The Role of Paolo Vitelli in Renaissance Military Campaigns
Paolo Vitelli, Lord of Montone. Son of Niccolò Vitelli; brother of Vitellozzo Vitelli, Giovanni Vitelli, Camillo Vitelli, and Giulio Vitelli; father of Alessandro Vitelli and Niccolò Vitelli.
Born: 1461
Death: 1499, October
| Month/Year | State / Mercenary Company | Adversary | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Taken and Other Key Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| …………… | Umbria | Grows amidst the factional struggles that bloodied Città di Castello during the period. | |||
| 1474/1475 | Città di Castello | Church | Umbria | Assists his father Niccolò in wars against the papal forces. Has some skirmishes with Lorenzo da Castello. | |
| 1483 | |||||
| Sept. | Città di Castello | Church | Umbria | Leaves Città di Castello through Porta di San Giacomo with many cavalry and infantry; with his brothers Giovanni and Camillo, he surprises Lorenzo da Castello‘s papal forces camped at Sant’Angelo di Celle during the night. The adversaries flee, leaving behind 100 horses, tents, and armors. Five are killed. A procession and Te Deum in the cathedral conclude the celebrations in Città di Castello. The prisoners are released. | |
| 1484 | |||||
| Aug. | Church | Colonna | Lazio | Joins the payroll of the Church and fights the Colonna; vainly assaults the fortress of Paliano (80 papal soldiers are killed or wounded in the action). | |
| 1485 | |||||
| June | Orsini | Colonna | Lazio | Continues to fight the Colonna and Savelli under Virginio Orsini. Sent with Troiano Savelli to assist Lanuvio at the head of 100 lances and 2,500 infantry: he arrives at dawn, crosses the field, and surprises the sentinels. The enemy flees, leaving everything behind in their tents. The Orsini seize 100 armors, as well as the horses and silverware of Cola Gaetani. Three cannons (estimated value of 2,000 ducats) and other artillery pieces are captured; the total loot is valued at 20,000 ducats. | |
| 1486 | |||||
| June | Naples | Church | Lazio | Crosses the Tiber with Niccolò and Paolo Orsini and enters Monterotondo to persuade Cardinal Latino Orsini to abandon the papal party. | |
| July | Abruzzi | Stations near Tagliacozzo with 180 cavalry. Captured by Fabrizio Colonna and Antonello Savelli. | |||
| 1487 | |||||
| Oct. | Lazio | Kills Lorenzo da Castello in Rome; scatters the pieces of the corpse in various parts of the city. Condemned to death by the city’s senator, Pope Innocent VIII moderates the sentence to ten years of exile from Rome. Moves to Perugia and, later that month, attends the funerals of Malatesta and Orazio Baglioni with Niccolò Orsini. | |||
| 1489 | |||||
| Mar.-Apr. | Florence | Oddi | Umbria | Leaves Perugia and arrives at Colombella and Civitella Bonizzone. After an agreement is reached in April, leaves Solfagnano with his brother Camillo and returns to Città di Castello. Welcomes Agamennone degli Arcipreti, a member of the opposing faction, into his palace. | |
| 1490 | |||||
| Feb. | Umbria | In Perugia, is a guest of the Baglioni; his men station at Ponte San Giovanni. Meets with his brother Camillo at Corciano with Paolo Orsini, Girolamo dalla Penna, and other Perugians to seek a new peace agreement with the exiles. | |||
| Mar. | Umbria and Tuscany | Escorts Pier Filippo Pandolfini, the Florentine commissioner, to Perugia with Paolo Orsini. Returns to Tuscany. His men camp at Agello. | |||
| 1492 | The new pope Alexander VI annuls all sentences against him in Rome, at the Capitoline Hill. | ||||
| 1494 | |||||
| Oct. | France | Church | 80 lances | Moves with his brother Camillo to join the French forces at the head of 10 squads, including 2 of mounted crossbowmen, and 1,500 infantry. | |
| 1495 | |||||
| Jan. | Umbria | With his brothers Camillo and Vitellozzo and the Ghibellines of Vittorio di Canale, takes advantage of the turmoil in Umbria to devastate the countryside around Todi and sack the castle of Fiore. Men, women, and children are killed during the attack. | |||
