A Calabrian Noble’s Fight for Survival and Glory
Luigi da San Severino (Luigi da Cosenza), Count of Mileto, was the lord of numerous territories including Rocca Imperiale, Mileto, Diano, Marsico Nuovo, Polla, Nardò, Copertino, Pisticci, Mozzanica, Lugano, Sale, Mortara, Pandino, Mendrisio, Fontanella in Mascengo, Sottoceneri, and Morcote. He was the father of Francesco da San Severino, Amerigo da San Severino, and Bernabò da San Severino.
Death: 1447, April
| Year, Month | State, Mercenary Company | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions and Other Noteworthy Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1412 | Brescia | 10 lances | Lombardy | Served under Pandolfo Malatesta, the lord of Brescia. | |
| 1417 | |||||
| Feb. Mar. | Campania | His fief of Mileto was restored to him by Queen Joanna I of Naples (Giovanna d’Angiò). In March, he also regained the lands of Diano, Marsico Nuovo, and Polla. | |||
| …… | San Severino | Lecce | Apulia | Fought against Giovanni Antonio Orsini del Balzo, Count of Lecce. | |
| 1419 | |||||
| Aug. | Marshal | Appointed Marshal of the Kingdom of Naples and Captain of Nereto. | |||
| 1420 | Apulia | Elected by the sovereign as Captain and Castellan of Nardò. | |||
| 1421 | Anjou | King of Aragon, Naples | Calabria | Resisted the Aragonese in Calabria. Joined forces with Francesco Sforza and Micheletto Attendolo in a clash that resulted in the capture of Taliano Furlano, Fiasco da Giraso, and Cesare da Martinengo. | |
| 1422 | Reconciled with Queen Joanna I of Naples on the advice of Muzio Attendolo Sforza. | ||||
| 1423 | |||||
| Oct. | Abruzzi | Supported Muzio Attendolo Sforza in liberating L’Aquila from the siege imposed by Braccio da Montone. | |||
| Dec. | Milan | King of Aragon | Campania | Joined the service of Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan, to assist the Queen of Naples; laid siege to Don Pietro of Aragon in Naples. | |
| 1424 | |||||
| Apr. | Naples | King of Aragon | Lazio and Abruzzi | Moved between Rieti, Cittaducale, and Cicolano; aimed to join forces with Jacopo Caldora to confront Braccio da Montone. | |
| June | 400 cavalry | Abruzzi | Participated in the Battle of L’Aquila, commanding 400 cavalry, 300 infantry, and 1300 light and heavy shields. Commanded the vanguard with the baggage train and led the sixteenth formation. Entered the final counterattack with reserve troops alongside Paolo Tedesco and Federico da Matelica; captured the standard of the Bracceschi. After the victory, Luigi da San Severino moved to Gagliano Aterno, where he released Niccolò Fortebraccio upon payment of a ransom of 11,000 florins, paid by Niccolò Piccinino. | ||
| July | Church | 150 lances | Lazio | At Gallicano nel Lazio, alongside Pope Martin V; apologized to the Florentine ambassador Rinaldo degli Albizzi for initially accepting and then rejecting the Republic’s pay due to threats from the Queen of Naples. | |
| Nov. | Returned 775 ducats to the Florentines, including 615 for the advance payment, which they had provided during the summer to secure his service. | ||||
| Dec. | Umbria | Wintered with 100 cavalry at the camps in Paciano and Chiugi. | |||
| 1425 | |||||
| Jan. | Umbria | Summoned to Perugia by the papal legate, camped with his men at Ponte San Giovanni; escorted the vicar to Assisi and returned to Perugia. | |||
| Aug. | Perugia | Mercenary Company | Umbria | Hired by the Perugians to counter an offensive by Ludovico dei Michelotti, Jacopo Caldora, Ludovico Colonna, and Antonuccio dell’Aquila. Noted at Ponte San Giovanni and San Bevignate. | |
| Nov. | Umbria | Spent the winter months in Chiugi with several cavalry companies. | |||
| 1426 | |||||
| May | Church | 600 cavalry | Romagna | Accompanied Luigi d’Allegrezza, nephew of the papal legate in Bologna, to Forlì with 600 cavalry for a meeting with the Visconti commissioner Luigi Crotti; stationed north of the city between Pianta and Bagnolo. Luigi Crotti surrendered, and the papal forces captured Forlì. | |
| July | Venice | Milan, Empire | Friuli | Engaged in Friuli with Lorenzo Attendolo and commissioner Marco Miani in defending the region from potential attacks by the troops of Sigismund of Hungary. After the threat passed, he linked up with Carmagnola near Brescia. | |
| 1427 | |||||
