Bloodshed and Loyalty in the Life of a Fierce Condottiero
Orazio II Baglioni of Perugia. The illegitimate son of Giampaolo Baglioni, brother of Malatesta Baglioni, and nephew of Gentile Baglioni.
Born: 1493
Death: 1528, May
| Year, Month | State, Comp. ventura | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 | |||||
| July | Umbria | During the massacre of his relatives, carried out by Carlo Baglioni and Girolamo dalla Penna, he is saved together with his brother Malatesta by Atalanta Baglioni, the mother of one of the conspirators. | |||
| 1503 | |||||
| Jan. | Umbria | He follows his father Giampaolo into exile in Siena when the relative is driven out of Perugia by papal forces. | |||
| 1506 | |||||
| Sept. | Umbria | His father goes to Orvieto to pay homage to Pope Julius II (Giulio II); he relinquishes his dominion into the Pope’s hands and delivers his sons Malatesta and Orazio as hostages. They are entrusted to Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino. | |||
| 1512 | |||||
| Feb. | Venice | France | Umbria | He leaves Perugia with 500 infantry and joins his father in Lombardy to oppose the French there. | |
| May | Siena | 300 cavalry | Tuscany | At the end of the month he is hired by Borghese Petrucci, lord of Siena. | |
| Nov. | Veneto | He travels incognito to Venice to visit the Arsenal. | |||
| 1513 | |||||
| May | Siena | Umbria | He returns to Perugia. He goes to Marsciano to punish the assassin of Girolamo Baglioni. | ||
| July | 400 cavalry | Tuscany | His command is increased by Pandolfo Petrucci. | ||
| 1515 | |||||
| Mar. | Siena | Church | Tuscany | He leaves Siena to oppose the papal forces, under the orders of Vitello Vitelli, who aim to seize the city on behalf of Raffaele Petrucci (Bishop of Grosseto and Castellan of Castel Sant’Angelo). | |
| 1516 | |||||
| June | Umbria | Some of his soldiers, serving with Galeotto Baglioni, are killed in Marsciano; he enters the town with his troops and kills 12 men in the square. Others save themselves by fleeing. He returns to Perugia. | |||
| Aug. | Venice | Empire | Veneto | He joins his brother Malatesta at the siege of Verona. | |
| 1517 | |||||
| Mar. Apr. | Church | Comp. ventura | Marche and Romagna | He takes part in the siege of Mondolfo. Once the defenders surrender, he takes from his father one of the two women—sister of Benedetto da Mondolfo—whom the relative had made bring to his pavilion. A dispute arises between father and son, which is settled through the intervention of other papal captains. He heads toward Mondavio; he is captured near Montegridolfo by Alessandro da Cremona and Costantino Boccali. | |
| May | Umbria | He is in Spello with Gentile Baglioni and 400 cavalry; he is blocked by troops loyal to the Duke of Urbino at Ponte San Giovanni. Pope Leo X (Leone X) invests him with some properties in the Perugia area. | |||
| Aug. | Tuscany and Umbria | The Florentines pay him to gather 800 infantry and 100 cavalry to guard Borgo San Sepolcro (Sansepolcro). He leaves Città di Castello to attack the adversaries; he is captured in the clash. One of the enemy soldiers recognizes him and brings him safely back to Città di Castello. | |||
| 1518 | |||||
| Feb. | Venice | Lombardy and Friuli | He is transferred from the Bergamo area to Friuli. | ||
| 1519 | |||||
| Aug. | Marche | He leaves Perugia and goes to Fermo, where in the Palazzo dei Priori Ludovico Euffreducci, Brancadoro da Fermo, and Bartolomeo Brancadoro embrace each other and swear mutual peace. | |||
| Dec. | Fabriano | Church | Marche | He sends Guido da Sterpeto with 700 infantry to Fabriano to defend Battista Zibicchio from papal threats. | |
| 1520 | |||||
