Giovanni da Tolentino: Master of Arms in Renaissance Italy’s Turbulent Era
Giovanni da Tolentino (Giovanni Mauruzzi). Count. Lord of Caldarola, Bereguardo, Solero, and Quargnento. Natural son of Niccolò da Tolentino, brother of Baldovino da Tolentino and Cristoforo da Tolentino, and son-in-law of Francesco Sforza.
Death: 1470, April
| Year, Month | State, Comp. ventura | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1424 | |||||
| June | Naples | King of Aragon (Re d’Aragona) | Abruzzi | Serves under Francesco Sforza. Takes part in the battle of L’Aquila against Braccio di Montone. | |
| July | Florence | Milan | Fights the Visconti troops under his father Niccolò. | ||
| 1426 | Lombardy | Noted at the siege of Brescia. | |||
| 1427 | |||||
| May | Lombardy | Participates in the battle of Gottolengo. | |||
| Oct. | Lombardy | Again supports his father in the battle of Maclodio. | |||
| 1428 | |||||
| Aug. | Papal States (Chiesa) | Bologna | Emilia | In service to the Papal troops against the Bolognese. His father is surprised by Luigi da San Severino near Medicina; defeated, with the capture of 400 cavalry and most of the baggage. Among the prisoners is also Tolentino. Imprisoned in the Bolognese prison called del Forno or dell’Orto in the government palace. | |
| 1429 | |||||
| 1433 | |||||
| Dec. | Sforza | Papal States | Marche | Again supports Sforza. Supported against the Papal legate by Bishop of Recanati Giovanni Vitelleschi. | |
| 1434 | |||||
| Aug. | Papal States | Milan | Emilia | Participates in the battle of Castel Bolognese. With his brothers abandons the post assigned by their father (who is then captured by Niccolò Piccinino). Flees to Modigliana with brother Baldovino. | |
| Sept. | Florence | Milan | Tuscany | ||
| Oct. | Pope Eugene IV grants Giovanni da Tolentino and his brothers the vicariate of Caldarola. | ||||
| 1435 | |||||
| Apr. | Marche and Tuscany | Yields the fortress of Tolentino to the inhabitants. Receives houses and lands in exchange, formerly belonging to Berardo da Varano, valued at 2000 florins. The fortress is immediately demolished. In the same month, travels to Florence for the funeral of his father Niccolò. | |||
| June | Romagna | At Galeata with his brothers; clashes at Maturano with Francesco Piccinino and Sacramoro da Parma. Assisted by Attaccabriga and Troilo da Rossano (200 cavalry) and 150 crossbowmen led by the Venetian Tommaso Michiel, defeats and captures the 2 ducal captains with 200 cavalry. | |||
| Aug. | Tuscany | Watches the Apennine passes to prevent Niccolò Fortebraccio from entering Tuscany. | |||
| 1437 | |||||
| …………….. | Romagna | With brother Cristoforo, assists the Malatesta against difficulties from Niccolò Piccinino. | |||
| Aug. | Tuscany | Takes part in the conquest of Ghivizzano with brothers Baldovino and Cristoforo, and Leone Sforza. | |||
| Sept. | Tuscany | Faces Luigi dal Verme and Cristoforo da Lavello at Pietrasanta, always with brother Cristoforo. The opponents are | |||
| Dec. | Tolentino | Sforza | Marche | Signs, with brother Cristoforo, a contract with the Venetians for a term of one year and six months at their pleasure. Unable to fulfill commitments promptly due to the imprisonment of brother Cristoforo by Anfrosina Tarlati. | |
| 1438 | |||||
| Apr. | Venice | Milan | Marche, Romagna, and Veneto | Brother Cristoforo is released in February; together the two commanders defend Tolentino against Sforza’s troops. At the end of April, Tolentino abandons the city defense and heads to Rimini, embarking for Chioggia with his men on two galleys. | |
| May | Veneto and Romagna | Gattamelata assigns him to defend Verona. Then sent with 300 cavalry to defend Ravenna, threatened by Astorre Manfredi‘s Visconti troops. | |||
| June | Lombardy | Reported in the Brescia area. | |||
| July | Veneto | Returns to guard Verona to defend against possible attacks by Luigi dal Verme. | |||
| Oct. | Veneto | Defeated at Legnago by dal Verme. 200 cavalry of his company are captured. | |||
| 1439 | |||||
| Mar. | 500 cavalry | Romagna | Venetians send him to Romagna to aid the lord of Rimini. Remains until May when 11 galleys arrive to embark his and brother Cristoforo‘s troops. Arrives in Chioggia and is assigned to defend Vicenza. | ||
| …………….. | Veneto | At Vicenza. Later withdraws to Abano Terme. | |||
| Aug. | Veneto | Crosses the Adige with Francesco Sforza and positions on the shores of Lake Garda. | |||
