Piccinino, Niccolò

Piccinino, Niccolò

▪ Italian mercenary
born 1386, Perugia, Papal States
died 1444, Milan

      Italian soldier of fortune who played an important role in the 15th-century wars of the Visconti of Milan against Venice, Florence, and the pope.

      A butcher's son, Piccinino became a soldier and eventually joined the forces of the condottiere Braccio da Montone, whose daughter he married. When Braccio was killed in battle (1424), Piccinino took over command of his company, and the following year, with the young soldier of fortune Francesco Sforza, he entered the employ of Duke Filippo Maria Visconti of Milan. After brief service against Venice and Florence, he was dispatched to fight Pope Eugene IV (1434) and helped to drive the latter out of Rome. In 1438 Piccinino, battling the Venetians at Lake Garda, faced Sforza (Sforza, Francesco), now the Venetian captain general. After destroying a Venetian fleet on the lake, Piccinino was surrounded by the enemy and barely escaped—according to one story, concealed in a sack.

      Invading Tuscany in 1440, Piccinino suffered a crushing defeat by the Florentines at Anghiari near Florence, leading his Visconti employer to sue for peace. The following year Piccinino, so ill that he could hardly ride a horse, had a last confrontation with Sforza, who was now fighting for the pope and King Alfonso of Naples, in the Marches in east-central Italy. After a preliminary setback, Piccinino was summoned to Milan; as soon as he left, Sforza attacked, capturing Piccinino's son Francesco and inflicting a decisive defeat. Piccinino died a few days after receiving the news, a frustrated man.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Piccinino — Niccolò (Nicola) Piccinino (* um 1380 in Perugia; † 15. Oktober 1444 in Mailand) war ein italienischer Condottiere. Er war der Sohn eines Metzgers und begann seine militärische Karriere als Dreizehnjähriger im Dienst Braccio da Montones, der zur… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Niccolò Piccinino — Portrait. Niccolò Piccinino (1386 – 15 October 1444) was an Italian condottiero. Biography He was born at Perugia, was the son of a butcher. He began his military career in the service of Braccio da Montone, who at that time was waging war… …   Wikipedia

  • Niccolò Piccinino — Zeitgenössisches Porträt von Niccolò Piccinino Niccolò (Nicola) Piccinino (* um 1380 in Perugia; † 15. Oktober 1444 in Mailand) war ein italienischer Condottiere. Er war der Sohn eines Metzgers und begann seine militärische Karriere als… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Niccolo Piccinino — Niccolò Piccinino Portrait Niccolò Piccinino (Pérouse v. 1380 Cusago 1444), fut un condottiere italien. Son surnom provient probablement de sa petite taille (piccinino = petit). Biographie Né à Callisciana, Pérouse, Niccolò Piccinino était le… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Niccolò Fortebraccio — (1375–1435), also known as Niccolò della Stella, was an Italian condottiero. Born in Sant Angelo in Vado, he was the son of Stella, sister of Braccio da Montone. His half brother Oddo and his cousin Carlo were also condottieri. In 1426 and 1429,… …   Wikipedia

  • Niccolò Piccinino — Portrait Niccolò Piccinino (Pérouse v. 1380 Cusago 1444), fut un condottiere italien. Son surnom provient probablement de sa petite taille (piccinino = tout petit). Biographie …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Niccolò Piccinino — Retrato. Niccolò Piccinino (1386 1444) fue un un conocido condotiero italiano nacido en Perugia. Corto de estatura, cojo y débil de salud, combatió siempre con valentía hasta el punto de la temeridad. Pleno de recursos, nunca se vino abajo tras… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Niccolò — Nicholas Miklos Mikołaj Mikuláš Nicola Nicolas Nicolau Nicolay Niccolò Nikola Nikolay …   Wikipedia

  • Francesco Piccinino — (c. 1407 October 16 1449) was an Italian condottiero.He was the adoptive son of the condottiero Niccolò Piccinino and the brother of Jacopo Piccinino. At Niccolò s death (1444), he had been already established as a gallant warrior under the Duchy …   Wikipedia

  • The Battle of Anghiari (painting) — Peter Paul Rubens s copy of The Battle of Anghiari. Allegedly from left to right is Francesco Piccinino; Niccolò Piccinino; Ludovico Trevisan; Giovanni Antonio del Balzo Orsini. The Battle of Anghiari (1505) is a lost painting by Leonardo da… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”