Scars of Glory: The Military Career of Mostarda da Forlì
Mostarda da Forlì / Mostarda dalla Strada (Mostarda Perelli). Of obscure origins, Mostarda became lord of Amandola, Pollenza, and Percozzone. He was the father of Giovanni Mostarda and Ludovico da Forlì.
Born: 1350, ca
Death: 1405., September
| Year, Month | State, Comp. ventura | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ………….. | Served in the companies of John Hawkwood (Giovanni Acuto) and Alberico da Barbiano. | ||||
| 1379 | |||||
| Apr. | Church | Antipope | Lazio | Under the command of Alberico da Barbiano, took part in the battle of Marino. | |
| 1393 | |||||
| Feb. | Marche | At Montegranaro. | |||
| Mar. | Montegranaro | Fermo | Marche | When Luca di Canale took control of Montegranaro, joined with this condottiero. Together, the two captains, at the head of 400 cavalry, raided the territory of Fermo. Captured 70 men and seized 50 oxen and 70 donkeys. | |
| 1394 | |||||
| Apr. | Exiles | Fermo | Marche | Still with Luca di Canale, supported exiles of Fermo against the lord of the city Antonio Aceti. His raids reached Monte Santa Maria delle Vergini, outside Porta di San Giuliano. His operational base was Montegranaro. Soon confronted by Ottobono Terzi, Marino di Santa Vittoria, and Malcorpo, hired by Antonio Aceti. | |
| May | Church | Forlì | Romagna | Fought against the lord of Forlì, Pino Ordelaffi. Lifted the siege imposed by enemies on Bertinoro. | |
| ………… | Church | Marche | In service of the Marquis of Marca, Andrea Tomacelli. | ||
| 1395 | |||||
| Jan. | Marche | In Macerata. With Luca di Canale, Piero di Castello, and Neri da Faenza, received 680 ducats from inhabitants as payment for past wages owed by papal forces. | |||
| June | Fermo Ancona Recanati | Church | Marche | Under the command of Conte da Carrara, hired by the communes of Fermo, Ancona, and Recanati, opposed papal forces led by Biordo dei Michelotti. | |
| July | Bologna | Florence | Romagna | With Conte da Carrara, sent to Forlì territory in support of the Ordelaffi against the Florentines; together with Pino Ordelaffi, captured the fortress of Sadurano. | |
| Autumn | Church | Colonna | Lazio | In the service of Pope Boniface IX (Bonifacio IX). With Paolo Orsini, expelled the Colonna from Rome. The latter were forced to retreat to their territories in the Roman countryside. | |
| Dec. | Church | Ascoli Piceno | Marche | Passed through Osimo, whose inhabitants provided provisions to his troops. Charged by papal forces to retake Ascoli Piceno, held by Duke Andrea Matteo Acquaviva. Broke into the city with exiles; Acquaviva abandoned the city after losing about one hundred men. Mostarda da Forlì allowed his soldiers the right to sack the city; not even the houses of local exiles were spared from looting. | |
| 1396 | |||||
| ………….. | Exiles of Fermo | Church | Marche | Rebelled against the Holy See; with the troops of Luca di Canale, Piero da Castel Modenese, and Neri da Faenza, opposed papal forces under Paolo Orsini for six months. Supported Macerata exiles to expel Antonio di Simonuccio, who had become lord of the city; succeeded with the help of Antonio da Camerino. Rival killed in battle. | |
| May-June | Comp. ventura | Florence | Tuscany | Raided Tuscany territory against Florentines with his company. | |
| Aug. | Church | Comp. ventura | Marche | Stationed near Fermo with Conte da Carrara. Under pressure from the papal legate, forced Alessio di Montereale to return loot taken from Monterubbiano. | |
| 1397 | |||||
| Feb. | Church | Camerino | Marche | Watched over Macerata to prevent possible offensives by the lord of Camerino, Gentile da Varano. | |
| …………. | Milan | Florence | Tuscany | In service of the Duke of Milan, Gian Galeazzo Visconti. | |