| 1440 | |||||
| Aug. | Marche | Marries Isotta Sforza, natural daughter of Francesco at Fermo. | |||
| Dec. | 200 lances and 100 infantry | His contract with Venice is renewed for one firm year and one year of respect. | |||
| 1442 | |||||
| Aug. | Venice | Papal States, Naples | Romagna and Marche | Sforza calls him to the Marca d’Ancona. Leaves Ravenna, stays in Cesena and Rimini, arrives at Fano and from there moves to Macerata. | |
| Sept. | Marche | Left by Sforza to guard Macerata: appointed governor and holds this post until April of the following year. | |||
| Oct. | Marche | Leaves Macerata to confront Niccolò Piccinino. | |||
| 1443 | |||||
| May | 220 lances and 150 infantry | Marche | Venetian contract renewed for one firm year and one of respect. | ||
| Aug. | Marche | Camps on the plain of the Potenza River near the ruins of Helvia Recina, near Macerata; receives a gift from the inhabitants; later that month, with Antonio da Trivulzio (1200 cavalry), is assigned to defend Osimo. Decision is made to sack the city before the Aragonese army enters. Two Sforza captains, Martino da Foligno and Benedetto da Poppi, are staying with a noblewoman, Lionetta, widow of Giacomo Leopardi. At the end of the month, they dine with her; she learns of the soldiers’ plans, informs the authorities. The people of Osimo surprise the soldiers and capture all except Tolentino, who escapes through a secret tunnel. A fresco is painted in the cathedral commemorating the event; later removed. A special festival of San Giovanni Decollato is instituted. | |||
| Nov. | Sforza | Papal States, Naples | Marche | Enters Castelfidardo with 1500 cavalry; stays in the district to keep the Bracceschi in check. | |
| 1444 | |||||
| Jan. | Marche | Moves near Castelfidardo. | |||
| June July | Marche | With Sarpellione, repels a surprise attack on Castelfidardo by Piccinino. Assaulted again in July, must surrender on terms: leaves the city with the garrison and reaches Macerata. | |||
| 1445 | |||||
| Apr. | Present at the meeting where Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta and Federico da Montefeltro agree to a truce. | ||||
| Dec. | Marche | Defends Jesi. | |||
| 1446 | |||||
| May | Tuscany | Camps with his company near Anghiari. His men severely damage surrounding wheat fields. | |||
| June | Umbria and Lazio | Accompanies Sforza in diversionary action in Umbria and Lazio. Reported near Todi; attempts to enter the city with Cicco Simonetta after requesting a safe conduct from city officials. | |||
| 1447 | |||||
| Apr. | Florence | 600 cavalry | Tuscany | At the end of Sforza’s rule in the Marche, returns to Florentine pay. | |
| Oct. | Florence | Naples | Tuscany | Confronts the Aragonese with Napoleone Orsini at Montepulciano. | |
| 1448 | |||||
| July | Tuscany | At the camp of Campiglia Marittima with Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta. | |||
| Sept. | Milan | Venice | 600 cavalry | Lombardy | Takes part in the battle of Caravaggio. |
| Oct. | Sforza | Milan | Lombardy | Follows Francesco Sforza when his father-in-law defects from the Ambrosian Republic to ally with the Venetians. | |
| 1449 | |||||
| Spring | Emilia | Besieges Fiorenzuola d’Arda in the Piacenza region. Seizes lands from Francesco and Jacopo Piccinino. | |||
| 1450 | |||||
| Jan. | Sforza | Milan, Venice, Florence | Tuscany and Lombardy | Hurries to Florence, withdraws his money from city banks, and gives it to Sforza. Participates in the siege of Milan. | |
| …………….. | Lombardy | With victory, receives the title of count from Sforza. Appointed governor of Cremona. | |||
| 1452 | |||||
| Feb. | Lombardy | Receives Ludovico Gonzaga in Cremona. Ordered to arm a galley for the imminent war with the Venetians. | |||
| July | Milan | Venice | 450 cavalry | Lombardy | With Bartolomeo Colleoni and Roberto da San Severino, defeats Tiberto Brandolini at Genivolta. |
| Nov. | Lombardy | Receives the fief of the castle of Bereguardo, built by Luchino Visconti, with many privileges and exemptions; also receives a palace in Milan. | |||
| 1453 | |||||
| Feb. | Sforza writes to Diotisalvi Neroni of Florence regarding Tolentino‘s requests, who, though lieutenant of Cremona, demands fiefs, money, and more lucrative contracts. The duke urges the Florentines to satisfy these quickly to avoid setting a precedent. | ||||
