Piero del Monte da Santa Maria's Military Career

Leadership and strategy in the military career of Piero del Monte da Santa Maria

Piero del Monte da Santa Maria (Piero Montano, Pietro Guagni), Marquis, from the branch of Città di Castello. Son of Ugolino del Monte at Santa Maria and father of Francesco del Monte at Santa Maria.

Death: 1509

Month	State	Opponent	Troops	Area	Actions Taken and Other Notable Facts
1478
Sept.	Florence	Naples	200 infantry	Tuscany	Piero del Monte da Santa Maria serves the Florentines against the Aragonese. He is sent with 200 infantry to defend Monte Luco della Berardenga.
1482
Aug.	Florence	Venice, Church		Romagna	Participates in the Ferrara War, fighting against Venetians and Papal forces. Takes part in the siege of Forlì.
…				Romagna	Later in the year, he is stationed at Castrocaro Terme. With Commissioner Sigismondo della Stufa, he is tasked with monitoring Girolamo Riario‘s movements.
1484
Sept.	Florence	Genoa		Liguria	Faces the Genoese.
1485				Tuscany	Sent to Montepulciano with Pietro Paolo della Sassetta and Camillo Vitelli.
1486
Apr.	Florence	Church		Tuscany	Fortifies Montepulciano.
1487
Spring	Florence	Genoa		Liguria	Participates in the Sarzana War. Helps defend the Sarzanello fortress along with other condottieri.
1488
Jan.				Umbria	Marries Sveva Oddi in Perugia.
Oct.				Umbria	At the end of the month, the Oddi family is expelled from Perugia by their rivals, the Baglioni, and they seek refuge in Castiglione del Lago. Piero del Monte da Santa Maria, as the son-in-law of Simone Oddi, sends 300 cavalry and numerous infantry to support his relatives. During this period, Camillo Vitelli takes advantage of the conflict to seize the castle of Rasina. The condottiero appeals to Florence. The arbitration of Lorenzo de’ Medici, based on old documents like the will of Cerbone del Monte da Santa Maria, forces Vitelli to relinquish possession of the castle.
1490/1492				Lombardy	Establishes a friendship with Leonardo da Vinci at the court of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, discussing issues related to ballistics and infantry weapons. He is also friends with Galeazzo da San Severino, with whom he exchanges ideas on fencing and horsemanship.
1494
Sept.	Florence	France		Romagna	Returns to Florentine service. He is stationed at the Aragonese camp in Lugo and requests money to pay his men.
1495
June	Florence	Siena		Tuscany	Located in Valiano. Upon hearing of a raid by Giulio Vitelli in Paterno, his family’s territory, he immediately leaves camp with his brother Carlo from Castiglionfiorentino with 40 cavalry and 60 infantry to confront the raiders. The next day, Giulio Vitelli retreats to Città di Castello.
July	Florence	Pisa		Tuscany	Faces the Pisans and their Venetian allies. He is at Rosignano Solvay with Commissioner Piero Capponi.
1496
Apr.				Tuscany	Francesco Secco sends him with Cristoforo Albanese to support the Verrucola, which is about to fall into the hands of Lucio Malvezzi. He climbs the mountain, but after the defeat at Buti, he abandons the endeavor and returns to the camp at Pontedera with Ercole Bentivoglio.
Dec.				Tuscany	Supports Ranuccio da Marciano in a surprise attack on Pisa. They overcome some trenches and enter the San Marco village through hedges and walls; victory seems near. However, the French garrison stationed in the citadel intervenes, forcing the Florentines to retreat.
1498
June	Florence	Pisa	500 infantry	Tuscany
Aug.				Tuscany	Accompanies Paolo Vitelli with 25 men-at-arms during the siege of Pisa.
Nov.			500 infantry	Tuscany	Clashes with the troops of Bartolomeo d’Alviano.
1499
June				Tuscany	The Pisans continue the conflict even without the support of the Venetians. Piero del Monte da Santa Maria assists Paolo Vitelli in the conquest of Cascina.
July					Discussions take place in Venice regarding the possibility of appointing him as the general captain of the infantry to lure him away from Florentine service.
Oct.				Tuscany	Together with Pirro da Marciano, he is tasked with capturing Vitellozzo Vitelli at Settimo, in his tent, as he is suspected of treason along with his brother Paolo. However, the condottiero from Città di Castello manages to escape to Pisa with the help of his soldiers.
Nov.			250 infantry	Tuscany	Stationed at Cascina, commanding 250 infantry.
