How a multilingual Renaissance scholar became embroiled in decades of family warfare
Giovan Francesco della Mirandola (Giovan Francesco Pico della Mirandola). Lord of Concordia and Mirandola. Brother of Ludovico della Mirandola, uncle of Galeotto della Mirandola, nephew of Antonio Maria della Mirandola, father-in-law of Sigismondo Malatesta and of Roberto Boschetti.
Born: 1470
Death: 1533, October
| Year, Month | State, Comp. ventura | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| …………. | Emilia | Completes his studies at Ferrara. | |||
| 1491 | |||||
| Feb. | Lombardy | Participates in Milan in a great tournament organized by Ludovico Sforza for his marriage to Beatrice d’Este: during a joust he is wounded on the forehead by a lance blow inflicted by Giovanni da Tolentino. | |||
| 1494 | |||||
| Aug. | Milan | Naples | Emilia and Romagna | Crosses the Bolognese territory with Rodolfo Gonzaga and Giovan Francesco da San Severino at the head of 50 squadrons of horses and 3000 infantry. Stops at Cotignola. During the year he requests from Emperor Maximilian of Austria confirmation of the investiture of Mirandola and Concordia made in his favor in 1494. This investiture is, in fact, contested by his brothers Ludovico and Federico. | |
| 1499 | |||||
| Aug. | Mirandola | Mirandola | Emilia | Has a brief conflict with his brother Ludovico. | |
| 1500 | |||||
| …………. | Sforza | France | |||
| May, June | Emilia | With the defeat of the former Duke of Milan Ludovico Sforza, he vainly attempts to enter French service. He goes to Ferrara seeking 7000 ducats to deliver to King Louis XII for having supported the Sforza cause. | |||
| Sept. | Emilia | Obtains the money as a loan from the Duke of Ferrara Ercole d’Este. | |||
| 1501 | |||||
| Feb. | Emperor Maximilian of Austria appoints him his seneschal for Italy. He is knighted. | ||||
| Mar. | Mirandola | Mirandola | Emilia | Upon the death of his uncle Antonio Maria, he goes to Concordia to take possession of the locality with the help of the Gonzaga. He conquers the fortress after fierce combat; his brother Ludovico, who is supported by the Estensi, moves against him. | |
| 1502 | |||||
| June | Concordia | Mirandola | Emilia | Enters Mirandola, still opposed by his brother Ludovico, to whom he does not want to surrender his share of the lordship: he is attacked by his relative aided by Gian Giacomo da Trivulzio. | |
| July | Emilia | The adversaries with intense bombardment seize the fortress of Mirandola after fourteen days of intense bombardment. Taken prisoner, he is released with all his possessions by his brother Ludovico at the request of their mother Bianca Maria d’Este and his wife Giovanna Carafa. | |||
| Aug., Oct. | Emilia and Lazio | He takes refuge first at Castelnuovo dei Pii and subsequently in Rome. His brother Ludovico sends assassins to that city to kill him. They are discovered and pardoned by Giovan Francesco. | |||
| 1503 | |||||
| June | Emilia | At Novi, with Alberto Pio. The Emperor reinvests him with Mirandola to the detriment of his brothers who contest his lordship. | |||
| Oct. | Mirandola | Mirandola | Emilia | At the head of 100 light cavalry and 500 infantry he attempts to occupy Mirandola. He is repelled. | |
| Dec. | Emilia | He tries to enter Mirandola taking advantage of the intense cold that has caused the moat to freeze. He also foments a conspiracy through one of his supporters, Cristoforo Grisolfi, who, discovered, is executed. | |||
| 1506 | |||||
| Nov. | Emilia | He appeals to the Venetians to be able to recover his states that have been occupied by his brother Ludovico. He leaves Bologna and arrives in the Modenese territory. | |||
| 1507 | |||||
| May | Lombardy | In Milan, at the entrance of the King of France Louis XII into the city. | |||
| …………. | Empire | Lombardy | He allies at Gazzuolo and Bozzolo with the Bishop of Lodi Ottaviano Sforza and other imperial captains (400 men-at-arms and 1200 infantry) to threaten the Venetian borders. | ||
| 1509 | |||||
| Oct. | Church | Venice | Veneto | To the defense of Vicenza with 20 horses. He is appointed governor of the city with Gaspare da San Severino. | |
| 1510 | |||||
| Oct. | He is sent by Pope Julius II to the French camp to seek a peace agreement with the French through the work of Alberto Pio. | ||||
| Dec. | Emilia | Mid-month with Troilo Savelli and Giano Fregoso he prepares to besiege Concordia. Venetians and pontificals have 10 pieces of artillery, of which 2 are large and 8 are falconets. Infantry and light cavalry seize the suburbs, while the men-at-arms camp half a mile from the walls. To protect the pieces and their crews from enemy artillery fire, Giovan Francesco della Mirandola has approach trenches dug to the defensive works; with the resulting earth, parapets are prepared that protect the approach of the pieces constituting the battery. Giovan Francesco della Mirandola promises extra pay to all infantry who work at night; the troops are also promised the sack of Concordia and Mirandola. Logistical difficulties due to winter, lack of supplies, and the need to monitor the movements of enemy troops that are approaching initially slow the siege operations. Despite everything, in a few days Concordia is conquered and sacked. Some defenders are killed, while another 70 are taken prisoner. | |||
