A Bibliographic Profile of a Cautious Captain in a Violent Century
Count of Caiazzo and Colorno, Marquis of Valenza. Lord of Cittadella, Montorio Veronese, Castelnuovo Scrivia, and Colorno. Son of Roberto da San Severino; brother of Galeazzo da San Severino, Gaspare da San Severino, and Antonio Maria da San Severino; half-brother of Giulio da San Severino, Ottaviano da San Severino, and Faccendino da San Severino; father of Roberto da San Severino; and son-in-law of Giovanni Francesco Gonzaga.
Born: 1450 ca.
Death: 1501, September
| Year, Month | State, Comp. ventura | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
| 1474 | |||||
| Jan. | Lombardy | He is invested in Pavia by the Duke of Milan Galeazzo Maria Sforza with the fief of Castelnuovo Scrivia. | |||
| 1475 | |||||
| Feb. | Florence | 50 lances | He is hired by the Florentines together with his brothers Galeazzo and Gaspare. The total cost of the condotta is valued by the republic at 5500 ducats. | ||
| 1478 | |||||
| Nov. | Florence | Since his father is fighting in the opposing camp, he asks and obtains, with his brother Galeazzo, to be exempted from service. | |||
| 1479 | |||||
| Sept. | Lombardy | At the end of the conflict, which divided his father from the Duchess of Milan Bona of Savoy (Bona di Savoia), he precedes his relative in his entry into the Lombard capital. | |||
| 1480 | |||||
| June | Tuscany, Campania | He accompanies his father Robert (Roberto) to Siena, where he is to meet with the Duke of Calabria Alphonse of Aragon (Alfonso d’Aragona); after a few days, he leaves the city to go to Naples to take possession of some castles. | |||
| ……… | Florence | Tuscany, Lombardy | In the pay of the Florentines. He is sent to Milan by Lorenzo de’ Medici. | ||
| 1481 | He attempts to act as a mediator in the conflict opposing his father to Ludovico Sforza. | ||||
| 1482 | |||||
| Jan. | Liguria | In Genoa when his father Robert (Roberto) is attacked in his lands by the Sforza forces. | |||
| Feb. | Florence | Fregoso | Liguria | He is in Sarzanello with his mounted crossbowmen and 400 horses of Costanzo Sforza to monitor the movements of the Fregoso family. He is dismissed when his father rebels against Sforza, thus coming into conflict with the republic’s policy. The Florentines oppose any hostile acts against his wife who remained in Pisa. | |
| Mar. | Tuscany | He requests a condotta from the King of France so that his lands in that territory are not confiscated by the King of Naples Ferdinand I of Naples (Ferrante d’Aragona). At the end of the month, he is in the Sienese area with 80 men-at-arms. | |||
| May | Venice | Ferrara, Milan | He is hired by the Venetians together with his father Robert (Roberto). | ||
| June | Romagna and Veneto | He leaves Ravenna with his brother Gaspare, embarks at Chioggia and goes to Venice: he stays in the city in the palace formerly belonging to the Duke of Ferrara. He meets with Doge Giovanni Mocenigo, leaves for Padua and reaches the camp. | |||
| July | Veneto | With the conquest of Ficarolo, he enters the Polesine with the proveditore generale Piero Marcello. | |||
| Aug. | Veneto | He conquers Lendinara and Rovigo, in whose territory he takes much booty: in this regard, he has a strong disagreement with the captain of the galleys Tommaso Zeno; he complains bitterly to the Signoria, which imprisons Zeno for some time until the latter’s final acquittal. San Severino is struck by malaria and must leave the camp. | |||
| 1483 | |||||
