Giovanni da Barbiano, Count, Lord of Lugo, Conselice, Zagonara, and Vignola.
Brother or nephew of Alberico da Barbiano, father of Conselice da Barbiano, and uncle of Ludovico da Zagonara and Manfredo.
| Year/Month | State/Comp. ventura | Opponent | Conduct | Activity area | Actions taken and other salient facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| …………… | He has his first military experiences in the companies of John Hawkwood (Giovanni Acuto). | ||||
| 1378 | |||||
| …………… | Bologna | 5 lances | |||
| Dec. | Venice | Genoa | Lombardy | He serves with his brother Alberico in the Company of St. George. | |
| 1380 | |||||
| Feb. | Comp. ventura | Siena Florence | Tuscany | In Tuscany with his brother. | |
| Apr. | Tuscany | He is defeated and captured with 70 cavalry by the troops of John Hawkwood (Giovanni Acuto), Lutz von Landau (Lucio Lando), and Everardo Lando at Malmantile. | |||
| …………… | Cunio | Ferrara | Romagna | Freed, he returns to Romagna. He confronts the Este family. He is besieged in the castle of Barbiano. | |
| 1381 | Naples | Anjou | Campania | ||
| 1382 | |||||
| Jan. | Comp. ventura | Siena Florence | Tuscany | He raids the Sienese Val d’Ambra with the Company of St. George. Subsequently, he moves into the Florentine Val d’Elsa. | |
| …………… | Comp. ventura | Church | Marche | He crosses the Marche. He forces the papal rector of the Marche, Andrea Tomacelli, to recognize him with 4,000 ducats. | |
| 1383 | |||||
| Jan. | Padua | Austria | 200 lances | Veneto | He serves under the lord of Padua, Francesco da Carrara. When Duke Leopold of Austria challenges the Carraresi, he is ordered to devastate the Treviso area with 200 lances. In his raids, he reaches Feltre and Belluno; finally returning to Padua. |
| Mar. | Veneto | In the Treviso area. | |||
| May | Veneto | With the arrival of the Duke of Austria in Belluno at the head of many troops, he leaves the camp at Mogliano Veneto with Simone Lupo and Bernardo Scolari; he quarters first at Quinto di Treviso, near the church of San Giorgio, then at Noale. | |||
| Aug. | Captain General | Veneto | He resumes hostilities at the end of a truce. He stops at Fontane, near Treviso, and devastates the territory by cutting down trees and burning crops for three miles around the city. He attacks Oderzo and assaults the city with bombards. | ||
| Sept. | Veneto | He conquers Oderzo, which is sacked; then he besieges the fortress and undermines it. The German defenders surrender under terms; the Italian soldiers are taken prisoner. He moves towards Motta di Livenza, defended by Gerardo da Camino; he combats the locality by land and river with bombards. The defenders surrender under terms. Da Camino obtains that his family can reach Lorenzago di Cadore under escort, while he is imprisoned in Padua. Motta di Livenza is sacked. | |||
| Oct. | Veneto | One after another, other castles controlled by the da Camino fall, such as Fregona and Castel di Torre. Giovanni da Barbiano now targets Conegliano, a key location to block reinforcements coming from Friuli to the defenders of Treviso. | |||
| Nov. | Veneto | He besieges Conegliano and, as in Oderzo, constructs many tunnels under the walls to make them collapse: Giovanni da Barbiano is indeed one of the first condottieri to make extensive use of mines. He orders a triple attack on the walls conducted at three different points: it is repelled with the death of many attackers and the wounding of 500 men. He crosses the Piave and stops under the Montello; he returns to Padua where he is welcomed in triumph. | |||
| Dec. | Veneto | At Primolano, with many infantry to follow up on a plot hatched in Feltre; when it is discovered, he leaves the county; while crossing the Cismon, he loses many men due to snow and cold. | |||
| 1384 | |||||