| June | France-Pisa | Milan, Venice, Florence | Piedmont, Liguria | Moves against Genoa with his brothers Camillo and Vitellozzo (200 lances and 200 light cavalry) to drive the Adorno out of the city and replace them with the Fregoso. Leaves Asti and remains on the Ligurian Riviera even after the French are defeated at Rapallo. Attacked by a large number of mountain men who cut off his retreat, his brother Vitellozzo takes the vanguard, and Paolo the rearguard, where he prevents the encirclement of his forces. After a fierce fight, they manage to break through. | |
| July | Pisa | Florence | Liguria and Tuscany | Camillo returns from Emilia after his success at Fornovo. Together, they sack La Spezia. Moves to Pisa with 190 lances and 100 light cavalry. After receiving 3,000 ducats from the Pisans, he joins their payroll against the Florentines. Heads to the Val di Serchio, arrives at Settimo, and defends Vicopisano. Seizes many artillery pieces, including a large culverin that can fire iron balls weighing 60 pounds over a distance of two miles. Also repels an attack by Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, who is forced to retreat to Albareto. | |
| Sept. | Florence | Pisa | Tuscany and Umbria | Political situation changes; now the Florentines draw closer to the French, and Paolo Vitelli with his brother Vitellozzo changes allegiance. Attempts a direct assault on Pisa; crosses the Arno and enters the village of San Marco; the Pisans flee. The French castellan of the citadel fires his artillery at the Florentines instead of assisting them, as the republic had hoped. The defenders regain courage and repel the attackers with heavy losses. Paolo Vitelli is wounded in the leg by a lance, one of his brothers is killed, and many of the Vitelli soldiers fall under the French artillery. Retreats to Cascina and then returns to Città di Castello. | |
| …………… | Florence | Siena | Umbria and Tuscany | Summoned by Commissioner Tommaso Tosinghi, leaves Città di Castello secretly with 500 infantry; 100 lances and 100 cavalry from his companies are already stationed between Castiglione del Lago, Cortona, and Valiano. Reaches Valiano with the infantry, tired from the long march; joined by 60 lances of exiles from Montepulciano. His infantry scales the walls near a gate; without the expected support, they are repelled with heavy losses. Attacks Pisa again with Ranuccio da Marciano, his brother Vitellozzo, and Francesco Secco. | |
| 1496 | |||||
| Jan.-Feb. | France | Naples | Umbria and Abruzzi | Follows his brother Camillo and Virginio Orsini against the Aragonese; sacks Monteleone d’Orvieto because the inhabitants refuse to provide supplies for his troops. In February, enters the Abruzzi; at the end of the month, enters L’Aquila with six cavalry squads and eight crossbow squads. His men are quartered in city houses. Leaves the area with Soliers and devastates the surrounding countryside. In a minor skirmish, the locals suffer some losses; numerous prisoners are also taken. Soon recovers Teramo and Giulianova for the French cause, both of which are sacked. | |
| Apr. | Puglia | With his brother Camillo, surprises 700 German infantrymen under Helderlin, who have left Troia without cavalry protection. Attacks them on the Chilone River when they are forced to break ranks to cross the river. | |||
| May | 100 lances | Campania | In Terra di Lavoro. | ||
| July | Basilicata | Besieged in Atella. Leaves the city at noon with Paolo Orsini (150 men-at-arms) in search of supplies; attacks the Venetian camp, believing it to be better stocked than those of the other allies. Falls into an ambush set by 500 light cavalry under Francesco Gonzaga: a skirmish ensues during which Paolo Vitelli curbs the charges of the stradiots. The Aragonese lances intervene, disrupting the Vitelli‘s formation. Three-quarters of his troops are scattered with heavy losses (300 men, including men-at-arms and light cavalry). Paolo Vitelli escapes back to Atella with the help of Bartolomeo d’Alviano and Gian Giordano Orsini, who arrive with two squads of men-at-arms. | |||