| Mar. | Lazio and Umbria | He is in Rome on behalf of his father, then returns to Spello and Castiglione del Lago where he attends the wedding of his sister Elisabetta with Camillo Orsini. He is accused by the Pope of having fomented an uprising against the papacy in the Marche of Ancona; he goes to Paciano and asks, in vain, his uncle Gentile to intercede for his father, imprisoned in Castel Sant’Angelo. He leaves Perugia overnight with many men. | |||
| Apr. | Abruzzi, Umbria, and Veneto | He seeks refuge in the Abruzzi via Gavelli with 80 cavalry. In L’Aquila he is hosted by Ludovico Franchi. After gathering more troops, he reenters the Spoleto area and goes to Monte Pianciano. Realizing the futility of further efforts, he heads to Padua and Venice with a safe-conduct. | |||
| Oct. | Comp. ventura | Church | Lazio | He joins Camillo Orsini. With 300 cavalry, he raids the Campagna. | |
| 1521 | |||||
| Aug. | Venice | Empire | 60 lances | Veneto and Lombardy | In Verona; the Venetians grant him the company of 40 lances led by Giovanni Battista da Fano, plus another 20 men-at-arms. The term of service is set at two years, plus one year of reserve. He asks for his wife and his household to join him; he is moved from Verona to Brescia. |
| Sept. | 50 lances | Lombardy | He is stationed to guard Brescia. | ||
| Oct. | Lombardy | In Brescia. He is responsible for guarding the section of walls between Porta di Sant’Alessandro and Porta di San Nazzaro. | |||
| Dec. | Comp. ventura | Church, Perugia | Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Marche | Upon the death of Pope Leo X (Leone X) he requests permission to leave Venetian service. Although this is denied, he joins his brother Malatesta and Francesco Maria della Rovere to drive Gentile Baglioni from Perugia. He passes through Ferrara, Rimini; he assists della Rovere in retaking the Duchy of Urbino. He then heads toward Perugia. | |
| 1522 | |||||
| Jan. | Umbria and Tuscany | He reaches Civitella Benazzone and Ponte Valleceppi; he conquers many castles. Perugia becomes alarmed by news that he has reached Borgo di Fontenuovo on a raid. The attackers camp in Monterone after leaving Lindarno. As the papal seat is still vacant, the college of cardinals orders the Florentines to abandon their defense of the city and tells Orazio, Malatesta, and Gentile Baglioni to go to Rome. Orazio Baglioni does not comply and moves ever closer to Perugia, heading to Ponte San Giovanni and Bastia Umbra with della Rovere and Camillo Orsini, leading 200 lances, 300 light cavalry, and 5,000 infantry. Troops under Vitello Vitelli and Guido Vaina (120 lances, 200 light cavalry, 2,500 infantry) enter Perugia as reinforcements, bringing the total defenders to 150 lances, 4,000 infantry, and many light cavalry. Baglioni sets up camp with his brother in the convent of San Domenico; Perugia is attacked from Borgo San Pietro, Porta Sole, and Porta Borgna. Seven artillery pieces from Alfonso d’Este silence the enemy cannons; a first long assault that he leads with della Rovere at Porta di Santa Giuliana is repelled. Vitello Vitelli leaves the city at night after a gunshot wound to his right foot; this weakens the defenders, allowing Baglioni to enter Perugia. Having succeeded, he proceeds to Siena with della Rovere to restore Lattanzio Petrucci. Overcoming resistance by Guido Vaina, he takes position beneath the city walls hoping for an internal uprising. Nothing happens, so after one day he heads to the Val di Chiana, where some of his soldiers desert to the opposing side. | |||
| Feb. | Perugia | Florence, Church | Umbria | He is forced to withdraw by the Florentines led by Giovanni dei Medici, Annibale Rangoni, Pier Luigi Farnese, Alessandro Vitelli, and Guido Vaina. Gentile Baglioni also joins them. He returns to Perugia. Leaving the city, where he is responsible for the defense of Porta di Sant’Angelo, he captures 50 cavalry in a sortie. | |