| June | Milan | Venice, Rossi | Lombardy | His father Robert (Roberto) is replaced in command by Duke René of Lorraine (Renato di Lorena) and is transferred with his sons to the Brescia area. Giovan Francesco holds talks with his brother Galeazzo with the aim of deserting to the Sforza camp. When he realizes his father has no intention of following him, he slips away from the quarters at night with 100 horses and reaches the enemy camp at Fontanella. His wife, who remained at Badia Polesine, is held prisoner in the citadel of Verona for a few days; later she is given permission to join her husband. The Sforza forces grant him a provision of 8000 ducats in peacetime and 12000 in wartime; he is granted the fief of Pontecurone instead of Villanova and his father’s palace in Milan is returned to him; he is given Corte dei Cavalcabò for 2000 ducats a year as an advance on his salary, and the land of Colorno. Among the conditions of his condotta, stipulated in Milan at the Sforza Castle, is that he will not be subject to the orders of the captain general Costanzo Sforza. Ludovico Sforza, moreover, undertakes to pressure the King of Naples Ferdinand I of Naples (Ferrante d’Aragona) so that the county of Caiazzo is confirmed to him and he is invested with the assets formerly owned by his father in Calabria. As his first military action, he moves into the lands of Guido dei Rossi: the opponent must soon abandon the Parma area. | |
| Sept. | Lombardy | He is in Mantua with Francesco Secco when the flags of the allies are blessed in the church of San Francesco: in the ceremony, he has the task of holding the banner of the King of Naples. | |||
| Oct. | Lombardy | At the siege of Asola. | |||
| Nov. | Lombardy | With Gian Giacomo da Trivulzio at Bordolano. | |||
| 1484 | |||||
| July | Lombardy | He is involved in the negotiations that conclude with the Peace of Bagnolo. | |||
| Aug. | The county of Caiazzo is reconfirmed to him by the Aragonese. | ||||
| 1485 | |||||
| Feb. | Veneto and Romagna | In Venice with his brothers for a joust organized by his father in Piazza San Marco. He then moves against Imola with his brother Gaspare to take the city from Girolamo Riario: Venice intervenes with his father Robert (Roberto) to restore the previous situation. | |||
| Mar. | Lombardy | In Milan, for the funeral of the Venetian ambassador Antonio Vitturi. | |||
| Oct. | Church | Naples | He serves in the pay of Pope Innocent VIII with his father and brother Gaspare in order to fight the Aragonese. Pressured by Ludovico Sforza, he changes his mind and returns to his service to oppose the papal forces. | ||
| Dec. | Milan | Church | 100 lances | He is entrusted with the command of 500 horses. | |
| 1486 | |||||
| Jan. | Lombardy, Tuscany | He leaves Lombardy. He heads for Pitigliano to aid Niccolò Orsini, who is blocked there by papal troops. | |||
| Apr. | Tuscany | He arrives near Pitigliano. With Marsilio Torelli, he carries out a raid toward Montalto di Castro. | |||
| May | Tuscany | He contributes to the victory of Montorio against the troops commanded by his father Robert (Roberto), captain general of the opponents. | |||
| 1487 | |||||
| Jan. | Emilia | In Bologna, for the wedding of Annibale Bentivoglio with Lucrezia d’Este, daughter of the Duke of Ferrara Ercole. | |||
| ……….. | Milan | Genoa | Liguria | ||
| 1488 | |||||
| Apr. May | Milan | Church | Romagna | Upon the killing of Girolamo Riario in Forlì, he links up with Giovanni Bentivoglio, lord of Bologna, and with Rodolfo Gonzaga in order to provide aid to Catherine Sforza (Caterina Sforza). He encamps on the Cosina; he forces the conspirators to flee; there is a fierce repression at the end of which he enters the fortress of Ravaldino. In early May, he accompanies Catherine Sforza (Caterina Sforza) to Forlì. | |
| Aug. | Milan | Exiles | Liguria | He aids Cardinal Paolo Fregoso, besieged in the Castelletto by Obietto Fieschi and Battista Fregoso. He builds a bastille at the entrance of the Val Polcevera. | |
| Sept. Oct. | Milan | Genoa | Piedmont and Liguria | He is in Novi Ligure; the Sforza forces change policy and help the exiles return to Genoa. Agostino Adorno is elected governor of the ducal city for ten years; Giovan Francesco da San Severino prepares for the siege of the Castelletto, whose defenders surrender to him with the signing of the peace. | |