| Aug. | Basilicata | During negotiations between Montpensier and King Ferdinand of Naples, is taken hostage along with Paolo Orsini. Tries to excuse himself with the pretext of illness; with the fall of Atella, he is nonetheless captured by the Venetians, who hand him over to Francesco Gonzaga. The marquis takes him to Mantua, resisting requests from the pope and Cesare Borgia for his release. | |||
| Sept. | Lombardia | Seen in Mantua attending a mass in memory of the recently deceased king of Naples. | |||
| Sept. | Lombardia | At Gonzaga, where he contacts his brother Vitellozzo. | |||
| 1497 | |||||
| Jan. | Lombardia | Released by the Marquis of Mantua against the wishes of the Venetians. | |||
| 1498 | |||||
| Feb. | Florence-France | 200 lances and 200 light cavalry | Hired by the Florentines and the French with his brother Vitellozzo. Granted an annual provision of 40,000 scudi net for their armed forces, with no deductions. If the king of France does not accept the contract, their salary will be reduced to 36,000 scudi in wartime and 33,000 in peacetime. | ||
| Apr. | Florence | Mercenary Company | Tuscany | Intervenes from Pisa to assist the Florentines when Bartolomeo d’Alviano and Piero dei Medici threaten the Florentine state. | |
| May | Florence | Venice | 300 lances and 1,200 infantry | Lazio and Tuscany | His command and salary are modified (increased to 40,000 ducats for one year). Assists Bartolomeo d’Alviano and the Orsini against the Colonna; heads to Tuscany. Operates in the Valdarno between Pontedera, Cascina, and Vicopisano with limited coordination among various Florentine captains and mediocre results. After Ranuccio da Marciano‘s defeat at San Regolo, he is appointed captain-general. |
| June | Captain General | Tuscany | Upon his appointment as captain general of the Florentines, grand celebrations are held in his honor in Città di Castello, culminating in the reading of a panegyric by Marcello Virgilio. He is gifted a silver basin with a matching pitcher, 50 pounds of crafted wax, and 50 pounds of confections. Paolo Vitelli has the Florentine standard and captain-general’s baton delivered to him by Chancellor Marcello Adriani at an astrologically chosen moment. Camps near Ponsacco; reaches Pontedera, where he reconciles with Ranuccio da Marciano, freeing the republic from many worries. The Pisans withdraw to the capital with all their troops. | ||
| July | Tuscany | Asks the Venetian commissioner Tommaso Zeno whether he wants to wage an Italian-style war or a stradiot-style war; occupies Calcinaia on the right bank of the Arno and lays in ambush between Pisa and Cascina to surprise a supply column destined for the defenders of the latter location. A squadron of 170 lances, 200 mounted crossbowmen, 40 mounted arquebusiers, 50 stradiots, and 1,500 infantry led by Marco da Martinengo exits Cascina. The clash occurs at Valiceno, where Paolo Vitelli sends forward some oxen and donkeys as scouts. The adversaries are caught unprepared: 150 light cavalry and 54 mules loaded with supplies are captured. Both sides lose 150 men (including many stradiots and the condottiero Giovanni Gradenigo); Franco dal Borgo is captured. | |||
| Aug. | Tuscany | Receives many artillery pieces, including bombards and passavolanti, and large quantities of gunpowder, bolts, and arrows. Commissioner Jacopo Pitti also delivers 50,000 ducats for troop wages. Mid-month, leaves Calcinaia with 800 men-at-arms, 700 mounted crossbowmen, and 6,000-7,000 infantry. Feigns an assault on Cascina by sending a trumpeter to demand the defenders’ surrender; instead, bridges the Arno and crosses the river toward Buti. Takes the center by force after two days of siege and an intense bombardment with 14 cannons and 50 falconets for several hours; the defenders surrender unconditionally, the castle is sacked, and his men unleash violence on women and children. The opposing captain Giacomo Novello is sent prisoner to Florence; five bombards’ hands are cut off and they are sent back to Pisa with their hands