Urbino’s Golden Age Begins with Guidantonio da Montefeltro
Guidantonio da Montefeltro, Count Lord of Urbino, Cagli, Gubbio, Assisi, Bastia Umbra, Nocera Umbra, Montone, Forlì, Forlimpopoli, Spello, Urbania, Città di Castello, Sant’Angelo in Vado, Mercatello sul Metauro, Monte Locco, Lamoli, Ostra, and San Gemini. Son of Antonio da Montefeltro, father of Federico da Montefeltro, and brother-in-law to Carlo Malatesta, Pandolfo Malatesta, and Andrea Malatesta; father-in-law to Alessandro Sforza, Domenico Malatesta, Guidantonio Manfredi, and Bernardino degli Ubaldini.
Recipient of the Golden Rose.
Born: 1378
Death: 1443, February
| Year, Month | State, Comp. ventura | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
| ………. | Albania and Greece | Follows the King of Naples Ladislaus of Anjou (Ladislao d’Angiò) on his expedition to Albania and Greece. He is noted at his side in Durazzo and during the conquest of Negroponte. | |||
| 1393 | |||||
| July | Urbino | Rimini | Romagna | Allies himself with Pino Ordelaffi against the Malatesta. With the lord of Forlì, he raids the territories of Cesena and Rimini. | |
| 1395 | |||||
| Aug. | Marche | Marries Rengarda Malatesta, sister of Carlo, Pandolfo, and Andrea, in Fano. | |||
| 1399 | Marche | Replaces his father in the lordship of Urbino when Antonio da Montefeltro goes to Milan to serve as head of the secret council for the court of Gian Galeazzo Visconti. | |||
| 1401 | |||||
| Jan. | Veneto and Marche | Leaves Verona, where he had taken refuge to escape the plague, and returns to Urbino. | |||
| 1404 | Marche | Upon his father’s death, he obtains the investiture of Urbino from Pope Boniface IX for up to three generations by paying 12,000 florins: all his subjects, including priests and religious corporations, contribute to raising the sum. The investiture will also be confirmed by his successor Innocent VII. | |||
| 1405 | |||||
| Sept. | Ubaldini | Città di Castello | Umbria | The Florentines, through Rinaldo degli Albizzi, pressure him and the lord of Fabriano, Chiavello Chiavelli, to support the inhabitants of Città di Castello who are threatened by the Ubaldini della Carda. In reality, Montefeltro secretly provides aid to the latter in the upper Tiber valley. | |
| 1406 | |||||
| July | The Florentines renew their pressure on him not to give passage and provisions to the Ubaldini della Carda at war with Città di Castello. | ||||
| Aug. | He is considered an adherent of the Papal States during the peace treaty stipulated with the King of Naples. | ||||
| 1408 | |||||
| ………. | Naples | Florence | Alberico da Barbiano convinces him to fight for the King of Naples, Ladislaus of Anjou (Ladislao d’Angiò), against the Florentines. | ||
| July | Pope Gregory XII grants him the temporary vicariate over Assisi through Cardinal Landolfo Maramaldo. | ||||
| 1409 | |||||
| Apr. | Grand Constable 400 lances | Tuscany | Upon the death of Alberico da Barbiano, he succeeds him as Grand Constable of the Kingdom of Naples. He spends the first half of the month between Sarteano and San Quirico d’Orcia; he then moves to Val d’Arbia, certain of Siena’s surrender. Meanwhile, his attempt on Cuna fails. | ||
| May | Tuscany | Marches on Arezzo, which is bravely defended by Braccio da Montone and Malatesta Malatesta. He retreats to Ossaia. | |||
| June | Tuscany | Enters Cortona with Pieretto de Andreis and the lord of Camerino, Berardo da Varano, following a citizen revolt against the Casali. | |||
| July | Umbria | In Perugia. | |||
| ………… | Tuscany and Emilia | He is forced to retreat from Tuscany due to the advance of Braccio da Montone, first to the Perugia area, then to Romagna. He approaches Bologna menacingly. | |||
| 1410 | |||||
| Jan. | Romagna | Occupies Forlimpopoli; he tries to seize Forlì, of which he has been invested by the papal legate. | |||
| Aug. | Naples | Anjou | Abruzzi | Joins Ladislaus of Anjou (Ladislao d’Angiò) near L’Aquila to confront the troops of Louis of Anjou (Luigi d’Angiò) who are seeking to conquer the Kingdom of Naples. | |
| Sept. | Abruzzi | Defeats Paolo Orsini at Tagliacozzo. | |||
| 1411 | |||||