| May | Lombardy | Under the command of Carmagnola, fell into an ambush at Gottolengo orchestrated by Niccolò Piccinino, Guido Torelli, Angelo della Pergola, and Francesco Sforza. The outcome of the battle remained uncertain, particularly due to the intervention of Gian Francesco Gonzaga. | |||
| Oct. | Lombardy | Distinguished himself with Pietro Giampaolo Orsini at the Battle of Maclodio. | |||
| 1428 | |||||
| July | Bologna | Church | Romagna | In Romagna, offered his services to the Bolognese, who had rebelled against Pope Martin V. | |
| Aug. | Captain General, 900 cavalry | Emilia | Hired by the Bolognese with 900 cavalry. The papal legate, Cardinal Niccolò Albergati, intervened to request his dismissal. Unfazed, he surprised the Florentine condottiero Niccolò da Tolentino, who had halted in the territory with 1200 cavalry, capturing 400-600 cavalry and several captains, including Cristoforo Sagramoro and Cristoforo da Tolentino, and imprisoning them in the tower of the Palazzo dei Signori in Bologna. The loot amounted to 3000 ducats. Laid siege to Castel San Pietro Terme with Ludovico and Lionello dei Michelotti, Ranieri Vibi del Frogia, and Angelo di Roncone; camped in the town, bombarded the castle gate, and continued operations for a month. | ||
| Sept. | Emilia | Abandoned the siege of Castel San Pietro Terme upon the approach of Micheletto Attendolo; set fire to his camp and moved to San Giovanni in Persiceto. | |||
| Dec. | Emilia | In turn, besieged in Bologna by Niccolò da Tolentino and Jacopo Caldora, repelled a papal attack at Porta Galliera, resulting in many deaths on both sides. | |||
| 1429 | |||||
| …… | San Severino | Taranto | Fought against Giovanni Orsini del Balzo, who had become Prince of Taranto. Defeated, he lost Rocca Imperiale, Pisticci, and other lands. Supported by the Queen of Naples. | ||
| Apr. | Venice | 300 lances and 200 infantry | Veneto | Signed a contract in Venice at the Doge’s Palace for 300 lances and 200 infantry for one year, with an option for a second year; permitted not to confront the papal forces for six months; the Venetians loaned him 5000 ducats and pressured the Holy See for consent. | |
| Summer | Bologna | Church | Emilia | Engaged in several skirmishes with papal marauders intent on destroying crops in the Bolognese territory. | |
| Oct. | A ruling by Niccolò d’Este, Marquis of Ferrara, and the Marquis of Mantua recognized him as a creditor to Bologna for 14,144 ducats in back pay; the commune pledged the amount to the Venetians, who advanced it. | ||||
| 1430 | |||||
| …… | Venice | Milan | Lombardy | Recovered part of the Val Camonica, which had rebelled against the Venetians. | |
| …… | Lombardy | The intervention of Francesco Sforza on behalf of Lucca led the Florentines to unsuccessfully request that the Serenissima send him with 500 lances to their aid. | |||
| 1431 | |||||
| June | Florence | Milan, Empire | Field Marshal | Lombardy | Continued to oppose the Visconti under Carmagnola. Appointed field marshal alongside Lorenzo Attendolo, Guidantonio Manfredi, and Luigi dal Verme; his annual stipend was increased by 100 ducats. |
| July | Lombardy | Defeated near Cremona with Pietro Giampaolo Orsini; 1000 cavalry and 100 supply wagons were captured out of 500 that were to be brought to the camp. | |||
| Nov. | Friuli | Faced off against the Hungarians of Emperor Sigismund, who had invaded the region. Defeated the enemy at Rosazzo. | |||
| 1432 | |||||
| Jan. | Lombardy | Unofficially awarded the fief of Fontanella as a reward for his service. | |||
| Mar. | Lombardy | Informed in advance of the impending arrest of Carmagnola by the authorities of the Serenissima. | |||
| Oct. | Lombardy | Participated in the defense of Bergamo. Joined forces with Luigi dal Verme and Pietro Giampaolo Orsini, built a bridge over the Adda near Brivio, and crossed the river to invade the Milanese with 5000 cavalry and 4000 infantry. Confronted by Niccolò Piccinino, was forced to retreat and destroy the bridge behind him. | |||
| Dec. | Lombardy | Followed Federico Contarini, the Venetian commissioner, to Lovere in Val Camonica; with the support of Bartolomeo da Cemmo, managed to quell a pro-Visconti revolt there, albeit with difficulty. | |||
| 1433 | |||||
| June July | Milan | 1000 cavalry | Lombardy and Marche | Officially awarded the fief of Fontanella; in July, his contract was reduced by one-third. Refused any settlement, preferred to leave the Venetian pay and accepted that of the Duke of Milan, who granted him a command of 1000 cavalry. | |
