Battle of Colle Val d'Elsa

Last updated
Battle of Colle Val d'Elsa
Part of Guelphs and Ghibellines
BitvauColle 1269.png
A Guelph carries on a spear the head of Provenzan Salvani
Date16 June 1269
Location
near Colle di Val d'Elsa, Tuscany
present-day Italy
Result Guelph victory
Belligerents
Ghibellines:
Siena
Guelphs:
Charles of Anjou
Florence
Commanders and leaders
Provenzano Salvani   Giambertoldo
Strength
9,400
1,400 cavalry
8,000 infantry
1,100
800 cavalry
300 infantry
Casualties and losses
Heavy [1]

The battle of Colle di Val d'Elsa took place between 16 and 17 June 1269 at Colle di Val d'Elsa between the Ghibelline troops of Siena and the Guelph troops of Charles of Anjou and Florence, represented by fewer than 200 knights commanded by Neri de' Bardi.

Contents

Background

After the battle of Montaperti where Siena, a Ghibelline city, defeated Guelph Florence on 4 September 1260, Colle Val d'Elsa found itself in the Guelph camp. Indeed, Colle had ended up as a center for many former citizens of Siena who, finding themselves on the wrong (Guelph) side, had been persecuted and driven into exile by Siena's dominant Ghibelline party.

On 27 August 1268 yet another battle took place on the edge of Rome between King Charles of Anjou, rushing to the defense of the Pope, and Conradin leading a Ghibelline army: the outcome was a Guelph victory. But the Ghibellines, despite the defeat, continued their persecution of Guelphs and took possession of the Castle of Ulignano.

Then the surrounding municipalities (especially Colle and San Gimignano) decided to attack the castle and chase the fugitives to Pisa and Poggibonsi, until the bulk of the Ghibelline militias found themselves within the walls of Siena and Pisa.

The battle

In June 1269 Captain Provenzano Salvani and Count Guido Novello left Siena with 1,400 knights and 8,000 infantry from Siena, Pisa, Germany, Spain, Florentine exiles, and other Tuscans, camping in the Badia plateau near the Spugna Abbey.

The Colle inhabitants, who did not expect this siege, locked themselves up between the fortifications of Colle Alta (Higher Colle) and sent messengers to seek help from Florence.

The next day, 400 French horse under the command of Marshal Giambertoldo, vicar of King Charles of Anjou in Tuscany, arrived in Colle Val d'Elsa followed by another contingent of 400 Florentine horse. The Florentine foot, except for a fraction, did however not arrive in time for the battle.

During the night the Marshal lined the French over the walls of Colle Alta and conquered the Ghibelline castle inside Colle. Next morning, the Ghibelline tower signaled the approach of troops sent from Florence (actually the Florence army was still in Barberino), and ordered the trumpets to be sounded and people to shout loudly to persuade the Ghibellines that combat troops were many more than they expected. It seems that the trick worked, because in the early morning the Ghibellines retreated to San Marziale, and remained on the hill Poggio ai Berci.

Marshal Giambertoldo ordered the Colle militias to get around that hill and to remain hidden until the moment he appeared with the insignia of Florence in front of the Siena troops and attacked them. During his advance the Marshal tore down the bridge of San Marziale to prevent a retreat of his soldiers, but also to slow down the escape of Siena.

Once in sight of the Ghibellines, Gianbertoldo started the battle, while Colle inhabitants were shouting and waving their weapons, giving the feeling that more troops were waiting to attack.

Captain Salvani threatened, promised compensation, and shouted, but the Ghibelline soldiers fought only briefly and badly, retired soon and fled. Many were hunted down and killed by the Guelphs, while Salvani, not wanting to return to Siena defeated, threw himself into the fray and was killed by Regolino Tolomei, his sworn enemy.

Aftermath

Gianbertoldo had managed, with only 800 horsemen and 300 infantry of Colle, to cunningly defeat an army of no less than 9,400 men. All this happened under the eyes of Provenzano's paternal aunt Sapia Salvani of Siena, sung by Dante's Divine Comedy (Purgatorio, Canto XIII et seq.), who followed the battle, praying for the defeat of her countrymen.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1269</span> Calendar year

Year 1269 (MCCLXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of Florence</span> City-state on the Apennine Peninsula between 1115 and 1569

The Republic of Florence, known officially as the Florentine Republic, was a medieval and early modern state that was centered on the Italian city of Florence in Tuscany, Italy. The republic originated in 1115, when the Florentine people rebelled against the Margraviate of Tuscany upon the death of Matilda of Tuscany, who controlled vast territories that included Florence. The Florentines formed a commune in her successors' place. The republic was ruled by a council known as the Signoria of Florence. The signoria was chosen by the gonfaloniere, who was elected every two months by Florentine guild members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnolfo di Cambio</span> 13th century Italian architect and sculptor

Arnolfo di Cambio was an Italian architect and sculptor. He designed Florence Cathedral and the sixth city wall around Florence (1284–1333), while his most important surviving work as a sculptor is the tomb of Cardinal de Braye in S. Domenico, Orvieto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guelphs and Ghibellines</span> Rival political factions in medieval Italy

The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting respectively the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy during medieval time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colle di Val d'Elsa</span> Comune in Tuscany, Italy

Colle di Val d'Elsa or Colle Val d'Elsa is a town and comune in the province of Siena, Tuscany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Campaldino</span> Battle between Guelphs and Ghibellines (June 11, 1289)