hung around their necks. Their names indicate that they are all foreigners: Burgundians, Dutch, and English. The Venetians, in retaliation, promise a reward of three ducats for each enemy mounted crossbowman’s head brought to the camp. Continuing the offensive, Paolo Vitelli builds a bastion in front of La Verruca to control the nearby mountains. Attacks Vicopisano with 6,000 infantry, 30 cavalry squads, 200 artillery pieces (including twenty-five heavy guns and two bombards), and many sappers. Discipline reigns in the Florentine camp. At the end of the month, he conquers the bastion of Vicopisano. Pressures the Florentines to increase Giampaolo Baglioni‘s command. | |||
| Sept. | Tuscany | Sends troops to Bientina, Pontedera, and Calcinaia; conquers the Val di Calci and besieges the fortress of La Verruca. When 400 enemy infantry exit Pisa and rout the negligently camped contingent at La Verruca near the San Michele church, tightens the siege of Vicopisano from the San Giovanni della Vena side. The defenders surrender due to the artillery fire brought by Paolo Vitelli to difficult positions. Shortly afterward, based on intelligence received from his spies, he and his brother Vitellozzo cut off the retreat of the adversaries and defeat 200 light cavalry and 400 infantry at Calci, who had attempted to surprise the Pietra Dolorosa bastion, built by Vitelli above Vicopisano to prevent supplies from reaching the fortress. Most of the Venetian infantry are killed; 6-7 captains, including Giorgio Schiavo, are also captured. Vitelli advances on the village of San Marco in Pisa with 35 squads of men-at-arms, 6,000-7,000 infantry, 3,000 sappers, 600 mounted crossbowmen; the city’s defense comprises only 5 squads of men-at-arms and 2,000 infantry. Seeing the futility of his efforts, he builds a bridge over the Arno and camps in front of Cascina, defended by Giacomo Savorgnano with 300 stradiots. Then leaves the road to Pisa and prepares a new route through the mountains with the sappers; takes the Montemaggiore bastion and descends into the Ripafratta plain; his infantry capture the towers of Potito and Castelvecchio. | |||
| Oct. | Tuscany | Positions artillery against Ripafratta, where 200 Venetian infantry are stationed: after three days of futile assaults, his artillery silences a bombard that, firing from inside, causes much disruption to the attackers. The defenders surrender; Filettole and the fortress of Santa Maria in Castello are also conquered. | |||
| Nov. | Tuscany | Complaints begin against him for the continuous demands for men and resources, which strain the Florentine state’s budget; for his part, he protests the delays in payments, often having to advance expenses with his own funds. Mid-month, leaves the Pisan area to be transferred to Casentino due to the Venetian offensive in that territory. Moves through Val di Serchio, assaults the Ripafratta fortress, whose defenders resist for three days before surrendering. The Pisans retake the Ponte a Stagno bastion. | |||
| Dec. | Tuscany | Leaves Santa Maria in Castello and heads to Florence. Only after receiving 10,000 ducats does he move to Casentino with General Commissioner Piero Corsini; requests reinforcements of another 3,000 infantry. Spends 12 days as a guest of Giuliano Gondi, awaiting the transfer of his troops from Pisa; moves to Borgo alla Collina while the adversaries retreat first to Pratovecchio and then to Bibbiena. Rushes to Bibbiena, where the Venetians (700 lances and 6,000 infantry) are concentrated. Given the terrain and season, prefers not to engage in a pitched battle with the adversaries but to block their paths toward Arezzo and Valdarno. Reinforcements of 500 men-at-arms and 500 infantry are sent from Ludovico Sforza, commanded by Gaspare da San Severino, with whom he meets at Poppi; also holds a meeting with the Venetian condottiero Carlo Orsini, which causes sharp protests among the Florentines, who fear a secret agreement with Piero dei Medici. Moves from Poppi to Pieve Santo Stefano; with 1,000 infantry and 600 cavalry, assaults Montalone (defended by Carlo Orsini) and Mignano, from where he is repelled by Pietro Maldonado and Malmignato da Lendinara. Continues his attacks and plunders 85 lances of Bartolomeo d’Alviano with the help of locals who let him enter through a breach in the walls. Seizes Rocchi, the Savignano Valley, assaults Montecoronaro and Pratieghi to cut off supply lines to Carlo Orsini and Alviano, who are barricaded in Montalone and Monti della Verna. | |||