| Feb. | Veneto | He enters Treviso after the infantry of Cermisone da Parma and Paolo da Bologna, following the purchase of the city for 80,000 ducats ceded by the Duke of Austria to the Carraresi. Francesco da Carrara makes his entrance on a magnificent white horse, escorted by the Podestà of Treviso and all the dignitaries of Padua and Treviso. The lord of Padua enters the cathedral to give thanks to God; he then goes to the palace, where he receives the keys of the city and the baton of lordship. The Elders, on behalf of the entire people, swear obedience to the new lord. | |||
| Mar. | Padua | Camino | Veneto | He captures Guecellone da Camino at Portobuffolè; thus stripping all the da Camino of their ancient properties. He returns to Padua. | |
| …………… | Church | Urbino | Marche | At the service of Pope Urban VI, he opposes the troops of the lord of Urbino, Antonio da Montefeltro. | |
| Summer | Naples | Anjou Antipope | For Charles of Durazzo against the Angevins. | ||
| 1385 | |||||
| Jan. | Cunio | Bologna Ferrara | Emilia and Romagna | He confronts the opponents with Giovanni degli Ubaldini. Conselice and Zagonara are captured from him. | |
| Feb. | Comp. ventura | Bologna Ferrara Florence | Romagna | He hosts at Barbiano the company of Giovanni degli Ubaldini, as well as those of Giovanni Ordelaffi and Richard Ramsey. He cooperates with them in the victory of San Prospero against the Bolognese led by the Gonfalonier of Justice Ranberto Bacilieri, reinforced by Este and Florentine militias. | |
| Apr. | Comp. ventura | Romagna Marche | He defeats the Bolognese again; he occupies Barbiano, expelling the captain Giacomo Boccadiferro. He hands over Zagonara to the Este; then he joins Azzo da Castello, Ceccolo Broglia, Brandolino Brandolini, Conte da Carrara, and Boldrino da Panicale, with whom he devastates the Marche. He captures men and livestock. | ||
| May | Padua | Udine Venice | Captain General | Veneto | He is hired by the Carraresi to assist in Friuli the Patriarch of Aquileia, Philippe d’Alençon, struggling against the Udinese and local nobles. |
| Aug. | Veneto | He leaves Padua with 2,000 cavalry. | |||
| Sept.-Oct. | Veneto Friuli Romagna | He takes Portogruaro from Rizzardo da Valvasone, who takes advantage of his arrival to switch to the Carraresi side. He conquers the castles of San Vito al Tagliamento, defended by 50 lances, and that of Spilimbergo, guarded by an equal number of men-at-arms and many infantry. The corpse of Niccolò di Spilimbergo is displayed upside down as a traitor. He also obtains Savorgnano; only Maniago and Sacile resist his advance. In October, he besieges San Daniele del Friuli for two weeks. The flooding of the Tagliamento prevents the provisioning of his troops; food is scarce, and the soldiers feed on the turnips they find in abundance. With the cessation of the rain, Giovanni da Barbiano can ford the river. The devastation of the Maniago territory begins. With the approach of winter, his troops are forced to return to winter quarters, while he returns to his lands. | |||
| Nov. | Cunio | Bologna | Romagna | With his brother Rinaldo and few followers, he again expels the Bolognese garrison commanded by Boccadiferro from Barbiano. | |
| Dec. | Romagna | He is besieged in Barbiano by enemies led by Lucio Lando. He promises 3,000 ducats to the German captain; the latter deliberately delays military operations. | |||
| 1386 | |||||
| Apr. | Romagna | He reaches an agreement with the Bolognese: all bans against him are canceled, he recognizes himself as a tenant of the commune, and he commits to delivering each year, in August, a falcon for the eve of Saint Bartholomew. | |||
| …………… | Bologna | ||||
| 1387 | |||||
| Feb. | Bologna | Comp. ventura | 60 lances and 15 mounted archers | Romagna | He defeats the company of Lucio Lando. |
| 1388 | |||||
| June | Rimini | Comp. ventura | Tuscany | Guarding Borgo San Sepolcro (Sansepolcro) when the locality is threatened by the company of John Beltoft. | |