| May | Lazio | Participates in the battle of Roccasecca on the Garigliano: he is heavily defeated by Paolo Orsini, Braccio da Montone, and Muzio Attendolo Sforza. | |||
| July | Romagna | Assists Giorgio Ordelaffi and Andrea Malatesta in their entry into Forlì; he holds the castle of Forlimpopoli as collateral for the expenses previously incurred. | |||
| 1412 | |||||
| May | Antipope | Naples | 400 lances and 200 infantrymen | Umbria | He comes into conflict with the King of Naples on the pretext that he was not effectively helped in the previous war in Romagna: he enters the service of Antipope John XXIII (Giovanni XXIII), who absolves him from all ecclesiastical censures for having previously adhered to Pope Gregory XII‘s party. The contract is signed in Gubbio at the Montefeltro palace; he obtains Assisi and the vicariates of Urbino, Cagli, Gubbio, and Forlimpopoli are confirmed for him. He is granted a salary of 36,000 florins, of which 5,000 are paid by the Florentines and Sienese. |
| ………. | Antipope | Papal States Naples | Marche | Assists Paolo Orsini against the lord of Rimini, Carlo Malatesta. He hosts this condottiero in the Urbino area. | |
| 1413 | |||||
| May | Marche | With Muzio Attendolo Sforza and Malatesta Malatesta, he besieges Paolo Orsini in Rocca Contrada (Arcevia), who has since switched to the opposing side. | |||
| July | Florence | Naples | 600 lances and 600 infantrymen | He allies with the Florentines (ten years); he is declared their protégé with the obligation to deliver a banner at the end of every June for the feast of St. John the Baptist. He is also hired for one year with 600 lances and 600 infantrymen; he is granted an advance of 60 ducats per lance and 6 ducats per infantryman for two-thirds of the men-at-arms and all the infantry; he is promised the restitution of Montenovo, Belvedere, and Buscareto. He openly embraces the antipope’s party and leaves the position of Grand Constable, held by Guidantonio da Montefeltro until this moment. | |
| Aug. | Marche | Hosts Paolo Orsini, who has taken refuge there, in Urbino. | |||
| Sept. | Romagna | He loses Forlimpopoli to Giorgio Ordelaffi. His lieutenant Pietro da Bagno is besieged in the fortress. Montefeltro‘s captain is forced to surrender because Andrea Malatesta prevents the Feltre forces from coming to his aid. As compensation for the loss, the antipope invests him with Forlì (on a platonic basis). | |||
| Nov. | Romagna | He is in Rimini for a great feast organized by Carlo Malatesta in honor of his nephew Galeotto; during the celebrations, he has the opportunity to participate in a joust. | |||
| Dec. | Umbria | He clashes with the people of Perugia over the possession of Villa Torranca in the countryside of Assisi. | |||
| 1414 | |||||
| July | At the end of the conflict, he is included among the Florentines’ allies. | ||||
| 1415 | The Florentines settle his accounts. | ||||
| 1416 | |||||
| Feb. | Umbria | In Gubbio for the wedding of Bartolomeo Brancaleoni to Giovanna Alidosi. | |||
| May | Romagna | He reaches an agreement with Giorgio Ordelaffi for the possession of Forlimpopoli. He cedes the rights to the town and is recognized 12,000 florins for the expenses incurred. | |||
| July | Urbino | Perugia | Umbria | With the victory of Sant’Egidio over Carlo Malatesta, Braccio da Montone approaches his possessions in Assisi. In order not to be attacked, he is forced to concede Spello and Sigillo to the Perugia captain in exchange for the return of Bastia Umbra. | |
| Aug. | Marche | In Arcevia. He acts as a mediator for an agreement between Braccio da Montone and the Malatesta. | |||
| 1417 | |||||
| Mar. | The Doge Tommaso Mocenigo confers Venetian nobility and citizenship upon him. | ||||
| Apr. | Umbria | He acts as guarantor for 20,000 ducats on behalf of Carlo Malatesta toward Braccio da Montone when his brother-in-law is released upon payment of an 80,000 ducat ransom. He hosts Carlo Malatesta in Gubbio; to distract him from his misfortunes, he holds many feasts in his honor. | |||
| Nov. | Lombardy | He travels to Mantua to pay homage to the new Pope Martin V (Martino V), formerly Bishop of Urbino, who was elected by the Council of Constance. | |||
