A mercenary captain serving multiple Italian powers during the Renaissance
Ludovico Colonna, Count of Santa Severina. Lord of Ardea, Stroncone, and Vasanello. The natural son of Giovanni Colonna.
Born: 1390
Death: 1436, October
| Year, Month | State, Comp. ventura | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initially serves in the companies of Braccio di Montone | |||||
| 1414 | Naples | Church | Lazio | With his father Giovanni joins the Neapolitan troops of Muzio Attendolo Sforza; occupies Sant’Angelo in Pescheria and Piazza Giudea in Rome. Eventually repelled by papal troops and forced to retreat via the Flaminian Way. | |
| 1416 | |||||
| Aug. | Perugia | Exiles | Umbria | Together with il Tartaglia and Cristoforo di Agello treacherously kills Paolo Orsini at Colfiorito during a parley. Enemy troops try to capture him; he is saved by Braccesque militias that rout the adversaries. According to the Sienese Chronicle, on this occasion he appropriates the arms and armor of the Orsini. | |
| Dec. | Lazio | Enters Rome with Francesco Orsini and Giacomo Colonna. | |||
| 1417 | |||||
| Aug. | Lazio | While walking in Trastevere he is assaulted by a man-at-arms of the Orsini: his father Giovanni intervenes and is killed trying to defend him. Following this episode he flees Rome on a small boat found on the banks of the Tiber. Takes refuge in Santo Spirito. | |||
| 1420 | |||||
| Summer | Naples | Church | Campania | Is hired by Giovanni Caracciolo to fight the troops of Pope Martin V and Louis of Anjou commanded by Sforza. Moves to the aid of Naples. | |
| 1421 | |||||
| Sept. | Church | 34 lances | Lazio | In service to the Papal States: Cardinal Oddone Colonna has ascended to the papal throne with the name Martin V. At the end of the month leaves Rome to join the troops of il Tartaglia. | |
| 1422 | |||||
| Apr. | Church | Lazio and Umbria | Moves toward Toscanella (Tuscania). Has the task of recovering for the Papal States the localities previously controlled by the late Tartaglia in upper Lazio and the duchy of Spoleto. During operations conquers the castle of Montefalco. | ||
| 1423 | |||||
| Sept. | Church | Umbria | At Spoleto to calm the internal strife that convulses the city between the raspanti faction and the partisans of the noble party. | ||
| Oct. | Umbria | Following the death of il Tartaglia obtains from Martin V (a pope of the Colonna family) the vicariates of Stroncone and Bassanello (Vasanello). | |||
| Dec. | 50 lances | Lazio | |||
| 1424 | |||||
| Apr. | Church | King of Aragon | Lazio and Abruzzi | Fights the militias of Braccio di Montone. Touches Rieti, Cittaducale and Cicolano with Santo Parente, Luigi da San Severino and Sante Carillo. Heads toward Rocca di Mezzo to join with the troops of Jacopo Caldora. The objective is to provide aid to the inhabitants of L’Aquila besieged for some time by adversaries. | |
| June | 300 horses | Abruzzi and Lazio | Participates in the battle of L’Aquila. In the vanguard with Menicuccio dell’Aquila, faces adversaries and puts the first line to flight. However, fails to prevent the baggage trains from falling into the hands of the Braccesque: assaulted in turn by Orso Orsini and Pietro Giampaolo Orsini, is repelled by enemies and must recross the Aterno. Suffers a counterattack by Braccio di Montone; the arrival of reinforcements led by Federico di Matelica serves to reverse the outcome of the day. Upon the death of Montone triumphantly transports his corpse to Rome which, partially embalmed, is thrown into a pit outside Porta San Lorenzo. | ||
| Aug. | Romagna | ||||
| 1425 | |||||
| May-July | Church | San Severino Marche | Marche | With papal legate Pietro Colonna drives Antonio da San Severino from San Severino Marche and from Apiro, who in the second locality offered fierce resistance. Besieges Arquata del Tronto, fief of the da Carrara; passes through Amandola and receives provisions from the inhabitants of Ascoli Piceno. In mid-July the papal forces alert him for a possible action toward Teramo against Queen Joanna I of Naples (Giovanna d’Angiò). | |
| Aug. | Exiles | Perugia | Umbria | Joins with Ludovico dei Michelotti, Jacopo Caldora and Antonuccio dell’Aquila to move against the Perugian countryside: the pope and the Count of Urbino Antonio da Montefeltro intervene. Is forced to abandon the initiative. | |
| 1426 | |||||
| Jan. | Church | 100 lances | The new contract with the ecclesiastics provides a salary of 9 florins per month for each lance and for Colonna a monthly provision of 100 florins | ||
| Mar. | Romagna | ||||
| May | Emilia and Romagna | Accompanies the papal legate of Bologna to take possession of Forlì: upon entering the city his mount falls on him and he is seriously injured. | |||
| 1427 | |||||
| Emilia | At Bologna. His objective is to maintain peace between the city factions. | ||||
| May | Milan | Venice | Lombardy | In the pay of Duke of Milan Filippo Maria Visconti. Participates in the battle of Gottolengo against Carmagnola. | |
| Monferrato | |||||
