Marsilio’s Mastery of Diplomacy and War
Marsilio da Carrara (Marsilio I da Carrara) of Padua. Lord of Padua, Monselice, Este, Castelbaldo, Cittadella, and Bassano del Grappa. He was the uncle of Marsilio dei Rossi, Pietro dei Rossi, Andrea dei Rossi, and Rolando dei Rossi.
Born: 1294
Death: 1338, March
| Year, Month | State, Mercenary Company | Opponent | Conduct | Area of Activity | Actions Taken and Other Notable Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1314 | |||||
| Sept. | Padua | Verona | Veneto | Accompanied Vanni Scornazzani and Ponzino Ponzoni in the attack on Vicenza; captured by the Scaligeri while the Paduans were looting the suburbs. | |
| ………….. | Veneto | Held prisoner in Vicenza; treated liberally by Cangrande della Scala, Lord of Verona. Remained as a hostage in the city while Vanni Scornazzani and Giacomo da Carrara were released to go to Padua to negotiate peace with the adversaries. | |||
| 1318 | Veneto | Sold the feuds he possessed in Treviso to the commune of Treviso. Drew closer to the Scaligeri. Later changed sides again. | |||
| 1319 | |||||
| Autumn | Padua | Verona | Veneto | Defended Padua, besieged by the Scaligeri. | |
| Nov. | Veneto | Together with Antonio da Curtarolo, declared the exiles of the city and their families rebels, confiscating their properties. The adversaries destroyed his houses in the countryside. | |||
| 1320 | |||||
| Aug. | Veneto | Again defended Padua. Defeated Cangrande della Scala at Bassanello: in the clash, 500 to 800 men from both sides fell; 600 to 1800 Scaligeri were captured. Marsilio da Carrara captured the exile Macaruffo dei Macaruffi, who was killed by Tartaro da Lendinara while being brought to Padua. | |||
| 1323/1324 | Padua | Verona | Veneto | Supported Niccolò da Carrara, Giovanni da Camposampiero, and Albertino Mussato in their opposition to the return of pro-Scaligeri rebels to Padua. Urged the vicar of the Duke of Carinthia to enter Treviso to confront the Scaligeri. | |
| 1325 | |||||
| June | Veneto | Guglielmo Dente was killed in Padua by Ubertino da Carrara and Tartaro da Lendinara. Paolo Dente incited a tumult against the Carraresi: Marsilio da Carrara intervened immediately, banishing Corrado da Vigonza and the Dente family from the city; Albertino Mussato was forced to flee to Chioggia, Giovanni da Camposampiero was exiled to Venice. Marsilio da Carrara, with his family, became the lord of Padua. | |||
| 1326 | |||||
| Mar. | Padua | Exiles | Veneto | Confronted the exiles led by Corrado da Vigonza. The adversaries seized the Torre del Curano. Along with Niccolò da Carrara, planned to retake the fortress. Leading some German mercenaries and other chosen soldiers, he attacked and quickly captured the tower. There was little bloodshed. Corrado da Vigonza was captured in a nearby swamp. Brought to Padua, he was beheaded. | |
| June | Padua | Treviso | Veneto | Supported Guecellone Tempesta Avogario in Treviso against Alteniero degli Azzoni. The plot was discovered. The city council, under pressure from Ugo di Duino, the vicar of the Countess of Gorizia, forced him and Tempesta to leave the city. | |
| Dec. | Veneto | At the end of the month, informed by Tartaro da Lendinara of a conspiracy against him organized by Niccolò da Carrara. The conspirator was exiled to Chioggia. | |||
| 1327 | |||||
| Jan. | Veneto | Upon hearing that Guecellone Tempesta Avogario had taken over Treviso, he sent Engelmario di Villandres to the city under the pretext of assisting him. His intervention was not well received by the new lord of the city. | |||