| 1419 | |||||
| Jan. | Church | Perugia | Standard-bearer of the Papal States | He is named Duke of Spoleto and standard-bearer of the Papal States. He fights Braccio da Montone on behalf of the pontiffs: the lord of Perugia asks him for 12,000 ducats that Carlo Malatesta has not yet paid and for which he had previously acted as guarantor. | |
| Mar. | Umbria | He manages to repel Braccio da Montone from Gubbio, despite Ruggero Cane Ranieri initially being able to enter the city due to the betrayal of Cecciolo Gabrielli. He loses Assisi to Malatesta Baglioni and Niccolò Piccinino; Serra di Partuccio, near Umbertide, is also conquered by Piccinino. | |||
| May | Umbria | He is again attacked by his opponents in Gubbio. He stipulates a truce with Braccio da Montone and arranges for him to receive the requested 12,000 ducats. | |||
| Aug. Sept. | Umbria | The Pope convinces him to break the truce with the Perugia captain; he sends reinforcements in the form of Conte da Carrara, Angelo della Pergola, Bernardino degli Ubaldini della Carda, Pietro da Bagno, Ludovico dei Michelotti, Ludovico dalla Costa, and Perugino dal Lago. | |||
| Oct. | Umbria | He besieges Assisi; a friar opens a small door for him. Montefeltro enters the city at a point near the convent of San Francesco with 2,000 cavalry and 1,200 infantry. The city is sacked and the partisans of Braccio da Montone are killed: only the two fortresses do not fall into the hands of his men. A few days later, Assisi falls into the power of the opponents with the death and capture of many from Urbino. | |||
| Nov. | Marche and Lombardy | He passes through Fano. He heads to Mantua to pay homage to Pope Martin V (Martino V). | |||
| 1420 | |||||
| Jan. | Umbria and Tuscany | With Angelo della Pergola, Ludovico della Costa, Ludovico dei Michelotti, and Bernardino degli Ubaldini della Carda, he repels another assault on Gubbio by Braccio da Montone; he recaptures Serra di Sant’Onda along with other castles. He also captures some members of the Gabrielli family; for their release, he demands the fortress of Frontone. He travels to Florence; he is noted in the church of Santa Croce: the republic spends 100 scudi a day for his overnight stay in the city. | |||
| Feb. | Tuscany | He is reconciled with Braccio da Montone in Florence following the stipulation of a truce between the lord of Perugia and the Papal States. He cedes Assisi to him in exchange for the castles of San Gemini and Porcaria near Narni. | |||
| Mar. | Tuscany | In Florence, where the Pope bestows the Golden Rose upon him in Santa Maria Novella: the cardinals escort him to the palace of Matteo Scolari. The Florentines give him 13,000 florins. In the same month, the mint is opened in Urbino. | |||
| June | Umbria and Marche | He captures Cecciolo Gabrielli, son of Giovanni, in Serra di Sant’Abbondio for having helped Braccio da Montone in his attacks on Gubbio. The nobleman is hanged in Gubbio above the Porta del Ponte Marmoreo. At the same time, Montefeltro reaches an agreement with Cecciolo‘s brother, Gabriele; he seizes the castle of Frontone near Cagli. | |||
| ………… | Church | Bologna | Emilia | In Emilia with Bernardino degli Ubaldini della Carda, his lieutenant, to fight the Bolognese who have rebelled against the Papal States. | |
| Oct. | Brescia | Milan | Lombardy | He sends some troops under the command of Bernardino degli Ubaldini to the aid of the lord of Brescia, Pandolfo Malatesta. | |
| 1421 | |||||
| Sept. | Umbria | In Perugia. He attends the baptism of Braccio‘s son, Carlo di Montone. | |||
| 1423 | |||||
| ………… | The Florentines grant him their citizenship without obliging him to build a house in the city, as local law also requires. | ||||
| ………… | He is contacted by the Venetians to enter their service as captain general. The negotiations do not go through at the moment. | ||||
| Oct. | Romagna | He meets Carlo Malatesta in Rimini. | |||
| 1424 | |||||