| Mar. | Umbria and Marche | The college of cardinals attempts to reconcile him with his relatives; he meets his uncle Gentile at Olmo. They agree that a truce between the parties will be made at the Olivetani monastery outside the walls of Perugia. Gentile Baglioni does not show up. He then aids della Rovere in taking Urbino. | |||
| Apr. | Umbria | He finalizes peace with his rivals; this is arranged by Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici (the future Pope Clement VII (Clemente VII)) and Cardinal Silvio Passerini of Cortona. The treaty is sealed by the promise of marriage between his daughter (one year old) and a son of Niccolò Vitelli (one and a half years old). | |||
| May | Umbria and Veneto | From Perugia he arrives in Florence, where he officially reconciles with his uncle Gentile. He negotiates a condotta with the Florentines also on behalf of his brother. Malatesta does not accept. Orazio Baglioni then leaves the city to join his men-at-arms stationed between Verona and Brescia. | |||
| June | Florence | Comp. ventura | 70 lances | Veneto, Umbria, and Tuscany | He obtains permission from the Venetian Council of the Savi to return to Perugia on the pretext of persuading his brother Malatesta to stay with the Serenissima. Through Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici, however, he chooses to follow della Rovere and join Florentine service. He opposes Cardinal Francesco Soderini of Volterra and Renzo di Ceri, who threaten Siena: the Venetians allow his company to serve under Camillo Orsini. He meets his uncle Gentile in Cortona, where Cardinal de’ Medici and Cardinal Silvio Passerini settle their disputes. |
| July | Umbria | He sends several artillery pieces to the inhabitants of Spoleto to help them deal with the rebels of Sellano. | |||
| Oct. | Umbria | He returns to Perugia. Further discord arises with his uncle Gentile Baglioni. | |||
| 1523 | |||||
| Jan. | Umbria | By order of the papal legate Cardinal Passerini, he is sent to Spello. Gentile Baglioni is instead confined 6 miles from Perugia. | |||
| Mar. Sept. | Lazio and Umbria | He is summoned to Rome by Pope Adrian VI (Adriano VI). Upon the Pope’s death (September), he returns to the Perugia area; he sacks the castle of Petrignano against Gentile Baglioni. He then goes to Rome to pay homage to the new Pope Clement VII (Clemente VII). | |||
| 1524 | |||||
| Jan. | Lazio | At the end of the month, Orazio Baglioni and Gentile Baglioni are imprisoned in Castel Sant’Angelo by Pope Clement VII (Clemente VII). Numerous bandits protected by the two captains are captured and hanged in Spello, Bastia Umbra, and Bettona; Troilo Baglioni is locked up in the Rocca of Assisi; Alessandro and Leone Baglioni are also imprisoned in Rome; other relatives like Annibale, Sforzino, and Costantino manage to escape to Venice. | |||
| June | Lazio | Orazio Baglioni remains imprisoned; Gentile Baglioni is released. During this time, Baldassarre Castiglione—sent by Federico Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua—visits him to negotiate the purchase of a Turkish horse he owns, raised in Siena. He refuses the offers. | |||
| 1526 | |||||
| July | Lazio | He is still in prison. An attempt on his behalf by the Venetian ambassador in Rome has no effect. | |||
| July Dec. | Lazio | Still in prison. The Venetian ambassador again intervenes without success. In December, a new attempt fails as well. | |||
| 1527 | |||||
| Jan. | Church | Empire | 2000 infantry | Lazio | He is freed thanks to Renzo di Ceri and some cardinals. He will be formally absolved only in June, when his confiscated properties are also returned. He meets the Venetian ambassador Domenico Venier and enters papal service against the imperial forces. He is given command of 2000 infantry. He supports Ceri and Vitello Vitelli and takes part in the defense of Frosinone with continuous sorties, often resulting in a high number of enemy casualties. |