| Oct. – Dec. | Padua | Exiles, Verona | Veneto, Austria | Fought against Niccolò da Carrara, supported by the Scaligeri and Rizzardo da Camino. The Count of Gorizia sent Corrado di Auffenstein with 1000 German cavalry to assist him. The Scaligeri chose to abandon the field; Niccolò da Carrara, who had taken Este, remained. Began to besiege the locality. Rumors spread of significant reinforcements for the adversaries: fearing being caught between two fires, he decided to retreat. In late Dec., accompanied by Filippo da Peraga and other nobles, he traveled to Tyrol to secure concrete aid from Duke Henry of Carinthia to better face the Padovan exiles and their Scaligeri allies. | |
| 1328 | |||||
| Jan. | Padua | Verona | Veneto | The Scaligeri occupied Este and Monselice; Rizzardo da Camino and Ettore Savorgnano also sided with them, while the aid expected from Carinthia failed due to the defection of Corrado di Auffenstein. Moreover, Niccolò da Carrara’s raids, the disorders provoked in Padua by Ubertino da Carrara and Tartaro da Lendinara, and the constant abuses by the German garrison against the population led him to end this state of affairs. Offered Padua to the Lord of Verona. Cangrande accepted. The pact was guaranteed by the marriage of Mastino della Scala, Cangrande’s nephew, to Taddea da Carrara. Mastino secretly went to Venice to marry Taddea, who was then residing there. The marriage was celebrated on the island of San Giorgio in Alga and consummated in the presence of Filippo da Peraga and Spinetta Malaspina. | |
| Aug. | Veneto | Entered into conflict with Griffo di Villandres, the Podestà who nominally governed Padua on behalf of Duke Henry of Carinthia. | |||
| Sept. | Verona | Veneto | In early Sept., he introduced several hundred armed peasants into the city. On the same day, he convened the general council and had himself appointed as the captain of the city by Griffo di Villandres. The assembly also decided to appoint Marsilio dei Rossi as Podestà of Padua. Marsilio da Carrara persuaded the citizens to submit to the lordship of Cangrande della Scala. He then traveled to Verona to offer the keys to the city. In the following days, he expelled Griffo di Villandres from Padua and triumphantly welcomed the new lord of the city. The two rode side by side; a solemn Te Deum was sung in the cathedral. The next day, Marsilio da Carrara publicly presented the banner of the commune to Cangrande, who returned it to him. He was appointed as the city’s vicar, while Bernardino Nogarola was named Podestà and Spinetta Malaspina was appointed as the general captain. | ||
| Nov. | Veneto | In Verona. At the end of the month, during a grand celebration hosted by Cangrande to celebrate the marriage of Taddea da Carrara to Mastino della Scala (with 5000 guests), he was knighted along with Pietro dal Verme and 36 other nobles. They were gifted a destrier, a decorated palfrey, and two fur-lined robes. Marsilio da Carrara was appointed as the vicar of Padua and received the city’s banner; the properties of the Santa Giustina monastery and the exiled Guelphs Macaruffi, Dente, Terradura, Bugli, Ronchi, Altechini, and Malizia were confiscated in his favor. | |||
| 1329 | |||||
| Jan. | Veneto | Resided in Verona. | |||
| May | Verona | Church | Emilia and Lombardy | Sent to the Parma area to assist Marsilio dei Rossi in his struggle with the papal legate Bertrando del Poggetto. Near Casalmaggiore, he fell into an ambush set by Simone da Correggio and was forced into a ruinous retreat. | |
| June | Emilia and Veneto | Managed to enter Parma with only two companions. Persuaded the defenders to surrender. Returned to Verona. | |||