| Nov. | Liguria | The Genoese grant him a fee of 1000 Genoese lire for his contribution to restoring peace to the city. | |||
| Dec. | Campania | He accompanies Ermes Sforza to Naples, who is tasked with concluding negotiations for the marriage by proxy between his brother Gian Galeazzo and Isabella of Aragon (Isabella d’Aragona), daughter of the Duke of Calabria Alphonse (Alfonso). | |||
| 1490 | |||||
| Mar. | Piedmont | He visits Chivasso, Turin, and Pinerolo with the ambassador Giovan Andrea Cagnola to offer condolences to Duchess Bianca of Savoy (Bianca di Savoia) for the death of her husband, Duke Charles of Savoy (Carlo). Unofficially, he assists in the renewal of the alliance between Savoy and Sforza. | |||
| 1491 | |||||
| Jan. | Lombardy | In Milan for the tournaments held for the wedding of Ludovico Sforza with Beatrice d’Este; he takes part with his brothers Gaspare and Galeazzo. During the festivities, he wears a Scythian savage costume designed by Leonardo da Vinci. | |||
| Feb. | Emilia | With the Marquis of Tortona Ermes Sforza, he accompanies Anna Sforza to Ferrara, who is to marry the son of the Duke of Ferrara, Alfonso d’Este. | |||
| ……….. | France | In France, at the court of King Charles VIII with Carlo Barbiano da Belgioioso, Galeazzo Visconti, and Girolamo Tuttavilla to congratulate the sovereign on his marriage to Anne of Brittany (Anna di Bretagna) and the acquisition of that region by the French state. | |||
| 1492 | |||||
| Feb. May | France | Still in France for a diplomatic mission. Arriving in Paris in late March, he is received with great honors. On behalf of the Duke of Ferrara Ercole d’Este, he pressures Charles VIII so that Ferrante d’Este can reach the French court. He departs in early May without apparently having achieved any tangible results. | |||
| Aug. Sept. | Lazio | In Rome, again with Ermes Sforza, for the purpose of paying homage to the new Pope Alexander VI. | |||
| Nov. | Tuscany | In Florence, with 4 other ambassadors: in the city, he is housed at the expense of the Medici. | |||
| 1493 | |||||
| ……… | France | In France, with Carlo Barbiano da Belgioioso, to incite King Charles VIII to an expedition to the Kingdom of Naples against the Aragonese. He meets in Paris with one of the exiles, the Prince of Salerno Antonello da San Severino, one of the main barons leading the conspiracy against King Ferdinand I of Naples (Ferrante d’Aragona). He offers, on behalf of the new Duke of Milan Ludovico Sforza, great aid to undertake the enterprise. | |||
| Nov. | Lombardy | He is reported in Milan, still with Ermes Sforza. | |||
| 1494 | |||||
| July | Milan | Naples | Gen. Governor 500 horses | Lombardy and Emilia | He has command of 600 lances and 3000 infantry to fight the Aragonese alongside the French. Immediately, the King of Naples confiscates his county of Caiazzo. The insignia of the captaincy, banner and staff, are delivered to him at the end of the month at the most favorable zodiacal point according to the dictates of the court astrologer Antonio da Rosate. San Severino leaves immediately for the Parma area. |
| Aug. | Emilia and Romagna | At the head of 40 squadrons of horses, he crosses the Modena area via Torre del Vescovo (Cella), Rubiera, and Scandiano with the logistical help of the Este family; he leaves the Enza and arrives with 1000 infantry and crossbowmen, and many light horses, in the Bologna area where he encamps on the banks of the Reno; he then moves to Cantalupo Selice, Corticella, and Villafranca where he is joined by 600 lances. | |||
