The Barbiano Lineage: From Romagnol Warlords to Lombard Nobles

The story of the founder of the Compagnia di San Giorgio and the descendants who carried his name.

The da Barbiano family was one of the most influential dynasties of Italian condottieri, present in all the conflicts that wracked Italy for over a century. Originating from Romagna, its members distinguished themselves through their military skill, leaving a significant mark on the complex events of the peninsula. The dominant figure is Alberico da Barbiano, founder of the Company of Saint George; he was the first condottiero to form a company of fortune composed entirely of Italians. Especially in the past, he has been credited as a master of the military art.

The Romagna Branch

The Founders: Alberico the Great and Giovanni da Barbiano

At the origin of the dynasty are probably two brothers, whose military exploits marked the end of the 14th century, defining the family’s ascent in the turbulent Italian landscape.

Alberico da Barbiano (the Great)

Born in 1349, Alberico da Barbiano is an epochal figure in the world of the condottieri. Count of Barbiano and Cunio, he extended his domain over numerous lordships including Lugo, Castel Bolognese, Cotignola and, in Southern Italy, Trani and Giovinazzo. Brother of Giovanni, he was the father of Ludovico da Zagonara and Manfredo da Barbiano. His influence was also consolidated through strategic marital alliances: he married a daughter of Guido da Polenta, lord of Ravenna, and married his own daughter to Giovanni Colonna, thereby linking himself to two important houses of the time. He died in April 1409, leaving a legacy of military prestige and extensive territorial power.

Giovanni da Barbiano

Brother (or nephew?) of Alberico, Giovanni da Barbiano was an equally feared condottiero, so much so that he earned the nickname “thunderbolt of war”. Lord of Lugo, Conselice, and Zagonara, his character was very dissimilar to his brother’s due to the methods he used, to the point of being called a master of betrayals. He had a natural son, Conselice; another brother, Rinaldo, is also mentioned, but there is no dedicated biography for him. His life ended tragically on September 27, 1399, when he was executed with some of his family members in the square of Bologna.

The Second Generation

The descendants of the two founding brothers followed distinctly divergent paths: Alberico’s lineage consolidated by moving from Romagna to Lombardy, while Giovanni’s, as mentioned, was destined for a swift and dramatic extinction.

Ludovico da Zagonara

Son of Alberico the Great and brother of Manfredo, Ludovico continued the family’s military tradition, holding the titles of Count of Cunio and lord of Lugo, Massa Lombarda, and Zagonara. His figure is central to the continuity of the dynasty, as he was the father of Alberico “Novello,” who would inherit his grandfather’s name and prestige, and of another unspecified younger son.

Manfredo da Barbiano

The second son of Alberico, Count of Cunio and Copertino, lord of Trani, Giovinazzo, Bisceglie, and Conversano, he initially consolidated and expanded the family domains in the Kingdom of Naples. He also proved to be a worthy captain in many difficult enterprises. With the death of Muzio Attendolo Sforza, he was forced to abandon all his assets, which were confiscated by Queen Joanna of Anjou. Of his sons, Rinaldino died fighting in France, Calafranco reached the rank of colonel in the armies of France, and Rafaldino was the founder of a branch in Naples. He married Anna Bevilacqua, daughter of Guglielmo, and as his second wife, Antonia Sforza, daughter of Muzio Attendolo Sforza and widow of Ardizzone da Carrara. He died in Mantua in 1430.

Giovanni’s branch, as previously mentioned, came to an abrupt end. His only known son, Conselice da Barbiano, was a natural son and was beheaded in August 1399, one month before his father’s execution. His body was quartered.

The Transition to Lombardy: Alberico da Barbiano “Novello”

The figure of Alberico “Novello” marks a turning point for the family. After losing his fiefs in Romagna, this condottiero entered the service of the Visconti of Milan, from whom he was granted the lordship of Belgioioso. This event shifted the dynasty’s center of gravity from Romagna to Lombardy, giving rise to a new branch that would link its name to this latter fiefdom. Indeed, it would be one of his descendants, Carlo da Barbiano, who in 1514 added the suffix “da Belgioioso” to the original surname “da Barbiano”.

Grandson of the founder, Alberico, known as “Novello,” inherited his grandfather’s name and prestige but operated in a radically changed political context. Son of Ludovico da Zagonara, and an equally valiant captain, when the papal forces appropriated his fiefs in Romagna (Zagonara and Massa Lombarda), he moved to Lombardy to serve the Visconti of Milan. He was rewarded by them with the fief of Belgioioso. He died in 1440.

The Lombard Branch: The Barbiano da Belgioioso

The descendants of Alberico “Novello” established themselves in Lombardy, transforming from the da Barbiano to the Barbiano da Belgioioso. From this branch emerged, at the beginning of the 16th century, three condottieri brothers, all present in the great Italian Wars and all of whom distinguished themselves by initially fighting for the French against the Imperials, only to later switch to the service of the latter against the former.

Pietro Francesco Barbiano da Belgioioso

A prominent member of the Lombard branch, Pietro Francesco held the titles of Count of Cunio and Lugo. Together with his brothers Ludovico and Alberigo, he represented the new generation of the family’s condottieri, by then fully integrated into the Milanese aristocracy. His life ended in August 1546 due to wounds sustained on the battlefield.

Alberigo Barbiano da Belgioioso

Brother of Pietro Francesco and Ludovico, Alberigo was Count of Cotignola and lord of Candia Lomellina. Like his brothers, he dedicated his life to the profession of arms, fighting in the complex wars that pitted the French against the Imperials for dominion over the peninsula. His military career ended in 1528, when he was killed in a clash near Naples.

Ludovico Barbiano da Belgioioso

The third of the condottieri brothers, Ludovico Barbiano da Belgioioso, Count of Cunio and Lugo, was the most important figure of the three. He left the French for the Imperials following a dispute with Federico Gonzaga da Bozolo. He died in January 1530. The circumstances of his death are uncertain: some authors claim he died in Milan under suspicion of poison, while other sources state he died in combat near Pavia.

Synoptic Table of the Da Barbiano Family