| 1511 | |||||
| Jan. | Church | France | Emilia | Takes part in the siege of Mirandola. Artillery fire operations proceed slowly. He proposes to accelerate the pace and advises the other captains to assault a section of the walls that appears weaker. The attack is repelled. He initiates negotiations with Roberto Boschetti and Alessandro da Trivulzio to obtain the locality by agreement: during operations he is threatened with death by Francesco Maria della Rovere who accuses him of having defamed him before the pontiff. Alessandro da Trivulzio is taken prisoner with some officers; Francesca da Trivulzio, widow of his brother Ludovico and lady of the locality, is left free to be escorted to Correggio; the inhabitants, to save themselves from sacking, must instead pay the soldiers 60 pounds of gold. With the fall of Mirandola, Giovan Francesco is made its lord by Julius II: he is obliged to acknowledge 20,000 ducats to the pontificals for war expenses and to demolish the suburbs that hinder the defense of the locality. | |
| Feb. | Emilia | At Mirandola with 800 infantry. | |||
| June | Emilia | Gathers 200 infantry and 200 cavalry to resist the attack by the French under Trivulzio. He brings the imperial ambassador to Modena, Vitfurst, into the castle of Mirandola; raises the banner of Maximilian of Austria. After the adversaries have placed their artillery pieces to bombard the locality, he meets with Trivulzio. He surrenders with safety for property and persons. He heads toward Bologna to meet with the pontiff. He takes refuge first in Modena and then in Tuscany. Trivulzio also obtains Concordia. | |||
| 1512 | |||||
| Apr. | Romagna | Takes part in the Battle of Ravenna. | |||
| 1513 | |||||
| Oct. | Cardinal Curzense, called as arbitrator for his dispute with Francesca da Trivulzio, widow of his brother, decides in his favor regarding the lordship of Concordia. | ||||
| 1514 | |||||
| Aug. | Emilia | With the defeat of the French he obtains formal possession of Mirandola while Francesca da Trivulzio and her nephew Galeotto settle in Concordia. The ceremony that solemnizes the event takes place under the loggia of the Public Palace. | |||
| Nov. | Emilia | Sends twenty horses to Modena to free former imperial vicar Andrea Duro from prison, imprisoned by the new governor Cesare Colombo: he hosts him in Mirandola. | |||
| 1515 | Emilia | The Emperor invests him with the entire state of Mirandola. | |||
| 1516 | |||||
| Apr. | Mirandola Empire | Concordia France | Emilia | Conducts some raids in the territory of Concordia, which is defended by Pirro and Ludovico Gonzaga da Bozzolo. He positions himself in ambush in the house of one of his supporters with 200 infantry and cavalry near Concordia. He has a negotiation in the city: the outcome is unsuccessful. He returns days later with more men; camps at Santa Caterina in the Augustinian monastery. He bombards the bastion of Santa Caterina with several artillery pieces and after a brief bombardment gives the signal for attack in which 40 men lose their lives and another 70 are wounded. He attempts the action again; the arrival of reinforcements from Mantua for the defenders forces him to retreat. He is pursued by the adversaries. | |
| June | Emilia | Imperial captains Muzio Colonna, Pochintesta dei Pochintesti, and Matteo Beccaria enter Mirandola in his defense with 300 lances, 400 light cavalry, and 2000 Italian infantry. | |||
| July | Emilia | Camillo da Trivulzio camps with many soldiers under the walls of Mirandola; soon breaks camp because his sister Francesca, having secretly married Ottobono Terzi, has reached an agreement with della Mirandola. The new husband will be killed two years later in Concordia in his wife’s chamber by Giovanni Giorgio Bergamino. | |||
| 1517 | |||||
| Jan. | Emilia | Informs the pontificals about movements in the Mantuan area by Francesco Maria della Rovere, aimed at reconquering the Duchy of Urbino. | |||
| June | Mirandola | Concordia France | Emilia | Attempts a new assault on the bastion of Santa Caterina; repeats the attempt at the head of 400 German infantry, 300 Spanish, 200 Corsican, and 400 men from the countryside; news spreads of the arrival of militias to aid the defenders. 30 light cavalry secretly exit Concordia taking the Mantuan road; at dawn they assault his troops shouting that they are part of the Gonzaga vanguard. The Mirandolesi flee: Giovan Francesco saves himself with his son Giovan Tommaso to Mirandola after suffering numerous losses. He is attacked in turn. | |
| July | Emilia | Besieged in Mirandola, he exits the city by surprise and puts the besiegers to flight. | |||