1500
Apr.				Tuscany	During the siege of Pisa with Commissioner Antonio Giacomini, the latter wants to punish a soldier in Piero del Monte da Santa Maria‘s company for injuring another soldier during a brawl. The condottiero defends his men, leading to a confrontation with Giacomini, eventually escalating into a larger dispute involving the Marquis and the French Captain Guerriere. The Signoria advises the Commissioner to act cautiously to avoid offending King Louis XII of France.
1501
May	Florence	Perugia		Umbria	Sent to aid the exiles of Perugia against the Baglioni. He leaves Cortona and enters Perugian territory with Ludovico da Marciano and Baldassarre di Scipione to attack Passignano sul Trasimeno. He penetrates the village but is repelled from the castle after three hours, losing eight men-at-arms. He is soon after defeated by Morgante and Giampaolo Baglioni (250 exiles and Florentines killed).
Aug.	Panciatichi	Cancellieri		Tuscany	Assists the Panciatichi faction in Pistoia against their rivals, the Cancellieri, who have hired Ludovico da Marciano. The clash occurs in Agliana, where the Panciatichi attempt to seize a bastion. Many lives are lost following the Cancellieri’s victory.
1502
Jan.	Florence	Pisa		Tuscany	Stationed at the guard of Vicopisano.
Feb.-Mar.				Tuscany	Falls ill and leaves the fortress of Vicopisano in the hands of the Piedmontese Antonio Lardoni. At the end of March, Lardoni strikes a deal with the Pisans, allowing them to seize the location overnight. The castellan Giovanbattista Ceffi also surrenders the fortress to the opponents the next morning.
June	Florence	Church		Tuscany	Continues to devastate Pisan territory. He is reported to be near Vicopisano. Upon hearing of the rebellion in Arezzo, he leaves Cascina with Chiriaco dal Borgo to confront the troops of Vitellozzo Vitelli.
1503
Apr.			250 infantry	Tuscany	At the end of the month, he is tasked with recruiting a company of 250 troops. He is reported to be in Arezzo.
Aug.	Florence	Venice	300 infantry	Romagna	Upon the death of Pope Alexander VI, he provides some troops to Giampaolo Baglioni in his struggle against the Papal forces. He and his brother Carlo are sent with 300 infantry and some men-at-arms to Castrocaro Terme to monitor the Romagna borders and prevent Venetian raids on Faenza.
Nov.			500 infantry	Romagna	Given command of 500 infantry. He is trapped in Castrocaro Terme and vainly requests reinforcements to move in support of Faenza. He then relocates to Forlì, where he is hosted in the Ravaldino village by Antonio Maria Ordelaffi. Meanwhile, Faenza is occupied by the Venetians.
Dec.	Ordelaffi	Forlì		Romagna	Sent by the Florentines to Forlì to assist Antonio Maria Ordelaffi during the siege of the Ravaldino fortress. He is warmly welcomed by Ordelaffi and lodges in the house of Giovanni Battista dal Ronco. He returns to Florence shortly thereafter.
1505
May				Tuscany	Reported to be in Livorno at the end of the month.
Aug.	Florence	Comp. ventura		Tuscany	Mid-month, he joins Antonio Giacomini at Bibbona with 200 infantry; he connects with other infantry companies commanded by Angelo Corbinelli, Diavolaccio, and Gian Maria del Bene. He leaves this location and positions himself on the Pelagello, 10 miles from Campiglia Marittima, to closely follow Alviano‘s company advancing toward Pisa and prevent Baglioni from attempting to join Alviano.
Sept.	Florence	Pisa		Tuscany	Along with Chiriaco dal Borgo and Zitolo da Perugia (3,000 infantry), he leads the first assault on the walls of Pisa from the Porta Calcesana area. The attack is repelled by 300 Spanish infantry led by Nuno de Ocampo. Artillery opens a new breach of 45 meters in the wall near the Barbagianni tower. Piero del Monte da Santa Maria is to lead the first group into the breach along with Ludovico Orsini‘s men-at-arms. However, the infantry refuses to move; Ludovico Orsini enters the breach first, followed by Piero del Monte da Santa Maria with only a few armed men.
1507
Oct.	Venice				Leaves Florentine service due to dissatisfaction with his compensation and a dispute over the escape of a prisoner. He switches to Venetian service, where he is granted an annual provision of 300 ducats in peacetime and 600 ducats in wartime. In his dealings with Venetian authorities, Piero del Monte da Santa Maria emphasizes discipline.