| Feb. Mar. | Lazio and Campania | At the start of February he is in Terracina ready to embark with the French fleet of Vaudemont. He lands at Castellamare di Stabia with 1200 infantry after four hours of intense artillery fire by the French fleet. He captures the locality defended by few troops under Diomede Carafa, sacks it, and moves on Naples, where 1200 imperial infantry are stationed. He disembarks with 1700 infantry, forcing Ugo di Moncada to retreat to Porta del Carmine. He enters Borgo della Maddalena and unsuccessfully demands Naples’s surrender. Seeing no progress, he goes back to Castellamare di Stabia, takes Sorrento, and enters Salerno without resistance. He is then attacked by 1400 infantry led by Ferrante da San Severino and Lorenzo Mormile, who leave the city fortress and head down to the plain. Baglioni splits his forces into three units and repels the attackers using arquebusiers and half-lances; he also pushes back two more imperial sorties, capturing 60 individuals including Mormile and numerous Neapolitan nobles. Among the opponents, 250 die; the Franco-papal side loses 40 men, both killed and wounded. | |||
| Apr. | Florence | Empire | Commander in chief of infantry | Lazio | He boards ship again and returns to Civitavecchia. He tries to halt the Lansknechts’ advance and is wounded in a skirmish with light cavalry. |
| May | Church | Empire | Lazio | He moves to Rome and is present at the defense of the city when it is attacked by the Constable of Bourbon. He oversees operations between Campo Marzio and Ponte Molle (Milvio); initially, he repels a Lansknecht attempt to cross the Tiber using two barges. The Germans overcome the resistance in two hours, making use of a dense fog that hinders the artillery of Castel Sant’Angelo. Baglioni takes refuge in the fortress and carries out a sortie at the Banchi district with numerous arquebusiers. | |
| June | Florence | Empire | 1500 infantry and 150 light cavalry | Lazio, Umbria, and Tuscany | He leaves Castel Sant’Angelo following the Pope’s surrender. He goes to the camp at Acquarossa (Viterbo) and, in mid-month, returns to Perugia. He is brought back into Florentine service. His companies mostly comprise his loyal followers (Cencio Guercio, Antonio da Cingoli, Carlo Consoli, Pietro Paolo Galera, Girolamo da Cagli, among others). The Perugia council demands he reconcile with his uncle Gentile, who has taken refuge in Spello. Orazio leaves Florence and heads to the camp. |
| Aug. | Florence | Empire | Commander in chief of infantry | Umbria | He commands the Florentine infantry. He reorganizes the Bande Nere (4229 infantry in 15 companies) by instituting a treasurer for wages (Bernardino Politi) and reducing the number of arquebusiers in favor of pikemen. His squad leaders include Lucantonio Cuppano, Contazzo da Casalpo, Pasquino Corso, Giovanni di Torino, Giuliano Strozzi, Morgante da Ferrara, Cesare Farina, Giannetto Albanese, Giovannantonio da Castello, Amico da Venafro, Barbarossa dei Bartoli, Tommaso Corso, Scipione da Imola, Pandolfo Puccini, Giovanni da Colle. In the same month, with Francesco Maria della Rovere’s approval, he has Gentile Baglioni—suspected of switching to the imperials—captured by Federico Gonzaga da Bozzolo. He has him killed that same evening along with his nephews Annibale and Fileno (protonotary apostolic). Around the same time, he attacks Galeotto Baglioni (brother of Braccio and Sforza) at Torre d’Andrea, suspecting him of complicity with the imperials. Galeotto is killed while leaving the castle to surrender under della Rovere’s guarantee; Orazio forces him to dismount, mount a nag, then kills him. The same fate befalls Perotto and Pietro Crispolti with their sons and followers in Bettona; Sforza Oddi and Ermanno degli Ermanni (della Staffa) face similar ends. Baglioni then goes to Montefalco and sacks it because it did not accommodate his troops. |