| 1389 | |||||
| June | Florence | Rimini | 800 cavalry | Romagna | He gathers 800 cavalry in Romagna. He invades the Rimini area; he is defeated at Santarcangelo di Romagna by Carlo and Pandolfo Malatesta, who inflict heavy losses on him. In revenge, as soon as possible, he sacks the neighboring territory. |
| Autumn | Bologna | Milan | Emilia | He opposes the Visconti militias with the lord of Pesaro Malatesta Malatesta and Niccolò Roberti. | |
| 1390 | |||||
| …………… | Church | Anjou | Campania | Pope Boniface IX sends him to assist Queen Margaret of Anjou, widow of Charles of Durazzo: he is repelled by the troops of Louis of Anjou. | |
| May | Bologna | Milan | Captain General 200 lances and 200 infantry | Romagna | In Umbria with 150 lances; he reaches near San Marino, at Le Penne, and is attacked by Carlo Malatesta and the inhabitants of neighboring counties. He is pushed into a valley from which he tries in vain to exit due to the opposition of the attackers, who also suffer heavy losses (200 dead). He fortifies himself with his troops and sends messengers to Bologna seeking reinforcements. He is forced to surrender to the Montefeltro forces, to whom he acknowledges a ransom of 5,000 ducats; the Florentines also pressure Antonio da Montefeltro for his release. He goes to Bologna, and at the end of April, he is appointed Captain General by the Bolognese with a conduct of 200 lances and 200 infantry. He is also granted a provision of 600 florins. |
| June | Emilia | At the head of 1,000 lances, he leaves Casalecchio di Reno and reinforces the troops in the castle of Piumazzo without Jacopo dal Verme noticing. The latter sends 300 lances to attack the locality. Giovanni da Barbiano attacks the opponents, inferior in number, and captures 400 horses; he joins John Hawkwood (Giovanni Acuto) at Confortino, near the Samoggia; he defeats dal Verme again in two hours and captures Facino Cane. | |||
| July | Emilia | He breaks into the Ferrara area with 500 lances and 1,000 infantry and burns more than two hundred houses along the banks of the Po; he raids Mirandola, and at the end of the month, with 1,000 lances and 500 infantry, always with John Hawkwood, he rides into the Reggio, Parma, and Modena areas accompanied by the ambassador of the Duke of Bavaria. The lands crossed do not rebel, as the attackers hoped in favor of Carlo Visconti, so he is forced to return. | |||
| Aug. | Emilia | He assaults the bastion of Farinara with 400 lances. | |||
| Sept. | Romagna | He breaks into the Rimini area with 500 lances. He sacks the county of Santarcangelo di Romagna. | |||
| Oct. | Lombardy Veneto | He is in Coazze in the Mantua area; from here, he enters the Vicenza area; he connects with Francesco Novello da Carrara to devastate the county. | |||
| — | Veneto | In Padua with 400 lances. He continues the conflict in the Vicenza and Verona areas. | |||
| 1391 | |||||
| Jan. | Veneto | He leaves Padua to follow John Hawkwood in his first offensive towards Lombardy. | |||
| Mar.- Apr. | Veneto Emilia | He leaves Padua and returns to Bologna with 200 lances when the city is threatened by the Visconti; he places himself in Budrio; although inferior in forces, together with Nanne Gozzadini, he manages, through continuous skirmishes, to hold off the opponents until they withdraw from the Bolognese area. | |||
| May | Emilia | He makes a new raid towards Mirandola. | |||
| — | Emilia Lombardy | He plunders the territories of Correggio and Mantua. | |||
| Sept. | Tuscany | For his merits in the campaign, the Florentines grant him a reward of 600 florins payable in two installments: half at Christmas and half at Easter. Giovanni da Barbiano reaches Tizzano with the Florentine army with 600 lances, 300 crossbowmen, and many inhabitants of Arezzo. With John Hawkwood, he faces Jacopo dal Verme, preventing him from devastating the nearby territory. He routs the enemies on the Nievole (capturing 200 men-at-arms). | |||
