How one captain served the Church, the Empire, and the Medici across four decades
Lord of Palombara Sabina, Antrodoco, and Otricoli. Son of Jacopo Savelli, nephew of Troilo Savelli, father-in-law of Paolo Vitelli.
Born: 1505, December
Death: 1551, July
| Year, Month | State, Comp. ventura | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ……… | Lazio | Studies under the humanists Lorenzo Pabilio and Bernardino Martiniano. | |||
| 1517 | Church | Comp. ventura | Marche | His first military experiences take place under the command of his uncle Troilo Orsini against Francesco Maria della Rovere, who was seeking to reconquer the duchy of Urbino. | |
| 1526 | Church | Empire | Lazio | Fights against Pompeo Colonna and the Imperialists. In early November he joins Stefano Colonna at Genazzano. | |
| 1527 | |||||
| Jan. | Lazio | Renzo di Ceri sends him to the defence of Frosinone with Alessandro Vitelli and Pietro da Birago (1,800 infantry) to prevent an attack from the south by the Imperialists of the Viceroy of Naples Carlo di Lannoy. In command of 300 infantry and part of the cavalry, he sallies forth with the two captains from the city to surprise at Arnara two companies of Spanish infantry; in the engagement 80 enemy infantry are killed along with Peralta; two banners and many prisoners fall into his men’s hands. | |||
| May | 200 cavalry | Lazio | In Rome. Distinguishes himself in the unsuccessful defence of the city against the Landsknechts and Spaniards of the Constable of Bourbon: fights first at Porta Settimiana with Gian Antonio Orsini and then at the defence of Ponte Sisto with Camillo and Valerio Orsini and Simone Tebaldi. | ||
| 1528 | |||||
| ……… | Empire | France | Campania | Commands a regiment of infantry with which he joins the defence of Naples against the French forces of Lautrec. For his merits, Emperor Charles V enfeoffs him with Antrodoco and grants him an annual pension of 1,000 florins. | |
| Oct. | Umbria and Lazio | Joins Pirro Colonna, Cristoforo Savelli, and Ottaviano Spiriti at Amelia. With them he ravages the Sabina, capturing Magliano Sabina and Penna in Teverina. He subsequently joins Camillo Colonna to enter Rieti peacefully. The sacking of the city begins; the city favoured the Guelph and Orsini cause, provoking a reaction from the inhabitants who take up arms and kill approximately 200 members of the Ghibelline faction. Giovambattista Savelli is captured together with Camillo Colonna. | |||
| 1529 | |||||
| Feb., Mar. | Lazio and Abruzzi | Appointed by the Emperor as governor and viceroy of the Abruzzi. Carries out the assignment with skill; captures Amatrice with Ottaviano Spiriti and Pirro Colonna. | |||
| June | Empire | Perugia | Umbria | At Pale near Foligno. With Pirro Colonna (700 infantry and 350 cavalry) closely threatens the lord of Perugia Malatesta Baglioni. | |
| July | Abruzzi | Reported in the area of L’Aquila. | |||
| Aug. | Umbria | Joins the commander-in-chief of the Imperialists, the Prince of Orange, at Spello. | |||
| Sept. | Church | Florence | Tuscany | Contacted by the Florentines to fight against the Imperialists and the Papalists; money is also delivered to him to put his men in order. Savelli chooses to serve Pope Clement VII. He is declared a rebel by the republic; in Florence he is painted in the Palazzo della Condotta hanged by one foot. He follows the Prince of Orange against the Florentines. | |
| Oct. | Tuscany | At the siege of Florence. Encamps in the Rusciano palace beyond the Arno. | |||
| Dec. | Tuscany | Faces Stefano Colonna at Santa Margherita a Montici. | |||
| 1530 | |||||
| Feb. | Emilia | In Bologna for the coronation of Charles V in San Petronio. | |||
| July | Tuscany | At Prato with his company. | |||
