Roberto Sanseverino d'Aragona

Roberto da Sanseverino
Born 1418
Died August 10, 1487(1487-08-10)
Battle of Calliano
Buried at San Francesco, Milan
Allegiance Milan (1440s-1458; 1471); Naples (1460-1463); Florence (1467); Savoy (1476); Genoa (1478); Venice (1482-1487); Holy See (1485)
Years of service 1440s–1487
Rank captain general
Battles/wars Battle of Molinella, Burgundian Wars (Battle on the Planta), War of Ferrara, Battle of Calliano
Spouse(s) Giovanna da Correggio; Elisabetta da Montefeltro
Memorial of Roberto da Sanseverino in the Trent Cathedral

Roberto Sanseverino d'Aragona (1418 – 10 August 1487) was an Italian condottiero, count of Colorno from 1458 to 1477 and count of Caiazzo from 1460 until his death.

Biography

He was the son of Leonetto Sanseverino (d. 1420[1]) and of Elisa Sforza, sister of Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan. He was granted the surname d'Aragona by the king of Naples, Ferdinand of Aragon. He acted as a general in the service of his uncle, the duke of Milan during the 1440s and 1450s. He went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1458. On his return, he went to the aid of the king of Naples against the Neapolitan barons during (the first congiura dei baroni or "Conspiracy of the Barons", 1459 to 1462) He then passed into the service of Florence against Venice, participating in the battle of Molinella in 1467 In 1471, he again entered the service of Milan, now under Galeazzo Maria Sforza. Together with the duke of Savoy he fought in the Burgundian Wars against Charles the Bold in 1476 but was forced to return to Milan upon the assassination of Galeazzo Maria Sforza. He made an enemy of Bona of Savoy's consellor Cicco Simonetta and was forced into exile together with Ludovico Sforza, and was condemned to death by beheading in absentia and his goods were confiscated and given to Ercole d'Este. He then became captain-general of the Republic of Genoa, fighting against Milan in 1478, but in 1479 he was permitted to return to Milan following the reconciliation of Ludovico with Bona. His goods were returned to him along with his fiefs in Lugano, Balerna and Mendrisio. In 1482, he was hired by Venice and fought in the War of Ferrara. With the peace of Bagnolo of 7 August 1484, Sanseverino was elected captain-general of the Italian League for nine years, on an annual salary of 120,000 ducats. In October 1485, he was given leave by the Venetians to fight the Aragonese and their allies in the service of the Holy See. This military campaign proved to be a failure, and dismissed by the Pope, Roberto fled back to Venice, where he returned to command the Venetian troops against Sigismund of Habsburg. In the Battle of Calliano of 10 August 1487, Roberto Sanseverino was wounded, fell into the river and drowned. His body was recovered, brought to Trento and buried in a solemn funeral in the cathedral crypt. The body was later transferred to the church of San Francesco in Milan.

Descendants

By his first wife, Giovanna da Correggio (m. 1467):

Ginevra, m. Lucio Malvezzi

By his second wife, Elisabetta da Montefeltro, daughter of Federico da Montefeltro duke of Urbino

References

  1. ↑ a grandson of Antonio Sanseverino of Cilento (d. 1384) of the main branch of the Sanseverino family
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