Nov.-Dec.					Ordered to mobilize his men, he moves to Casentino with Giovanni dal Borgo to gather infantry, which leads to censure from Florentine authorities.
1508
Feb.	Venice	Empire	750 infantry	Romagna, Veneto	Leaves Romagna and heads to Vicenza. Initially in command of 450 infantry, he is soon joined by another 300. He supports Alviano in Friuli, where the Imperial threat is most pressing.
Mar.				Veneto	Defeats German infantry at Rio Secco (Tai di Cadore); positioned with Bartolomeo d’Alviano in the central formation commanding 500-600 infantry. On this occasion, he orders his infantry’s pikes to be lengthened by 60 centimeters compared to those of the Swiss. Immediately afterward, he leads an attack on the castle of Pieve di Cadore and enters it with Lattanzio da Bergamo.
Apr.				Friuli	Arrives at Savorgnano with 2,500-2,600 infantry; takes part in the storming of the Cormons fortress, being the first to break through with Guido Vaina. Along with Romeo Pepoli, he commands the troops participating in the third assault on the walls of Gorizia.
May				Slovenia	Leading 2,000 infantry, he recaptures the castle of Vipulzano, which had fallen to the Germans through a deal made with the stradiotti captain Marco Urago, which ended with the killing of 200 Venetians. His men reclaim the location; all 200 Slav defenders are killed, except for a relative of the Reifenberg captain. Piero del Monte da Santa Maria relocates to this site.
July				Veneto	His conduct is praised in the Venetian Senate by General Commissioner Giorgio Corner, who hosts him in his Venetian palace. He accompanies Alviano during his solemn entry into Venice and attends the ceremony where the Umbrian condottiero is presented with the standard and staff of the general governor.
Aug.				V. Giulia	In Trieste with his troops.
1509
Jan.			Captain General of Infantry	Romagna	Together with Lattanzio da Bergamo and Giovanni Francesco d’Ascoli, he is tasked with gathering 3,000 troops.
Feb.				V. Giulia, Friuli, Veneto	Boards a ship in Trieste with infantry recruited in Romagna. At the end of the month, he leaves the city and returns to Veneto via Udine.
Apr.	Venice	France	1,000 infantry	Veneto, Lombardy	In Nogara and the Pontevico camp. He is part of the fourth column commanded by Bartolomeo d’Alviano.
May				Lombardy	Participates in the Battle of Agnadello. Leading the extreme rear guard, he is attacked by the French. He positions his men defensively on a bank and requests Venetian artillery support to counter the French artillery. Before the arrival of the five pieces sent to him, the infantry of Saccoccio da Spoleto and the recruits, tired of passively enduring enemy fire, resolutely move against the French artillery and the Gascon arquebusiers defending it. He supports this action, while Alviano defeats the enemy cavalry. However, the arrival of reinforcements led by King Louis XII soon turns the tide. The Venetian infantry is left isolated, pushed back into a terrain with no defensive cover. 4,000 infantry fight against 3,000 Swiss, 2,000-3,000 Gascons, and 1,000 men-at-arms, leading to the collapse of resistance and the death or wounding of Venetian captains. Saccoccio da Spoleto and Piero del Monte da Santa Maria are killed on the battlefield; Zitolo da Perugia is found lying on the ground, riddled with wounds; of the 1,000 men of the Tuscan condottiero’s company, 800 lie dead beside him. After the battle, King Louis XII has Piero del Monte da Santa Maria‘s body shown to him and arranges a solemn funeral. In the same year of his death, his treatise on infantry tactics, “Exercitiorum Collectanea,” is published under the title “On What Tricks We Can Use When We Are on Foot and Expect a Knight”. The work discusses the use of pikes and halberds to repel heavy cavalry attacks. It is believed that in 1495, he met Leonardo da Vinci in Milan. The connection between the condottiero and the scientist-inventor-artist is limited to a note by Leonardo proposing to consult Piero del Monte da Santa Maria on how to throw javelins, and an observation on the use of “covered wagons” in battle, mentioned in one of the condottiero’s books, which is thought to refer to a Leonardo design.