| Sept. | Romagna | He is in Mordano and Bubano when war is officially declared. With continuous movements, he eludes the enemy’s hopes of coming to battle, waiting to receive reinforcements to be brought by d’Aubigny; he accepts only small skirmishes of light horses. He heads for Massa, simulates an offensive action which he interrupts to return to the camp of Frascata and the woods of Lugo, an area contiguous to the Po di Primaro. Having overcome difficulties related to the delay of pay, he moves to Sant’Agata where Niccolò Orsini has placed his quarters. He is put to flight near Bubano; he goes out with a squadron of mounted crossbowmen on reconnaissance toward Mordano. He is challenged to battle without result by Alphonse of Aragon (Alfonso d’Aragona) and Bartolomeo d’Alviano; he moves away from the camp again to be provoked once more to a clash; he also prevents Auvergne from accepting a challenge of champions chosen by both sides so as not to give the opponents any opportunity for combat in open field. He abandons the camp of Sant’Agata at night and retreats to the ditch of Zaniolo / Genivolo, in the Ferrara area, due to lack of provisions. | |||
| Oct. | Romagna | With his brother Gaspare, he carries out an inspection at San Paolino near Bagnacavallo: he participates in the capture of the castle of Mordano defended by 200 infantry. The French do not accept the unconditional surrender of the defenders, scale the walls, and kill all the soldiers; the village is set on fire with the exception of three buildings, including the church of Santa Maria and the vicar’s palace. | |||
| Nov. | Romagna, Tuscany | He agrees with Guido Guerra da Bagno to support the latter’s action in Cesena aimed at the capture of Niccolò Orsini; he arrives late, so the action does not take place; he obtains the surrender of Bagnara di Romagna and raids livestock at Savignano sul Rubicone (four hundred head of cattle and 35 high-value prisoners). At the end of the month, he is reported with d’Aubigny in Tuscany at the head of 300 light horses. | |||
| Dec. | Tuscany, Lombardy | He leaves Siena and returns to Lombardy. In the Bologna area, he passes in the company of Annibale Bentivoglio; he is hosted in Modena by Gherardo Rangoni. | |||
| 1495 | |||||
| Jan. Feb. | Tuscany and Lazio | Ludovico Sforza sends him back to follow the French with 150 lances, 400 light horses, and some infantry; he visits Pistoia, which has just rebelled against the Florentines, passes through Siena with 80 horses, and reaches Charles VIII at Valmontone. | |||
| Mar. Apr. | Campania, Tuscany, Lombardy | The French return the county of Caiazzo to him, which he prepares to visit. He leaves his wife there, passes through Siena, and returns to Milan with his light horses following the stipulation of the Italian League in an anti-French function. | |||
| May | Lombardy | He attends the ceremony in which Ludovico Sforza is officially invested with the Duchy of Milan. | |||
| June | Milan | France | Captain Gen. | Emilia and Tuscany | He has command of the Sforza troops against the French. Summoned to Milan, he does not appear with due promptness, so news of his desertion spreads; he is able to exonerate himself by demonstrating that he was in the Parma area at the time of the call to collect 2000 horses there and to guard the roads leading to Pontremoli. He stops in the city with seven squadrons of horses waiting for reinforcements; with the arrival of the opponents, he prefers to retreat and link up beyond the Taro with the league troops commanded by Francesco Gonzaga. |
| July | Emilia and Piedmont | He moves on the Taro at the command of 50 mounted crossbowmen and 14 squadrons of men-at-arms; the King of France twice sends a trumpeter in vain with a request for a meeting. He participates in the Battle of Fornovo, where he has the task of crossing the river with 2000 infantry (of whom 300 are German and the rest Italian) and substantial units of light cavalry to oppose the enemy vanguard led by Gian Giacomo da Trivulzio and the Marshal of Gié. With the Sforza contingents, he carries out a relatively effective containment action on the right wing, engaging the first French lines. The stradioti put the French light cavalry to flight; they do not pursue the offensive action, preferring to engage in looting. San Severino decides to stop at the same moment