| …………….. | Piedmont | Buys for 20,000 ducats from Guglielmo di Monferrato the fiefs of Solero and Quargnento in the Alessandria region. | |||
| 1454 | |||||
| Aug. | Milan | Duke of Savoy | 1000 cavalry | Piedmont | |
| Sept. Oct. | Lombardy | At the end of the conflict, 300 cavalry from his companies are quartered in the Cremona area. | |||
| 1455 | |||||
| June | Lombardy | At Cremona. Renews with the Nicelli of Val Nure the agreement regarding the horse tax they owe, previously arranged with Tiberto Brandolini. | |||
| 1456 | Lombardy | Attends the wedding of Ippolita Sforza, sister of his wife Isotta, to Alfonso d’Aragona, Duke of Calabria. | |||
| 1457 | |||||
| Apr. | Lombardy | Meets Federico da Montefeltro near Milan. Accompanies him to the duchy’s capital. | |||
| 1458 | |||||
| Jan. | Emilia | In Bologna with his company to support the lord of the city, Sante Bentivoglio, threatened by exiles and Papal troops of Callistus III. | |||
| Summer | Tuscany | In Tuscany supporting Cosimo de’ Medici: tasked with quelling some unrest, which soon subsides. | |||
| …………….. | Lombardy | Called to join the ducal council. Also receives Milanese citizenship, inheritable by his descendants. | |||
| 1459 | |||||
| Nov. | Papal States | Anjou | 800 cavalry | Umbria | Sent by Sforza to Città di Castello to prevent attacks on Umbria by Jacopo Piccinino. |
| 1460 | |||||
| Jan. | Tuscany | Stationed with Cristoforo Torelli in lower Tuscany. | |||
| Mar. | Marche and Umbria | Passes through Sassoferrato and reaches Città di Castello. | |||
| Apr. | Abruzzi | Attempts unsuccessfully to block Jacopo Piccinino at the Tronto. | |||
| July | Abruzzi | Takes part in the battle of San Fabiano/San Flaviano. | |||
| 1461 | |||||
| Jan. | Lombardy | In Milan, at the funeral of Lucia Terzani, mother of Sforza. | |||
| Apr. | Milan | Anjou | 750 cavalry | Sets out for the Kingdom of Naples with Bosio Sforza. Commands 750 cavalry. Later, contract reduced first to 400, then 300 cavalry. | |
| May | Emilia, Puglia | Passes through Borgo San Donnino (Fidenza); heads again to the Kingdom of Naples to fight the Angevins. Reaches Bovino. Sforza orders him to assist the Duchess of Sant’Angelo at Cerignola. Attacks near Cerignola wagons carrying the goods of Ercole d’Este. | |||
| July | Lombardy | Returns to Milan. | |||
| …………….. | Lombardy | Settles in Milan. Builds a palace (later destroyed) behind the Monastery of Sant’Agnese; owns two other palaces, one on Via Brisa (then Via dei Tolentini and later degli Holocati) and another inhabited by the Arconati. His company includes ten helmets and 60 men-at-arms. | |||
| 1463 | 350 cavalry | ||||
| 1464 | |||||
| June | Lombardy | With Costanzo Sforza and Pietro dal Verme attends in Milan the submission of Genoese ambassadors to Sforza. | |||
| 1466 | |||||
| July | Ill. | ||||
| 1467 | In a major financial operation in the Duchy of Milan, receives the duties of Varese as dowry for his wife Isotta Sforza. In this period, acquires revenue and feudal investiture of Solero and Quargnento in Alessandria from new Duke of Milan Galeazzo Maria Sforza. These fiefs reconfirmed in 1470. | ||||
| 1468 | |||||
| Apr. | Milan | Lombardy | Back in ducal service, awaits payment of arrears. | ||
| July | Lombardy | At Lodi, in Cremona and Ghiaradadda, defending the borders threatened by the Venetians. | |||
| Sept. Oct. | Milan | Duke of Savoy | Piedmont and Emilia | ||
| Nov. | Milan | Correggio | Emilia | ||
| 1469 | Lombardy | Called to the secret council. Does not participate due to poor health. | |||
| 1470 | |||||
| Apr. | Lombardy | Dies in Milan. Buried in the church of Santa Maria dell’Incoronata in the chapel of Sant’Agostino. His funerary monument was dispersed during the church’s restoration in 1654. Marries Isotta Sforza, daughter of Francesco. |
Sources
-Con Cristoforo da Tolentino “Persone in quei dì per valor militare chiare ed illustri.” DALLA CORTE
-“Huomo valoroso nell’armi.” SANSOVINO
-Con Cristoforo e Baldovino da Tolentino “Per valore nelle cose guerresche, non fallirono il nome paterno.” BOSI
-“Fu valoroso guerriere e conduttore d’huomini d’arme.” MORIGI
-“Fu condottiero d’armi distinto.” LITTA
-“In tanta stima di assai valoroso guerriero.” SANTINI
-“Robore, consilio gemini vulnere Joannes,/ Quolibet invicti Marte fuere duces.” Da un poema di F. Panfili riportato dal SANTINI
-“Notissimo condottiero.” ARGEGNI
BIOGRAFIE SPECIFICHE
-G. Benadduci. Biografia di Giovanni Mauruzi da Tolentino.
Featured image: arte.it