| 1392 | |||||
| May | Comp. ventura | Romagna Tuscany | He gathers 1,000 lances at Barbiano with Conte da Carrara, with whom he moves into Tuscany. He negotiates with the Marquis of the Marca Andrea Tomacelli. | ||
| June | Tuscany | He forms the Company of St. George (4,000 cavalry) with Ceccolo Broglia, Brandolino Brandolini, Biordo Michelotti, Azzo da Castello, and Giovanni Tedesco da Pietramala. | |||
| July | Comp. ventura | Perugia Città di Castello Florence Siena Pisa Lucca | Umbria Tuscany | He arrives at Sigillo (Nocera Umbra); he destroys the counties of Perugia, Città di Castello; he threatens Florence, demanding a payment of 100,000 florins. The commune resists; eventually, the mercenaries are dismissed in exchange for 40,000 florins with the promise not to be molested for a year. Other levies are imposed on the communes of Siena (5,000 florins, the total cost for the commune actually amounts to 11,112 florins due to gifts owed to the various captains of the company), Pisa (12,000), and Lucca (8,000) that yield to the company’s intimidations. Giovanni da Barbiano returns to the Perugia area where the booty is divided among the various mercenaries. Immediately after, with Biordo Michelotti, Brandolini, and Broglia (6,000 cavalry and many infantry), he assaults the Perugians, whose troops are now commanded by Azzo da Castello and John Beltoft. Barbiano captures 60 horses from the latter. The Perugians request a truce from Michelotti. | |
| Aug. | Rimini Church | Camerino Ancona | Umbria Marche | The captains of the company (except Biordo Michelotti) are appeased by the Perugians with 6,000 florins. Giovanni da Barbiano is hired by Pandolfo Malatesta and the rector of the Marche Andrea Tomacelli to plunder the territories of lordships and communes opposed to the policies of the Papal States. | |
| Sept. | Corrado Lando also joins the company; however, this association dissolves shortly due to internal disagreements. | ||||
| Oct. | Church | Fermo Camerino Ancona | Marche | With Ceccolo Broglia, Brandolino Brandolini, and Conte da Carrara (2,500 cavalry), he supports Tomacelli in opposing the league of the cities of the Marche formed by Fermo, Ancona, and Camerino. The territories of Sant’Elpidio a Mare, Montegranaro, and San Giusto are involved in the war; actions take place near Fonte Fallera (Falerone). | |
| Nov. | Apulia | He is appointed castellan of Trani by his brother Alberico. | |||
| 1393 | |||||
| Mar. | Marche | Upon the conclusion of a general peace agreement in the Marche, he commits, along with other condottieri involved in the recent conflict, to abstain from any act of violence in the region for a year. | |||
| Apr. | Comp. ventura | Bologna Florence Ferrara | Umbria | With Corrado Lando, Conte da Carrara, Biordo Michelotti, and Azzo da Castello, he forms a company of 2,500 cavalry and many infantry. Barbiano obtains, with Carrara, a stipend from the Bolognese; similar conducts are granted to other mercenaries by the Florentines and Este. | |
| May | Umbria | He is invited by the Florentines not to molest the territory of Città di Castello. | |||
| …………… | Milan | ||||
| …………… | Comp. ventura | Lucca | Tuscany | Officially dismissed by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Count of Virtù, he moves into the Lucca area with many exiles and Pisani volunteers. He is repelled by the Lucchese at Ripafratta. | |
| 1394 | |||||
| June | Este | Ferrara | Emilia | He assists his relative Azzo d’Este, son of Francesco, in reclaiming the lordship of Ferrara held by Niccolò d’Este. | |
| 1395 | |||||