| Jan. – Mar. | Venice | In the middle of the month, he is hired by the Venetians for a year as captain general; he is granted a condotta of 300 lances, of which 120 are under the orders of Ubaldini della Carda, and 200 infantrymen. He is granted a monthly provision of 300 ducats and 500 in case of active service. In this circumstance, an advance of 40 ducats per lance and another 10 after the review is provided in his favor. From the day of the review, the troops are enlisted for a term of six months and another six of respect. The condotta does not become operative due to the arrival of Carmagnola in the service of the Venetians. Having become a widower, in March, Guidantonio da Montefeltro marries the Pope’s niece, Caterina Colonna: as a dowry, in addition to 5,200 florins, he obtains the title of vicar for Castel Durante (Urbania) and for all the lands of the Val Metauro, including the Massa Trabaria, lands mostly controlled by the Brancaleoni. | |||
| June | Church | Montone | Umbria | Upon the death of Braccio da Montone, he returns to the service of the Papal States to recover the lands usurped by the Perugia captain. The inhabitants of Montalboddo (Ostra) drive out the troops of Ruggero Cane Ranieri, the lord of the locality. | |
| Sept. | Urbino | Rimini | Marche | With the defeat of Carlo Malatesta at Zagonara against the Visconti forces, he takes advantage of the favorable situation; he seizes Urbania from Galeotto and Alberico Brancaleoni, whose crossbowmen are, at the moment, mostly defending Rimini. He takes many castles from the Malatesta that they possessed in Montefeltro. | |
| Oct. – Dec. | Lazio, Umbria and Marche | He is confronted by Pandolfo Malatesta; the Pope intervenes to reconcile the parties. Also during this period, he goes to Rome to see Martin V (Martino V); he intercedes on behalf of the Trinci, lords of Foligno. In November, the Florentines give him 400 florins to cover the expenses he incurred on a mission for them. Still in Rome, he is tasked by the Pope to raise 200 cavalry. He recaptures almost all the territories in Umbria, on behalf of the Papal States, that were previously controlled by Braccio da Montone. He returns to Urbino. Due to his wife Caterina Colonna‘s sterility, he asks the pontiff for the legitimation of Federico, his son with a lady-in-waiting of his first wife, Elisabetta degli Accomanducci. The relative bull is issued in mid-December. | |||
| 1425 | |||||
| Jan. | Umbria | In Perugia, where he is welcomed by the papal legate, and in Assisi with the exiles. | |||
| Feb. | Church | 400 cavalry | He facilitates Guidantonio Manfredi in his negotiations that lead him to switch from the Visconti camp to the Florentine one. He pressures the Visconti to obtain the release of Niccolò Piccinino, who was captured in the battle of Val di Lamone. | ||
| Mar. – Apr. | Lazio | In March, he leaves the alliance with the Duke of Milan, Filippo Maria Visconti, preferring to ally with the Florentines. At the end of April, he goes to Rome for consultations with the pontiff. He is tasked with recovering some territories in the Marche for the Holy See, which were also previously under the lordship of Braccio da Montone. | |||
| June | Church | Cingoli, San Severino Marche | Marche | He is reconciled with his brother-in-law Carlo Malatesta once more. The acts are signed in Rome in the church of Santi Apostoli. Also for the pontiffs, he recaptures Cingoli, San Severino Marche, and other minor locations for the Papal States. He remains loyal to the Florentines despite their repeated defeats against the Visconti forces. | |
| Oct. | He renews the ten-year truce with the people of Perugia for which he undertakes to expel from his domains any exiles and their relatives who have taken refuge there. | ||||
| 1426 | |||||
| Jan. | Marche | He seizes Montalboddo (Ostra); Martin V (Martino V) re-invests him with Urbania in exchange for a tribute of one silver pound for the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. | |||
| 1427 | |||||
| Mar. | Lazio | In Rome. He reaches an agreement there with Carlo Malatesta. | |||
| ………… | Urbino | Montone | He draws closer to the Visconti. He organizes a treaty in Montone to take the locality from Braccio da Montone‘s widow, Nicolina da Varano. | ||