| Sept. | Umbria | He seizes Spello, Cannara, Bastia Umbra, Bettona. After surgery, he is informed that Braccio Baglioni and Alessandro Vitelli were captured and released at the Abbey of San Pietro in Valle, between Foligno and Spello. He sets out in pursuit but is forced to desist due to repeated fainting. | |||
| Nov. | Umbria | He attacks the castle of Preci near Norcia, where Rodolfo da Varano and his wife Beatrice Colonna have taken refuge. They surrender at discretion. They are freed only when Sciarra Colonna hands over Camerino to papal forces. Around the same time, he pushes—unsuccessfully—for the Florentines to assign the dismissed company of Giannetto Albanese to Bino Mancino Signorelli rather than to Giacomo Filippo da Spoleto, that captain’s lieutenant. In return, the Florentines grant him command of the light cavalry in place of the Mantuan Carlo Nuvoloni. | |||
| 1528 | |||||
| Jan. | Lazio | He is sent to the Kingdom of Naples to aid Lautrec. He commands 4000 infantry and 150 cavalry from the Bande Nere. | |||
| Feb. | Lazio, Campania, and Abruzzi | Heading south, he stations Barbarossa dei Bartoli and Giovannantonio da Castello in Montepulciano to monitor the situation, and Pasquino Corso on the Perugia–Montepulciano route. The Bande Nere sack Cascia. He captures Formia, Torre del Greco, and Sorrento with Andrea Doria. He joins the French on the Ofanto and arrives at Pizzulo near L’Aquila; his men mutiny over rations, plundering the town for an entire day, causing damage valued at 50,000 ducats. Measures are taken that lead to the execution of Contazzo da Casalpo and Testino, both accused (without formal arrest) of mutiny and treason. Command of Casalpo’s company is given to Bino Mancino Signorelli, while Testino’s goes to Bernardo Strozzi (called Cattivanza). | |||
| Mar. | Apulia | He joins Lautrec leading 3500 infantry together with Lautrec. He participates in the capture of Melfi; in the assault, undertaken with Pietro Navarro, he loses 60 men. In San Severo he instigates Pandolfo Puccini to rebel against the Florentines; he accepts his surrender when that captain, pursued by the League’s troops for mutiny and killing Giovanni da Colle, yields. | |||
| Apr. | Apulia, Abruzzi, Campania | At this time, his squad leaders are Lucantonio Cuppano, Pasquino Corso, Giovanni di Torino, Giuliano Strozzi, Girolamo de’ Cani, Amico da Venafro, Giacomo Filippo da Spoleto, Scipione de Imola, Tommaso Corso, Bino Mancino Signorelli, Belriguardo da Castiglione, Bernardo Strozzi, Francesco Rustichello. He abandons Pandolfo Puccini to win favor with the Florentine commissioner Giovambattista Soderini. Leaving San Severo, he marches into the Abruzzi with 5000–6000 infantry, plundering around L’Aquila. He sets up in Pizzoli; blaming locals for the lack of supplies, he enters L’Aquila via Porta di Lavareta and sacks houses in the San Giovanni and San Giorgio quarters for a day and a night. He tries to restore discipline by hanging some soldiers in the main square, then exits through Porta di Bazzano. The Prince of Orange retreats, and Baglioni pursues him into Campania. He enters Salerno and proceeds to besiege Naples, where the Bande Nere (3350 men) distinguish themselves by their discipline in several skirmishes. He positions himself before Monte di San Martino and begins digging a counter-trench to cut the enemy defensive lines connecting the hill to the sea. The imperials set a major ambush near Caivano with 500 cavalry and 200 arquebusiers; the stradiots discover the plan. Baglioni moves against them and encounters the Lansknechts who come out of Naples to assist. In the clash, Migliau is killed with 30–40 of his infantry. During these operations, Lucantonio Cuppano, Giovanni di Torino, Giuliano Strozzi, Amico da Venafro, Belriguardo da Castiglione, Bernardo Strozzi, Francesco Rustichelli are among the Bande Nere captains. | |||