| Jan. | Milan & Comp. ventura | Lucca Ferrara | 400 lances | Tuscany Emilia | He follows his brother Alberico; with 5,000 cavalry, he infests the Lucca area. The Florentines bribe him and send him away from Tuscany with 400 lances to assist the Bolognese, threatened in turn by the Visconti. He soon departs from that area as well; he gathers 1,500 cavalry and 800 infantry to aid Azzo d’Este against the Este, along with the da Polenta, lords of Ravenna and Forlì, and his nephew Ludovico da Zagonara. At the end of the month, he tries to penetrate the Ferrara area; the enemy fleet, commanded by Francesco Bellai, hinders his passage and scatters his troops. He returns to Barbiano. |
| Mar. | Emilia Romagna | He promises Simone di San Giorgio, emissary of the Marquis of Ferrara, to kill Azzo d’Este in exchange for 30,000 ducats and possession of the castles of Lugo and Conselice. With his son Conselice, he kills a German servant of Ato di Rodiglia, named Cervo, who resembles the intended victim after making him wear Este‘s clothes. San Giorgio recognizes the dead man as Azzo d’Este, so Barbiano receives the agreed money and the two castles; he imprisons the captains of the garrisons. | |||
| Apr. | Romagna | He supports at Consandalo the peasant militias of Azzo d’Este; after the defeat of Portomaggiore, a league arises to overthrow him; the Florentines unsuccessfully try to make him abandon the field. | |||
| July | Cunio | Ferrara Florence | Romagna | He is besieged in Barbiano; Astorre Manfredi and the Este besiege Lugo and other castles. Gian Galeazzo Visconti intervenes on his behalf, threatening to release Alberico da Barbiano and let him move to his defense. A truce is reached between the parties. An episode of this conflict is reported in a novella by Franco Sacchetti. Manfredi has a strong bastion built near Barbiano that keeps the condottiero very busy. In particular, an enemy German captain named Guarnieri continually assaults Barbiano‘s men at the head of ten horses, carrying his raids up to the castle walls. Giovanni da Barbiano has some pairs of oxen graze between the castle and the bastion; he arms a faithful follower like Guarnieri and has him leave the castle secretly with another ten armed men; he has him head towards Faenza. He pretends to assault the peasants grazing the cattle to seize their livestock; they flee towards the bastion, shouting for help and asking for the gates to be opened. The defenders mistake the fake Guarnieri from afar for the real one, open the outer gate, and let the armed men in. A sentry at the inner gate, suspicious, asks the fake Guarnieri to remove his helmet to be recognized. Giovanni da Barbiano‘s men flee, chased by stones and crossbow bolts, leaving the stolen oxen in enemy hands. | |
| Aug. | Romagna | Astorre Manfredi breaks the armistice; as a result, the Florentines and Este support Barbiano against the lord of Faenza. | |||
| 1396 | |||||
| Jan. | Comp. ventura | Florence | Tuscany | He threatens the Florentines with Filippo da Pisa and Ludovico Gabriotto Cantelli. | |
| Feb. | Church | Perugia | Tuscany | At the service of Pope Boniface IX against Biordo Michelotti, who has effectively taken control of Perugia. | |
| Mar. | Umbria | At the conclusion of peace, Biordo Michelotti induces him with gifts and the supply of weapons (2,000 quarrels) to leave the Perugia area. | |||
| June | Pisa | Comp. ventura Florence Lucca | 800 cavalry | Tuscany | He serves under the lord of Pisa, Jacopo d’Appiano, to oppose the company of Bartolomeo Boccanera and Cantelli. He crosses the Florentine and Sienese territories; he raids up to the gates of Florence and returns with spoils to the Sienese area. He is denied entry into Siena; he then turns first to Val di Chiana towards Montepulciano and then towards the Arezzo area, which he devastates. He assists Obizzo da Montegarulli, who is engaged in a conflict with the Lucchese. |
