Corrado Prospero’s Campaigns with John Hawkwood
Konrad Prassberg (Corrado Prospero, also known as Corrado Pioffg, Corrado Brunsberg, Corrado di Prosperg) was a German nobleman. He held the title of Lord of Cannara and was the son-in-law of John Hawkwood (Giovanni Acuto).
Death: 1422
| Year | Month | State, Comp. ventura | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1380 | He serves in the company of Konrad von Landau (Corrado Lando). | |||||
| 1381 | Genoa | |||||
| 1385 | ||||||
| Dec. | Bologna | Cunio | 600 horses | Romagna | He is contacted in Faenza by Lutz von Landau (Lucio Lando) to join with 600 horses the service of the Bolognese against the Count of Cunio Giovanni da Barbiano. He goes to the camp; 200 horses of his company join Lando‘s bodyguard with the task of killing the two Bolognese captains Guido da Fano and Anderlino Trotti. | |
| 1388 | ||||||
| July | Florence | Tuscany | He is reported in the company of Konrad Prassberg (Corrado di Altinberg). | |||
| 1389 | ||||||
| Milan | Lombardy | In the pay of the Count of Virtù Gian Galeazzo Visconti. | ||||
| Mar. | Antipope | Church, Siena | Tuscany and Umbria | He moves to Tuscany with 1,000 horses; with Corrado di Altinberg, he enters the service of the Antipope to fight the pontificals of Urban VI. He escorts to Orvieto a convoy of provisions supplied to the city by the Farnese, the Counts of Pitigliano, and the Counts of Santa Fiora. He joins Bernardon de la Salle (Bernardo della Sala) and attacks Francesco da Montemarte in Benano. Still in the same month, he is called to assist the Farnese against Bertoldo Orsini after Baccino and Puccio Farnese attempt to kidnap the sons of Ranuccio Farnese. The two youths manage to flee to Vallocchia; Orsini seizes the fortress. Stationed at Vallocchia, Prospero intervenes with Corrado di Altinberg; with armed men provided by Francesco da Montemarte, he persuades the Count of Pitigliano to desist and leave the fortress. | ||
| Oct. | Tuscany | The Lucchese recognize to Corrado Prospero and John Hawkwood a payment of 995 florins in their capacity as captains of the league recently formed between Gian Galeazzo Visconti on one side and the Florentines and Lucchese on the other. | ||||
| Dec. | Bologna | Rimini | Emilia | He enters the service of the Bolognese to fight Pandolfo Malatesta. He is given 4,000 florins in two installments, the first at Christmas and the second at the following Easter. | ||
| 1390 | ||||||
| 1390 | Apr. | Romagna | He follows Ugolino Ghislieri on an expedition in Romagna against Carlo Malatesta. With Conte da Carrara, he is defeated by the opponents and captured by Niccolò Malatesta near Rimini. Released shortly after, by mid-month he is reported with da Carrara in the Bolognese area to recruit new men-at-arms for the Commune, who are offered a stipend of 18 florins per lance. | |||
| 1390 | Aug. | Bologna | Siena, Milan | Tuscany | ||
| 1391 | ||||||
| …….. | Tuscany and Veneto | He is transferred from the Sienese to Padua to support John Hawkwood in his offensive in Lombardy. | ||||
| 1391 | May | 100 lances | Veneto and Lombardy | He leaves Padua with Hawkwood at the head of 100 lances. He rides a black horse with a star near the left eye and a white spot on the left side of the nose. | ||
| 1391 | July | Lombardy and Veneto | He defeats Jacopo dal Verme at Paderno. In particular, he plays a leading role in the victorious action, at the conclusion of which he beats the Visconti forces, capturing 60 horses and over a hundred sappers. In the same action, he acquires more than 200 mounts. At the end of the battle, he is knighted along with other captains by John Hawkwood. He supports the English condottiero in his famous retreat towards the Veneto; he passes through Calcinato and safely crosses the Mincio River. | |||
| 1391 | Aug.-Sept. | Emilia | He is in Bologna. In September, with Fuzzolino Tedesco, he plunders the counties of Reggio Emilia and Parma. For his merits, the Florentines gift him 400 florins payable in two installments, half at Christmas and half at Easter. | |||
| 1391 | Oct. | Emilia | He arrives at Correggio with 210 lances. He enters the locality with the help of Pietro and Gherardo (or Rizzardo) da Correggio. | |||
| 1391 | Dec. | Emilia | He returns with 600 lances near Reggio Emilia. He prepares an ambush, sends his light cavalry to the city gates. They are pursued by the enemies and lead them to the point where the ambush is set. The Visconti forces are defeated; numerous are the dead; the prisoners amount to more than 60 men-at-arms and 100 horses of the camp followers. | |||
| 1392 | ||||||
| Feb. | Emilia | In Bologna. He takes part in a great tournament in the city; Corrado Prospero commands the white team (the Italians) against the red team (the German), commanded by Prencivalle della Mirandola. | ||||
| May | Tuscany | In mid-month, he participates in another great tournament in Florence, in which he distinguishes himself (his uniform is now red). He is the best fighter of his group and receives a prize. | ||||
| Nov. | Umbria | He is reported in Umbria crossing the territory of Città di Castello with his company. | ||||
| 1393 | ||||||
| Spring | Florence, Forlì | 300 lances | Tuscany and Romagna | He is hired by the Florentines so that he does not raid Tuscany. The Lucchese contribute to his contract: for this purpose, taxes on provisions are increased in the city, and new taxes are imposed on dowries, division of goods, and sales of animals. He moves with his company to Romagna and supports Pino and Cecco Ordelaffi in their attacks on Bertinoro. He besieges the center; a bastion is built at Montemaggiore. To aid the defenders, Malatesta contingents arrive; moreover, a Neapolitan abbot sent by Pope Boniface IX orders Pino Ordelaffi to abandon the field. The lord of Forlì obeys and returns to Forlì with the abbot; Corrado Prospero accompanies him to the city, where he is rendered great honors and rich gifts. He passes into the service of the Papal States. | ||