| Aug. | Tuscany | Receives orders from the Prince of Orange to converge on the Pistoia area with Piermaria dei Rossi (1,000 infantry and two squadrons of cavalry) to block the advance towards Florence of the commissioner Francesco Ferrucci. Takes part in the battle of Gavinana; following the victory he moves under Florence. In mid-month he attends, together with other Imperial captains, the signing of the articles of capitulation of the republic at Santa Margherita a Montici. He obstructs the soldiers’ intention to sack the city; they mutiny and hold him briefly as a prisoner. In mid-month he is present at the act of capitulation of Malatesta Baglioni before the Caesarean captain Ferrante Gonzaga and the papal commissioner general Baccio Valori. | |||
| 1532 | |||||
| May | Church | Captain-General of light cavalry | Umbria | Demands that Rodolfo Baglioni submit to the authority of the Church. | |
| July | Church | Ottoman Empire | Lazio, Austria | Accompanies Cardinal Ippolito d’Este, appointed papal legate to the Imperial army against the Turks. On the way passes through Loreto, Bologna, Verona, and Vienna. | |
| 1534 | |||||
| Autumn | Church | Urbino | Marche | Fights the Duke of Urbino Francesco Maria della Rovere, who has seized the duchy of Camerino. Attempts to obstruct the passage of reinforcements heading towards the city; the Feltrian forces break through his lines on the plain of Fabriano. | |
| Oct., Nov. | Umbria | Again opposes Rodolfo Baglioni, who seeks to make himself master of Perugia. Occupies Collelungo. | |||
| 1535 | |||||
| June | Church | Baglioni | Umbria | Engaged in a policing action against the partisans of the Baglioni. Drives from Spello, Bastia Umbra, and Cannara the widows of Malatesta and Orazio Baglioni; recovers Collelungo, damages the mills in the territory without meeting resistance; is repulsed, however, from Pretola. | |
| Sept. | Umbria | At the head of numerous German infantry he escorts Pope Paul III on his solemn entry into Perugia. | |||
| ……… | 100 light cavalry and 200 infantry | Lazio | Replaces Bosio Sforza in command of the papal guard, composed of 100 light cavalry and 200 Landsknechts; he is assigned a monthly allowance of 400 florins. | ||
| 1537 | |||||
| June | Church | Rangoni | Emilia | On behalf of Pier Luigi Farnese, son of the Pope, takes possession of Roccabianca at the expense of Ludovico Rangoni. | |
| 1538 | |||||
| Apr. | Emilia | In Piacenza, in attendance upon the Pope. | |||
| Sept. | Lazio | Receives in Rome the Duke of Parma Ottavio Farnese, who is to marry the widow of Alessandro dei Medici. | |||
| Nov. | Church | Urbino | Captain-General of light cavalry | Marche | Commands the papal cavalry in the new conflict over Camerino against the Duke of Urbino Guidobaldo della Rovere. |
| 1539 | |||||
| Aug. | Emilia | Leaves Modena with 200 cavalry to quell some disturbances at Colorno. | |||
| 1540 | |||||
| June | Church | Perugia | Umbria | Confronts Rodolfo Baglioni, who has made himself master of Perugia. Enters the city with Alessandro Vitelli and Girolamo Orsini; remains there on guard with 1,000 Landsknechts and 1,000 Italian infantry while 300 light cavalry are billeted in the countryside. The citizens are required to demolish the houses of those who supported the enemy cause. | |
| 1541 | |||||
| Apr. | Church | Colonna | Captain-General of light cavalry | Lazio | Fights Ascanio Colonna in the so-called Salt War. Captures Rocca di Papa. |
| Aug. | Emilia | On guard in the duchy of Parma and Piacenza with 2,000 soldiers. | |||
| Nov. | Emilia and Lazio | In Bologna. Leaves the city to return to Rome. | |||
| 1542 | |||||
| June | Emilia | In Bologna, a guest of his nephew Filippo Savelli. Leaves the city to return to the duchy of Parma and Piacenza in command of a contingent of soldiers recruited in the Bologna area. | |||
