet Bisti. | |||
| May | Croatia | His provision is raised to 20 ducats per pay, still for eight pays a year. | |||
| 1526 | |||||
| June | Venice | Empire | 37 stradioti | Lombardy | |
| July | Lombardy | Joins Giacomo da Vicovaro and Marcantonio da Martinengo at Pontevico and heads to Pescarolo. At Pieve San Giacomo, they clash with the companies of Luigi Rodomonte Gonzaga and Costantino Boccali. The encounter ends with 160 horses and 200 infantry captured. | |||
| Aug. | Lombardy | Advances on Cremona with Baglioni; participates with his men in the attack on the walls near Porta Po, placed under Malatesta Baglioni’s battery. | |||
| Sept. | Commands 27 stradioti. | ||||
| 1527 | |||||
| Feb. | Emilia | At Cortemaggiore. Sent by the stradioti proveditor Andrea Civran to Pontenure to monitor the Landsknechts heading for Bologna. Engages Roberto da San Severino (80 horsemen); forced to flee, is captured when his mount refuses a ditch. Immediately released by the Prince of Orange. | |||
| Mar. | Emilia | In the Bologna area with Andrea Civran, Piero Frasina, Niccolò Rali, and Manoli Clada. Covered by 3,000 infantry and many horsemen, counters an Imperial raid on San Giovanni in Persiceto by 400 light cavalry, men-at-arms, and many arquebusiers. Among the enemy, 60 horses are captured; others are killed. | |||
| May | 40 stradioti | Tuscany | Supports the proveditor general Alvise Pisani with 40 light horsemen. | ||
| 1528 | |||||
| … | 30 stradioti | Apulia | Accompanies the proveditor Andrea Civran in Apulia. | ||
| May | Apulia | Stationed in the Lecce area; near Avetrana sets an ambush for the Viceroy of Naples, the Prince of Orange, and Ferrante Castriota, Duke of San Pietro in Galatina, plus seven barons (180 horsemen and 200 foot soldiers, mostly arquebusiers). In the encounter, 40 horsemen are killed and another 8 captured. Moves ahead toward Gallipoli with Comino Frasina (20 horsemen) and sets another ambush: the Viceroy, Ferrante Castriota, and Teodoro Boccali narrowly escape. Giorgio Busicchio, whose actions are publicly commended by Civran, proceeds to Grottaglie: lures the enemy to a place where Civran and Giorgio Renessi lie hidden with 160 horsemen. They capture 48 horses and 35 foot soldiers; the Venetians register 10 wounded. He dies a few days later due to exhaustion and a severe cough. |
Sources
-“Più illustre di tutti per valore e nobiltà.” SANTORO
-“E’ zovene dito Zorzi; ma degnissimo e valente capo, e in questa guerra sempre à fato optima fazione.” SANUDO
