Between papal gold and Florentine promises: the military career of John Thornbury
JOHN THORNBURY (Giovanni Tornaberini, also known as Giovanni Tornabarile or Giovanni Tornabrill), Englishman. Originally from Shropshire, he became lord of Castrocaro Terme, Meldola, and Bertinoro.
Death: 1390 ca.
| Year, Month | State, Comp. ventura | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ………….. | England | France | France | Fights in the Hundred Years’ War under John of Gaunt. Leaves France in 1369. | |
| 1369 | |||||
| Aug. | Perugia | Church | Lazio | Serves Perugia in the company of John Hawkwood (Giovanni Acuto). Besieges at Viterbo the troops of Pope Urban V (Urbano V). Burns surrounding vineyards and captures Montalto di Castro. | |
| 1371 | |||||
| Oct. | Church | 76 lances | Serves the Papal State with 76 lances, 17 mounted archers with pages, and 39 archers without pages. Receives a monthly stipend of 200 ducats. | ||
| 1372 | |||||
| …………. | Church | Marshal | Assigned as marshal within the company of John Hawkwood (Giovanni Acuto). | ||
| Nov. | Umbria | Summoned to Perugia by papal vicar Gherardo di Puy, Abbot of Montmajeur; remains until the following January. | |||
| 1373 | Church | Milan | Marshal | Piedmont and Umbria | Confronts Visconti forces while marshal. The pope orders him to urge John Hawkwood (Giovanni Acuto) to attack Vercelli and recommends a protégé. In May he is suspected of desertion because of wage arrears; the pontiff promises him the castle of Montalto (Marche). At year‑end he supports Hawkwood in the Perugia area. |
| 1374 | |||||
| June | Emilia | After a one‑year truce between papal and Visconti forces he is at Ferrara with John Hawkwood (Giovanni Acuto) preparing to raid Tuscany. Joined by Giovanni Breccia (John Bryce), Guglielmo Cogno (William Gold), Richard Ramsey, and Filippo Puer (Philip Power). Agreement reached with Florence; enters Mugello, marches in three columns (Hawkwood centre, Tornaberini and Cogne on a wing) toward Pisa. | |||
| July | Comp. ventura | Florence Pisa | Tuscany | Halts in the Pisan area with Hawkwood and Cogne; moves to Val di Calci, receiving 2 500 florins (500 florins annually). Granted Lucca citizenship; passes Capannoli, Forcoli, Valdera; reaches Pomarance and Laterina. | |
| Aug. | Tuscany | The Pisans pay the remaining 35 500 florins to prevent further attacks. | |||
| Sept. | Church | Florence Perugia | Tuscany and Umbria | Enters the Città di Castello area. Perugia rebels; papal troops hold the citadel. Called by the defenders, Giovanni Tornaberini reaches Ponte San Giovanni and, with Hawkwood, attempts relief. | |
| Nov. | With Richard Ramsey pressures Siena for settlement of their credits. | ||||
| Dec. | Church | Perugia | Umbria | Supports John Hawkwood (Giovanni Acuto) in an unsuccessful attempt to lift the siege of the Perugia citadel. After surrender terms are accepted, Tornaberini prevents looting of fifteen wagons carrying the belongings of those leaving the fortress. | |
| 1375 | |||||
| Jan. | Umbria | Supervises compliance with capitulation terms at San Martino in Campo while former besieged forces evacuate toward San Giorgio. | |||
| Feb. | Romagna Marche | Papal pay delayed; as compensation he is granted lordship of Meldola. Pope Gregory XI (Gregorio XI) also awards his natural son Philip a benefice in Lincoln previously promised to followers of John Wycliffe. Moves toward the Marche mid‑month. | |||
| May | Emilia | Bologna rebels. Sent with William Cogne and Philip Puer (100 horse) to reconnoitre; force defeated, Cogne, Puer and several captains’ sons captured. | |||
| Sept. | Tuscany | Follows John Hawkwood (Giovanni Acuto) in Tuscany. Uses influence to block any agreement between the Compagnia Santa and Florence proposed by Ruggero Cane. | |||
| 1377 | |||||
| Summer | Romagna | Receives the lordship of Castrocaro Terme from the papacy. | |||
| ………….. | Florence | Church | Tuscany | Follows John Hawkwood (Giovanni Acuto) in changing sides. | |
| 1378 | |||||
| Feb. | Tuscany | Stations at San Quirico with John Hawkwood (Giovanni Acuto) and John Breccia (Giovanni Breccia). | |||
| Apr. | Verona | Milan | Veneto | Serves the Scaligeri; helps defend Verona against Hawkwood’s forces. | |
| May | Veneto | Captured by English troops in Visconti service; released after ransom. Requests asylum from the Gonzaga and residence in Mantua, expressing wish to return to England. | |||
| Oct.–Dec. | Antipope | Church | Romagna | Appointed castellan of Cesena. Besieged by Galeotto Malatesta of Rimini, who digs two moats with palisades, opens four tunnels under the walls, and bombards the fortress with five mangonels and bombards. | |
| 1379 | |||||
| Jan. | Romagna | With no prospect of relief from Antipope Clement VII, negotiates surrender with Bishop Filippo Carafa of Bologna. | |||
| ………….. | Romagna | For wage arrears the papacy pledges Bertinoro to him; later in the year he returns the town to papal control. | |||
| Apr. | Florence | Mercenary companies | Captain of war | Tuscany | Returns to Tuscany; commands a league of communes against minor mercenary bands ravaging the region. Receives 250 florins. |
| 1380 | |||||
| ………….. | Tuscany | Complains to Siena about delays in payment. | |||
| Apr. | England | Receives absolution from King Richard II for war crimes committed in France during the Hundred Years’ War. | |||
| ………….. | England | Returns to England; joins the retinue of John of Gaunt, with whom he had fought before moving to Italy. | |||
| 1382 | Spain | Campaigns alongside John of Gaunt in Castile. | |||
| ………….. | England | Returns permanently to England, living as a landowner and Member of Parliament. | |||
| 1390 | England | Dies. |
Featured image: Wikimedia