| June | Papal States | Company of Venture | Umbria | He faces Giovanni Tedesco da Pietramala to take Castiglione del Lago from him. | ||
| July | Forlì | Rimini | Romagna | To avenge himself on the Malatesta, he allies with Guidantonio da Montefeltro. He raids with the latter in the Cesena and Rimini territories. | ||
| Sept. | Papal States | Perugia | Umbria and Romagna | He is in Cannara, of which he becomes lord. Remaining to guard the locality, he assists the exiles of Perugia from the noble party against the “Raspanti” and the Michelotti who dominate the capital. He harasses many localities in the countryside, carries his raids up to Ponte San Giovanni where he takes some prisoners and seizes much livestock; with 300 cavalry and 300 infantry, he occupies Montenero near Deruta. | ||
| ……… | Umbria | In an exchange of courtesies with the Perugians, he returns the spoils he had seized during the raid. | ||||
| 1394 | ||||||
| Jan. | Tuscany | He marries Catherine, the fourteen-year-old daughter of John Hawkwood. For the wedding, he asks the Florentines for an advance of 1,000 florins so that the ceremony can have the appropriate splendor. Witnesses at the wedding are the captain of the people of Florence, the Bolognese Ugolino dei Preti di Montechiaro, and the condottieri Milano dei Rastrelli di Alessandria and Bartolomeo Boccanera. | ||||
| Mar. | Papal States | Antipope | Umbria | He moves with Giovanni Colonna to the rescue of the fortress of Narni besieged by Pietramala. He enters the city with Colonna and occupies part of it. In the same days, he goes with Azzo da Castello to Perugia; 400 florins are allocated by the priors to give them due welcome. | ||
| May | Perugia | Papal States | Umbria | He supports Biordo and Ceccolino dei Michelotti; he cedes them Cannara for 10,500 florins, of which 3,000 are represented in properties located in the Chiugi and a house in Perugia. He confronts Giovanni Tedesco da Pietramala, Ceccolo Broglia, and Brandolino Brandolini who assist the exiles against the Perugians. He gathers 500 horses in Deruta, tails the opponents up to Cerqueto until the opposing condottieri, won over by a prize of 5,600 florins (10,000 according to other sources), abandon the Perugian territory. Upon payment of his wages, he also leaves the area. | ||
| Aug. | Urbino | Gabrielli | Umbria | He enters the service of Antonio da Montefeltro; with Ceccolino dei Michelotti, he threatens Francesco da Cantiano in Cantiano. In the same month, he is granted an annual provision of 1,000 florins by the pontificals, to be paid to him by the lords of Imola, Ludovico and Lippo Alidosi. | ||
| Oct. | Umbria | He is contacted by Città di Castello to serve in that commune’s pay. | ||||
| 1395 | ||||||
| Mar. | Florence, Bologna | d’Este | 100 lances | Emilia and Romagna | The Florentines and Bolognese send him with 300 horses to assist Niccolò III d’Este, Marquis of Ferrara, in his struggle with Azzo d’Este. | |
| 1396 | Florence, Bologna | |||||
| 1397 | ||||||
| Mar. | Florence | Tuscany | He is again hired by the Florentines with Conte da Carrara. | |||
| Aug. | Bologna | Milan | Emilia and Lombardy | He leaves Bondeno and crosses the Po River at Stellata. He participates in the Battle of Governolo where he commands, with Ugo di Monforte, the fifth squadron consisting of 2,000 cavalry. | ||
| Nov. | Company of Venture | Città di Castello | Umbria | In the territory of Città di Castello. He demands money from the commune in exchange for the promise not to damage its territory. | ||
| 1398 | ||||||
| Apr.-May | Venice | Milan | 400 lances | He is contracted with 400 lances by the anti-Visconti league: he commits to stay with his men, until the end of May, away from the territories of the allies in exchange for a compensation of 4,000 florins. | ||
| July | Papal States | Perugia | Umbria | In mid-month, he is hired by the pontificals for three months along with Conte da Carrara and Antonio degli Obizzi (3,000 cavalry). Five days after signing the contract, the Papal States and Perugia conclude a peace treaty. Dismissed, 800 florins are given to the three condottieri to leave the territory. He crosses the countryside of Città di Castello and exits Umbria. | ||
| Aug. | Company of Venture | Fermo, Papal States | Marche | He joins again with Conte da Carrara, Antonio degli Obizzi, and Francesco da Cantiano. He attacks Fermo commanding 4,000 cavalry; he enters Monte Vidon Corrado and besieges the castle, defended by Marino di Santa Vittoria. For the sum of 2,000 ducats, the company leaves the territory with the promise not to re-enter the Fermano for two months. | ||
| 1402 | ||||||
| Apr. | Milan | Papal States | 250 lances | Umbria | He is sent to the Perugian area with Manfredo and Francesco Barbavara. | |
| ……. | Germany | He returns to Germany to his fiefs in the Allgäu with his wife Catherine and three children. | ||||
| 1422 | He dies. |
Sources
-Con Fuzzolino Tedesco “Capitani di valore.” VEDRIANI
-“Giovane e valoroso soldato di ventura.” TEMPLE LEADER-MARCOTTI
-“A dynamic soldier..He was of noble extraction, from the southern German region of Allgau.” CAFERRO
-“Brillantissimo uomo d’armi.” RIGON
Featured image: wikimedia