| July | Pisa | Florence Lucca | Tuscany | He moves with the Lucca exiles to Ripafratta and Val di Serchio; defeated by the opponents, he is attacked in Castiglioncello del Trinoro by Bartolomeo Boccanera, Antonio degli Obizzi, Ludovico Gabriotto Cantelli, and Hugh of Monfort: he manages to defeat the enemies after an initial rout of his men due to the little resistance offered to him by Bartolomeo Boccanera. Apparently dismissed by Jacopo d’Appiano at the end of the war, he continues to devastate the Lucca area; he returns to Lombardy. | |
| Aug. | Comp. ventura | Mantua Ferrara | Lombardy | Urged by the Visconti, he infests the Mantua area and border zones to assist Francesco da Sassuolo, at odds with the Este. | |
| Oct. | Emilia | He attacks Vignola; he breaks into the village where he sets fire to some houses. The Podestà exits the city to extinguish the flames. The supporters of the Grassoni, his allies, break a section of the walls and let Barbiano into the city. He besieges Isoresio Roberti and Alamanno degli Obizzi in the fortress. The defenders surrender under terms after various attacks and artillery fire brought against the walls with some small pieces. Giovanni da Barbiano does not keep the conditions of the capitulation, and the opponents are stripped of their goods. He directs the booty to Mirandola and Sassuolo; he settles in the latter locality for two months, sowing terror in the surrounding area. | |||
| Dec. | Milan | Florence | 500 cavalry | Tuscany | He moves to Tuscany with Marcoardo dalla Rocca (2,000 cavalry) to block the raids of Bartolomeo Boccanera and Antonio degli Obizzi. He reaches Ripafratta and Santo Stefano. He stops in Pisa. His company of 500 cavalry stations in Val di Serchio. |
| 1397 | |||||
| Jan. | Emilia | He stays a few days in the Parma area. | |||
| Feb. | Milan | Florence | Tuscany | He is pushed into Tuscany by the Duke of Milan; he rides into the Lucca area and reaches Massa. The Podestà of Lucca, Pietro Branchi, comes to meet him: he promises to return the prisoners and not to stay in the county for more than fifteen days. He does not keep his word, occupies Massa, and even captures the commune’s ambassador Stefano Poggio, to whom he had previously granted safe conduct. He moves to Val di Serchio because he can no longer find forage for his cavalry. Bernardo della Serra opposes him in Val di Nievole. | |
| Mar. | Tuscany | The Florentines discover Benedetto Mangiadori‘s plot in San Miniato to hand over the city to the Visconti. Giovanni da Barbiano returns to the Lucca area with Paolo Orsini and Ottobono Terzi. He raids with his brother Alberico up to the gates of Florence. | |||
| June | Tuscany | He is in the Pisa area with Galeazzo da Mantova; he touches Capannoli, San Lorenzo alle Corti, Asciano, Santa Maria del Giudice, Ponte a Serchio. He causes serious damage everywhere. | |||
| July | Milan Bologna | Florence Lucca Milan | Marshal of the field 1,500 cavalry | Tuscany Lombardy | He arrives at Ponte San Piero and continues the devastation in Val di Serchio. He places himself in the village of Ripafratta: when Carlo Ronghi and Galeazzo da Mantova are defeated and captured by the Florentines near Lupocavo; he attacks the enemies, catches them in disarray, and frees the two captains. In the clash, 100 horses are captured. Then he leaves Ripafratta at night, touches Santo Stefano and Barbaricina, takes prisoners, and seizes more livestock in Val di Serchio and Valdarno. He besieges the castle of Lastra a Signa and devastates the county until the lack of provisions forces him to return to San Casciano in Val di Pesa. He moves to the Lucca area; he clashes again with the Florentines and burns Ruota. During the action, two women, daughters of Ghiandone Machiavelli, who have taken refuge in a tower in Sant’Andrea in Percussina to defend themselves, are kidnapped: Giovanni da Barbiano takes one prisoner, while the second falls into the hands of his son Conselice. Immediately, he joins the Bolognese, who send him to the Mantua area to assist Francesco Gonzaga; he is elected Marshal of the field of the league’s army along with Pataro Buzzaccarini, Guardone Inglese, and Paolo Orsini. |
