From Humble Beginnings to Renowned Commander
Sarpellione/Ciarpellone (Colella da Parma, Zerpellione degli Endoli, Zarpellone Sanseverino, Antonio da San Severino, Ciarpellone da Parma, Antonio Attendolo, Antonio di Colella) From San Severino, a hamlet of Parma; according to other sources, he might have been of Bergamasque origin. Lord of Arena Po and Tuscania. The son of a poor laborer.
Death: 1444, November
| Year, Month | State, Mercenary Company | Opponent | Contract | Area of Activity | Actions Taken and Other Notable Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1430 | Milan | Venice | Lombardy | Fights under the orders of Francesco Sforza. Captured by Bartolomeo Colleoni while heading towards Crema with 60 horsemen. | |
| 1434 | |||||
| Feb. | Lombardy | Located in the Brescia area. Ordered by Francesco Sforza to duel Cesare da Martinengo to defend his brother Tristano’s cause over water rights along the Oglio River. The duel occurs at La Macina, between Orzinuovi and Soncino. After a clash on horseback with lances and swords, they continue fighting on foot until Sarpellione, wounded, declares defeat and is disarmed by his rival. | |||
| May | Church | Fortebraccio Milan | Lazio and Umbria | Abandons the siege of Montefiascone with Troilo da Rossano to block Niccolò Piccinino at Vitorchiano, whose goal is to join forces with Niccolò Fortebraccio. Camps at San Martino al Cimino with Sforza and prepares for combat. Ambassador Urbano di Ortona initiates peace talks. Moves to Otricoli with Troilo da Rossano. | |
| June | Umbria | Faces Piccinino at Vetralla and Petrignano. | |||
| Aug. | Lazio | Frees Castel Sant’Angelo from the siege laid by Niccolò Fortebraccio. | |||
| 1435 | |||||
| May | Umbria | Moves towards Otricoli with Troilo da Rossano. | |||
| June | Romagna | Captures Francesco Piccinino and Sacramoro da Parma at Maturano with Troilo da Rossano, who were escorting a supply convoy with 200 horsemen. Takes 20 notable prisoners and seizes 40 oxen. | |||
| 1436 | |||||
| Sept. | Sforza | Church | Emilia | At Riccardina with Sforza and Pietro Brunoro; storms the papal camps and orders Baldassarre da Offida’s men not to intervene in his defense. Sigismondo Pandolfo and Domenico Malatesta withdraw; Pietro Giampaolo Orsini resists and is captured. | |
| 1437 | |||||
| Feb. | Florence | Milan | Tuscany | Fights against Piccinino with Niccolò da Pisa and Brunoro. Attacks a Visconti camp at Barga in Monte Cologno: captures Ludovico Gonzaga, seizes carts and cannons. Piccinino retreats to Lunigiana, leaving Sacramoro da Parma to defend Lucca. | |
| 1439 | |||||
| Spring | Venice | Milan | 200 horsemen | Veneto | Follows Francesco Sforza in Veneto. |
| June | Veneto | Defeats the Visconti forces at Soave. | |||
| Nov. | Trentino and Veneto | Participates in the Battle of Tenno: suspected of aiding Piccinino’s escape from Tenno castle by providing his own horse. Later supports Sforza and Gattamelata in retaking Verona from Piccinino, Gian Francesco Gonzaga, and Luigi dal Verme. Pursues the fleeing enemies, capturing many. Accuses Maggio Maggi of aiding Gonzaga during Verona’s brief submission to the opponents. Sack Maggi’s palace. Venetian authorities intervene to maintain order. | |||
| Dec. | Trentino, Lombardy | With Rossano and 300 infantry, escorts a small convoy of ammunition to Brescia. Passes through Ledro and Lodrone to Lumezzane; attacks Piccinino’s forces at Rodengo-Saiano, forcing them to retreat to Rovato; enters the city, crosses Franciacorta unopposed, and escorts a column of supply carts to Brescia. | |||
| 1440 | |||||
| Jan. Mar. | Lombardy | Leaves Brescia to resupply the city. Stations in Val Camonica in March. | |||
| Apr. | Veneto | At Verona. Tasked with policing Bosco Chiesanuova with 250 infantry and 100 horsemen. Looting by infantry prompts residents to retaliate, pushing them back to Poiano. Corazza, a bandit, is captured and hanged in Verona’s wheat square. | |||