| 1428 | He returns to the orbit of the Florentines. | ||||
| 1429 | Church | Rimini | Tuscany | He moves against the Malatesta with the aim of recovering Borgo San Sepolcro (Sansepolcro) and other lands in the Tiber valley for the Papal States. | |
| 1430 | |||||
| Feb. | Urbino | Brancaleoni | Marche | Leaves Urbino with 600 infantrymen to assault Galeotto and Alberigo Brancaleoni. He seizes Sassocorvaro, Lunano, and Monte Locco in a few days. He forces them to take refuge in Rimini. | |
| June | Urbino | Rimini | Marche | He allies with Galeazzo Malatesta, lord of Pesaro. He sends the company of Sante Carillo, Andrea della Serra, Luca da Castello, and Ranieri Vibi del Frogia against Rimini to devastate its territory. They are repelled at Serrungarina by the lord of Rimini, Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta. | |
| July | Florence | Lucca, Milan | Captain general | Marche | In Cagli; in this location, he is informed that the Florentines have chosen him as captain general to fight the people of Lucca, due to the continuous disputes that divide Niccolò Fortebraccio and his rival Bernardino degli Ubaldini. |
| Sept. | Tuscany | He is given the insignia of command according to the indications of the astrologers. | |||
| Dec. | Marche and Tuscany | He is met in Urbino by emissaries Giovanni Guicciardini, Giacomo Guasconi, and Domenico Sapiti. Guidantonio da Montefeltro arrives in Tuscany and encamps at Ripafratta. He lays siege to Lucca; he places his quarters at the Palazzo del Duca in front of the Porta di San Donato. He has 4,000 cavalry and 7,000 infantry. The Florentines urge him to oppose the advance of Niccolò Piccinino (3,000 cavalry and 6,000 infantry) who is approaching the city to provide aid. Guidantonio da Montefeltro sets out towards the Serchio to block the passage of the opponents; Niccolò Fortebraccio tries in vain to dissuade him from seeking a pitched battle. Montefeltro arranges a first squad of 500 cavalry under the orders of Guidantonio Manfredi; a second, of another 500 cavalry, is entrusted to Niccolò Fortebraccio; the third (also 500 cavalry) is entrusted to Bernardino degli Ubaldini della Carda; the fourth to Dolce dell’ Anguillara and to Bernaino Fornaino (500 cavalry each). He places himself in the rear with the rest of the heavy cavalry; his insignia on this occasion is the black Ghibelline eagle. The infantry are placed behind his lines. Niccolò Piccinino fords the Serchio at a point that was carelessly shown to him by some Florentine cavalry seeking a skirmish. Manfredi orders his squad leaders Papa Camuso and Bartolomeo Colleoni to counterattack the opponents. Piccinino responds by launching Alberico da Barbiano against them. Camuso is seriously wounded in the head by an iron mace blow, while Colleoni is taken prisoner. The Count of Urbino, now resolutely assaulted, is easily routed. Only the intervention of Ubaldini in his defense saves Montefeltro from capture and the possibility of retreating to Pisa. The combat ends with the capture of 1,500 cavalry among the Florentines and the loss of artillery, ammunition, and large quantities of weapons. | |||
| 1431 | |||||
| Mar. | Tuscany | At the end of his term, he hands over the baton of captain general; he is given a helmet and a mount. He returns to his possessions. | |||
| Sept. | Church | Città di Castello | Umbria | Following the action of Bernardino Ubaldini della Carda, he is able to break into Città di Castello with the consent of the exiles (Guelfucci, Mancini, and Angelo Cerboni). He becomes its governor and defender against Niccolò Fortebraccio, who had previously besieged the city. He designates Francesco degli Atti, lord of Sassoferrato, as his lieutenant. | |
| 1432 | |||||
| ………… | Urbino | Fortebraccio | Umbria | Niccolò Fortebraccio encamps in front of Città di Castello; in response, Guidantonio da Montefeltro confiscates the goods of some people from Perugia who are coming from the Rimini fair. The commune of Perugia, in fact, has sent 500 infantrymen with Ruggero Cane Ranieri to assist the opposing captain in the siege of the town. Fortebraccio retreats to Montone. From here, the opposing condottiero continues his guerrilla warfare, taking prisoners and raiding livestock in the neighboring territory up to Gubbio. | |