a band of 600 infantry throws itself at the artillery: it advances against the Swiss square and is annihilated. His troops are seized by discouragement and flee toward Parma. This movement generates suspicion in the Marshal of Gié of a tactical maneuver to distance the vanguard of his troops from the rest of the army. The following day, with Francesco Gonzaga, he meets with Argenton to discuss the possibility of a one-day truce: the opponents take advantage of the delay to leave the camp of Medesano at night. He dogs the French closely to keep the territories crossed loyal to the Sforza; in this light, he reinforces the garrison of Piacenza. He engages the enemy rearguard on the Trebbia with his light horses and 500 German infantry and harasses it mildly in its retreat between Castel San Giovanni, Voghera, Tortona, and Nizza Monferrato. The Venetian allies suspect him and his brother Gaspare of secretly provisioning the opponents. He moves to the siege of Novara: he tries to oppose the initiative with Virginio and Niccolò Orsini, because the city is well defended and can be easily aided from outside: the opinion of his brother Galeazzo and that of Francesco Gonzaga prevails, and operations begin. He arrives at Vespolate in search of new positions to house the troops and reinforces the defenses of Briona. | |||
| Aug. | Piedmont | At Trecate with 200 lances and 500 infantry. | |||
| ……… | Liguria and Tuscany | He leaves Genoa to assist the Pisans with Sforza militias against the Florentines. | |||
| 1496 | |||||
| Feb. | Lombardy | In Milan. | |||
| Apr. | Marches and Emilia | In Loreto, to fulfill a vow. In Bologna. | |||
| Sept. | Lombardy, Liguria | He assists Ludovico Sforza in the celebrations given in honor of Emperor Maximilian I (Massimiliano d’Austria) who is received at Vigevano; he leaves the locality with 70 horses to head for Tortona and Genoa. | |||
| Oct. | Milan | Florence | Tuscany | In Pisa following the Emperor in a useless action against the Florentines; in the city, he takes lodging in a palace on the Arno formerly belonging to the Medici. On reconnaissance in Ponsacco. | |
| Nov. | Tuscany | He besieges Livorno from the land side from the Fontana; he must retreat a first time when a storm disrupts the Genoese and Venetian fleet: the galley of the Grimaldi, which carried Maximilian I before the Quadratura of the Pisans, sinks, along with 2 galleys of the Serenissima before the point of San Giacomo. There is a council of war and it is decided to attack the city from the side of Vicopisano. The imperial forces decide to cease operations; San Severino also leaves Tuscany. | |||
| Dec. | Lombardy | He meets again with the Emperor in Como. | |||
| 1497 | |||||
| Jan. | Milan | France | Piedmont | He is placed in charge of the defense of Novi Ligure with 60 men-at-arms, 200 light horses, and 500 infantry; Trivulzio approaches menacingly. Frate da Pavia surrenders the castle to the opponents. San Severino must thus abandon the locality: his act is blamed by the Duke of Milan because the retreat, too hasty, was not accompanied by the usual destruction of provisions and munitions deposited there. He retreats first to Serravalle Scrivia and then to Alessandria. He declares himself unable to effectively garrison such a center. | |
| Feb. | Lombardy and Piedmont | In the middle of the month, he meets in Milan, in his palace, with Ludovico Sforza. He has a long talk with the Duke at the end of which the ill feelings recently arisen between the two are dissipated. Having received reinforcements from the Venetians, he moves against Novi Ligure where one of his attacks is repulsed. The conflict ceases in a short time and the city returns to the Sforza forces. | |||
| Oct. | Marches | He passes through Faenza; on pilgrimage to Loreto. | |||