| June | Lombardy | Attacks Taliano Furlano on the bridge connecting Soncino with Orzinuovi. Sforza exploits this to seize Soncino, capturing almost all supplies and 1,500 horsemen. Sarpellione moves to Tuscany to assist Florence against Piccinino. | |||
| 1441 | |||||
| Jan. Mar. | Milan | Venice | Emilia, Lombardy | Defects from Venice to Milan in January with many horsemen, gaining the feudal lordship of Arena Po from Filippo Maria Visconti. In March, moves to Lombardy with 800 horsemen to fight under Piccinino against former captain Sforza. Conquers Lovere with cannons in April. | |
| June | Lombardy | Penetrates Val Camonica; surrounds Bergamo, intercepts 400 horsemen heading to Palazzolo sull’Oglio and 300 Florentine infantry led by Giovanni Mattei. Joins forces with Piccinino, clashes at Cignano, and is wounded. | |||
| July | Sforza | Church, Naples | Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio | Returns to Sforza’s service with 600 horsemen and 400 infantry, reaching Siena and Pitigliano, hosted by Aldobrandino Orsini. Raids Torre Alfina, capturing Luigi Monaldeschi who escapes to Bolsena. Destroys the main tower of Torre Alfina, extorting 600/1000 ducats from Monaldeschi. Attacks Orvieto exiles and Pietro Paolo Monaldeschi controlling several areas. | |
| 1442 | |||||
| …………… | Abruzzi | Reconciles with Giovanni Sforza; supports Renato d’Angiò against the Aragonese in Abruzzi. | |||
| June | Umbria, Lazio | Defends Todi with 1,000 horsemen against Pietro Giampaolo Orsini, Gian Francesco Gonzaga, and Carlo di Montone. Residents threaten surrender unless Sforza sends aid, who dispatches 800 horsemen. Unable to breach Fossato di Vico; other companies defeated at Bibbiena. Receives safe conduct from Piccinino and moves to Lazio. Raids Castro and captures 160 prisoners. | |||
| July Aug. | Lazio | Leaves Tuscania with Dolce dell’ Anguillara and Simonetto da Castel San Pietro leading 2,000 horsemen and 1,000 infantry towards Perugia. Engages Angelo di Roncone with 1,000 horsemen and 800 infantry, resulting in raids between Perugia and Todi, capturing inhabitants and livestock. Reaches Assisi. | |||
| Sept. Oct. | Marche, Lazio | Heads to Ancona, reaching Fano by sea; joins Sforza. Guards Montemilone (Pollenza). Returns to Tuscania with 500 horsemen and infantry, clashes with Everso dell’ Anguillara and Ranuccio Farnese. Concludes a twenty-day truce, then resumes hostilities. Attacks Ranuccio Farnese near Marta, Everso dell’ Anguillara at Vetralla, and Pietro Paolo Monaldeschi near Bolsena. | |||
| Nov. | 1,000 horsemen | Umbria | Raids Chiugi with 1,000 horsemen; confronts Pazzaglia in Orvieto; with Gentile della Sala’s help, declares Sforza lord of Orvieto. | ||
| Dec. | Lazio | Raids Viterbo on Christmas, seizes 8,500 sheep, 40 oxen, and captures 3 prisoners. Returns to Tuscania. | |||
| 1443 | |||||
| Jan. Feb. | Lazio | Raids Tolfa and Civitavecchia; seizes 20,000 sheep from Norcia. Everso dell’ Anguillara unsuccessfully tries to oppose his return; crosses Mignone bridge and returns to Tuscania. After Gentile della Sala’s capture at Castel Rubello, brings forage to Orvieto. Ambushed at Marta, losing 50 infantry and 20 horsemen. | |||
| Mar. | Lazio | Attacks Viterbo with 1,000 men; residents and Francesco da Carrara retreat to Grotta del Priello. Returns to Tuscania. Pursued by opponents to Cadastre; defeats them, capturing 8 men-at-arms and 32 infantry from Viterbo. | |||
| Apr. | Lazio | Continues raids in Montalto di Castro, Corneto (Tarquinia), and Civitavecchia. Captures 99 men in Tarquinia. Raids Malagrotta, seizing 1,000 cows and mares. Returns to Tuscania with grain and livestock. | |||
| May | Lazio | Scales Civitavecchia’s walls, burns a gate, enters the city, and transports booty (cheese, wine, oil, iron, and other goods) to Tuscania. | |||