| Oct. | Pesaro | Church | Marche | He defends the Malatesta of Pesaro from the pontiffs; he appeals to the Duke of Milan who sends him 12,000 florins for Ubaldini‘s condotta. He forces Gattamelata to retreat from the Pesaro area. | |
| Nov. | Umbria | He loses Città di Castello: the occasional cause of the inhabitants’ rebellion is the protests of the relatives of a woman whose husband was unjustly imprisoned by the vice-governor Luchino Luchini, who was eager not to find obstacles to his desires. | |||
| 1433 | |||||
| Feb. | He is declared a protégé of the Venetians. | ||||
| June | Urbino | Fortebraccio | Umbria | He is again attacked by Niccolò Fortebraccio in the territory of Gubbio. Città di Castello rises up against his lieutenant Francesco degli Atti. Guidantonio da Montefeltro quickly concludes a four-month truce with his rival through the mediation of the Count of Poppi. | |
| Aug. | Marche and Umbria | He is knighted in Urbino by the Emperor Sigismund of Hungary; he subsequently hosts him in Gubbio. | |||
| ………. | He sends his procurator Agnolo Galli to Florence to extend his protégé status for another ten years. | ||||
| 1434 | |||||
| ………. | Urbino | Sforza | Marche | He allies with the Malatesta of Pesaro to counter the policy of Francesco Sforza in the Marche of Ancona. | |
| Nov. | Romagna and Marche | In Rimini and Fano with the lord of Cesena, Domenico Malatesta. He returns to Urbino. | |||
| 1435 | |||||
| Aug. | Urbino | Fortebraccio | Umbria | He seizes Montone upon the death of Niccolò Fortebraccio in the battle of Fiordimonte: Pope Eugene IV (Eugenio IV) intervenes. After a short time, he is forced to return the locality to Carlo di Montone. | |
| 1438 | |||||
| Nov. | Marche | He goes on a pilgrimage to Loreto. | |||
| 1439 | |||||
| Oct. | Urbino | Rimini | Marche | Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta seizes the castles of Casteldelci, Senatello, and Faggiuola; on this occasion, he vainly seeks aid from the Malatesta of Pesaro. | |
| Nov. | Marche | His natural son Federico da Montefeltro and Baldaccio d’Anghiari come to the aid of the Count of Urbino. | |||
| 1440 | |||||
| Apr. | Marche | Peace with Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta is signed in Gubbio. Montefeltro welcomes the lord of Rimini to Urbino with great feasts. | |||
| June | Umbria | He supplies arms and provisions to the troops of Niccolò Piccinino who are transferring to Romagna. | |||
| Sept. | Umbria and Tuscany | He passes through Perugia. He is headed to Tuscany to receive treatment at the region’s thermal spas. | |||
| 1441 | |||||
| Jan. | Umbria | In Perugia for the wedding of Costantino Ranieri, son of Ruggero Cane Ranieri, to a daughter of Ranuccio Farnese. | |||
| Dec. | Marche | He regains possession of Monte Locco through the work of Giovanni di Gavardo. | |||
| 1443 | |||||
| Feb. | Marche | He dies at the end of the month in Urbino after a brief illness. He is buried in the Franciscan habit in the church of San Donato (today San Bernardino), outside the city walls. Piero della Francesca worked for a long time at his court. One of his sonnets is preserved in a manuscript in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. Bonaccorso da Montemagno dedicates the work “De nobilitate” to him. Father of Agnesina, who marries Guidantonio Manfredi first and Alessandro Gonzaga second; Violante will marry Domenico Malatesta and Sveva, the most unfortunate, Alessandro Sforza. |
Sources
-“Egli cavalcò nelli nostri eserciti, e da ciascun fu onorato. E’ più si confidava nella milizia del genero, che nella dottrina di sé: concosassiacosa che egli aveva più praticato la masserizia di casa, che ordinare schiere ed armare cavalieri; e de’ canti e de’ suoni si dilettava; dello strepito delle trombe temeva; canzoni e balli volentieri ascoltava e vedeva. Egli era gentile e nobile; di lealtà portava corona: ma da guerra non era apprezzato.” CAVALCANTI