| July | Verona | Treviso | General Captain | Veneto | Offended by the Lord of Treviso, Guecellone Tempesta, he supported the della Scala in their initiative against the city. He left Padua with Bailardino Nogarola, leading 3000 cavalry and 30000 infantry (supplied by Verona, Vicenza, Padua, the nobles of Castelbarco, the exiles from Brescia, and other mercenaries). From Piombino Dese, they moved to the territory of Bassano del Grappa, and finally approached Treviso. The Lord of Verona set up his headquarters at the monastery of Saints Quaranta. Behind him was Marsilio da Carrara, while to the east of the city was Nogarola, Podestà, and commander of the Vicenza troops. Cangrande della Scala ordered the construction of bridges over the Sile and Mestre canals to facilitate supplies and potential retreats. The entire territory around Treviso was deforested to prevent anyone from entering or leaving the city. The defenders received no aid from Venice, the Count of Gorizia, or the Duke of Carinthia. Instead, Rizzardo and Gerardo da Camino and Guglielmo da Onigo allied with the Scaligeri. Guecellone Tempesta initiated secret negotiations with Cangrande and, after 14 days, surrendered the city. That same month, della Scala died, either from sudden fever or poisoning. Marsilio da Carrara was at his bedside with Bailardino Nogarola. Before his death, the Lord of Verona recommended him to look after the interests of Mastino and Alberto della Scala. |
| ………….. | Veneto | In Conegliano; witnessed the city’s submission to the Scaligeri. Transferred from the governance of Padua to the Podesteria of Vicenza. | |||
| 1330 | |||||
| June | Verona | Brescia | General Captain | Lombardy | Accompanied the Lord of Verona, Mastino della Scala, against Brescia, commanding 2000 cavalry and many infantry. Advanced to Lake Garda, capturing San Felice del Benaco, Polpenazze del Garda, Puegnago del Garda, Gavardo, and other castles. The Scaligeri army included many exiles from Brescia. Vineyards, crops, and fruit trees were cut down and set on fire. |
| July | Lombardy | Besieged Brescia; encountered stronger resistance than expected (King John of Bohemia had entered the city), and could only plunder the countryside. After completing the destructive work, the army retreated towards Padenghe sul Garda, which was captured after a few days of siege. | |||
| Sept. | Lombardy and Veneto | Resumed operations, laying waste to the entire western shore of Lake Garda; occupied the Val di Sabbia. Brescia’s strong political reaction, culminating in the exclusion of Ghibelline families from all offices in the city, convinced Mastino della Scala to abandon the operations. The adversaries, led by Negro Brusati, reclaimed the previously lost castles. Marsilio da Carrara returned to Padua to manage the interests of his brother-in-law Tisone da Camposampiero. | |||
| Oct. | Veneto | Ordered the strangulation of his sister Cunizza, widow of Tisone da Camposampiero, guilty of killing her husband with her lover Enrico di Borgogna. | |||
| 1331 | |||||
| Apr. | Verona | Camino | Veneto | His soldiers captured Gerardo da Camino in Conegliano: the Venetians intervened, securing both the release of da Camino, a citizen of the Serenissima, and the promotion of a peace treaty. | |
| May – June | Verona | Brescia | Lombardy | Moved from Asola to return near Brescia. Made an agreement with the city’s Guelphs, led by Corradino dei Bocchi and Negro Brusati. | |
| July | Lombardy | Arrived at the gates of Brescia, raising false papal flags, while his men shouted in support of the Papal States. The Guelphs revolted and opened the Porta di San Giovanni for him. King John of Bohemia’s soldiers retreated to the castle and surrendered it to the Scaligeri for money. The Guelphs wreaked havoc on the Maggi and other Ghibellines for three days. | |||
| Aug. | Veneto | Together with Spinetta Malaspina, Bonacio Gangalandi, and Ettore di Panigo, attended a meeting in Castelbaldo where the representatives of Verona, Mantua, and Ferrara decided to jointly oppose the policies of John of Bohemia. | |||
| Sept. | Lombardy | Appointed to the governance of Brescia. Began fortifying the city and demolished numerous towers and castles (about sixty in the entire territory). | |||
| 1332 | |||||
