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{{Infobox military conflict , conflict=Battle of Molinella , image= Malpaga5.JPG , image_size = 320 , caption=Depiction of the battle in the
Malpaga Castle The Malpaga Castle (Italian: ''Castello di Malpaga'') is a castle in the communal territory of Cavernago, a village in the province of Bergamo, northern Italy. Its main features are the interior rooms frescoed by the Renaissance painter Il Roma ...
, partof= , date=July 25, 1467 , place=
Molinella Molinella ( Bolognese: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) part of Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northeast of Bologna. Molinella borders the following municipalities: Argenta, Baricella, Budr ...
,
Province of Bologna The province of Bologna ( it, provincia di Bologna) was a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its provincial capital was the city of Bologna. The province of Bologna covered an area of and had a total population of 1,004,323 inhabitan ...
, result=indecisive , combatant1=
Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
, combatant2= {{flagicon image, State Flag of the Republic of Florence.svg
Republic of Florence The Republic of Florence, officially the Florentine Republic ( it, Repubblica Fiorentina, , or ), was a medieval and early modern state that was centered on the Italian city of Florence in Tuscany. The republic originated in 1115, when the Flo ...
, commander1 =
Bartolomeo Colleoni Bartolomeo Colleoni (; 1400 – 2 November 1475) 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".''Websters New ...
, commander2 =
Piero di Cosimo de' Medici Piero di Cosimo de' Medici (the Gouty), (Italian: ''Piero "il Gottoso"'') (1416 – 2 December 1469) was the ''de facto'' ruler of Florence from 1464 to 1469, during the Italian Renaissance. Biography Piero was the son of Cosimo de' Medi ...
,
Federico da Montefeltro Federico da Montefeltro, also known as Federico III da Montefeltro KG (7 June 1422 – 10 September 1482), was one of the most successful mercenary captains (''condottieri'') of the Italian Renaissance, and lord of Urbino from 1444 (as Duke fr ...
, strength1= 14,000 , strength2= 13,000 , casualties3= 500 killed
500-1,000 wounded
1,000 horses killed ''"ripped up"'' The Battle of Riccardina or Battle of Molinella, fought on July 25, 1467, in
Molinella Molinella ( Bolognese: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) part of Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northeast of Bologna. Molinella borders the following municipalities: Argenta, Baricella, Budr ...
, was one of the most important battles of the 15th century in Italy.


Combatants

* On the one side were 14,000 infantry and cavalry led by
Bartolomeo Colleoni Bartolomeo Colleoni (; 1400 – 2 November 1475) 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".''Websters New ...
in theory fighting for Venice (but Colleoni had his personal agenda), in coalition with
Borso d'Este Borso d'Este, attributed to Vicino da Ferrara, Pinacoteca of the Castello Sforzesco">Sforza Castle in Milan, Italy. Borso d'Este (1413 – August 20, 1471) was Duke of Ferrara, and the first Duchy of Modena and Reggio, Duke of Modena, which he rul ...
, Marquis of
Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...
(represented by his half-brother
Ercole I d'Este Ercole I d'Este KG (English: ''Hercules I''; 26 October 1431 – 25 January 1505) was Duke of Ferrara from 1471 until 1505. He was a member of the House of Este. He was nicknamed ''North Wind'' and ''The Diamond''. Biography Ercole was born in ...
) and the Lords of
Pesaro Pesaro () is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Marche, capital of the Province of Pesaro e Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the Marche, ...
,
Forlì Forlì ( , ; rgn, Furlè ; la, Forum Livii) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. It is the central city of Romagna. The city is situated along the Via E ...
, and some renegade families of
Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
. * On the other side was an army of 13,000 soldiers in the service of Florence, allied with
Galeazzo Maria Sforza Galeazzo Maria Sforza (24 January 1444 – 26 December 1476) was the fifth Duke of Milan from 1466 until his assassination a decade later. He was notorious for being lustful, cruel, and tyrannical. He was born to Francesco Sforza, a popula ...
(ruler of the
Duchy of Milan The Duchy of Milan ( it, Ducato di Milano; lmo, Ducaa de 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 sin ...
), King
Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand II ( an, Ferrando; ca, Ferran; eu, Errando; it, Ferdinando; la, Ferdinandus; es, Fernando; 10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), also called Ferdinand the Catholic (Spanish: ''el Católico''), was King of Aragon and Sardinia from ...
and
Giovanni II Bentivoglio Giovanni II Bentivoglio (12 February 144315 February 1508) was an Italian nobleman who ruled as tyrant of Bologna from 1463 until 1506. He had no formal position, but held power as the city's "first citizen." The Bentivoglio family ruled over Bol ...
(ruler of
Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
). The army was led by
Federico da Montefeltro Federico da Montefeltro, also known as Federico III da Montefeltro KG (7 June 1422 – 10 September 1482), was one of the most successful mercenary captains (''condottieri'') of the Italian Renaissance, and lord of Urbino from 1444 (as Duke fr ...
.


The battle

The battle was fought along the
Idice The Idice is a river in the Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna regions of Italy. The source of the river is in the province of Florence near Monghidoro in the Appennino Tosco-Emiliano mountains. The river flows north into the province of Bologna near Mon ...
river, between the villages of Riccardina (near
Budrio Budrio ( Eastern Bolognese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy; it is east of Bologna. Budrio is the birthplace of Giuseppe Barilli, better known under his pseudonym of Quirico Filopanti, an I ...
) and
Molinella Molinella ( Bolognese: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) part of Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northeast of Bologna. Molinella borders the following municipalities: Argenta, Baricella, Budr ...
. Historians disagree on who won the battle. The only certainty is that Bartolomeo Colleoni had to abandon his plans to conquer Milan. There were between 600 and 700 casualties. Notable was the large number of horses killed (almost 1,000). The battle is historically important because, for the first time in Italy, artillery and firearms were intensively used. A large fresco in the
Castle of Malpaga The Malpaga Castle (Italian: ''Castello di Malpaga'') is a castle in the communal territory of Cavernago, a village in the province of Bergamo, northern Italy. Its main features are the interior rooms frescoed by the Renaissance painter Il Roma ...
, probably by
Girolamo Romani Girolamo Romani, known as Romanino (c. 1485 - c. 1566), was an Italian High Renaissance painter active in the Veneto and Lombardy, near Brescia. His long career brought forth several different styles. Biography Romani was born in Brescia. H ...
, depicts the battle.
In 1468 peace was concluded under the initiative of
Pope Paul II Pope Paul II ( la, Paulus II; it, Paolo II; 23 February 1417 – 26 July 1471), born Pietro Barbo, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 August 1464 to his death in July 1471. When his maternal uncle Eugene IV ...
.
Molinella Molinella ( Bolognese: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) part of Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northeast of Bologna. Molinella borders the following municipalities: Argenta, Baricella, Budr ...
Molinella Molinella ( Bolognese: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) part of Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northeast of Bologna. Molinella borders the following municipalities: Argenta, Baricella, Budr ...
Molinella Molinella ( Bolognese: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) part of Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northeast of Bologna. Molinella borders the following municipalities: Argenta, Baricella, Budr ...
Molinella Molinella ( Bolognese: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) part of Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northeast of Bologna. Molinella borders the following municipalities: Argenta, Baricella, Budr ...
1467 in Europe 15th century in the Republic of Florence 15th century in the Republic of Venice
Molinella Molinella ( Bolognese: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) part of Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northeast of Bologna. Molinella borders the following municipalities: Argenta, Baricella, Budr ...
Emilia (region of Italy)