| 1499 | |||||
| Jan. | Tuscany | Assaults Montalone again, conquers Mignano, forces Bartolomeo d’Alviano to abandon Monti della Verna and Carlo Orsini to leave Montalone. Also intercepts a convoy of seventy mules, loaded with ammunition, weapons, and supplies, heading to Bibbiena: rumors arise about his alleged secret agreement with Piero dei Medici, secret contacts to join the Serenissima, and negligence in allowing Carlo Orsini to leave Montalone without attempting to capture him. Gaspare da San Severino accuses him of culpable inactivity. In reality, Vitelli is consistent with his strategy of gradual progress; with 500 lances and 4,000 infantry, he intensifies siege operations at Bibbiena. | |||
| Feb. | Tuscany | Without the necessary consent from the Florentine commissioners, grants safe passage to Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, suffering from gout, and allows him to leave Bibbiena with 50 cavalry along with Giuliano dei Medici. Moves to Pieve Santo Stefano and blocks a second Venetian army led by Niccolò Orsini in the Apennines: once again, his actions are criticized for excessive caution and slowness, leading to suspicions of treason. | |||
| Mar. | Tuscany | Paolo Vitelli himself contributes to fueling discontent over his actions. Ranuccio da Marciano‘s command is increased to match his own salary, prompting further complaints that he is ultimately granted, exacerbating military expenses for the republic. | |||
| Apr. | Tuscany and Umbria | Has a skirmish under Bibbiena (200 light cavalry, 450 infantry, and some artillery pieces) with Bartolomeo d’Alviano and Giovambattista Caracciolo. Later that month, peace is signed between the Florentines and Venetians; Vitelli can enter the city. Almost at odds with the Florentines due to a debt of 20,000 florins, he takes the opportunity to return to Città di Castello, where he is welcomed with a triumphal chariot and many gifts. From there, with his brother Vitellozzo, he supports the exiles of Siena Lucio Bellanti and Giacomo Buoninsegni in helping them re-enter Siena against Pandolfo Petrucci. | |||
| May-June | Umbria and Tuscany | The Pisans do not accept the verdict issued by Ercole d’Este and continue the war despite the Venetians’ withdrawal. Vitelli is recalled by Piero Corsini from Città di Castello; he is sent money (4,000 ducats) to reorganize his companies. His command is also increased by another 100 men-at-arms, while Ranuccio da Marciano‘s command has already been increased by another 50 men-at-arms. Paolo Vitelli now has 700 men-at-arms, 700 light cavalry, and another 10,000 men, including infantry and sappers. He takes Cascina by negotiation after devastating the surrounding territory: the city’s commissioners and castellan are captured and taken in chains to Florence. Rinieri della Sassetta and Cristoforo Albanese, who had previously deserted from the Florentine to the Pisan camp, are also captured. Both condottieri are requested by Florence; Vitelli does not want to act as an executioner and lets them escape: naturally, this incident is also viewed with suspicion. | |||
