Battle of Zappolino
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Zappolino (also known as the War of the Oaken Bucket) was fought in November 1325 between forces representing the Italian towns of Bologna
and Modena
, an incident in the series of raids and reprisals between the two cities that were part of the larger conflicts of Guelphs and Ghibellines
. The Modenesi were victorious. Though many clashes between Guelfs and Ghibellines loomed larger to contemporaries than to historians, in this unusually large encounter between 4000 estimated cavalry and some 35,000 foot soldiers, 2000 men lost their lives. The location at the foot of the hill, just outside the castle walls, is today a frazione
of the municipality of Castello di Serravalle
, Emilia-Romagna
.
, in person, a century before, competitive friction along their mutual marches between Ghibelline Modena, with the Emperor as patron, and Guelf Bologna, with the Pope as patron, had flared over decades. In 1296 the Bolognese had successfully invaded the Modenese lands of Bazzano and Savigno, with the support of Pope Boniface VIII
, who recognized in 1298 the Guelf possession of these border castles. Within the two cities the situation was complicated by numbers of exiles and divided loyalties. In Modena the struggle for power after the death of Obizzo II d'Este, which divided his sons' friends into hostile camps, was resolved in favour of Azzo VIII, who confronted Bologna in part to bolster his lukewarm reception by his own city's nobles. His elected successor, the Mantuan Passerino Bonacolsi
, the agent of Louis of Bavaria, King of the Romans
, pursued the embittered war politics, with Parma
, Reggio
and Modena also under his power. For his part John XXIII declared him a rebel to the Church, granting indulgence
s as to a Crusader to any who could harm his person or his possessions.
In the months before the battle, border clashes intensified. In July, the Bolognesi entered Modenese territory and laid waste the fields in the section "between the canals", by fire and sword; in August a Bolognese rabble headed by their podestà
spent two weeks ravaging the lands of Modena. In September the Mantua
ns took their turn, and at the end of that month, the strategic Bolognese rocca
of Monteveglio
was betrayed to Modena by malcontents; two renegade castellans were decapitated.
, aided by allies from Florence
and Romagna
, besieged the fortress of Monteveglio. Quickly an opposing force arrived, headed by Cangrande della Scala, leader of the Ghibelline faction, Azzone Visconti of Milan, with many of his professional German troops, and Rinaldo, marchese of Ferrara, leading forces of Modena, Mantua
and Ferrara
. Cangrande soon departed for Verona
, but the Bolognese took for their captain the condottiero Malatesta, lord of Rimini
.
The battle took place 15 November 1325, towards sunset. The Bolognesi had 30,000 foot soldiers, who would have been haphazardly armed, and 2000 cavaliers, facing 2000 cavaliers on the Modenese side, supported by 5000 foot soldiers. The Ghibellini were arrayed on the plain where the frazione of Ziribega stands, while the Guelfs were on the slope the falls from Bersagliera towards Zappolino, the Prati di Soletto surmounted by the castle. The Bolognesi recalled men who had been drawn apart by a ruse, to Bazzano and Ponte Sant' Ambrogio. The aim was to stop the advance of the Modenese towards Monteveglio.
The battle was over by nightfall, within a couple of hours. Two thousand lay on the field. The Bolgnese survivors scattered in rout The Modenese advanced to the very walls of Bologna, destroying the castles of Crespellano, Zola, Samoggia, Anzola, Castelfranco, Piumazzo and the chiusa del Reno near Casalecchio, that diverts the river towards the city. They did not attempt a siege of the city, but scornfully organized a palio
outside the very gates of the city, ad æternam memoriam præmissorum et æternam Bononiensium scandalum, "to the eternal memory of those sent out on the expedition and the eternal shame of Bologna", and then returned to Modena brandishing a bucket taken from a well outside Porta San Felice; twenty-six captured notables of Bologna were incarcerated for the next eleven weeks in Modena.
in The New Cambridge Medieval History asserts that "Ghibelline influence in the region was consolidated by a victory at Zappolino": peace agreements in the following January returned Monteveglio and the other castles to Bologna, a return locally to status quo ante
that was probably paid for privately, as ransom, with coin in the hands of Passerino Bonacolsi. At Bologna, the coat of arms of Pope John XXII
was displayed in conjunction with those of Robert d'Anjou, a mark that the old alliance of the Avignon papacy
and the house of Anjou
was still viable in some eyes. One of the bloodiest medieval battles had virtually no outcome and is largely ignored by historians.
