Battle of Montaperti
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Montaperti was fought on September 4, 1260, between Florence
and Siena
in Tuscany
as part of the conflict between the Guelphs and Ghibellines
. It gained notoriety for an act of treachery that turned the tide of the battle, which was immortalised by Dante Alighieri
in his poem Divine Comedy.
respectively in Italy
during the 12th and 13th centuries; in practice, the divide between these factions often had more to do with local rivalries than with the hostility between papacy and empire.
In the middle of the 13th century, the Guelphs held sway in Florence whilst the Ghibellines controlled Siena. In 1258, the Guelphs succeeded in expelling from Florence the last of the Ghibellines with any real power; they followed this with the murder of Tesauro Beccharia, Abbot of Vallombrosa
, who was accused of plotting the return of the Ghibellines.
The feud came to a head two years later when the Florentines, supported by their allies from around Tuscany (Bologna
, Prato
, Lucca
, Orvieto
, San Gimignano
, San Miniato
, Volterra
and Colle Val d'Elsa), moved an army of some 35,000 men towards Siena. The Sienese called for help from King Manfred of Sicily
, who provided a contingent of German
mercenary heavy cavalry. The Sienese forces were led by Farinata degli Uberti
, an exiled Florentine Ghibelline. Even with these reinforcements, though, they could only raise an army of 20,000.
Though seemingly reckless, the Sienese were confident in counterattacking with such a significant numerical disadvantage because their charge was a signal to a member of the Florentine army, Bocca degli Abati. Although Bocca fought for Florence alongside the Guelphs, he was at heart a Ghibelline.
At the sign of the counterattack he made his way across the Florentine lines towards the standard-bearer
of the Florentine army and hacked off his hand, causing the Florentine flag to fall. In the military climate of the day, the standard was all important—troops did not use uniforms, so the standard served as a way of knowing where the troop leader was and that he was still safe and in command—so the loss of their standard caused the Florentine army to panic.
Seizing this opportunity within the confusion, hundreds of Florentine Ghibellines attacked their Guelph compatriots as the main Sienese army charged, and the Florentines were routed, pursued by their enemies as they fled. It is estimated that some 10,000 men died on the Guelph side.
After the battle, the German soldiers in the Sienese army used part of their pay to found the Church of San Giorgio
in Pantaneto—the Germans had called on Saint George
as their battle-cry during the battle.
, who was himself away from the battle scene, on embassy in Castile
seeking help for Guelph Florence from Alfonso X el Sabio
. Dante would have learned of the battle, its preparations (documented by Latini in the Libro di Montaperti), strategies and treachery, as well as those of the Battles of Benevento
and Tagliacozzo
, from the Chancellor, using material also to be gleaned later by Giovanni Villani
, the Florentine merchant and historian. As a result Dante reserved a place in the ninth circle of Hell for the traitor Bocca degli Abati in his Divine Comedy:
The Ghibelline commander Farinata degli Uberti
is also consigned to Dante's hell, not for his conduct in the battle, but for his alleged heretical adherence to the philosophy of Epicurus
.
Republic of Florence
The Republic of Florence , or the Florentine Republic, was a city-state that was centered on the city of Florence, located in modern Tuscany, Italy. The republic was founded in 1115, when the Florentine people rebelled against the Margraviate of Tuscany upon Margravine Matilda's death. The...
and Siena
Republic of Siena
The Republic of Siena , was a state originating from the city of Siena in Tuscany, Central Italy.It existed for over four hundreds years, from the late 11th century until the year 1555, when was defeated by the rival Duchy of Florence in alliance with the Spanish crown...
in Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
as part of the conflict between the Guelphs and Ghibellines
Guelphs and Ghibellines
The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in central and northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the split between these two parties was a particularly important aspect of the internal policy of the Italian city-states...
. It gained notoriety for an act of treachery that turned the tide of the battle, which was immortalised by Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
in his poem Divine Comedy.
Guelphs and Ghibellines
The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions at least nominally supporting the Papacy and the Holy Roman EmpireHoly Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
respectively in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
during the 12th and 13th centuries; in practice, the divide between these factions often had more to do with local rivalries than with the hostility between papacy and empire.
In the middle of the 13th century, the Guelphs held sway in Florence whilst the Ghibellines controlled Siena. In 1258, the Guelphs succeeded in expelling from Florence the last of the Ghibellines with any real power; they followed this with the murder of Tesauro Beccharia, Abbot of Vallombrosa
Vallombrosa
Vallombrosa is a Benedictine abbey in the comune of Reggello , c. 30 km south-east of Florence, in the Apennines, surrounded by forests of beech and firs. It was founded by Giovanni Gualberto, a Florentine noble, in 1038 and became the mother house of the Vallumbrosan Order.It was extended...
, who was accused of plotting the return of the Ghibellines.
The feud came to a head two years later when the Florentines, supported by their allies from around Tuscany (Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, Prato
Prato
Prato is a city and comune in Tuscany, Italy, the capital of the Province of Prato. The city is situated at the foot of Monte Retaia , the last peak in the Calvana chain. The lowest altitude in the comune is 32 m, near the Cascine di Tavola, and the highest is the peak of Monte Cantagrillo...
, Lucca
Lucca
Lucca is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plainnear the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca...
, Orvieto
Orvieto
Orvieto is a city and comune in Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff...
, San Gimignano
San Gimignano
San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy. It is mainly famous for its medieval architecture, especially its towers, which may be seen from several kilometres outside the town....