| 1428 | |||||
| Mar. | Milan | Florence | Liguria | Returns quickly to the service of the Visconti to support Angelo della Pergola in the Western Riviera. In agreement with the Lomellini tries to seize Monaco from the Grimaldi allied with the Florentines. Assaults Giorgio del Carretto with Urbano di San Luigi and il Bianchino and conquers Castelfranco di Finale: the locality is granted to Galeotto del Carretto. | |
| 1429 | |||||
| Aug. | Emilia | Is reported at Guastalla. | |||
| 1431 | |||||
| Mar. | Milan | Venice | Lombardy | Guarding Cremona. Puts to flight Antonello Ruffaldi who raids the countryside in search of prey: captures 300/400 horses; peasants kill infantry found isolated in the countryside. | |
| July-Aug. | Milan | Florence | Tuscany | Leaves the Pisan territory to transfer to Lunigiana; invites the Florentine commissioner Filippo da Firenzuola to dinner. The latter takes advantage of the occasion to convince him to defect to the opposing camp. Colonna arrests him and as punishment makes him swallow, until he dies suffocated, a large snake. The Florentines try to prevent him from heading toward Siena by preventing him from crossing the Arno near Bientina. Heads north and enters Garfagnana. Assaults Castiglione di Garfagnana; bursts into the town after setting fire to the gate. Besieges its fortress; faced by 400 horses and 50 infantry led by Neri Capponi, prefers to withdraw. Is also successfully confronted by Micheletto Attendolo. | |
| Sept.-Dec. | Tuscany and Liguria | Operates near Pontremoli. In Liguria. Mid-month receives order to deliver the fortress of Mortone to the Genoese. | |||
| 1432 | |||||
| Jan.-Feb. | Tuscany | Returns to Tuscany with 200 lances and 200 infantry to aid the Sienese put in difficulty by Micheletto Attendolo. Is entrusted with the task of protecting supply convoys between Pietrasanta and Lucca. | |||
| Mar. | Tuscany | With Leone di Tagliacozzo evades the surveillance of the Florentines besieging Lucca and brings a supply convoy into the city. Supports the defenders of Nocchi besieged by adversaries. Forces enemies to withdraw from the territory of Montopoli in Val d’Arno. His attacks on the fortresses of Marti and Castelfranco di Sotto prove vain. | |||
| Apr. | Tuscany | Moves in the Pisan territory with 400 horses to facilitate with Ardizzone da Carrara the passage of Emperor Sigismund of Hungary traveling from Lucca to Siena. | |||
| May | Tuscany | At the beginning of May he is requested to move with his company to the Roman countryside to defend the lands formerly of Stefano Colonna. Ludovico Colonna refuses to move as he is in service to Siena not involved in a conflict with the papal forces. Remains in Tuscany where he supports, with little success, the action of the Florentines led by Niccolò da Tolentino. | |||
| June | Tuscany | Takes part in the battle of San Romano, where he commands the third line behind Antonio da Pontedera and Antonio della Pergola. Breaks through the lines of the first and second lines; makes contact with the troops of Niccolò da Tolentino. Victory seems certain for the ducal forces. Micheletto Attendolo intervenes last and reverses the fortunes of the day. Defeated, Ludovico Colonna flees toward Marti. | |||
| July | Siena | Florence | Captain General | Tuscany | Heads with his companies toward Pisa. Passes through Libafratta (Ripafratta) and Asciano. Joins at Ponsacco with the imperials. With Antonio da Pontedera and Alberico da Barbiano allows the cortege to cross the Arno and reach Siena. Is named captain general of the Sienese; is given the relative standard. At the end of the month Sigismund of Hungary assigns him the task of recovering in his name the lands of imperial dominion included in the district of Rome. |
| Aug. | Tuscany | Forces Niccolò da Tolentino to withdraw from the Valdarno. Links up with Giacomo di Vico and both head for Grosseto. | |||
| 1434 | King of Aragon | Anjou | Campania | With Prince of Salerno Antonio Colonna supports the Aragonese against the Angevins. The fortunes of war are adverse to him. | |
| 1435 | |||||
| Aug. | Lazio | Takes part in the siege of Gaeta. Commands the land troops with Onorato Gaetani, Ruggero Gaetani and Francesco Orsini: the army dissolves following the defeat and capture in the naval battle of Ponza of Alfonso of Aragon. | |||
| 1436 | |||||
| Church | Colonna | Lazio | Makes peace with Pope Eugene IV. Assists Cardinal Giovanni Vitelleschi against his relatives; besieges Lorenzo Colonna in Palestrina. | ||
| Oct. | Lazio | At Ardea. His brother-in-law Gian Andrea Colonna di Rioffredo enters the locality and kills him in the fortress. According to sources the assassination occurs at the instigation of the Orsini of Tagliacozzo (to whom the relative is bound by bonds of alliance) in order to avenge the death of Paolo Orsini, as well as for reasons related to the ownership of some lands belonging to his sister. The body of Ludovico Colonna is given to the dogs. Marries Giovanna Colonna who brings Ardea as dowry. |