| May | Campania | From the previous June until his death, the Florentines spend 3274 ducats a month on his company (1000 infantry). There are an additional 1875 ducats each for four squad leaders, 40 ducats a year for each light cavalryman (150), plus his own pay (1500 ducats a year). In May, Orazio Baglioni undertakes skirmishes near Porta Nolana and fights the Baron of Summonte and Fabrizio Maramaldo. Finally, by the Sebeto, he oversees trench work guarded by his arquebusiers. He supports Pietro Navarro, forcing Giovanni d’Urbina to pull back. Unarmed, wearing only a crimson satin doublet, and accompanied by six cavalrymen, he is ambushed by Lansknechts while trying to recall his soldiers, who have moved too far forward and have not heard the retreat drums. He falls from his horse and is killed at Ponte della Maddalena by pike blows (or by a halberd to the shoulder) from a Biscayan soldier. His body is stripped. Bells ring and artillery fires in Naples upon his death. His soldiers recover his remains and bring them to Spello; Lautrec attends his funeral and publicly acknowledges his valor. Later, Orazio Baglioni is buried with his brother Malatesta in the church of San Domenico in Perugia, with a funeral oration by Francesco Maturanzio. He was a friend of Benvenuto Cellini. Portrayed by Luca Signorelli in the cathedral of Orvieto; another portrait is in the Museo Civico of Como. He married Francesca Petrucci, daughter of Pandolfo. |
Sources
-“Orazio, quel baglion nell’armi dotto,/ quel come vidde incirca essere trecento/ di qua dal fiume, urtò fra lor di botto/ con la scorta d’homini pregiati/ e tutt’uccise ch’eran varcati.” Da un poema raccolto dal MANGO
-“Uomo bravo, valoroso..ma molto più fazioso di Malatesta suo fratello, e più crudele e sanguinario di suo padre.” SANTORO
-“Morte più presto degna di privato soldato che di capitano.” GUICCIARDINI
-“Uomo d’incredibile animosità e gagliardia, ma sanguinolento, crudele e vendicativo supra modo.” VARCHI
-“Feroce uomo quanto valoroso soldato.” GUERRAZZI
-“Homo molto valoroso.” SANUDO
-“Huomo fuor di modo animoso, e non men forte, ma di natura sanguinoso come per quel, che le parti infin da fanciullo sempre s’era dilettato di sangue..Chiaro per molti valorosi suoi fatti..ma più partiale, et più crudele del S. Malatesta.” GIOVIO
-“Questi fu di molto valore e operò diverse cose degne di lui.” SANSOVINO
-“Segnalato fra molti.” Roseo“Si rese chiaro per molti suoi gesti.” CRISPOLTI
-“Come Malatesta passerà alla storia per molti misfatti.” GIUBBONI
-“Was a renowned infantry commander…As a “condottiere” Orazio was more a fierce combattant and resolute commander who was loyal and consistent towards his masters.” ARFAIOLI
-Alla difesa di Roma “…Oratio Perugino:/ honor della gentil stirpe bagliona/…/ Horatio quel baglion ne l’armi dotto/ quel come vidde in circa esser trecento/ di là del fiume urtò fra lor di botto/ con la sua scorta d’homini pregiati/ & tutti uccise i quali erano varcati.” CELEBRINO
-Per la sua morte “Si fecero – scrisse il cronista perugino Filippo Alberti – come è costume di far sempre in accidenti simili, diversi discorsi intorno alla morte di esso; e fu concluso che per essere stato troppo sanguigno e crudele, Dio (al quale era dispiaciuta la sua vita) non aveva tollerato più oltre le azioni sue.” A. MONTI
Featured image: wikipedia, lombardiabeniculturali