| ……… | Empire | Comp. ventura | Friuli | At Pontebba with several companies of German infantry; threatens Piero Strozzi, who has seized Marano Lagunare. Moves to Carnia; in the meantime the locality falls into Venetian hands. The Imperialists decide to abandon all action. | |
| 1543 | |||||
| July | Empire | Ottoman Empire | Emilia, Hungary | Leaves San Giovanni in Persiceto with 4,000 infantry, proceeds to San Martino sul Secchia, continues through the Carpi area, and with Giulio Orsini moves to Hungary to assist the troops of Ferdinand of Austria against the Turks. | |
| Aug. | Austria and Hungary | Operates on the borders between Austria and Hungary in order to respond to enemy raids. | |||
| Sept. | Austria | Joins Filippo Tornielli at Vienna. | |||
| 1544 | |||||
| Oct. | Church | Emilia | On guard at Piacenza following Imperial threats. | ||
| 1545 | |||||
| Oct. | Emilia | Leaves the Parma area to return to the Bologna area. | |||
| 1546 | |||||
| July | Church | Protestants | Captain-General of cavalry | Emilia and Germany | Attends the review of his company of light cavalry. Reaches Germany to fight, under the command of Ottavio Farnese, the troops of the Schmalkaldic League commanded by Duke John Frederick of Saxony (Giovanni Federico di Sassonia) and Landgrave Philip of Hesse (Filippo d’Assia). During the march he passes through the Mantua area, then through Bussolengo, Rovereto, and Trento. |
| Aug., Sept. | Germany | Joins Alessandro Vitelli with 500 cavalry; leads an unsuccessful attempt to capture the plain of Gerolfingen; is reported near Regensburg. Blocked with Vitelli on the Danube with 1,600 infantry and 1,600 cavalry, he attacks the camp of Philip of Hesse near Ingolstadt. The two condottieri enter a nearby forest by night to occupy a plateau situated in the thickest part before dawn. The Germans pursue the same objective, giving rise to a skirmish at the end of which the Italian infantry and Savelli‘s cavalry fall back to a small village; from there they manage to reach the Imperial camp by a sortie. Savelli attacks the opponents at Nördlingen with Duke Ottavio Farnese. | |||
| Oct. | Germany | Stationed outside Lauingen; Sebastiano Schartlin sallies from the locality with 1,500 infantry and 200 cavalry. Pursues the enemy as far as Zusmarshausen together with the Spanish arquebusiers of Aldana and Aguilera and the Italian infantry of Niccolò Secco; intercepts part of the opponents near Augsburg. In the engagement 100 Protestants are killed; numerous prisoners are also taken; 4 field artillery pieces also fall into his hands. He is subsequently reported outside Ulm; he raids the surrounding territory to cut the flow of supplies to the city. | |||
| 1547 | |||||
| Feb. | Germany and Emilia | Leaves Germany to return to the Bologna area. Moves to Parma to the aid of the Duke of Parma and Piacenza Pier Luigi Farnese. | |||
| Sept., Nov. | Emilia and Lazio | Following the assassination of Pier Luigi Farnese in Piacenza, he is replaced in command by Camillo Orsini. Pope Paul III, to appease him, invests him with Otricoli. | |||
| 1548 | Florence | Tuscany | In the service of the Duke of Florence Cosimo dei Medici. | ||
| 1550 | |||||
| Feb. | Captain-General | Tuscany | Commands the Florentine militia upon the death of Stefano Colonna. | ||
| ……… | Tuscany | Persuades Cosimo dei Medici to release Orazio Farnese and Aurelio Fregoso, captured by the garrison of Pietrasanta after shipwrecking off Luni. | |||
| 1551 | |||||
| July | Tuscany | Dies in Florence at the beginning of the month. Buried in the church of San Lorenzo next to the tombs of the Medici. Acquires from Flaminio and Ostilio Savelli a quarter share of the palace built by his ancestors in Rome in Piazza Montanara. Married Costanza Bentivoglio and Vittoria Savelli. |
Quotes/ Sources
“A great man of letters, historian, orator, scholar, and captain of renown.” DE’ CRESCENZI
