Alberico da Barbiano

naries.
Barbianos Compagnia di San Giorgio (St. George Company) renovated the military style of the mercenary
companies of the period, with sharply improved cavalry
armor and tactics, and with a strong attention paid to the
training aspect. Famous condottieri like Facino Cane,
Jacopo dal Verme, Braccio da Montone and Muzio 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 rst condotta (contract) for Albericos force was
in 1378, at the service of Barnab Visconti of Milan,
against the Scaliger and the Carraresi. The following year
Alberico was called by Pope Urban VI to ght against
Antipope Clement VII, the slaughterer at Cesena. The
latters infamous Breton troops were crushed in the neighbourhood of Rome on 29 June 1379, after ve 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. On 18 June 1381, Alberico defeated Otto and subAlberico da Barbiano
sequently besieged Joan in the Castel Nuovo of Naples.
Alberico da Barbiano (c. 13441409) was the rst of After the Queen was captured and imprisoned in the
the Italian condottieri. His master in military matters was Abruzzi, Barbiano was named gran conestabile (chief of
the English mercenary John Hawkwood, known in Italy as sta) by the new king Charles III, and in his new role
Giovanni Acuto. Albericos compagnia fought under the he had to face Louis I of Anjou, Joans heir, who had arbanner of Saint George, as the compagnia San Giorgio.[1] rived in Italy with an army of 40,000 men. Alberico managed to protect Forl and Cesena. However, Louis defeated Charles III at Campobasso and was declared king
of Naples.

Biography

Louis eventually died after a pestilence, while Urban VI

changed sides declaring Alberico, who was besieging him
in Nocera, to be an enemy of the church. Charles was assassinated on 24 February 1386, but Barbiano declared
his loyalty to the latters son Ladislaus. The latter had
to face a new French invasion, this time led by Louis
II. Alberico for the rst time in his career was defeated,
at Ascoli Piceno, in 1392. Gian Galeazzo Visconti paid
3,000 orins for his freedom, engaging him for the war
against Florence, Bologna and Mantua. During this campaign his brother, Giovanni, was captured and beheaded
by the enemy condottiero Astorre I Manfredi.

Born in Barbiano di Cotignola, a commune of what is

now eastern Emilia-Romagna, Alberico was son of Aldisio. The family were nobles of Romagna of long standing, claiming descent from Carolingian times. They were
hereditary lords of Barbiano, Cunio and Lugo di Romagna and claimed as kin the lords of Ravenna, Forl and
Carrara. He married Beatrice da Polenta of Ravenna, and
had by her two sons, Manfredo and Ludovico.

Alberico gained his rst military experience in the compagnia of the English captain John Hawkwood, taking
part in the famous slaughter at Faenza and the "Cesena
Alberico, eager for vengeance, won a series of battles in
Bloodbath" in the 1370s. Allegedly touched by these ex1397 and was ready for the nal siege of Mantua. Howcesses, Alberico left the foreign compagnia, deciding to
ever, a treaty of peace signed by Visconti with Francesco
form a military corps constituted only by Italian merce1

I of Gonzaga stopped him.

On 26 June 1402, he defeated a combined BologneseFlorentine army at the Battle of Casalecchio, leading to
the Milanese conquest of Bologna. The following year he
left Milan to re-enter service to Ladislaus of Naples.
Alberico da Barbiano died in the spring of 1409, on the
way to meet his king at Citt della Pieve (Umbria).

Dynasty

His son Ludovico was count of Lugo from 1411. The

latters son Alberico II was ousted from the city in
1431, and moved to Lombardy, where his heirs become
feudataries of Belgioioso (current province 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 Alberico da Barbiano of the Condottieri class.

Notes

[1] Alberigo da Barbiano, condottiero.

References
Rendina, Claudio (1994). I capitani di ventura.
Rome: Newton & Compton.

REFERENCES

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