| Aug. | Lombardy | He takes part in the Battle of Governolo (where he commands the third squadron); with Pandolfo Malatesta, he helps to balance the combat’s fortunes, which are conditioned for some time by the intervention of Ugolotto Biancardo. | |||
| …………… | Lombardy | He is tasked, along with Conte da Carrara, to move into the Brescia area to support the Guelphs of Giacomo Avogadro, who have rebelled against the ducal forces: both condottieri refuse to execute the order. For this reason, they are suspected of disloyalty by some sources. | |||
| Nov. | Umbria | In mid-month, he crosses the territory of Città di Castello. During his passage, he demands money in exchange for the promise not to damage the county. | |||
| Dec. | Lombardy | As a result of the repeated setbacks of the league’s troops, he and Conte da Carrara are sent assistance via the Po River, a fleet of 7 galleys and 70 armed boats. | |||
| 1398 | |||||
| Apr.-May | Bologna | Emilia | He is declared an adherent by the Bolognese. In May, his conduct is reconfirmed by them. | ||
| 1399 | |||||
| Mar. | Bentivoglio | Bologna | Emilia | He helps the Bentivoglio and Gozzadini seize Bologna from Carlo Zambeccari: he fails to arrive in time, according to the plans agreed with Nanne Gozzadini at Porta San Donato, so the exiles are forced to flee. | |
| Aug. | Comp. ventura | Bologna Ferrara | Emilia | Hostile to the new Bolognese government, arising from the revolt of some noble families enemies of the Bentivoglio, Giovanni da Barbiano begins to raid the county where he commits many robberies, acts of violence, and rapes. He enters the Modena area with 1,200 cavalry and moves to Vignola; he leaves the city due to the attack launched there by the Este led by Filippo da Pisa. The “Company of the Rose,” led by Tommasino Crivelli, Tommaso da Castello, Giovanni Malvicini, and Giovanni dell’Ischia, also confronts him on behalf of the Bolognese. Defeated at night, he is captured at Spilamberto. He is taken to Bologna and imprisoned with relatives captured in the same circumstance (his son Conselice, Banderato, Ludovico, and Lippaccio, all da Barbiano) in the Palazzo dei Signori. | |
| Sept. | Emilia | He is beheaded at the end of the month in Piazza Maggiore under pressure from Astorre Manfredi. Since he is not bound, he tries to defend himself by raising his arms. The execution requires several blows from the executioner. He is buried in Bologna in the Church of San Francesco degli Eremitani with his son Conselice and other relatives. The event provokes the revenge of his sister, who has about sixty Bolognese present in her castle hanged and sends troops to ravage the Bolognese territory. |
Sources
-“Tanto dissimile per metodi e per onestà dal grande fratello.” ARGEGNI
-“Era costui valoroso guerriero,.. sì celebre Capitano di ventura di que’ tempi.” DI MANZANO
-“Era il conte Giovanni da Barbiano veramente romagnuolo e maestro di tradimenti e sapeanli ben fare.” MINERBETTI
-“Gran guerriero di quel tempo…Divenne un de più feroci guerrieri di quel secolo.” GUALDO PRIORATO
-“Mero soldato e persona inquietissima e di cervello elevato.” PIGNA
-“Per la grande perizia nell’arte militare, per l’audacia e la celerità con cui soleva condurre i combattimenti fu denominato fulmine di guerra..Fu senza dubbio uno dei più valenti capitani di ventura del suo tempo.” ALBINI
-“Egregium copiarum Dux.” CANDIDO
-“Uomo grande nel militare, ma più politico che scrupoloso.” G. BONOLI
-“Armiger strenuus.” REDUSIO
-“Huomo per altre imprese degno di molta lode.” VIZANI
-“Fulmin di guerra..famosissimo capitano.” VOCINO
-“Insignem latronum ducem.” BEVERINI
-“Salito in fama di gran condottiero.” PEZZANA
-Con Ostasio e Bernardino da Polenta, Ludovico da Zagonara e Giovanni Ordelaffi “Capitani di gran valore.” BONOLI
-“Meno abile di lui (il fratello Alberico) ed anche meno fortunato.” ADAR