The battle is also famous for the wooden bucket that the Modenese took as spoils from the Bolognesi. Though it is not mentioned by Griffoni, this unusual booty was venerated in Modena in remembrance of the victory. The history of the bucket was told in Alessandro Tassoni
's satirical poem La Secchia Rapita (1614–15, published in Paris, 1622). It was still to be seen in the basement of the Torre della Ghirlandina
in 1911.
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
and Modena
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
, an incident in the series of raids and reprisals between the two cities that were part of the larger conflicts of Guelphs and Ghibellines
Guelphs and Ghibellines
The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in central and northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the split between these two parties was a particularly important aspect of the internal policy of the Italian city-states...
. The Modenesi were victorious. Though many clashes between Guelfs and Ghibellines loomed larger to contemporaries than to historians, in this unusually large encounter between 4000 estimated cavalry and some 35,000 foot soldiers, 2000 men lost their lives. The location at the foot of the hill, just outside the castle walls, is today a frazione
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
of the municipality of Castello di Serravalle
Castello di Serravalle
Castello di Serravalle is a comune in the Province of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 25 km southwest of Bologna....
, Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna
Emilia–Romagna is an administrative region of Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna. The capital is Bologna; it has an area of and about 4.4 million inhabitants....
.
Setting
Though their boundaries had been set by Frederick II, Holy Roman EmperorFrederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
, in person, a century before, competitive friction along their mutual marches between Ghibelline Modena, with the Emperor as patron, and Guelf Bologna, with the Pope as patron, had flared over decades. In 1296 the Bolognese had successfully invaded the Modenese lands of Bazzano and Savigno, with the support of Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII , born Benedetto Gaetani, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1294 to 1303. Today, Boniface VIII is probably best remembered for his feuds with Dante, who placed him in the Eighth circle of Hell in his Divina Commedia, among the Simonists.- Biography :Gaetani was born in 1235 in...
, who recognized in 1298 the Guelf possession of these border castles. Within the two cities the situation was complicated by numbers of exiles and divided loyalties. In Modena the struggle for power after the death of Obizzo II d'Este, which divided his sons' friends into hostile camps, was resolved in favour of Azzo VIII, who confronted Bologna in part to bolster his lukewarm reception by his own city's nobles. His elected successor, the Mantuan Passerino Bonacolsi
Bonacolsi
The Bonacolsi were a noble family of Mantua who ruled Mantua in the last quarter of the 13th century and the first quarter of the 14th.Pinamonte Bonacolsi was appointed one of two rectors of the commune on 12 July 1272, at first for a period of two months, internal strife among the extended...
, the agent of Louis of Bavaria, King of the Romans
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....
, pursued the embittered war politics, with Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
, Reggio
Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia is an affluent city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 170,000 inhabitants and is the main comune of the Province of Reggio Emilia....
and Modena also under his power. For his part John XXIII declared him a rebel to the Church, granting indulgence
Indulgence
In Catholic theology, an indulgence is the full or partial remission of temporal punishment due for sins which have already been forgiven. The indulgence is granted by the Catholic Church after the sinner has confessed and received absolution...
s as to a Crusader to any who could harm his person or his possessions.
In the months before the battle, border clashes intensified. In July, the Bolognesi entered Modenese territory and laid waste the fields in the section "between the canals", by fire and sword; in August a Bolognese rabble headed by their podestà
Podestà
Podestà is the name given to certain high officials in many Italian cities, since the later Middle Ages, mainly as Chief magistrate of a city state , but also as a local administrator, the representative of the Emperor.The term derives from the Latin word potestas, meaning power...
spent two weeks ravaging the lands of Modena. In September the Mantua
Mantua
Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...
ns took their turn, and at the end of that month, the strategic Bolognese rocca
Rocca (architecture)
Rocca is an Italian term meaning a high, fortifiable stronghold, usually located in smaller towns, beneath or on which the village or town clustered, within which its inhabitants might take refuge at times of trouble; under its owners' patronage the settlement might hope to find prosperity in...
of Monteveglio
Monteveglio
Monteveglio is a comune in the Province of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 20 km west of Bologna....
was betrayed to Modena by malcontents; two renegade castellans were decapitated.
Battle
As the Bolognese chronicler Matteo Griffoni tells it, the militia and rabble of Bologna headed by their podestàPodestà
Podestà is the name given to certain high officials in many Italian cities, since the later Middle Ages, mainly as Chief magistrate of a city state , but also as a local administrator, the representative of the Emperor.The term derives from the Latin word potestas, meaning power...
, aided by allies from Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
and Romagna
Romagna
Romagna is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to the east, and the rivers Reno and Sillaro to the north and west...