| July-Sept. | Tuscany | Begins the siege operations at Pisa with 700 men-at-arms and 4,000 infantry; part of the army camps at Riglione and Sant’Ermete, another at San Piero in Grado. At the end of August, through Corrado Tarlatini, he requests supplies, artillery, ammunition, and 300 bales of wool to be used as protection for the besieging troops. All his requests are granted. Decides to attack Pisa from the left side of the Arno, even though the fortress of Stampace is directly in front. For ten consecutive days, forty large-caliber artillery pieces and 150 small cannons fire at the Stampace tower and its curtains, toward Sant’Antonio church and the Porta del Mare. The Pisans (250 light cavalry, 500 foreign infantry, 1,000 citizens, and 2,000 peasants or so) manage to strengthen the defenses behind. The Stampace fort is captured on San Lorenzo’s day; the Pisans are on the verge of surrendering; however, Vitelli refuses to proceed without further artillery preparation. The adversaries return to defend the abandoned fortifications. Vitelli has the moat filled with bundles of sticks; the Pisan infantry burn them overnight with artificial fires; they also have the foresight to use their artillery against the Stampace tower. With their fire, they drive away the Florentine artillery from their newly advanced positions. Paolo Vitelli refuses to give the order for a general assault even though 400 arms of the wall have collapsed; he calls back the Florentine infantry (including Zitolo da Perugia and other combatants eager for loot) who had launched the assault; his brother Vitellozzo is tasked with enforcing the orders. A soldier who refuses to obey is killed with a sword. Fevers and diseases decimate the army ranks; the summer heat is followed by rain; inactivity is total. He also falls ill with tertian fever. In early September, the Pisans attack the Florentine camp; in the following days, they harass the rear, preventing the Florentines from receiving the necessary supplies. Vitelli autonomously decides to retreat to Cascina and Livorno; loads the artillery pieces onto barges at the Arno’s mouth, at Torre di Foce, to transport them to Livorno. Two bombards and a dragoon sink into the sea with some boats. The Pisans soon recover Torre di Foce and try to seize the pieces that fell into the sea. Vitelli withdraws to a more backward position at San Savino. Despite this, he demands payment of 30,000 ducats in arrears. The Florentines send two commissioners, Braccio Martelli and Antonio Canigiani, to Vicopisano with orders to arrest him. On the last day of the month, while having lunch at Cascina in the house of Ranuccio da Marciano (his rival is involved in the operation) with the commissioners, he is imprisoned and locked in the local fortress by Marciano and Jacopo d’Appiano on the orders of Gonfaloniere Gioacchino Guasconi. His chancellor Cerbone Cerboni is also imprisoned. Taken to Florence at night by the two commissioners, he is confined in the Palazzo della Signoria. His brother Vitellozzo manages to evade capture. On the occasion, Cherubino dal Borgo, Antonio Tarlatini (brother of Corrado), and Maestro Antonio di Niccolò di Castiglion Fiorentino are also arrested. | |||
| Oct. | Tuscany | On the first day of the month, in the Palazzo della Signoria, he is tortured first with 11 pulls of the rope and then with other instruments; it is unknown what he confessed. In any case, the testimony of Cherubino dal Borgo and many letters seized from his secretary Cerbone, addressed to the Duke of Milan (whether these letters are real or fake is not known), are the evidence for his branding as a rebel and his sentence to death by beheading. On the same day, the execution is carried out at night in the Sala del Ballatoio to prevent any pleas for clemency from the King of France. His head, illuminated by a torch, is shown to the crowd gathered in the nearby square. His downfall is also contributed to by his enmity with da Marciano and the followers of Girolamo Savonarola, who had identified him as a friend of the Medici. Antonio da Castello and his secretary Cerbone are also tortured and imprisoned for six days in the Palazzo della Signoria; Cherubino dal Borgo, the constable, is hanged after a summary trial at the windows of the Palazzo della Signoria. According to Francesco Guicciardini, there is no proof of his guilt. Paolo Vitelli faces death with great courage without protest or complaint. Marries Girolama Orsini, the natural daughter of Roberto and half-sister of Alfonsina Orsini, wife of Piero dei Medici. |