| Nov. | Lombardy | He returns to Milan. He takes part in a meeting of the secret council with Francesco Bernardino Visconti, his brother Galeazzo, Marchesino Stanga, and other members convened by Ludovico Sforza to decide regarding the condotta of Gonzaga, dismissed in those same days by the Venetians. At the end of the month, he has a talk with Giovanni Gonzaga and Galeotto della Mirandola. | |||
| Dec. | Lombardy and Liguria | In Milan. At the beginning of the month, he attends with Galeotto della Mirandola and his brother Galeazzo a mass in suffrage for the death of the son of the King of Spain Ferdinand the Catholic (Ferdinando il Cattolico). He reaches Genoa. | |||
| 1498 | |||||
| Feb. | Lombardy | He has a talk in Milan with Troiano Papacoda, who came specifically from France to meet him. In the middle of the month, with his brother Galeazzo, he welcomes Battistino Fregoso to the city, who is headed to Ferrara, where he has established his residence. | |||
| Mar. | Lombardy | In Milan. With his brother Galeazzo, Galeotto della Mirandola, and the Bolognese Carlo degli Ingrati, he accompanies Cardinal Ippolito d’Este, brother of Isabella d’Este wife of Francesco Gonzaga, in a procession from the church of Sant’Eustorgio to the cathedral. | |||
| June | Lombardy | He assists Cardinal d’Este in some ceremonies in Milan. 200 light horses of his company and that of his brother Galeazzo are sent to Tuscany to aid the Florentines against the Venetians. | |||
| Aug. | Milan | Venice | The Duke of Milan Ludovico Sforza pretends to dismiss him and sends him with 200 lances to aid the Florentines against the Venetians and Pisans. | ||
| Aug. | Milan, Florence | Venice, Pisa | 200 lances | Ludovico Sforza pretends to dismiss him and sends him to aid the Florentines against the Venetians and Pisans. | |
| Sept. | Captain Gen. | Lombardy, Emilia and Romagna | He leaves the Pavia and Milan areas with 350 men-at-arms to enter the Parma area; he moves to Colorno, moves between the Enza and the Taro, and heads toward the Forlì area in order to protect Catherine Sforza (Caterina Sforza) from Venetian threats. On his march, he visits Ferrara (stays at the Angelo inn) and transfers to the countryside of Argenta, at the ditch of Zaniolo/Genivolo. | ||
| Oct. | Emilia, Romagna | He is still in the Ferrara area. With 100 horses and 3 boats loaded with infantry, he pursues Taliano da Carpi to despoil his men: the prompt intervention of the Venetian vicedomino of Ferrara prevents him from achieving the objective as the rival condottiero immediately receives permission to cross the Po. San Severino heads to Cotignola with 300 lances and 1000 infantry, joins his brother Gaspare at Modigliana; he does not want to attack the opponents, as vainly urged by his relative, to head for Forlì. Only observing the movements of the Venetians is enough for him; he stops at Oriolo (Oriolo dei Fichi) and obstructs the troops of Guidobaldo da Montefeltro who, after conquering the village of Marradi, promised themselves to also besiege its fortress. Having fallen ill, he is taken to Forlì where he stays on the road of Fosso Verde. | |||
| Nov. | Emilia and Lombardy | At Castrocaro Terme. Passes through Ferrara and continues to Milan. Command of the troops is taken by his brother Gaspare. | |||
| Nov. | Romagna, Lombardy | He goes to Castrocaro Terme, visits Ferrara, and continues to Milan: command of the troops passes to his brother Gaspare. | |||
| Dec. | Lombardy, Emilia and Romagna | Having recovered, he contacts Gian Giacomo da Trivulzio officially to ask for his daughter in marriage, unofficially to prevent the alliance of the French with the Venetians. He returns to Forlì and from there reaches Ferrara, where he has a talk with the vicedomino of the Serenissima. In Milan. | |||
| 1499 | |||||
| Feb. | Lombardy | He heads toward the Brescia area when the captain general of the Venetians Niccolò Orsini leaves Ghedi to transfer to Tuscany. | |||
| May | Lombardy and Liguria | In Milan where he prepares for some jousts; he subsequently moves to Genoa to bring 2 large bombards, 6 cortaldi, 4 passavolanti, and 50 arquebusiers into the Castelletto. | |||