“Gran letterato, istorico, oratore, erudito, capitano di nome.” DE’ CRESCENZI
“He was well-built and of remarkable intellect; in his early years he learned Latin and acquired an admirable command of Greek; having turned to the military arts, he trained under his father’s discipline in the vicissitudes of war. He was of good stature, lean of figure, and had chestnut-coloured hair.” ROSCIO
“Fu di persona disposto e mirabile ingegno; apprese in tenera età le lettere latine e imparò mirabilmente le greche; datosi all’ arte militare, sotto la disciplina del padre essercitossi ne gli avvenimenti delle guerre..Fu di statura buona; svelto di persona e hebbe pelo castagniccio.” ROSCIO
“An illustrious captain of his time.” SANTINI
“Illustre capitano del tempo.” SANTINI
“A celebrated and most distinguished captain of our times, for in this man there was a warlike vigour of spirit by which, proving himself full of glory and held by all in illustrious fame no less for virtue than for valour, he stood most distinguished above all others.” SANSOVINO
“Celebre e chiarissimo Capitano de tempi nostri, percioché fu in questo huomo un bellicoso vigor d’animo, per lo quale riuscendo pieno di gloria e presso ogniuno con illustre fama non meno di virtù che di valore, riuscì chiarissimo sopra gli altri.” SANSOVINO
“He observed, together with all his captains and soldiers, such great modesty and so civil a way of life as could be, I will not say hoped for, but desired from the most modest, the most civil and the most religious men in the world.” VARCHI
“Usò insieme con tutti i capitani e soldati suoi tanta modestia e così civil modo di vivere, quanta si poteva, non dico sperare, ma desiderare da i più modesti huomini più civili e più religiosi del mondo.” VARCHI
“Well may you weep, Tiber (the Tevere), for the greatest champion who ever bore arms, in this part or in that (all your rejoicing turned to grief), has taken from you him who was always your finest. People armed with iron and with valour, well have you cause to cry out, wretched and sorrowful; ah, cruel death, how swift you are to uproot in so few hours the fruit of so many years. Well may you say (if you know, little or much, your own loss, or care for your warriors scattered): now am I dead, the great Savello extinguished.” VARCHI
“Ben puoi Tebro (il Tevere) plorar, poi, ch’el maggiore/ Campion, che vestisse arme, e ‘n quella, o ‘n questa/ Parte (cangiata in duolo ogni tua festa)/ T’ha tolto lui, che tie sempre il migliore./ Gente di ferro armata, e di valore,/ Ben’hai cagion gridar misera, e mesta,/ Ahi morte ria, con’a schiantar sei presta/ Il frutto di tanti anni in sì brevi hore./…/ Ben puoi dir (se ‘l tuo danno assai, o poco/ Conosci, o curi i tuoi guerrieri spersi)/ Hor son’io morto, il gran Savello spento.” VARCHI
Together with Piermaria dei Rossi, Sciarra Colonna, and Alessandro Vitelli, “All most valiant colonels of the Emperor.” CARRARI
Con Piermaria dei Rossi, Sciarra Colonna ed Alessandro Vitelli “Tutti Colonnelli valorosissimi dell’Imperatore.” CARRARI
“A good Roman and a lover of the welfare of his homeland and of the Holy Apostolic See.” From a letter by GIOVIO
“Buon romano e amator della salute della patria e della santa Sede Apostolica.” Da una lettera del GIOVIO
Together with Alessandro Vitelli, “Each of these knights worthy by counsel, valour, and experience of the highest ranks in arms.” CONTILE
Con Alessandro Vitelli “L’un e l’altro di questi Cavalieri degni per conseglio per valore e per isperentia di gradi supremi nell’armi.” CONTILE
“A man of great distinction in arms.” SCIFONI
“Uomo assai chiaro nell’armi.” SCIFONI
“…the fierce Savello, armed cap-à-pie, with his regiment.” ROSEO
“..il fier Savello/ armato in punto, col suo colonnello.” ROSEO
Featured image: https://gw.geneanet.org/fcicogna?lang=en&n=savelli&oc=0&p=giovanni+battista
