Migiliorino Ubaldini
Encyclopedia
Scottish assignment
During the war with England known as the Rough Wooing, on 5 February 1548 Regent Arran appointed Migiliorino Ubaldini as supreme commander of all Scottish forces by land and sea. Ubaldini had been sent to Scotland by Henry II of FranceHenry II of France
Henry II was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559.-Early years:Henry was born in the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the son of Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany .His father was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 by his sworn enemy,...
who called him a famous captain. Despite this, Marcus Merriman
Marcus Merriman
Marcus Merriman was an historian researching Anglo-Scottish relations in the 16th centuryand their European context.-Life:Merriman was born in Baltimore on the 3rd of May 1940. Educated at Bowdoin College Maine, he spent a year at Edinburgh University, then completed his PhD at the Institute of...
, a modern historian, found no recorded details of his previous career. Merriman linked Ubaldini's appointment in Scotland with Lord Methven
Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven
Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven was Master of the Scottish Artillery and third husband of Margaret Tudor, eldest daughter of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York.-Ancient lineage:...
's plea to Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise was a queen consort of Scotland as the second spouse of King James V. She was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and served as regent of Scotland in her daughter's name from 1554 to 1560...
in December 1547 for a French captain who had intelligence to assiege and order artillery.
Fort of the castle hill
In March 1548 he was working to strengthen Edinburgh CastleEdinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...
. A lodging was found for the "Italiane devisar of the forte of the castle hill" in the Royal Mile
Royal Mile
The Royal Mile is a succession of streets which form the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland.As the name suggests, the Royal Mile is approximately one Scots mile long, and runs between two foci of history in Scotland, from Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Castle...
. Where Master John Hamilton of Milnburn had begun building a rampart in the previous year, Ubaldini commenced the construction of a renaissance style 'trace italienne' fortification in front of the castle on the present esplanade. This triangular blockhouse became known as the Spur. The Imperial envoy Mathieu Strick noted in July 1551 that the completed Spur was decorated with the arms of France. There had been a French contribution of at least £4070 Scots for the work.
Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise was a queen consort of Scotland as the second spouse of King James V. She was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and served as regent of Scotland in her daughter's name from 1554 to 1560...
strengthened the 'Esperon' in April 1560. The Spur was finally demolished in 1650, and the stones were taken for the Parliament
Parliament House, Edinburgh
Parliament House in Edinburgh, Scotland, was home to the pre-Union Parliament of Scotland, and now houses the Supreme Courts of Scotland. It is located in the Old Town, just off the Royal Mile, opposite St Giles Cathedral.-Parliament Hall:...
and the Citadel at Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
. However it was described by Rowland Johnson, Surveyor of Berwick upon Tweed who came to assist the siege of Edinburgh Castle on 26 January 1573;
"we fynd upon the said este syde a spurre lyke a bulwarke standing befor the foot of the rocke, which spurre enclosethe that syde flanked out one bothe sydes; on the sowthe syde is the gaite wher they enter the castle. Which spur is like 20 foote high vamured with turf and basketes set and furnished with ordinance."A woodcut illustration of Ubaldini's spur appeared in Holinshed's
Raphael Holinshed
Raphael Holinshed was an English chronicler, whose work, commonly known as Holinshed's Chronicles, was one of the major sources used by William Shakespeare for a number of his plays....
Chronicle depicting the 1573 siege which may derive from a drawing made by Johnson. Ubaldini went on to design works at Dunbar Castle
Dunbar Castle
Dunbar Castle is the remnants of one of the most mighty fortresses in Scotland, situated over the harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian.-Early history:...
in September which were demolished in 1567, and perhaps Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep...
where there are still traces of a similar work, called the 'French Spur.'
Two letters written by Ubaldini in 1548 to Mary of Guise survive. Other Italian engineers who worked in Scotland for the Scottish side during the Rough Wooings include Leone Strozzi
Leone Strozzi
Leone Strozzi was an Italian condottiero belonging to the famous Strozzi family of Florence.-Biography:He was the son of Filippo Strozzi the Younger and Clarice de' Medici, and brother to Piero, Roberto and Lorenzo Strozzi.After his father's defeat in the Battle of Montemurlo, Strozzi fled with...
, Piero Strozzi
Piero Strozzi
Piero Strozzi was an Italian military leader. He was a member of the rich Florentine family of the Strozzi.-Biography:Piero Strozzi was the son of Filippo Strozzi the Younger and Clarice de' Medici....
, and perhaps Giovanni Portinari, who Nicolas Throckmorton later tried to re-recruit for English service because he spoke Scots. At the same period, there was another Ubaldini in Scotland; Petruccio Ubaldini
Petruccio Ubaldini
Petruccio Ubaldini was an Italian calligraphist and illuminator on vellum, who was working in England in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and seems to have enjoyed the favor of the Court...
, who fought for English at Haddington.
Further reading
- Merriman, Marcus H., 'Intelligens to asseg - Migiliorino Ubaldini and the Fortification of Scotland in 1548,' in Achitetti e ingegneri militari italiani all'estero dal XV al XVII Secolo, vol. 2, ed., Marino Viganò, Rome (1999), 233-255.
- Merriman, Marcus H., The Rough Wooings, Tuckwell (2000)