Sources

-“E’ più maniero et umano (rispetto a Chiriaco dal Borgo); e fassi più valere da ognuno.” Da una relazione di P. CAPPONI

-“Qual fu morto perché vete il re e li andò a quella volta e pocho lontan fu amazato; qual combaté da un Cesare e il re haria pagà una città el fosse stà vivo; l’haria tolto a suo soldo.” Da un discorso di Francesco Gonzaga, prigioniero a Venezia, riportato dal SANUDO

-“Uomo di grandissima sperienza non solo nell’armi, ma nelle cose del mondo..Era losco da un occhio, ma di grandissimo valore, di gentil lignaggio e di buona letteratura.” DA PORTO

-“Uomo di molta virtù.” BEMBO

-“Si dice che nell’età sua fu il primo fante a pie che havesse l’Italia.” SANSOVINO

-“Condottieri d’armi..molto rinomato per i suoi stratagemmi.” LITTA

-“Il quale è stato uno de’ più segnalati eroi di questa prosapia, ed uno de’ più famosi e celebri Capitani dell’età sua, sì per la lunga esperienza del mestiero della guerra, come anco per le stratagemme.” GAMURRINI

-“Distintissimo condottiero d’armi..assai rinomato per i suoi stratagemmi.” BOSI

-“Fu ne’ suoi tempi de’ più rinomati Capitani d’Italia.” CRISPOLTI

-“Excelso Capitan di fanteria/ costui di gentilezza era una fonte.” F. M. SACCHINO (Spavento d’Italia)

-“…il bon guerrier seguia/ che perpar a nemici acio martoro/ con la sua valorosa compagnia./ Lieto n’andava, & fu sì ardito, & forte/ che inanzi che fuggir vuolse la morte./…(Alla battaglia di Agnadello) “Ma il bon pietro dal monte valoroso/ fa tante prove ch’el tacer è bello;/ Ed era tutto quanto sanguinoso/ uccidendo pel campo hor questo, hor quello,/ come tal hor un vento furioso/ arbori, e piante abbatte con flagello,/ così costui le genti in quella guerra/ urta, fraccassa, uccide, abbatte, atterra.” DEGLI AGOSTINI

-“Dotò i suoi uomini di picche che superavano di 60 cm. la lunghezza di quelle svizzere, e tentò di istillare in loro quella disciplina che rendeva tanto efficace i quadrati svizzeri.” MALLETT

-“Ma il signor Piero del monte fe contese con la sua gente quel baron pregiato/ e fe li francesi assai contesa/ un signor di manfredo hebe chiamato/ ma li suoi fanti il seguia davantagio/ facendo a francesi gran dannagio/ …/ Ma la superchia e molta artelaria/ che gli fu adosso gli misse paura/ che l’aere al ciel niente si vedea/ che la sua gente parea cosa scura/ soleto lui fra tanti remania/ ch’orlando non seria stato ala dura/ al fin de facti gli de (diede) morte amara/ e benché a molti gli costasse cara.” Da “La storia del fatto d’arme di geradadda” in GUERRE IN OTTAVA RIMA

-Alla battaglia di Agnadello “Al signor Piero del Monte fu amaro/ Che morto fu in el crudel incendio/ Con molti Condutier pien d’ardire/ Il numero de tutti non si dice.” Da “Guerre orrende d’Italia” in GUERRE IN OTTAVA RIMA

-“Appartenente ad una prestigiosa famiglia di militari.” LENCI

-Dalla tesi di laurea di PAOLO GIACCONE si è ricavato il seguente elenco di opere, edite a stampa, scritte da Piero del Monte a Santa Maria. Alcune sono scritte in spagnolo e successivamente tradotte in latino. a)De Conceptione Virginis. Dedica al cardinale Oliviero Carafa ed a Isabella di Castiglia. b) Petrus Montis de dignoscendis hominibus. Tratta di anatomia, fisiognomica e della lotta. Dedica a Isabella di Castiglia ed a suo figlio Giovanni. c) Opuscula viri Opt. & ingeniosiss. Petri Montii quae in hoc volumem continentar sunt haec. De brevi discursu intellectus. De abbrevatione & fundamento legum, et De principum adiministratione, De Proverbis. d) Petri Montij Exercitiorum atque Artis militaris collectanea in tris libris distincta. Tratta di scherma, della guerra e dell’arte militare. Dedica a Galeazzo da San Severino. e) Petri Montij De singulari certamine sive dissensione degni veterum recentiorumque ritu ad Carolum Hyspaniarum principem et Burgundie. Trattato di scienza cavalleresca. f) Petri Montii de unius legis veritate et sectarum falsitate opus utilissimum & perspicacissimum. Temi, la teologia, la fisica e l’astrologia.
Featured image: wikimedia