| 1434 | |||||
| …… | Switzerland and Lombardy | Enfeoffed with the valley of Lugano, as well as Sale, Mortara, Pandino, Mendrisio, and Pieve di Balerna. | |||
| Aug. | Milan | Venice, Church | Emilia | Moved to the Bolognese territory with 7000 cavalry. Participated in the Battle of Castel Bolognese: thrown from his horse by a Manfredi during the fight, was remounted by his attendants and continued to fight until the final victory. | |
| Nov. | Emilia | Passed through Parma with Niccolò Terzi and Cristoforo da Lavello; headed back to Bologna, where he plundered the countryside during a stop. | |||
| 1437 | |||||
| Apr. | Milan | Venice, Florence | Lombardy | Confronted the Venetian army led by the Marquis of Mantua Gian Francesco Gonzaga on the Adda. At Medolago, surprised Gattamelata, who was overseeing the construction of a pontoon bridge while the river was in flood. The Umbrian condottiero was trapped with few soldiers on the Lombard bank of the Adda: Luigi da San Severino attacked immediately; Gattamelata managed to escape by diving into the river with his horse and swimming across with his men. | |
| 1438 | |||||
| Sept. | Lombardy | At the siege of Brescia. Camped at the monastery of San Salvatore. | |||
| Oct. | Lombardy | Almost captured under Brescia, while scouting with the Visconti captain-general Niccolò Piccinino and a few cavalry, by a sortie from the defenders near San Matteo. That year, the Duke of Milan enfeoffed him with Sottoceneri and the castle of Morcote in Switzerland. | |||
| 1439 | |||||
| Aug. | Milan | Swiss Cantons | Switzerland | Faced the Swiss at Bellinzona alongside Luigi dal Verme. | |
| Sept. | Milan, Mantua | Venice, Florence | 1000 cavalry | Lombardy | Supported Niccolò Piccinino in the victorious day at Toscolano-Maderno, where the Venetian lake fleet was destroyed and Taddeo d’Este was captured. |
| Oct. | Lombardy | Operated in the Val di Ledro with 600 cavalry. | |||
| Nov. | Trentino, Lombardy | Defeated by the anti-Visconti league’s captain-general Francesco Sforza and Gattamelata under the fortress of Tenno: fled, taking the road through the Val di Sole and the Val Camonica to reach safety at Toscolano-Maderno with only 20 cavalry. | |||
| 1440 | |||||
| Jan. | Piedmont, Lombardy | His men quartered themselves between Novara, Rosasco, and San Giorgio in Lomellina. | |||
| June | Lombardy | Returned to threaten Brescia with Luigi dal Verme and Taliano Furlano; fortified himself with these captains between Orzinuovi and Soncino. Defeated by Francesco Sforza at Soncino, he took refuge in Crema. | |||
| July | Lombardy | Opposed the enemy in the Cremona and Crema regions. Sent to assist the troops of the Marquis of Mantua. | |||
| Nov. | Lombardy | Encouraged the inhabitants of the Valli di Trescore and Val Cavallina to plunder the Venetian-controlled territories of Scanzo, Rosciate, Villa d’Almé, and Pengo; houses and vineyards were burned. | |||
| 1441 | |||||
| May | Lombardy | Responded to the invitation of the Suardi family and attacked the Bergamo region again with Benedetto da Forlì, the inhabitants of Val Brembilla, and those of Ghiaradadda; camped with them between Lallio and Grumello del Monte. Devastated the surrounding crops. | |||
| June | 1500 cavalry | Lombardy | Assisted Niccolò Piccinino at Martinengo with Taliano Furlano, the Sarpellione, and Luigi dal Verme. | ||
| July | Lombardy | With victory seemingly near for the Visconti, Luigi da San Severino requested the fief of Novara from the Duke of Milan, Filippo Maria Visconti; Niccolò Piccinino demanded Piacenza, and Taliano Furlano requested Bosco Marengo and Frugarolo: this prompted the Duke of Milan to seek peace with the league and promise his daughter Bianca Maria in marriage to Francesco Sforza. | |||
| 1442 | |||||
| May | Milan | Sforza | Marche | Intervened in the March of Ancona to fight Francesco Sforza. | |
| July | Sforza | Church | Marche | Contacted by Francesco Sforza. Assigned the task of capturing Niccolò Piccinino, captain-general of the papal forces. Defected to the opposing side when discovered. | |
| 1443 | |||||
| Aug. | Milan | Veneto | Sent by Filippo Maria Visconti to Venice with Giacomo Becchetti and Niccolò Arcimboldi to negotiate an alliance treaty with the Serenissima. | ||