Sources
-“Valoroso. Uno dei migliori capitani dei suoi tempi. Uno dei migliori capitani del secolo XV. “Uno de primi armigeri della sua età..Il più honorato capitano de suoi tempi.” LAZARI
-“Fu Paolo Vitelli, come per ingegno, così per ferocia superiore ai suoi fratelli. E narrasi che soleva uccidere le sentinelle che trovava a dormire, e levare gli occhi agli archibugieri nemici; né temé alla presa del castello di Buti di far tagliare le mani ai bombardieri che vi stavano di guardia.” RICOTTI
-“Uomo prudentissimo, e che di privata fortuna aveva presa grandissima reputazione.” MACHIAVELLI
-“Fu sanza dubio uomo valentissimo nella arte militare e di buono animo et atto a cose grandi, ed aveva condotta la vittoria di Pisa in termini, che si può dire, quando vi fu a campo, si riducessi a uno asso; ma ebbe molte parte da non satisfare a una republica come questa: fu uomo avaro, e che con ogni cavillazione cercava di vantaggiarsi sempre nelle condotte e ne’ pagamenti; fu rozzo, e che seguitando le opinioni sua non mostrava di stimare punto e’ commissari ed e’ cittadini si avevano a maneggiare seco, il che lo fece venire e noia a molti; volse sempre, nelle imprese che aveva a fare, tanti ordini e provedimenti, ed andare con tanta sicurtà e vantaggio, che recava alla città una spesa intollerabile, la quale trovandosi consumata per gli affanni di tanti anni, male volentieri comportava tanto carico; tenne sempre pratiche ed amicizie in Pistoia, nel Borgo a San Sepolcro ed in molte terre principale nostre, il che faceva sospetto a qualche savio che e’ non fussi volto a fare stato e signoria nel dominio nostro. Ma circa alla principale causa e’ fu morto, è opinione quasi chiara che e’ fussi innocente.” GUICCIARDINI
-“Il quale mosso da uno ardentissimo onore della reputazion militare, con tanta gravità d’ingegno, con tanta arte, massimamente per la disciplina domestica la quale fu sempre maravigliosa nella famiglia sua, e finalmente con tanto vigore di spirito militare maneggiò l’armi che, s’egli non fosse mancato a mezzo il corso, egli solo pareva che fosse per difendere la libertà d’Italia..La fama del nome si puote trar di bocca a quelo innocente, e fortissimo huomo, dolendosi solo di esser miseramente abbandonato dalla sua fortuna, e ingratamente punito…Era riputato d’animo più grande (di Vitellozzo) e per gravità di giudicio più eccellente a risolver l’imprese, e prontissimo nell’armi: ma forse un poco troppo severo e crudele.” GIOVIO
-“Dagli avanzi dell’esercito francese (egli ed il fratello Vitellozzo) molti egregi soldati aveano raccolti e forniti di cavalli e di armi; molti della gioventù di Città di Castello esercitavano in assidue escursioni guerresche e in simulacri di battaglia; di tal che trecento uomini d’arme, cinquecento cavalleggieri, e di fanti oltre che un migliaio, valorosi e ben esercitati, avevano sotto le loro bandiere.” CONTI
-“Secondo che a mi fui reporte, de tuta la dita suova arte militaria aveva la dotrina; con ciò fuse cose che al presente hoze non se trovasse in questa nostra provencia de Italia uno home de mazore fama et de più magnanime quante se trovava lui.” BERNARDI
-“Uomo assai reputato nell’arte della guerra.” NARDI
-“Uomo nell’armi strenuo, e d’ingegno ad ogni oppugnazione vivacissimo.” UGHI
-“De grande famma et reputatione.” PRIULI
-“Huomo eccellentisimo nel misterio (mestiere) suo.” VALORI
-“Italia piange et con colore obscuro/ Oramai le tue membra spoliate/ Iniusta mente et con dolor private/ Di quel che fu nell’arme sì sicuro.” Da un sonetto raccolto da T. DI SILVESTRO
-“Virum militarem, ac strenuum.” BEAUCAIRE
-“Paolo era riputato per uno de’ migliori capitani de’ suoi tempi e gli si fa colpa soltanto d’una circospezione soverchia. Era uomo d’animo fiero e veemente.” LITTA
-“Uno dei migliori capitani del secolo XV.” BOSI
-“Un soldato di reputazione.” VILLARI
-“Uomo eccellentissimo.” BUONACCORSI
-“La natura di Pagolo era di volere risparmiare e’ suoi fanti, et nolli mettere ad pericolo.” Dall’interrogatorio di Piero Gambacorta ai fiorentini, riportato dal VILLARI