| July | Comp. ventura | Ascoli Piceno, Church | Marche | Once again attacked Ascoli Piceno, aiding Giovanni di Marsio, besieged by Ghibellines and Acquaviva in the rocca del monte. Looted the city; more than 100 men killed. Entered Staffolo, Osimo, Montefilottrano, Montefano, Numana, Offagna, Montelupone, Castelfidardo—territories that rebelled against the Papal State and from which he obtained supplies. Locals were excommunicated for sheltering his mercenary bands. Everywhere committed arson, robbery, and murder. | |
| 1398 | |||||
| Jan.-Feb. | Church | Perugia | Umbria | Once again faced Biordo dei Michelotti, now lord of Perugia. Entered the Perugian area, burned a palace in Migiana di Monte Tezio with a man inside; reached San Marco and took many prisoners. Pope Boniface IX granted him vicariate over Montemilone (Pollenza), Amandola, and Percozzone. | |
| Mar. | Umbria | Biordo dei Michelotti was killed in Perugia; Mostarda da Forlì attacked the city with 400 cavalry to expel the popular Raspanti party, which also dominated Assisi, Spello, Todi, Nocera Umbra, Gualdo Tadino, Trevi, Cesi, and Orvieto. | |||
| Apr. | Umbria | Supported Conte da Carrara; stationed at San Valentino, burning houses there and at San Montano. Took palaces near Capocavallo, killing four people; returned to San Valentino for eight days; rode to Montemorcino and Maestà di Colonnata, capturing many locals. Reached Veggio; continued similarly through Prepo and San Vittorino into the Duchy of Spoleto. | |||
| May | Umbria | Moved into countryside of Spello and Cannara; the castle of Bucarelli surrendered to him, raided livestock in the area; damaged Casalina and Ponte San Giovanni. Perugia strengthened defenses at Porta Sole. From Todi, Ceccolino da Todi arrived and joined city garrison (150 cavalry) under Archimanno Tedesco. Clash occurred at San Bevignate; papal forces fled. Many casualties and wounded among attackers; 70 cavalry captured; 12 Perugians taken prisoner. The next day, Mostarda da Forlì withdrew, reorganizing between Foligno and Spello. | |||
| June-July | Umbria, Marche | Moved again against Perugia; positioned between the castle of Brufa (Castel Grifone) and nearby hill along Chiascio river, opposite Torgiano. Peace signed between papal forces and Perugia at month’s end. Returned to Amandola. In July, moved toward Foligno. |
| 1399 | |||||
| May | Rimini | Comp. ventura | Marche | Opposed in the March of Ancona the company of Ceccolo Broglia and Conte da Carrara: fought the opponents at Cingoli. After a nine-hour clash was defeated. | |
| Nov. | Comp. ventura | Comp. ventura | Marche | Paolo Orsini carried out some raids in the territory of Pollenza, his fief. | |
| 1400 | |||||
| June | Church | ||||
| 1401 | |||||
| Feb. | Marche | Obtained absolution from all ecclesiastical censures. | |||
| …………… | Marche | Went to Fermo to collect 1000 ducats owed as past wages from previous years; upon his request, obtained from Pope Boniface IX, through the bishop of Fermo Antonio de Vetulis, the lifting of the interdict against the inhabitants of Osimo, who had hosted and supplied him with provisions during the period he fought papal forces. | |||
| 1402 | |||||
| Spring | Florence | Milan | Umbria | With Conte da Carrara fought the Visconti. Under his command, at the beginning of his career, was Braccio di Montone. Mostarda da Forlì left the Spoleto region and attacked Nocera Umbra, controlled by Ceccolino dei Michelotti; overcame the resistance of defenders, captured the podestà Cristoforo di Donatuccio; furiously entered Perugia territory and damaged the Brufa countryside; reached the Tiber, looted many cattle, and returned to Spoleto area. | |
