Biography

Ostasio was the son of Guido III da Polenta

Guido III da Polenta

Guido III da Polenta was a lord of Ravenna, Italy and a member of the da Polenta family.He peacefully held the city's government for 30 years after the death of his father, Bernardino I. Guido married the daughter of Obizzo III d'Este of Ferrara, Elisa d'Este, who gave him numerous children...

, lord of Ravenna.

He served under the Angevines

House of Anjou

The Angevins, also known as the House of Anjou, were a noble family founded in the early years of the Carolingian Empire. They first emerged as part of the minor feudal nobility, in what would soon be known as the Kingdom of France during the 10th century...

 in 1382. Four years later he fought at the orders of his brother-in-law, Antonio della Scala, lord of 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...

, against Francesco da Carrara of Padua

Padua

Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...

. In 1387 he led a corps of 1,500 knight and, along with Giovanni Ordelaffi

Giovanni Ordelaffi

Giovanni Ordelaffi was a member of the noble family of Ordelaffi, the Lords of Forlì, in Italy, in the 14th and in the 15th centuries.Born in Forlì, he was a famous condottiero....

, he faced the White Company led by John Hawkwood

John Hawkwood

Sir John Hawkwood was an English mercenary or condottiero who was active in 14th century Italy. The French chronicler Jean Froissart knew him as Jean Haccoude and Italians as Giovanni Acuto...

, who had been hired by the Paduans. He was defeated at the battle of Castagnaro

Battle of Castagnaro

The Battle of Castagnaro was fought on March 11, 1387 at Castagnaro between Verona and Padua. It is one of the most famous battles of the Italian condottieri age....

 by Hawkwood.

In 1389 (the year in which he had his father imprisoned) he was made papal vicar of Ravenna, a position he held until his death in 1396, reigning together with Obizzo da Polenta

Obizzo da Polenta

Obizzo da Polenta was a lord of Ravenna of the da Polenta family.Obizzo and his brothers had their father Guido III da Polenta imprisoned in 1389...

 and his other brothers.

External links

• Page at condottieridiventura.it