-“Un dei migliori capitani di Firenze.” I. CANTU’
-“Si era reso illustre nella guerra.” BRUTO
-“Imprigionato perché sospetto di proditorie trattative con i nemici di Firenze, mentre si trovava al servizio della città. Del suo delitto non si trovarono prove: tuttavia si risolse di metterlo a morte, perché il Vitelli non avrebbe mai perdonato ai fiorentini di averlo imprigionato e sarebbe stato, finché viveva, un potente nemico della città. Il ragionamento che condusse a tale decisione fu chiaramente formulato da uno degli oratori, il quale “judichò… non si proceda secondo e’ termini di ragione (=giustizia), che così non si suole nelle cose degli stati.””. GILBERT
-“Paolo è l’estremo, anzi de’ quattro in vice/Di padre e primo, sì braccio destro e luce/De la milizia, ei le catene elice,/Che strinse si stesso, di Metauro al duce:/Cantator sì, ma cantator felice,/ Ne’ consigli e ne l’armi arde e riluce/Con le bande di quei de la sua terra/ Arbitro della pace e della guerra.” Guelfrucci, riportato da FABRETTI
-“Seguì la carriera delle armi. come la più acconcia ad aquistar fama e potere in que’ tempi di continue guerre che funestavano e scompigliavano sì le nostre città, ma facevano ugualmente suonar alto il nome degli italiani grandi e temuti ancora in faccia allo straniero imperante…La gloriosa vita del Vitelli per le mali arti de’ traditori ebbe termine infelicissimo: il suo valore sacrificato alle cupidigie de’ fiorentini venne subitamente dimenticato, attribuitigli a delitto gli avversi colpi della fortuna e la sua stessa previdenza e circospezione nelle bisogne di guerra. Era liberale co’ suoi: severo con molti: superiore ai fratelli e ad altri condottieri d’Italia nella conoscenza dell’arte sua, superavali anche nell’indole ch’era in lui ferocissima; imperciocché si narra ch’egli uccidesse quante sentinelle trovava nel sonno; e, nemico degli archibugieri che col nuovo ordigno potevano superare uomini valorosissimi, mandavagli a morte se cadevano in sue mani o strappava loro gli occhi dalle orbite: alla presa di Buti fe’ tagliar le mani ai bombardieri.” FABRETTI
-Con Vitellozzo Vitelli “The two condottieri often sold or lent to their troop clothes and hoses, and paid and rewarded their men-at-arms with berets, tabards decorated with the white “French” cross, cloaks, “Turkish” doublets, and various and colorful textiles, such as baize, velvet, plain weave, brocade, and satin. Paolo and Vitellozzo themselves often dressed in elegant transalpine fashion, with a certain pride.” ANSANI
-Il fatto di Buti “Il Vitelli riprese a guerreggiare, scusandosi col dire che anche i Veneziani facevano la guerra alla stradiotta. E’ rimasto famoso il caso di cinque artiglieri di Buti fatti prigionieri e mutilati di entrambe le mani! Ciò però non significa, come vuole il Giovio.. che il condottiero umbro considerasse sleale l’uso delle armi da fuoco, ma solo che perfezionava quei procedimenti di guerra feroce propri della prassi medievale e che gli ultramontani ancora adoperavano. Basta pensare che contro Buti egli aveva 14 grossi cannoni e 50 falconetti! In realtà i Vitelli appaiono soprattutto scolari dei Francesi: gli schioppettieri a cavallo, la tattica svizzera del quadrato, l’estrema ferocia durante le operazioni erano il frutto della loro permanenza presso gli eserciti di Francia.” PIERI
-“La reità del Vitelli non è provata, me certo egli era stato in relazione con Venezia e il Medici (Piero dei Medici) per una restaurazione di questi e aveva lo scopo di tirare in lungo la guerra di Pisa finché non si fosse risolta la guerra di Lombardia contro Ludovico il Moro (Ludovico Sforza, duca di Milano). Lealtà di condottiero che incontrava però sempre più energica la reazione dei governi.” SIMEONI
-“Il Vitelli, da quel fedele osservatore che era della antica tattica italiana, non volendo combattere senza esserer sicuro di vincere” Così il giudizio di F. Inghirami in “Storia della Toscana: compilata ed in sette epoche distribuita”, riportato da WIKIPEDIA
Featured source: wikipedia