| July | Milan | France, Venice | 100 lances | Lombardy | He inspects the eastern frontiers of the duchy. He stops at Robecco d’Oglio and has the harvests brought into the fortresses; at Soncino, where he attends the review of 1200 provvigionati (of whom 700 are chosen); he also has the task of defending Piacenza. |
| Aug. | Lombardy | He initially arrives at Abbadia Cerreto. He asks Sforza for 200/300 stradiotti in reinforcement and moves to the guard of Cremona. In the same days, Sforza names his brother Galeazzo captain general of the ducal troops: the choice arouses his resentment. He is called to Alessandria as a result of the French advance in Piedmont. With Marco da Martinengo, he reaches Pizzighettone with 300 horses and 600/700 infantry to replace the castellan; he delays his crossing of the Po and comes to an agreement with the French. | |||
| Sept. | France | Milan | Lombardy and Emilia | He openly betrays Ludovico Sforza and pursues the latter between Como and Bormio when the Duke decides to flee to Germany. He meets with Trivulzio; the talk between the two captains is calm. King Louis XII confers on him the title of chamberlain and grants him a condotta of 100 men-at-arms with an annual pension of 5000 ducats. Not all the French are happy with such recognition. He offers to deliver Genoa to the French; Trivulzio instead uses him in the Parma area to recover some lands that had come into the possession of Filippo dei Rossi. He protests to the Venetians regarding the ownership of certain lands located near San Giovanni in Croce; at the end of the month, he is in Milan for the entry of the French sovereign into the city. | |
| Oct. | Switzerland | He occupies Bellinzona and obtains Tirano on terms. | |||
| Nov. | France | He is named Marquis of Valenza; he must follow the King to France. In the same year, he marries Barbara Gonzaga, daughter of Giovanni Francesco. | |||
| 1500 | |||||
| ……….. | Sforza | France | He reconciles with Ludovico Sforza and initially supports him in his action to recover the duchy; unheeded, he advises him to seek a pitched battle before the French strengthen themselves too much. | ||
| Apr. | France | Sforza | He then reconciles with the French: they pressure the Venetians so that the assets he owns at Corte dei Cavalcabò are returned to him. The response is negative. | ||
| July | The fiefs of Cittadella and Montorio Veronese are confiscated from him by the Venetians. | ||||
| Sept. | France | Due to his diatribes with Gian Giacomo da Trivulzio, he is banished to Burgundy. | |||
| Nov. | France | He asks the Venetian ambassador in France Francesco Foscari to be reinstated in his paternal assets. | |||
| 1501 | |||||
| Jan. | France | He is still in Burgundy. | |||
| Mar. May | France | He has Chaumont request Corte dei Cavalcabò from the Venetians: the response is once again negative. In May, he again sets his transalpine friendships in motion to ask to be readmitted to the possession of Cittadella. | |||
| June | France | Naples | 100 lances | Tuscany and Lazio | He is sent to the Kingdom of Naples in order to fight the Aragonese there. He crosses Lunigiana with Galeazzo Pallavicini and enters Rome through the Porta di Santa Maria del Popolo at the head of 7000/8000 infantry (2000 Swiss, the rest composed of Gascons, Normans, and Picards), 800 lances, many light horses and mounted archers, and thirty-six pieces of artillery (twenty-four falconets and twelve cannons). In the city, he quells a large brawl that arose between his soldiers and the inhabitants. |