, San Miniato
San Miniato
San Miniato is a town and comune in the province of Pisa, in the region of Tuscany, Italy.San Miniato sits at an historically strategic location atop three small hills where it dominates the lower Arno valley between the valleys of Egola and Elsa...
, Volterra
Volterra
Volterra, known to the ancient Etruscans as Velathri, to the Romans as Volaterrae, is a town and comune in the Tuscany region of Italy.-History:...
and Colle Val d'Elsa), moved an army of some 35,000 men towards Siena. The Sienese called for help from King Manfred of Sicily
Manfred of Sicily
Manfred was the King of Sicily from 1258 to 1266. He was a natural son of the emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen but his mother, Bianca Lancia , is reported by Matthew of Paris to have been married to the emperor while on her deathbed.-Background:Manfred was born in Venosa...
, who provided a contingent of German
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
mercenary heavy cavalry. The Sienese forces were led by Farinata degli Uberti
Farinata degli Uberti
Farinata degli Uberti , real name Manente degli Uberti, was an Italian aristocrat and military leader, considered by some to be a heretic, who appears in Dante Alighieri's Inferno and is mentioned in C.S...
, an exiled Florentine Ghibelline. Even with these reinforcements, though, they could only raise an army of 20,000.
Battle
The two armies met at the hill of Montaperti, outside Siena, on the morning of September 4; at the head of the Sienese army was the formidable band of German mercenary cavalry. The battle raged all day, but despite their superior numbers, the Florentines were unable to make headway against the determined Sienese. As evening approached and the Florentines exhausted themselves on their opponent's defensive lines, the Sienese forces launched their counterattack, led by the Count of Arras.Though seemingly reckless, the Sienese were confident in counterattacking with such a significant numerical disadvantage because their charge was a signal to a member of the Florentine army, Bocca degli Abati. Although Bocca fought for Florence alongside the Guelphs, he was at heart a Ghibelline.
At the sign of the counterattack he made his way across the Florentine lines towards the standard-bearer
Standard-bearer
A standard-bearer is a person who bears an emblem called an ensign or standard, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used as a formal, visual symbol of a state, prince, military unit, etc.This can either be an occasional duty, often seen as an honour , or a...
of the Florentine army and hacked off his hand, causing the Florentine flag to fall. In the military climate of the day, the standard was all important—troops did not use uniforms, so the standard served as a way of knowing where the troop leader was and that he was still safe and in command—so the loss of their standard caused the Florentine army to panic.
Seizing this opportunity within the confusion, hundreds of Florentine Ghibellines attacked their Guelph compatriots as the main Sienese army charged, and the Florentines were routed, pursued by their enemies as they fled. It is estimated that some 10,000 men died on the Guelph side.
After the battle, the German soldiers in the Sienese army used part of their pay to found the Church of San Giorgio
San Giorgio (Siena)
San Giorgio is a church in Siena, Tuscany, Italy.The church was built from donations from the Battle of Montaperti. Soldiers in the Sienese army used part of their pay to found the church for they had called on Saint George for help as their battle-cry during the battle.Of the medieval edifice only...
in Pantaneto—the Germans had called on Saint George
Saint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
as their battle-cry during the battle.
The battle in the Divine Comedy
Dante studied under Florence's Chancellor Brunetto LatiniBrunetto Latini
Brunetto Latini was an Italian philosopher, scholar and statesman.-Life:...
, who was himself away from the battle scene, on embassy in Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
seeking help for Guelph Florence from Alfonso X el Sabio
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X was a Castilian monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252 until his death...
. Dante would have learned of the battle, its preparations (documented by Latini in the Libro di Montaperti), strategies and treachery, as well as those of the Battles of Benevento
Battle of Benevento
The Battle of Benevento was fought near Benevento, in present-day Southern Italy, on February 26, 1266, between the troops of Charles of Anjou and Manfred of Sicily. Manfred's defeat and death resulted in the capture of the Kingdom of Sicily by Charles....
and Tagliacozzo
Battle of Tagliacozzo
The Battle of Tagliacozzo was fought on 23 August 1268 between the French, Provençal, and Italian forces of Charles of Anjou and the Italian, Spanish, Roman, Arab and German troops of the Hohenstaufen army, led by Conradin , the sixteen year old Duke of Swabia and claimant to the throne of Sicily...
, from the Chancellor, using material also to be gleaned later by Giovanni Villani
Giovanni Villani
Giovanni Villani was an Italian banker, official, diplomat and chronicler from Florence who wrote the Nuova Cronica on the history of Florence. He was a leading statesman of Florence but later gained an unsavory reputation and served time in prison as a result of the bankruptcy of a trading and...
, the Florentine merchant and historian. As a result Dante reserved a place in the ninth circle of Hell for the traitor Bocca degli Abati in his Divine Comedy:
- When someone yelled: "What the devil's eating you,
- Bocca? Isn't it enough to chatter away
- With your jaws? Do you have to bark too?"
- "So!" I exclaimed. "Now there's no need for you to say
- Anything, you wicked traitor! Now I can expose
- The shameful truth about you to the light of day!"
The Ghibelline commander Farinata degli Uberti
Farinata degli Uberti
Farinata degli Uberti , real name Manente degli Uberti, was an Italian aristocrat and military leader, considered by some to be a heretic, who appears in Dante Alighieri's Inferno and is mentioned in C.S...
is also consigned to Dante's hell, not for his conduct in the battle, but for his alleged heretical adherence to the philosophy of Epicurus
Epicurus
Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher and the founder of the school of philosophy called Epicureanism.Only a few fragments and letters remain of Epicurus's 300 written works...
.