 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(December 2023) |
| Second siege of Pontevico | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Wars in Lombardy | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Duchy of Milan |  Republic of Venice | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Around 500 soldiers in the castle | Over 5000 infantrymen | ||||||
The second siege of Pontevico was fought between 25 and 29 may 1453 at Pontevico (Lombardy) between the armies of the Duchy of Milan and that of Republic of Venice, an episode of the Wars in Lombardy.
During the fifth phase of the Wars in Lombardy, in June 1452 Pontevico has been besieged and occupied by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan. However, before the winter, the venetian army passed the Oglio river. In March 1453, the venetians commanded by Jacopo Piccinino started the reconquest of the Bassa Bresciana, reaching the town on May 25th, when the Duke was in Cremona. [1]
In the Castle of Pontevico was located a garrison of around 500 men. [2]
Jacopo Piccinino could count on over 5000 infantrymen.
On May 25th, Piccinino placed the bombards in front of the castle and he made his men camp along the two banks of the Oglio river, then he started the siege of the fortress. His intention was take the castle before the arrival of Francesco Sforza. The duke, as soon as he learned of the siege, gathered an army in Cremona and headed towards the Castle of Seniga, which was still under his control and where were located many milanese soldiers, to move to Pontevico encircling the besiegers. But, when Sforza left Cremona, four days of siege had already passed. In the fourth day of siege, on May 29th, Jacopo Piccinino decided to incite his soldiers promising them that, in case of victory, they could loot the town and take revenge on their enemies. So, the venetians soldiers moved their heavy weapons in front of the castle bastion, launching an attack against that single point of the fortress and opening an opening, where joined the besiegers. [3]
The venetian soldiers who came in the town, plunded it. The milanese soldiers were taken prisoner and more unlucky has been thrown in the river.
In the next days, Jacopo Piccinino attempted to launch new attacks over Duke but he never get a win. On August 15th, the milanese army conquered Ghedi Then, in autumn, Francesco Sforza get numerous military reinforcements from France and Florence, conjoining with Renè of Anjou forming an army of around 25.000 among knights and infantrymen: they encircled the town and sieged his castle between October 16th and 19th, conquering it after three days of siege. [4]
Francesco I Sforza was an Italian condottiero who founded the Sforza dynasty in the duchy of Milan, ruling as its (fourth) duke from 1450 until his death.
Ludovico III Gonzaga of Mantua, known as the Turk, also spelled Lodovico was the ruler of the Italian city of Mantua from 1444 to his death in 1478.
The Duchy of Milan was a state in Northern Italy, created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then the lord of Milan, and a member of the important Visconti family, which had been ruling the city since 1277.
Niccolò Piccinino was an Italian condottiero.
Corte de' Frati is a municipality (comune) in the province of Cremona, in the Lombardy Italian region.
Pontevico is a comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. It is situated on the left bank of the river Oglio. As of 2021 Pontevico had a population of 7,038.
The Golden Ambrosian Republic was a short-lived republic founded in Milan by members of the University of Pavia with popular support, during the first phase of the Milanese War of Succession. With the aid of Francesco Sforza they held out against the forces of the Republic of Venice, but after a betrayal Sforza defected and captured Milan to become Duke himself, abolishing the Republic.
Bartolomeo Colleoni was an Italian condottiero, who became captain-general of the Republic of Venice. Colleoni "gained reputation as the foremost tactician and disciplinarian of the 15th century". He is also credited with having refurbished the Roman baths at Trescore Balneario.
Bianca Maria Visconti also known as Bianca Maria Sforza or Blanca Maria was Duchess of Milan from 1450 to 1468 by marriage to Francesco I Sforza. She was regent of Marche during the absence of her spouse in 1448. She served as Regent of the Duchy of Milan during the illness of her spouse in 1462, as well as in 1466, between the death of her spouse and until her son, the new Duke, who was absent, was able to return to Milan to assume power.
The Wars in Lombardy were a series of conflicts between the Republic of Venice and the Duchy of Milan and their respective allies, fought in four campaigns in a struggle for hegemony in Northern Italy that ravaged the economy of Lombardy. They lasted from 1423 until the signing of the Treaty of Lodi in 1454. During their course, the political structure of Italy was transformed: out of a competitive congeries of communes and city-states emerged the five major Italian territorial powers that would make up the map of Italy for the remainder of the 15th century and the beginning of the Italian Wars at the turn of the 16th century. They were Venice, Milan, Florence, the Papal States and Naples. Important cultural centers of Tuscany and Northern Italy—Siena, Pisa, Urbino, Mantua, Ferrara—became politically marginalized.
The Battle on the Po was a battle of the Wars in Lombardy. It occurred in June 1431, on the Po River, near Cremona. The battle was fought between 85 Venetian galleys, sent towards Cremona to support Count of Carmagnola's army, and a somewhat superior number of Milanese galleys. The Venetians were commanded by Niccolò Trevisani.
Francesco Piccinino was an Italian condottiero.
Luigi dal Verme (died 1449) was an Italian condottiero.
Taddeo d'Este was a condottiere, a freelance military leader, who was known for his defense of the Republic of Venice in 1439 against Milanese forces under Niccolò Piccinino. Unlike many other condottieri of the day, who often changed sides, he served Venice almost exclusively throughout his thirty-year military career. During most of this period Venice was constantly at war with one or more of the neighboring states in northern Italy.
Jacopo Piccinino was an Italian condottiero and nobleman, the son of military leader Niccolò Piccinino. A native of Perugia, he was the feudal lord of Sulmona, Sterpeto, Assisi, Chieti, Città Sant'Angelo, Francavilla al Mare, Varzi, Fiorenzuola d'Arda, Atessa, Fidenza, Pandino, Penne, Borgonovo Val Tidone, Castell'Arquato, Frugarolo, Borgo Val di Taro.
Soncino Castle is a military fortress in Soncino, northern Italy. It was built in the 10th century, and it was active since the years around 1500.
The Battle of Ghedi was a battle during the long conflict between the Republic of Venice and the Duchy of Milan which lasted between the years 1425 and 1454.
The siege of Novara was a battle that took place in the summer and autumn of 1495 during the Italian War of 1494–1495. While king Charles VIII of France was retreating to the north after facing rebellions in the recently conquered Kingdom of Naples, and managed to escape the destruction of his army at the Battle of Fornovo, his cousin and future king Louis d'Orleans opened a second front by attacking the Duchy of Milan and occupying the city of Novara. In an effort to retrieve it, the Milanese army and their League of Venice allies besieged Novara for three months and fourteen days. Suffering from severe starvation and disease, the French lost about 2000 soldiers before Louis had to surrender and withdraw.
The first siege of Pontevico was fought between 6 and 8 June 1452 at Pontevico (Lombardy) between the armies of the Duchy of Milan and that of Republic of Venice, an episode of the Wars in Lombardy.
The third siege of Pontevico was fought between 16 and 19 October 1453 at Pontevico (Lombardy) between the armies of the Duchy of Milan and that of Republic of Venice, an episode of the Wars in Lombardy.