, besieged the fortress of Monteveglio. Quickly an opposing force arrived, headed by Cangrande della Scala, leader of the Ghibelline faction, Azzone Visconti of Milan, with many of his professional German troops, and Rinaldo, marchese of Ferrara, leading forces of Modena, Mantua
Mantua
Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...
and Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
. Cangrande soon departed for Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
, but the Bolognese took for their captain the condottiero Malatesta, lord of Rimini
House of Malatesta
The House of Malatesta was an Italian family that ruled over Rimini from 1295 until 1500, as well as other lands and towns in Romagna.Malatesta da Verucchio The House of Malatesta was an Italian family that ruled over Rimini from 1295 until 1500, as well as (in different periods) other lands and...
.
The battle took place 15 November 1325, towards sunset. The Bolognesi had 30,000 foot soldiers, who would have been haphazardly armed, and 2000 cavaliers, facing 2000 cavaliers on the Modenese side, supported by 5000 foot soldiers. The Ghibellini were arrayed on the plain where the frazione of Ziribega stands, while the Guelfs were on the slope the falls from Bersagliera towards Zappolino, the Prati di Soletto surmounted by the castle. The Bolognesi recalled men who had been drawn apart by a ruse, to Bazzano and Ponte Sant' Ambrogio. The aim was to stop the advance of the Modenese towards Monteveglio.
The battle was over by nightfall, within a couple of hours. Two thousand lay on the field. The Bolgnese survivors scattered in rout The Modenese advanced to the very walls of Bologna, destroying the castles of Crespellano, Zola, Samoggia, Anzola, Castelfranco, Piumazzo and the chiusa del Reno near Casalecchio, that diverts the river towards the city. They did not attempt a siege of the city, but scornfully organized a palio
Palio
The oldest extant palio is the Palio di Asti, but the Palio di Siena is better known internationally. There are many other palios that are held throughout the various regions of Italy. Here follows an incomplete list:-Tuscany:...
outside the very gates of the city, ad æternam memoriam præmissorum et æternam Bononiensium scandalum, "to the eternal memory of those sent out on the expedition and the eternal shame of Bologna", and then returned to Modena brandishing a bucket taken from a well outside Porta San Felice; twenty-six captured notables of Bologna were incarcerated for the next eleven weeks in Modena.
Outcome
Though David AbulafiaDavid Abulafia
David Samuel Harvard Abulafia is an influential English historian with a particular interest in Italy, Spain and the rest of the Mediterranean during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. He has been Professor of Mediterranean History at the University of Cambridge since 2000 and a Fellow of Gonville...
in The New Cambridge Medieval History asserts that "Ghibelline influence in the region was consolidated by a victory at Zappolino": peace agreements in the following January returned Monteveglio and the other castles to Bologna, a return locally to status quo ante
Status quo ante bellum
The term status quo ante bellum is Latin, meaning literally "the state in which things were before the war".The term was originally used in treaties to refer to the withdrawal of enemy troops and the restoration of prewar leadership. When used as such, it means that no side gains or loses...
that was probably paid for privately, as ransom, with coin in the hands of Passerino Bonacolsi. At Bologna, the coat of arms of Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII , born Jacques Duèze , was pope from 1316 to 1334. He was the second Pope of the Avignon Papacy , elected by a conclave in Lyon assembled by Philip V of France...
was displayed in conjunction with those of Robert d'Anjou, a mark that the old alliance of the Avignon papacy
Avignon Papacy
The Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven Popes resided in Avignon, in modern-day France. This arose from the conflict between the Papacy and the French crown....
and the house of Anjou
Capetian House of Anjou
The Capetian House of Anjou, also known as the House of Anjou-Sicily and House of Anjou-Naples, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct House of Capet. Founded by Charles I of Sicily, a son of Louis VIII of France, the Capetian king first ruled the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century...
was still viable in some eyes. One of the bloodiest medieval battles had virtually no outcome and is largely ignored by historians.
The battle is also famous for the wooden bucket that the Modenese took as spoils from the Bolognesi. Though it is not mentioned by Griffoni, this unusual booty was venerated in Modena in remembrance of the victory. The history of the bucket was told in Alessandro Tassoni
Alessandro Tassoni
Alessandro Tassoni was an Italian poet and writer.- Life :He was born in Modena, to a noble family. In 1597, he began his service for the cardinal Colonna whom he followed to Spain. In 1603 he was back in Italy and moved to Rome.In 1612 he published anonymously the booklet Le Filippiche in which...
's satirical poem La Secchia Rapita (1614–15, published in Paris, 1622). It was still to be seen in the basement of the Torre della Ghirlandina
Torre della Ghirlandina
The Torre della Ghirlandina or simply Ghirlandina is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Modena, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy.Standing at 86.12 metres, the tower is the traditional symbol of Modena, being visible from all directions outside the city....
in 1911.