-“Homo aetate, quam experientia gravior.” BILLIA
-“Molle capitano.” CAPPONI
-“Huomo molto religioso e virtuoso.” SANSOVINO
-“Fu principe religioso..Niun atto di ingiustizia, di violenza, di crudeltà si narra di lui; e in un secolo come quello fu gran lode.” UGOLINI
-“Valente signore.” DELFICO
-“Sua et majorum gloria clarum.” BRACCIOLINI
-“Senz’adulazione può annoverarsi fra i migliori e più valorosi Capitani non sol di quei tempi, ma fra quei che di poi fiorirono tra i conti di Montefeltro e duchi d’Urbino..Fu Guid’Antonio principe di gran prudenza e bontà, amante della giustizia, conservatore della pace e quiete de’ suoi sudditi, dai quali fu amato e riverito grandemente.” REPOSATI
-“Principe invicto, duca altero e fido.” SANTI
-“Fu per la nobilità così della stirpe come dell’animo, stimato uno de’ migliori e più valorosi cavalieri del suo tempo.” BALDI
-“Fu uomo d’ottima vita e buon principe.” COLUCCI
-Canzone scritta in occasione della sua nomina a Gran Connestabile “Il conte Guido Anton da Montefeltro/ fia lume del suo stato e forse veltro/ contro i rabbiosi lupi suoi vicini/ a danno e distruzione dei Fiorentini.” SAVIOZZO
-“Il suo governo fu il più lungo nella storia dei Montefeltro. Franceschini, che pure lo esalta come “principe illuminato”, ne denunciò la passività politica per non essere stato in grado di ingrandire lo Stato, poiché tutti i suoi tentativi in Umbria, Marca e Romagna si rivelarono senza seguito. I decenni della sua dominazione vanno però considerati in una prospettiva di consolidamento e ordinamento in senso ormai statuale…Come era tradizione nella sua casa, fu al contempo uomo d’arme e di cultura. Diede inizio alla “libraria” dei signori di Urbino, benché l’apporto che diede alla sua formazione non vada sopravvalutato: degli oltre novecento codici che si conservavano a Urbino alla morte del duca Federico (1482), non più di un centinaio potevano essere stati raccolti da lui e da suo padre Antonio.” DI CARPEGNA FALCONIERI
-“Un condottiero di provata esperienza.” BECI
-“Personaggio d’illustre casato, potente pelle città e terre che possedeva, principe riputato in Italia.” FABRETTI
-“Quest’ottimo Principe aveva considerevolmente allargato i confini del suo Stato rinforzandone le strutture economiche ed amministrative. Anche il peso politico e militare di Urbino negli incerti e precari equilibri politici dell’epoca si era notevolmente accresciuto. Desiderò essere sepolto, rivestito del solo saio francescano, nella chiesa di San Donato fuori le mura, dove spesso amava ritirarsi in preghiera. Ed ivi riposa sotto una lastra tombale in cui è scolpita la sua immagine.” SCATENA
–“Guidantonio, nei continui rivolgimenti della Romagna e della Marca, aveva sempre cercato sostenere, cercando appoggi ora sull’uno, ora sull’altra parte. Succeduto al padre Antonio.., aderì prima a Bonifacio IX, poi seguì la parte di Ladislao (d’Angiò, re di Napoli), da cui ebbe il titolo di Connestabile del regno: Alessandro V lo scomunicò, e poco dopo ritornò dalla parte della Chiesa. Quindi si inimicava con Braccio (di Montone): e forse gliene sarebbe venuto male se più tardi Martino V non gli avesse procurato un opportuno accordo.” CIPOLLA
-“Il conte d’Urbino,se, come volevano i suoi emuli o chi parlava per essi, non era un grande stratega, possedeva però le qualità necessarie ad un principe e quella soprattutto di saper scegliere i suoi collaboratori, come aveva dato prova nell’affidare a Bernardino degli Ubaldini il comando delle sue milizie.” FRANCESCHINI
-La lastra tombale lo mostra in abito francescano con la spada al fianco. Sulla sua tomba è riportato il seguente epitaffio “Floret in Hesperia tellus, plorate Latini,/ Guido comes moriens hoc requiescit humo,/ Non fuit e coelo princeps clementior alter,/ Praevalidas urbes rexit, et ipse potens./ Non fuit in terras umquam, qui sanctius heros/ Cappam Francisci posset habere sacram./ Quem dedit in terris probitas venerabilis aevo,/ Mors animam coelo reddidit alma suo./ Hoc igitur superi socio gaudete superno./ Et Divum cingat laurea sacra ducem./ Et quadraginta tribus febrai vigesima prima.”
Featured image: wikimedia