| Aug. | Emilia | He is again attacked by the French under Gian Giacomo da Trivulzio. The adversaries are repelled with the killing of Camillo Gambara. | |||
| Dec. | Emilia | He is now attacked by Teodoro da Trivulzio’s captain Andrea Luraghi: Giovan Francesco della Mirandola is defeated with the loss in combat of 400 infantry, artillery, and the capture of many horses. | |||
| 1518 | |||||
| May | He reaches an agreement with the da Trivulzio through the mediation of Giulio da San Severino. | ||||
| 1519 | |||||
| Nov. | Mirandola | Concordia | Emilia | Reaches an understanding with the regent of Concordia Francesca da Trivulzio: the agreement is immediately broken. Confronted by adversaries, he prevails over Federico Gonzaga da Bozzolo. With the victory, della Mirandola allows the exiles to return to Mirandola; he has their property restored. | |
| 1520 | |||||
| Jan. | Mirandola | Concordia | Emilia | He allies with the Bishop of Ventimiglia Alessandro Fregoso who transits through the Bolognese territory to go to Genoa. He obtains his help to attempt the conquest of Concordia; among the attackers there are 200 dead and many wounded; many more die drowned in the Secchia while trying to cross the river that has suddenly thawed. | |
| June | Emilia | He is again opposed by Federico Gonzaga da Bozzolo. | |||
| Oct. | Emilia | Besieges Andrea da Birago in Concordia. A truce is stipulated between the parties. | |||
| Nov. | Emilia | Andrea da Birago attempts to enter Mirandola through a negotiation that proves to be double. The war continues; in its course della Mirandola attempts to seize San Possidonio. | |||
| 1521 | |||||
| Jan. | Emilia | Concordia is vainly assaulted by 1500 Corsican infantry hired by Giovan Francesco della Mirandola. He must endure the counteroffensive of the adversaries. | |||
| July | Emilia | Re-enters Concordia with the help of the pontificals under Prospero Colonna: Andrea da Birago cedes the locality to the Marquis of Mantua Federico Gonzaga. | |||
| 1522 | |||||
| Apr. | Milan | France | Lombardy | Supports the Duke of Milan Francesco Sforza against the French. | |
| 1524 | |||||
| July | Emilia | Has Santo Boccali, head of his mint, beheaded for coining false money: Pope Clement VII prohibits him, in any case, from minting coins. | |||
| 1526 | |||||
| Sept. | Empire | Venice France | |||
| 1527 | |||||
| May | Lazio | He is in Rome when the city is sacked by the Landsknechts: taken prisoner, he is ransomed by Alessandro Gonzaga. | |||
| Nov. | Emilia | At Mirandola. Gathers 400 infantry in anticipation of the passage of French troops through his territories. | |||
| 1528 | |||||
| June | Emilia | Thwarts a coup attempt on Mirandola by his nephew Galeotto. Aided by Pompeo Ramazzotto, he forces his rival to agree to a truce. | |||
| 1529 | |||||
| Jan. | Mirandola | Ferrara | Emilia | To the defense of Mirandola with 800 infantry, half of whom were provided by Melchiorre Ramazzotto. | |
| 1533 | |||||
| Oct. | Emilia | He is assassinated in Mirandola along with his son Alberto and his brother Galeotto by his nephew Galeotto, who suddenly entered the citadel. His library is dispersed in the sack of the castle. He is buried with his son in Mirandola in the family chapel, located in the church of San Francesco. In correspondence with numerous humanists of his time such as Celio Calcagnini, Ercole Strozzi, Giglio Gregorio Giraldi, and Sadoleto. Praised for his doctrine and virtues by Leandro Alberti. Calcagnini writes a eulogy in his honor and Giraldi dedicates his treatise on ancient tombs to him. Author, in turn, of a biography of Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, of Girolamo Savonarola, of a treatise on witches, and other religious and philosophical works. |
Sources
-“Peritissimo in ogni grado di dottrina, e in Greco, Hebreo, e Arabico, in umanità, poesia, logica, filosofia, e teologia..Fu questo signore di lunga statura, bianco di colore, e di faccia lunga, e naso aquilino, et di occhi vivaci, eloquente, dritto nel giudizio, integerrimo di vita, fedele nelle promesse, cattolico, e vero Christiano..Fortificò..molto la Rocca, la Cittadella con tutta la Mirandola, e fece una isoletta vicino alla Rocca, nella quale piantò gran numero di diverse specie di alberi fruttiferi.” ALBERTI
-“Uno de’ migliori principi,..uno degli uomini più virtuosi, più eruditi e uno degli scrittori più distinti del secolo.” CERETTI
-“Imitatore delle virtù e degli studi del c. Giovanni suo zio, e uno de’ più dotti uomini che a quel tempo vivessero.” TIRABOSCHI
-“Huomo litteratissimo in ogni scientia.” BRATTI
-“Huomo al tempo suo litteratissimo in greco, in latino ed hebraico.” ANONIMO
-“Né solo fu Gio. Francesco Mercuriale, ma pure Marzio, ed esercitatissimo nell’armi, condottiere di genti di molti signori, specialmente d’Alfonso II re di Napoli, che diresse con gran prudenza.” PAPOTTI
-“Dotto, specie in filosofia aristotelica e platonica.” BACCHELLI
Featured image: picodellamirandola.it