-“Ben diverso .. da lui (il fratello Alberico) quanto a serietà professionale, pronto a venir meno ai termini legali di una condotta, di fronte a più favorevoli situazioni, senza tante remore.” RENDINA
-“L’albero genealogico di questa rilevante famiglia comitale romagnola presenta ancora molte incertezze sia per la prolificità della stirpe e per le numerose omonimie, sia per le confusioni introdotte dalle genealogie erudite o encomiastiche, in particolare quelle ispirate in età moderna dalla famiglia milanese dei Barbiano di Belgioioso. Tra le confusioni che gli studi più recenti hanno contribuito a dissipare era anche il convincimento, attestato già in P. Giovio, ripreso dallo storico ravennate G. Rossi e poi tramandato da più autori, che Giovanni fosse fratello del più famoso Alberico da Barbiano, mentre invece si deve ritenere che ne fosse nipote…Giovanni ottenne i suoi successi di condottiero (per cui ebbe dai contemporanei l’appellativo di “fulmine di guerra”) principalmente al servizio del Comune di Bologna, che stava andando verso un declino irreversibile del proprio ruolo politico-militare, schiacciato tra gli espansionismi visconteo, fiorentino e pontificio senza avere la forza per opporvisi con efficacia; tuttavia parallelamente all’attività di uomo d’armi, Giovanni perseguì anche una spregiudicata politica personale volta alla costituzione e al radicamento di una propria signoria territoriale in Romagna che, partendo da Barbiano, si espandesse verso Lugo e Faenza…Fu consegnato ai Bolognesi e imprigionato a Bologna (con alcuni congiunti) nella torre degli Anziani; tutti, tranne Conselice, giustiziato già il 25 agosto e Ludovico, morto nel frattempo in carcere, furono condannati a morte il 27 sett. 1399 come ” rebelels Bononiensis, robatores, assassinos, fractores stratarum” e con numerosi altri capi d’accusa; giustiziati lo stesso giorno “in platea Comunis” e sepolti nella chiesa di S. Francesco. Nello stesso giorno della sua esecuzione fu redatto il testamento di Giovanni, ritrovato mutilo dal Frati nel 1917, che prevedeva lasciti pii in mese e doti, e beni per alcune donne della famiglia e per la chiesa dei minori di Lugo.” ANGIOLINI (Dizionario biografico degli Italiani)
-“Vir militaris et magnum.” BRUNI
-“Fra i tanti condottieri d’armati che nacquero dall’antica e celebre famiglia dei conti di Cunio e Barbiano, i due più illustri furono per certo Alberico, soprannominato da alcuni storici il “Grande” e Giovanni. Il primo, come è noto, fu riputato restauratore e “vero lume e prima gloria della milizia italiana” nel secolo XIV, il secondo per la grande perizia nell’arte militare, per l’audacia e la celerità con cui soleva condurre i combattimenti fu denominato “fulmine di guerra.” F. Giorgi (Alberico e Giovanni da Barbiano nel bolognese). Segnalazione di SPADA
-“O gloria singolar tanto preclara/Conte Giovanni Sir di Barbiano,/Che chi segue virtù da te l’impara.”Cambino Aretino riportato da “GFABRETTI
-” Fratello di Alberico, tanto dissimile per metodi e per onestà dal grande fratello.” ARGEGNI
-“Era il conte Giovanni da Barbiano veramente romagnolo e maestro di tradimenti e sapeali ben fare.” DELAITO
-“Nel tratteggiare la figura di Alberico vennero volutamente taciuti o sfumati gli episodi che non collimavano con questa raffigurazione (un eroe in chiave nazional culturale, come rileva L. Mascanzoni), come la sua partecipazione al terribile sacco di Cesena, che causò qualche migliaio di vittime, o l’avere militato, sino a pochi anni prima della battaglia di Marino nelle file opposte..Giovanni non ebbe analoga fortuna: venne raffigurato come un condottiero esperto e valoroso, abile e audace in battaglia, ma crudele e spietato, nonché dotato di un’astuzia fredda e ciinica, che non lo faceva arretrare di fronte a nessuna azione malvagia pur di raggiungere i propri obiettivi.” TRENTI
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