| Sept. | Verona, Milan | Church, King of Bohemia | Lombardy | At Orzivecchi with Azzone Visconti; moved to besiege Bergamo: to maintain order in the camp, he hanged some German soldiers from his companies who had robbed local peasants. A conflict arose between the mercenaries and the Bresciani under his command, resulting in the death of 300 men: eventually, the mercenaries abandoned his ranks, and the Visconti forces entered Bergamo. | |
| ………….. | Lombardy and Veneto | Moved to Palazzolo sull’Oglio with anti-papal allies. From there, he continued to Verona. During this period, he allegedly poisoned his wife Bartolomea Scrovegni in Verona, possibly suspecting her of adultery with Mastino della Scala (her tomb is in a chapel in the Basilica of Sant’Antonio in Padua). | |||
| 1333 | |||||
| July | Veneto and Trentino | Went to Peschiera del Garda; negotiated a ten-year truce for the Scaligeri with Marsilio dei Rossi, acting on behalf of the King of Bohemia. Escorted Charles of Bohemia from Verona to Chiusa d’Adige on his return to Germany via Trento. | |||
| Oct. | Trentino | Accompanied John of Bohemia from Verona to Chiusa d’Adige. | |||
| 1334 | |||||
| Spring | Empire | Milan, Verona | Emilia | Replaced in the vicariate of Brescia by Manfredo Malaspina. Fought for John of Bohemia against the Visconti and the Scaligeri. Arrived in the Parma area to assist the Rossi; stationed at the defense of Brescello with 300 cavalry and 300 infantry. | |
| July – Aug. | Veneto | Married Beatrice da Correggio, daughter of Guido. The wedding was celebrated in Verona; numerous jousts and tournaments were organized for the occasion. Among the wedding gifts was a notable one from Treviso, containing 600 florins. In Aug., the abbot of Santa Giustina in Padua traveled to Verona, hoping to recover the abbey’s confiscated properties, which had been granted to Marsilio da Carrara. He narrowly escaped harm before leaving the city safely. | |||
| 1335 | |||||
| June | Emilia | Convinced Marsilio dei Rossi to agree to terms with the Scaligeri. | |||
| Sept. | Verona | Lombardy | Renounced the governance of Brescia. The position was taken over by Spinetta Malaspina. | ||
| Nov. | Tuscany | Met with Pietro dei Rossi in Lucca and convinced him to cede the locality to Mastino della Scala. | |||
| 1336 | |||||
| ………….. | Veneto | In Verona at the Scaliger court. To avenge the family’s honor (his brother Ubertino’s wife was raped by Alberto della Scala), he resorted to a deception reported only by a single source, the Anonimo Romano. On the one hand, he urged the Lord of Verona to create a saltworks in Bovolenta to free himself from the need to purchase the product from the Venetians, who held a monopoly. He was sent on a diplomatic mission to Venice to resolve this dispute with the Serenissima: initially, he was threatened with death by the population. Despite this, he secretly encouraged the authorities of the republic to oppose Mastino della Scala’s claims. He also offered the Venetians his support in exchange for the lordship of Padua. This was the reason for the conflict (the so-called War of the Salt) that would oppose Verona to Venice. | |||
| July | Verona | Venice | Veneto | Leading 1600 cavalry and 6000 infantry, he moved from Treviso with Alberto della Scala, Ubertino da Carrara, Guecellone Tempesta, and Spinetta Malaspina. They aimed to occupy Oderzo, which had fallen into the hands of Gerardo da Camino. In an assault on the walls, some mills were set on fire; the smoke was blown by the wind towards the defenders. Gerardo da Camino emerged with his men to extinguish the fires. The enemy was too numerous, forcing them to retreat. The Scaligeri pursued and managed to enter the gate after them. The opposing captain was captured. | |
| Aug. | Veneto | Again in Venice, bearing some peace proposals. Had a secret meeting with Doge Francesco Dandolo, who had meanwhile formed an alliance with the Florentines. | |||