| July | Campania | He takes part in the siege of Capua; he is given command of the vanguard. A clash arises in which the French cavalry surprises an Aragonese contingent that had come out of the city. The transalpines bombard the city; San Severino and Cesare Borgia, at the head of 400 men-at-arms and many venturieri, cross the Volturno at the location “ai Corsitelli or La Monica” on a bridge of boats under enemy artillery fire; San Severino is joined here by another 400 lances led by Gian Giordano Orsini. Following effective artillery fire, Fabrizio Colonna negotiates a surrender on terms; the French take advantage of the loosened surveillance by the defenders, enter the city and sack it: the booty is valued at 300,000 ducats; numerous are the excesses despite his attempts to restrain the soldiers and his rescue of numerous women and children gathered in the churches. | |||
| Aug. | Campania | He enters Naples following the flight of King Frederick of Naples (Federico d’Aragona) to Ischia. In the city, he has the merchant Marco Bragadin arrested, upon whom he claims to exercise a reprisal to avenge himself on the Venetians. The merchant is shortly released upon intervention by the King of France and the Cardinal of Rouen. | |||
| Sept. | Campania | He dies at the beginning of the month in Naples in the house of his brother-in-law Giovanni Tommaso Carafa, Count of Maddaloni. His body is transported to Rome to be buried in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo; according to others, he is buried in Naples in the church of Santa Chiara. In Milan, he lives near the Broletto Nuovissimo. In his palace, Leonardo da Vinci stages Baldassarre Tacconi‘s Danae with amazing special effects. Remembered in his letters by Luigi Pulci. He marries Diana della Ratta and, as a second wife, Barbara Gonzaga, daughter of Giovanni Francesco, after having refused the proposal of the Mantuan ambassador, tending to favor the cause of Paola Gonzaga, daughter of Rodolfo. The King of France Louis XII falls in love with his second wife in 1501. His motto, as for the other condottieri of the House of San Severino, is “Nostro è il mestiero” (“The trade is ours”). |
Sources
-“Confidato molto al duca, non pareggiando nell’armi la gloria di Ruberto da Sanseverino suo padre, aveva acquistato nome più di capitano cauto che di ardito.”GUICCIARDINI
-“Per esser persona molto praticha in lo exercitio militare, et maxime in Itallia, il Re (Luigi XII) ne faceva grande conto dela persona sua, tutavolta in compagnia sempre cum li sui Francexi.” PRIULI
-“S’era guadagnata non volgar fama.” AFFO’
-“Uno de li conduteri principali de taliani.” DE’ BIANCHI
-“Fu..huomo illustre.” SANSOVINO
“Assai più valente del fratello (Galeazzo).” MAGENTA
-“Vir bello insignis.” ALBINO
-“Maintz bons services avoit faict au roy, et de moult son armée secourne.” J. D’AUTON
-“Il quale non pareggiava punto nell’arme la gloria di Ruberto suo padre, e si haveva acquistato nome più tosto di capitano cauto che d’ardito.” ANGELI
-Nel regno di Napoli “De l’altra parte el conte de Gayazzy/ In terra de Lavoro fu arrivato/ E non temeva de nessuno impazzo/ In fatti de arme è bene ammaestrato./ Fecesi avanti col suo fiero brazzo,/ Un ponte sopra al fiume hebbe ordinato,/ Presso de Capua verso la montagna/ Per star più sicuro alla campagna.” Da “Guerre orrende d’Italia” in GUERRE IN OTTAVA RIMA
-“Sanseverino fu un personaggio di primo piano nel panorama politico dell’Italia del Rinascimento. Il lungo servizio militare, il prestigio raggiunto alla corte sforzesca nell’ultimo quindicennio del secolo e l’opportunistico passaggio al servizio del re di Francia tratteggiano al meglio la figura e la carriera di questo condottiero di ventura.” TUFANO (Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani)
-“Capitano di molto coraggio e di singolare perizia nell’arte militare.” CASALIS
-“De la maison si nombreuse et si guerrière des San-Séverino..Il était fort avant dans l’intimité du duc de Milan, mais, moins habile dans le métier que Robert de San-Séverino, son père, il passait pour etre plus prudent que brave..Cajazzo n’a pas laissé la réputation d’un général audacieux et propre aux coups de main.” DE LA PILORGERIE
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