| June | Lazio | Besieged in Tuscania by Piccinino but continues to receive supplies and reinforcements due to the connivance of the Count of Aversa. | |||
| July | Lazio | Captures 150 horsemen in several victorious sorties. By the end of the month, returns to Tarquinia with Dolce dell’ Anguillara; seizes over 500 loads of grain, numerous oxen, and buffaloes; takes many prisoners. Conducts a similar raid in Montalto di Castro. | |||
| Aug. | Tuscany, Lazio, Umbria | Attacks Monticchiello in Siena; assists Ugolino da Montemarte in reclaiming Montegabbione and Monteleone d’Orvieto, expelling Perugian guards. Leaves Tuscania, raids church-controlled territories. Sacks Gradoli, enters Umbria, stops at Zeppa di Valiani, gathers infantry and horsemen. Moves to Materno, conquers Piegaro after negotiating with a priest, sacks the locality. His men seize Monte Gualandro castle but are repelled from Borghetto. Moves to Maceratola and Colle San Paolo, collects 2,000 florins and 1,000 loads of grain from Perugia. Takes prisoners to Cortona. | |||
| Sept. | Marche, Romagna | Joins Sforza in Fano. Leaves the city with Sforza by sea to Rimini to meet Venetian and Florentine ambassadors; returns to Fano with armed boats and infantry. | |||
| Nov. | Marche | Defeats papal forces at Montelauro, surprising them from behind, causing panic. Sacks Montenovo despite Bianca Maria Visconti’s plea for the inhabitants. Sforza intervenes, freeing the prisoners. | |||
| 1444 | |||||
| Jan. | Marche | Stations between Chienti and Potenza rivers. Vigorously fights in Osimo and Recanati; rewarded by Sforza with funds sent by Florentines. | |||
| Feb. Apr. | Marche | Repels papal forces from Recanati at Montefano in February. Devastates Recanati’s countryside in May. | |||
| May | Marche | Informed by spies that Piccinino plans to visit Montecchio (Treia) and Pollenza to secure these places by treaty. Ambushes Piccinino on a Potenza bridge; the rival escapes to a nearby tower. | |||
| June July | Marche | Moves to Montefano to intimidate Osimo and Recanati. Papal legate Cardinal Domenico di Capranica calls Piccinino for aid. Sarpellione sends supplies to Appignano, continues guerrilla tactics against Piccinino, sets Loreto’s fields on fire, halting the enemy’s march. Piccinino retaliates with a night assault on Appignano, seizing Sarpellione’s supplies. Sarpellione retreats to Castelletta on the Chienti due to lack of provisions. | |||
| Aug. | Marche | With Francesco and Alessandro Sforza, defeats papal forces at Montolmo (Corridonia) led by Francesco Piccinino: attacks the hill on the left side, breaks through to the papal camp, captures 2,000 horsemen and numerous infantry, including Cardinal Capranica and Francesco Piccinino (handed over by a deserter named Colella). | |||
| Sept. | Marche | To claim the bounty promised by Sforza for capturing Francesco Piccinino, conspires with papal captain Giacomo da Caivana to imprison Colella. Colella is mutilated and killed; Sarpellione claims the 400 florins bounty, deposited with a banker in Fermo. | |||
| Oct. | Milan | General Captain | Marche | Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta arrives in Fermo to apologize for his ambiguous conduct in the recent war; Sarpellione and Dolce dell’ Anguillara urge Sforza to retaliate against the Lord of Rimini. Following Piccinino’s death, the Duke of Milan appoints Sarpellione as general captain. Sarpellione requests leave from Sforza to visit Milan to collect rents from his properties, but Alessandro Sforza discovers the deception. Francesco Sforza stabs Sarpellione and imprisons him. | |
| Nov. | Marche | Imprisoned in Fermo, gagged, and tortured, Sarpellione confesses to crimes he never committed. Hanged at the end of the month in the castle of Girifalco. His quartered body is publicly displayed. |
Sources