| June | Church | Lazio and Umbria | Entered service of the pope’s brother, Giannello Tomacelli, rector of the Patrimony and Duchy of Spoleto. Costs of his contract were charged to certain lands of the Patrimony and the cities of Todi, Spoleto, Terni, Narni, and Amelia. As these communes did not promptly pay the required sum, Mostarda da Forlì was authorized to recover his credit by taking from inhabitants animals, goods, merchandise, furniture, and their animals wherever found, until full satisfaction of his claim. He also obtained from Giannello Tomacelli the right to collect, on behalf of the Papal States, a tax imposed on Viterbo. The pope, by a special bull, not only confirmed this decree issued by his brother Giannello, but also extended to his advantage the right of reprisal against the debtors themselves. | ||
| Sept. | Church | Milan | Umbria | Still under Giannello Tomacelli, attacked the Perugia area controlled by Visconti forces, together with Paolo Orsini, Braccio di Montone, and Conte da Carrara. | |
| Oct. | Umbria | Also joining the papal forces were Florentine condottieri Crasso da Venosa and Bindo da Montopoli: the countryside was looted. Mostarda da Forlì camped with Orsini at la Pila, devastating nearby territories. Peace followed between the opponents. | |||
| Nov. | Umbria | Entered Perugia through Porta di San Pietro following Giannello Tomacelli. | |||
| 1403 | |||||
| Jan. | Umbria | With Paolo Orsini and Conte da Carrara, moved towards Assisi hoping to occupy the town without fighting. From Perugia came Ottobono Terzi, who defeated papal forces after a three-hour fight. Among the defeated, 150 men remained on the field. | |||
| May | Umbria | Broke into Assisi with the help of the abbot of San Bartolomeo and Averardo de Nepis. | |||
| July | Umbria | After a long siege, obtained possession of the two fortresses from the castellans of Assisi for 1000 florins. In December, still with da Carrara, welcomed at Porta di San Pietro in Perugia the wife of Tomacelli, accompanying her amidst dances and songs to the Palazzo del Podestà, where her husband resided. After a few days, left the city to move with his company of 600 cavalry to Viterbo. | |||
| 1404 | |||||
| June-Oct. | Church | Comp. ventura | 600 cavalry | Lazio | The last remaining members of the Breton company in Italy had taken refuge at Soriano nel Cimino. These mercenaries, with Giannetto di Magnamonte, continued looting neighboring territories, particularly Viterbo. Mostarda da Forlì confronted and besieged the Bretons in their castle; took many prisoners, sending them to prisons in Viterbo. Here they were imprisoned in the basement of the Podestà tower, now Torre del Comune. In October, he was recalled to Rome with Conte da Carrara for the election of Pope Innocent VII. |
| 1405 | |||||
| ………… | Church | Naples | Lazio | In service of Pope Innocent VII, was tasked with garrisoning Borgo Leonino in Rome. | |
| Aug. | Lazio | Ludovico Migliorati ordered the killing of 11 leading Roman citizens; the city rebelled against papal authority. Mostarda da Forlì returned to Rome with Orsini; with Ceccolino dei Michelotti and Beccarino, defeated their adversaries at Prati di Nerone, forcing Pieretto de Andreis, Gentile da Monterano, and Giovanni Colonna to retreat into the Roman countryside. | |||
| Sept. | Lazio | At month’s end, was assassinated by Paolo Orsini in a hall of the Apostolic Palace, before the pope. The murder was physically carried out by Antonio Orsini and other relatives of Paolo. The condottiero was buried in Rome in the Church of Santa Petronilla, which stood near the ancient basilica of Saint Peter. Upon his death, he left two daughters and five sons (among them Giovanni). The children were placed under the guardianship of Carlo Malatesta, lord of Rimini, and his wife Elisabetta Gonzaga, who managed the inheritance left by Mostarda. |