| Oct. – Nov. | Veneto | Moved to Treviso to collect money necessary to continue the conflict: the inhabitants sent Giovanni della Vazzola and Sinibaldo Ainardi to seek his support to make the Scaligeri withdraw from their new impositions. In Padua, there were 3000 German cavalry as a garrison: the population was harassed by the presence of these soldiers. Marsilio da Carrara, struck by this situation and, at the same time, wishing to weaken the city’s defenses for his purposes, decided to transfer half of them to Este. The Scaligeri complied. However, the situation did not change. In early Nov., the Germans remaining in the city killed 200 inhabitants of Padua and systematically looted the suburb of Santa Croce, committing thefts and violence. They were confronted by Ubertino da Carrara, who, at the head of some armed men, tried to stop them at the Prato della Valle. Five hundred mercenaries routed him. | |||
| 1337 | |||||
| Apr. | Veneto | The situation for Mastino della Scala deteriorated. That month, Marsilio da Carrara was entrusted with the surveillance of the gates of Padua. In the same days, he lent the Lord of Verona 30000 florins to prevent the city’s inhabitants from being subjected to new taxes to cover the war expenses. | |||
| June | Veneto | With Ubertino da Carrara, attacked Pietro dei Rossi in Bovolenta, whose army had dwindled because Marsilio dei Rossi had left the Venetian camp to confront the Scaligeri in the Veronese. | |||
| July | Veneto | With Ubertino da Carrara, leading 2500 cavalry, blocked the path of Marsilio dei Rossi in Anguillara Veneta; tried to prevent this captain from joining Pietro dei Rossi’s army. Defections among the Scaligeri frustrated all his attempts. At the end of the month, Mastino della Scala ordered his brother Alberto, stationed in Padua, to kill Marsilio and Ubertino da Carrara for treason. The Lord of Verona’s brother did not immediately act on this: the delay allowed Marsilio to send a peregrine falcon to Pietro dei Rossi. The message urged him to present himself at Porta Pontecorvo, which he would find open. | |||
| Aug. | Venice | Verona | General Captain, 400 cavalry | Veneto | Padua was attacked by Pietro dei Rossi: 500 German cavalry entered the city through Porta Pontecorvo, followed by the rest of the troops who entered the walls without difficulty. Pietro dei Rossi stormed into Padua through Porta di Santo Stefano (Pontecorvo); Alberto della Scala was captured along with Podestà Guidoriccio da Fogliano. Marsilio da Carrara saved both their lives by transferring them to his palace for protection. That same day, the Venetians sent him three ambassadors (Marco Loredan, Giustiniano Giustinian, and Andrea Morosini) who conferred upon Marsilio da Carrara the lordship of Padua; the Venetians appointed him general captain and entrusted him with the command of 400 cavalry. As his first act, he allowed the Scaligeri troops to leave the city with arms and horses. Mid-month, he traveled to Venice to pay homage to Doge Francesco Dandolo: he accepted that in Padua, the Podestà would be appointed by the Serenissima. With the death of Pietro dei Rossi, he moved to besiege Monselice: when Pietro dal Verme hanged some supporters of the Carraresi in the locality (Baldo da Poiana and Zilio da Montello), he hanged seven men in front of the city’s gates. |
| Sept. | Veneto | Some of his assaults on Monselice’s walls were repelled. | |||
| Oct. – Nov. | Veneto | Still besieging the castle of Monselice with Rolando dei Rossi. After failed attempts to capture the city through a treaty, he ordered the construction of a large wooden tower, taller than the walls, from which the attackers could descend onto the city walls. In mid-Nov., the defenders managed to set it on fire. Marsilio da Carrara did not lose heart, ordering the castle to be surrounded with a deep trench to prevent any relief to the defenders from the outside. He also built four bastions (at San Giacomo, San Salvaro, San Michele, and towards the mountain) that were stocked with provisions and ammunition. He then divided the troops into two parts: one remained at Monselice to continue the blockade, while with the other he moved to Montagnana to control both Vicenza and Verona. | |||