-“Fu Ciarpellione ancorché bassamente nato, d’animo grande, e perciò fin da giovanetto caro allo Sforza, sotto l’insegne di cui si portò di maniera, che da picciolo ed abbietto soldato divenne grande ed onorato capitano. Fu questi arrischiato ne’ pericoli; accorto negli stratagemmi; circospetto nell’alloggiare; prontissimo nell’assalire; valoroso nel combattere e cauto nel ritirarsi. Ma il medesimo..temerario, rapace, vario, violento e poco fedele…Uomo indegno certo, se tu consideri in somma tutte le qualità sue di finir la vita con una morte sì obbrobriosa e sì vile; e fu giudicato dalla maggior parte che Francesco (Sforza) avesse con quella azione fatto più danno alla gloria propria, che alla fama ed al nome di colui.” BALDI
-“Uno de’ più valenti Condottieri d’arme.” MURATORI
-“Condottiere audace e bellicoso.” ARGEGNI
-“Uomo famoso di gloria militare.” SABELLICO
-“Famosissimo guerriero di quei secoli.” SANSOVINO
-“Il migliore de’ tenenti generali del conte Sforza.” LAUGIER
-“El quale era el magiore fosse con lui (lo Sforza).” CRONACA MALATESTIANA
-“Virum audacem, ac bellicosissimum.” CORNAZZANO
-“Quale è homo de ventura.” Da un documento di Alessandro Sforza riportato dall’OSIO
-“Condottiere illustre della milizia sforzesca.” SPINO
-“Viro strenuo.” PLATINA
-“Vecchio e valoroso condottiero.” UGOLINI
-“Strenuo soldato.” MAGENTA
-“Capitan..di agguerrito intendimento.” VERDIZZOTTI
-“Valente capitano dello Sforza..Valorosissimo Capitano, ma crudele, avaro ed infido.” COLUCCI
-“Distinto capitano del conte (Francesco Sforza)..Il migliore de’ suoi luogotenenti.” CECCONI
-“Multo titubat Ciarpello labore/ Ni belli sortem tibi mix fortuna tulisset/ Tunc Ciarpello tuae truncassent stamina Parcae.” Versi di P. MASSIMI riportati dal PEZZANA
-“Valente capitano.” BROGLIO
-“Uno de’ primi condottieri de’ sforzeschi.” MARCUCCI
-“Fu Ciarpellione d’animo grande, ancorché bassamente nato; fin da giovinetto caro allo Sforza, sotto cui si portò in modo che di piccolo e abbietto pervenne al nome di famoso capitano. nelle fazioni di guerra quanto accorto, pronto e valoroso, tanto nel civil vivere temerario, rapace, vano, violento e poco fedele.” Da una cronaca riportata dal BALESTRACCI
-“Was alknowledged for his courage, but his lowly birth..emerged in his coarse and violent modus operandi and his conceited, avid and disloyal nature.” BALESTRACCI
-Secondo l’autore (anonimo) della storia della Val di Nievole il Sarpellione è da identificare in FRANCESCO D’AGNOLO di Pescia. Di seguito se ne riporta la descrizione così come è riportata in tale opera. “Francesco d’Agnolo di Pescia fu detto Sarpellione per avere gli occhi guasti, ed il capitano Francesco Sforza soleva appellarlo Ciarpellione non tanto per il detto difetto, quanto per la sua deforme corporatura. Infatti quest’era un gigante piuttosto, che un uomo. Superava in altezza della sua statura qualunque più alto soldato di quel tempo, ma era magro come uno scheletro, aveva le spalle smisuratamente larghe, e di quelle mani non era facile di vederne di simili. Gli occhi, quantunque grandi e biechi, erano lurchi ed alquanto lipposi. Le sopraciglie ricoprivano quasi gli occhi stessi, enormi gotacce, due portentose basette, ed una bocca spaventevole. Labbra grossissime, lunghi denti e gialli, ed una guardatura orrida. Portava i suoi capelli, che erano neri e sudici, e solea tenerli in una gran borsa. Aveva il suo lungo collo avvolto in una cravatta di bambagina, donde vedeasi uscire una mostruosa gozzaia. Del resto era vestito di buona maniera del tempo, e aveva al fianco la spada con un gruppo di nastri rossi. Portava legaccie di cuoio sotto le ginocchie, e teneva due pugnali alla cintura. Questi era un uomo di oscurissimi natali, ma vano, audace, violento, e perciò molto gradito ai Ghibellini.” ANONIMO
-“Zarpellio, qui ex humili admodum loco per Francisci disciplinam atque opem ad magnam rei militaris laudem famamque pervenerat, avaritia ac studio non tam militiae quam rei familiaris augendae ductus, ad Philippum per Picinini operam transfugit.” SIMONETTA
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