| 1444 | |||||
| Aug. | Lombardy | Operated around Castelleone with Bartolomeo Colleoni and Luigi dal Verme. | |||
| Dec. | Captain General | Lombardy | On Christmas Day, was given the baton of captain general. Became a member of the ducal council. | ||
| 1445 | |||||
| May | Church | Bologna | Emilia | In the Bolognese territory against the militias of the Bentivoglio family. | |
| July | Milan | Bologna | Captain General | Emilia | After the expulsion of the Canedoli family from Bologna and the assassination of the city’s lord, Annibale Bentivoglio, approached the city with Carlo Gonzaga leading 5000 cavalry. Joined by Galeotto and Gaspare Canedoli with 400 of their partisans, ensuring they camped on the opposite side to avoid involvement in their cruel actions. Repelled from San Giovanni in Persiceto, besieged Monterone, forcefully entered Sant’Agata Bolognese (killing 18 Visconti troops with bombards), Crevalcore, and many other castles. Moved to Casalecchio di Reno with 2000 cavalry and many infantry to block the aqueduct supplying water to Bologna; plundered the territory, seized livestock, and took prisoners; reported at Buonconvento, entered Argelato. |
| Sept. Oct. | Emilia | Gained the surrender of Castelfranco Emilia after threatening to bombard the castle with two bombards. Stormed San Giovanni in Persiceto; placed a garrison in the conquered castles. | |||
| Nov. | Lombardy and Emilia | Moved to Lombardy and left his position to Bartolomeo Colleoni. At the end of the month, returned to the Bolognese region with Francesco Piccinino at the head of 4300 cavalry. Headed to San Giovanni in Persiceto and forced Taddeo d’Este to abandon the siege of Argelato. Upon the latter’s return to Bologna, sent some cavalry to one of the city’s gates to set fire to the toll house. Taddeo d’Este raised the alarm with the bell of the Torre degli Asinelli; Luigi da San Severino’s men retreated. | |||
| Dec. | Emilia and Lombardy | Confronted by Simonetto da Castel San Pietro, Taddeo d’Este, and Giovannantonio di Gattamelata, withdrew to Lombardy with his men-at-arms. | |||
| 1446 | |||||
| Feb. | Milan | Sforza | Tuscany and Emilia | Assaulted Pontremoli, a fief of Francesco Sforza. Soon left command of the troops to Guglielmo di Monferrato; confronted the Bolognese and ensured the Florentines withdrew their forces from the territory. | |
| May | Milan | Venice | Lombardy | Guarded Pandino. | |
| Aug. | Lombardy | Strengthened his position in Castiglione in the Cremona region with Luigi dal Verme and Colleoni. | |||
| Sept. | Tuscany, Lombardy | Again attacked Pontremoli with Carlo Gonzaga and Pietro Maria dei Rossi (3000 men); called back to Lombardy, defeated by Micheletto Attendolo in the Battle of Mezzano. | |||
| Oct. | Lombardy | Besieged in Crema by Tiberto Brandolini. | |||
| Nov. | Lombardy | Ordered to prevent the enemy from crossing the Adda. Tiberto Brandolini and Gentile da Leonessa bypassed his surveillance, fortifying themselves on the Lombard bank of the river at Spino d’Adda, allowing the rest of the Venetian army to cross. San Severino, with Luigi dal Verme and Colleoni‘s company, attacked the enemy at night. After two hours, he was routed. The ducal forces suffered the capture of 600 cavalry, including Campanella and many cernite. | |||
| Dec. | Lombardy | Suspected of being in contact with the Venetians and Florentines to switch sides; Filippo Maria Visconti was informed by Francesco Sforza. | |||
| 1447 | |||||
| Jan. | Lombardy | Assaulted a small castle beyond the Adda. Captured with some cavalry by soldiers who had ventured out from Cassano d’Adda. | |||
| Apr. | Lombardy | Died in Milan after a long illness caused by an old wound. |
Sources
-“Huomo di grande autorità nell’arte della guerra.” CORIO
-“Valente capitano.” DELLA TUCCIA
-“Questo Luigi era molto avveduto sopra gli agguati dell’armigera gente, e con grandi scaltrimenti provvedeva alla custodia della gente.” CAVALCANTI
-“Magnae quidem jam tum inter belli duces auctoritatis virum.” SIMONETTA
-“Praeclarae jam tum inyet militares duces aestimationis.” CRIVELLI
-Alla battaglia dell’Aquila “La sesta decyma, che fé gran guerra,/ Aluyscy de San Severyno, non se tarda,/ Si como homo cche non ày pavento;/ Avea in soa squatra cavally trecento.” VALENTINI
Featured image: wikimedia