Sources
-“Bravo Condottier d’armi.” MURATORI
-“Valente capitano.” DE MINICIS
-“Il cui nome fu assai celebre nelle cose della guerra.” CAMPANO
-“Ductorem gentium et strenuum ac bellicosum in armis.” ANNALES FOROLIVIENSES
-“Huomo molto famoso in quei tempi.” PELLINI
-“Valorosissimo Capitano.” ROSCIO
-“Optimas dotes sortitus est, non solum ad sui nominis, ac familiae, sed patriae ipsius ornamentum. Eximie validum corpus illi dedit natura, et ad militiae labores aptissimum, gravem oris habitum, et consiliorum vehementer ad cavenda pericula ingenium. ..Erat Mostarda exigua facie, augusta fronte, quam non obliquae, sed rectae rugae intersecabant; magnis et mirantibus oculis, naso exili, barba brevi et ritorta, ut ex naturali effigie comperitur.” VIVIANI
-“Fortissimum in armis ductorem.” CRIVELLI
-“Famoso Capitano..Questo Mostarda dicono fosse il primo che insegnò d’armare i soldati da capo a piedi tutti di ferro, che prima erano soliti armarsi di corame.” MARTORELLI
-“Bravo guerriero.” TALLEONI
-Con altri condottieri romagnoli “Rei autem bellicae gnaros et in eo munere claros habuit patria nostra.” BIONDO
-“Celebrato tra li capitani più illustri di Forlì..Udivasi spesso gloriarsi d’aver riportate sino a cento ferite, di cui mostrava le cicatrici: era d’una complessione e forza meravigliosa, sì che in frequentissimi duelli n’uscì sempre vincitore.” P. BONOLI
-“Segnalato guerriero.” TORIGIO
-“Gran Capitano, e degno de’ più antichi tempi..Fu uno de’ ristoratori della militar disciplina, ed egli fu, che togliendo ai soldati l’uso dei vestire di cuojo inventò le armature tutte di ferro introdotte poi nell’Italia comunemente, ed altrove.” COLUCCI
-“Il primo che inventasse nella militia l’uso delle armi di ferro invece di cuoio.” MARCUCCI
-“Celebre capitano.” FERRANTI
-“Molti storici lo indicano come l’ideatore dell’armatura integralmente in ferro, in sostituzione delle protezioni di cuoio cotto, innovazione che altri attribuiscono invece allo stesso Alberico da Barbiano.” SPADA
-“Ov’è Mostarda, nobilissimo forlivese, conduttiero et capitano di ventura, homo molto pronto et valoroso? Lo quale si gloriava che nelle battaglie diverse haveva avuto cento ferite nel suo corpo, delle quali mostrava le cicatrici; tanto fu animoso che non istimava pericolo di morte, et ala sua forza non credeva altri fesse resistenza, et più et più volte combatté a corpo a corpo e sempre vinse.” COBELLI
-“Mostarda, che nel mestiere delle armi aveva trovato una crescente fonte di reddito, di prestigio e di potere, fu in condizioni di esercitare nell’ambito delle vicende regionali (le Marche) un ruolo di un certo rilievo, grazie anche alla protezione dei Malatesta e alla costituzione di un piccolo Stato personale comprendendo il castello di Percozzone (Ripa) ubicato in diocesi di Senigallia unitamente ai vicariati di Montemnilone (Pollenza) e di Amandola, donatigli dal papa (feb. 1398)…”Antonio di Pietro dello Schiavo e gli “Annales Forolivienses” danno due diverse versioni sulla sua morte, avvenuta a Roma per mano degli Orsini: il primo sostiene che Mostarda fosse stato ucciso in un’imboscata da Antonio Orsini o dai suoi familiari e poi sepolto nella chiesa di S. Petronilla, nel rione Colonna; i secondi attribuiscono la responsabilità del delitto a Paolo Orsini, che avrebbe trucidato Mostarda in una sala del palazzo pontificio alla presenza di Innocenzo VII.” FALCIONI
-“Ed or di laudar mi sforzo ed alzo/Il Mostarda da Strada che in un giorno/Ruppe tre spade;il ver non ti trabalzo.” Cambino Aretino riportato da FABRETTI
Featured image: wikipedia