The Battle of Campaldino was fought between the Guelphs and Ghibellines on 11 June 1289. Mixed bands of pro-papal Guelf forces of Florence and allies, Pistoia, Lucca, Siena, and Prato, all loosely commanded by the paid condottiero Amerigo di Narbona with his own professional following, met a Ghibelline force from Arezzo including the perhaps reluctant bishop, Guglielmino degli Ubertini, in the plain of Campaldino, which leads from Pratovecchio to Poppi, part of the Tuscan countryside along the upper Arno called the Casentino. One of the combatants on the Guelph side was Dante Alighieri, twenty-four years old at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Montaperti</span> 1260 battle between the Italian republics of Florence and Siena

The Battle of Montaperti was fought on 4 September 1260 between Florence and Siena in Tuscany as part of the conflict between the Guelphs and Ghibellines. The Florentines were routed. It was the bloodiest battle fought in Medieval Italy, with more than 10,000 fatalities. An act of treachery during the battle is recorded by Dante Alighieri in the Inferno section of the Divine Comedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castelfiorentino</span> Comune in Tuscany, Italy

Castelfiorentino is a city and comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, central-northern Italy, halfway between Florence, Pisa (45 km) and Siena (55 km). The population is approximately 20,000 inhabitants. It is part of Valdelsa. Castelfiorentino borders the following municipalities: Certaldo, Empoli, Gambassi Terme, Montaione, Montespertoli and San Miniato.

Giordano d'Agliano, sometimes Giordano Lancia, was an Italian nobleman and military commander who served as marshal of the Kingdom of Sicily under King Manfred (1258–1266). He played a prominent role in the wars of the Guelphs and Ghibellines in Tuscany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scrofiano</span> Frazione in Tuscany, Italy

Scrofiano is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, a frazione of the comune of Sinalunga in the province of Siena. It is located on a hill in Val di Chiana, a few kilometers from Sinalunga proper.

Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Olimpia Colligiana is an Italian association football club based in Colle di Val d'Elsa, Tuscany that competes in Eccellenza Tuscany.

Napoleone della Torre, also known as Napo della Torre or Napo Torriani, was an Italian nobleman, who was effective Lord of Milan in the late 13th century. He was a member of the della Torre family, the father of Corrado della Torre and the brother of Raimondo della Torre.

An incomplete list of events in 1289 in Italy:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor</span> Holy Roman Emperor from 1312 to 1313

Henry VII, also known as Henry of Luxembourg, was Count of Luxembourg, King of Germany from 1308 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1312. He was the first emperor of the House of Luxembourg. During his brief career he reinvigorated the imperial cause in Italy, which was racked with the partisan struggles between the divided Guelph and Ghibelline factions, and inspired the praise of Dino Compagni and Dante Alighieri. He was the first emperor since the death of Frederick II in 1250, ending the Great Interregnum of the Holy Roman Empire; however, his premature death threatened to undo his life's work. His son, John of Bohemia, failed to be elected as his successor, and there was briefly another anti-king, Frederick the Fair, contesting the rule of Louis IV.

The Battle of Pieve al Toppo was a battle fought between Arezzo and Siena. The two sides engaged in the battle, and Arezzo was able to take the town. Later on in history, Florence would take over the town, and Arezzo was forced to retake it all over again.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Colle di Val d'Elsa</span> Roman Catholic diocese in Tuscany, Italy

The Diocese of Colle di Val d’Elsa was a Roman Catholic diocese located in the town of Colle di Val d'Elsa in Tuscany, Italy, in the province of Siena. The diocese was established by Pope Clement VIII on 5 June 1592, in the bull "Cum Super Universas", with territory taken from the Archdiocese of Florence, the Archdiocese of Siena, the Diocese of Fiesole, and the Diocese of Volterra. The new diocese was made a suffragan of the metropolitanate of Florence. On 18 September 1782 the diocese gained additional territory from Diocese of Volterra. In 1986, it was suppressed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ports of the Republic of Siena</span>

The Republic of Siena in its progressive territorial growth saw its borders expanding especially in the territories of southern Tuscany in the current province of Grosseto. The possession of an "access to the sea" by Siena was therefore a natural continuation of its expansionary and commercial policy in the Maremma with the conquest of the ports of Talamone, Porto Ercole and Porto Santo Stefano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of Massa</span> Sovereign state in Central Italy, 1225–1336

The Republic of Massa was an small Italian state located in Central Italy that existed from 1225 to 1336. It was founded in today's city of Massa Marittima and expanded to cover an area corresponding to the current upper Maremma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guido Guerra</span> Italian condottiero and politician (1220–1272)

Guido Guerra V (1220-1272) was a politician from Florence, Italy. Aligned with the Guelph faction, Guerra had a prominent role in the political conflicts of mid-thirteenth century Tuscany. He was admired by Dante Alighieri, who granted him honor in the Divine Comedy, even though he placed Guerra in Hell among sinners of sodomy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sapia Salvani</span> Sienese noblewoman (1210 – 1278)

Sapia Salvani was a Sienese noblewoman. In Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, she is placed among the envious souls of Purgatory for having rejoiced when her fellow Sienese townspeople, led by her nephew Provenzano Salvani, lost to the Florentine Guelphs at the Battle of Colle Val d'Elsa.

References

  1. Muratori, Ludovico (1728). Scriptores. Milan.