- Alberico da Barbiano
Alberico da Barbiano (c. 1344 – 1409) was an Italian
condottiero .Biography
Born in Barbiano di
Cotignola , a commune of what is nowEmilia-Romagna , Alberico was son of one Aldisio, member of a family ofCarolingian origin who possessed fiefs in he cities ofCunio and Lugo.Alberico made his first military experience in the "compagnia" of the English captain
John Hawkwood , taking part to the famous slaughters ofFaenza and Cesena in the 1370s. Allegedly touched by these excesses, Alberico left the foreign compagnia, deciding to form a military corps constituted only by Italian mercenaries.Barbiano's "Compagnia di San Giorgio" ("St. George Company") renovated the military style of the mercenary companies of the period, with sharply improved cavalry armors and tactics, and with a strong attention paid to the training aspect. Famous condottieri like
Facino Cane ,Jacopo dal Verme ,Braccio da Montone andMuzio Attendolo began their military career in the St. George Company. Starting with 200 men, Alberico could soon boast 4,000 soldiers under his command, prompting a quick decline of the foreign companies that had dominated the Italian grounds till that moment.The first "condotta" ("contract") for Alberico's force was in 1378, at the service of
Barnabò Visconti ofMilan , against theScaliger and theCarraresi . The following year Alberico was called byPope Urban VI to fight againstAntipope Clement VII , the slaughterer of Cesena. The latter's infamous Breton troops were crushed in the neighbourhood of Rome onJune 29 ,1379 , after five hours of battles.Alberico was later involved in the war for the Crown of Naples between Queen Joan I (and her husband Otto of Brunswick) and
Charles of Durazzo , backed by Urban VI. OnJune 18 ,1381 , Alberico defeated Otto and subsequently besieged Joan in theCastel Nuovo ofNaples . After the latter was captured and imprisoned in theAbruzzi , Barbiano was named "gran conestabile" ("chief of staff") by the new king Charles III, and in his new role he had to faceLouis I of Anjou , Joan's heir, who had arrived in Italy with an army of 40,000 men. Alberico managed to protectForlì and Cesena. However, Louis defeated Charles III atCampobasso and was declared king of Naples.Louis eventually died after a pestilence, while Urban VI changed side declaring Alberico, who was besieging him in Nocera, enemy of the church. Charles was assassinated on
February 24 ,1387 , but Barbiano declared loyal to the latter's son Ladislas. The latter had to face a new French invasion, this time led by Louis II. Alberico for the first time in his career was defeated, atAscoli Piceno , in 1392.Gian Galeazzo Visconti paid 3,000 florins for his freedom, engaging him for the war againstFlorence ,Bologna andMantua . During this campaign his brother, Giovanni, was captured and beheaded by the enemy condottieroAstorre I Manfredi .Alberico, eager of vengeance, won a series of battles in 1397 and was ready for the final siege of Mantua. However, a treaty of peace signed by Visconti with
Francesco I of Gonzaga stopped him.On
June 26 ,1402 , he defeated a Bolognese-Florentine army at theBattle of Casalecchio , leading to the Milanese conquest of Bologna. The following year he left Milan to enter again service to Ladislas of Naples.Alberico da Barbiano died in the Spring of 1409, in voyage to meet his king at
Città della Pieve (Umbria ).Dynasty
His son Ludovico was count of Lugo from 1411. The latter's son Alberico II was ousted from the city in 1431, and moved to
Lombardy , where they become feudataries ofBelgioioso (currentprovince of Pavia ). In 1566 the Barbiano-Belgioioso received the title of "Grandees of Spain"Cruiser "Alberico da Barbiano"
In 1930 the Italian
Regia Marina launched a cruiser of the "Condottieri" class named after Alberico da Barbiano.References
*cite book|first=Claudio |last=Rendina|title=I capitani di ventura|publisher=Newton & Compton|location=Rome|year= 1994
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