| Dec. | Veneto | In Venice for initial peace negotiations with Mastino della Scala. The Venetians recognized his lordship over Padua, Monselice, Este, Castelbaldo, Cittadella, and Bassano del Grappa. | |||
| 1338 | |||||
| Mar. | Veneto | Oppressed by a severe flux, he died in Padua at the end of the month due to the heavy hardships suffered during the recent war. He chose his cousin Ubertino da Carrara as his successor and universal heir. Marsilio da Carrara was initially buried in Padua in the Basilica of Sant’Antonio, in the Chapel of San Giacomo, alongside Pietro and Marsilio dei Rossi. Later, his body was entombed in Carrara San Giorgio (Due Carrare) in the Church of Santo Stefano. His funeral cost the community 3000 florins. He built the walls of Padua from Porta della Trinità, known as Codalunga, to Porta Pontecorvo and from Prato della Valle to San Michele. He built a monastery in Venice, on the Giudecca, with the church of Santa Maria Novella, later renamed San Giacomo dei Servi di Maria: in the sacristy, a portrait of him by Tintoretto is preserved. Married Beatrice Scrovegni and Beatrice da Correggio, daughter of Guido. |
Sources
-“Egli fu dotato di qualità personali, che lo rendevano chiaro, ed illustre fra tutti i Principi, che allora vivevano: di somma pietà, di illibato costume, di esperimentato valore, fedelissimo cogli amici, ma co’ nimici anzi crudo che no. Fu di alta statura, di bell’aspetto e maestoso, di membra vigorose, di molta prudenza e facondia, amantissimo dell’onestà, sagace ed accorto quanto altro mai.” VERCI
-“Vir utique probus et audax..Fuit miles toto corpore pulcher, omnia adimplere studens, quae optabat: amicis fidelissimus, durissimus inimicis.” CORTUSII
-“Questo mesier Marsilio, no voiando instar alla soa innumerabile richeça, fo homo de tanta vertude, senno et antivedere, che, siando citadino de Pava (Padova), ello no posea men in la ditta terra che siando signore, et anchora habiando alienada la ditta terra, no possea men in quella che siando ella in soa libertade.” N. D’ALESSIO
-“E in questa sua signoria portossi sì bene, che venne in amore e in benevolenza di tuto il popolo, perché sempre in lui fu justitia e fede e speranza e charittà e fortezza..Costui portò per cimiero una testa con tutto il petto d’un liopardo e la banda de l’elmo biancha, e ‘l liopardo e la banda tuta carcha di rode d’oro, con code d’armelino fitte in mezo quelle, e ne la targa bianca un caro rosso.” GATARI
-“Evasit omnium ditissimus, et ex plurimis victoriis dux in bello clarissimus. Is fuit acerrimua Reipublicae defensor, quaternus privato licuit.” SCARDEONE
-“Egregii..animi, virtute, prudentia, liberalitate et cum magnanimitate, placabilitate ingente fuit.” VERGERIO
-“Costui si portò valorosamente in casa e fuori..Huomo molto prudente e di gran consiglio.” SANSOVINO
-“Svolse una parte di primo piano nel quadro della complessa situazione padovana del primo Trecento, agitata da lotte interne e travagliata..dalla guerra con Cangrande della Scala.” M. C. CANGUZZA BILLANOVICH
-“Marsilio fu un savio cavalier e molto scaltrito e secreto.” ANONIMO ROMANO
-“per il signore di Padova furono celebrati sontuosi funerali che costarono tremila fiorini: i più nobili della città lo portarono disteso sopra un letto purpureo, ad uso regale, ornato d’oro e d’argento, preceduto da otto cavalli bardati: l’accompagnava il clero con i doppieri. La sua vedova Beatrice da Correggio si ritira in Verona.” CIPOLLA
-Epitaffio che compare sulla sua tomba “Vir bonus et prudens, quem dat Carraria, miles/ Marsilius jacet hic, Paduae dominusque redemptor,/ Qui post expulsos fortes saevosque; tyrannos/ Scaligeros animum sublimem reddidit astris./ Annis millenis tercentum, terque, decenis,/ Bis quater Christi benedicti luce paracta.”
