Carlo II Malatesta ( – 14 November 1438) was an Italian politician and

condottiero ''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Europe ...

. He was lord 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, ...

Gradara Gradara is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino ( PU), in the region of Marche in central Italy. It is 6 km from Gabicce Mare and Cattolica, 25 km from Rimini, 15 km from Pesaro and 33 km from Urbino. The an ...

Senigallia Senigallia (or Sinigaglia in Old Italian, Romagnol: ''S’nigaja'') is a ''comune'' and port town on Italy's Adriatic coast. It is situated in the province of Ancona in the Marche region and lies approximately 30 kilometers north-west of the pro ...

Fossombrone Fossombrone is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Pesaro e Urbino, Marche, central Italy. History The ancient Roman colony of ''Forum Sempronii'' took its name from Gaius Sempronius Gracchus. Near the Furlo Pass, during the Gothic War (535 ...

and

Civitanova Marche Civitanova Marche is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about southeast of Ancona and about east of Macerata. Geography Civitanova Marche borders the municipalities: Montecosaro, Port ...

. He was the son of

Malatesta IV Malatesta Malatesta IV (or III) Malatesta (also known as Malatesta dei Sonetti; 1370 - 19 December 1429) was an Italian condottiero, poet and lord of Pesaro, Fossombrone, Gradara, Jesi, Narni and other fiefs in Italy. Biography Born in Pesaro, he was the o ...

and

Elisabetta da Varano The Da Varano was an Italian noble family who had an important role in the medieval and Renaissance history of central Italy, as rulers of Camerino and other lands in the Marche and Umbria. Overview The family is first mentioned in the 13th c ...

Life

In 1409 he followed his father to

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 ...

to fight against the

King of Naples The following is a list of rulers of the Kingdom of Naples, from its first separation from the Kingdom of Sicily to its merger with the same into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Kingdom of Naples (1282–1501) House of Anjou In 1382, the ...

's army. In 1421 he fought for the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

against

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part o ...

and for a short time for the Florentines against

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. He and his brother Galeazzo were captured at

in 1424 after their father's and their cousin Carlo's defeat at Zagonara by the

Visconti Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...

. Carlo joined the Visconti army and in 1426 fought in

Romagna Romagna ( rgn, Rumâgna) is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, North Italy. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to t ...

against the Anti-Visconti League. In 1427 he was made captain general of the Visconti armies, putting him in command of 1,200 cavalry in the battle against

Francesco Bussone Francesco Bussone, often called Count of Carmagnola (c. 1382 – 5 May 1432), was an Italian condottiero. Life Bussone was born at Carmagnola, near Turin, in a humble peasant family. He began his military career when twelve years old under Facin ...

. The Visconti force was defeated at

Pizzighettone Pizzighettone ( Pizzighettonese: ) is a ''comune'' of the Province of Cremona in the Italian region Lombardy. The main population centre is located on the river Adda and is divided into two parts: Pizzighettone on the east bank and Gera on the ...

and Carlo was captured again until being freed when the two sides made peace. In 1428 Carlo married

Vittoria Colonna Vittoria Colonna (April 149225 February 1547), marchioness of Pescara, was an Italian noblewoman and poet. As an educated, married noblewoman whose husband was in captivity, Colonna was able to develop relationships within the intellectual circl ...

Pope Martin V Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...

's niece, but the couple remained childless. In 1430 he fought against

Rimini Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminu ...

but was defeated and fled from

Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta (19 June 1417 – 7 October 1468) was an Italian condottiero and nobleman, a member of the House of Malatesta and lord of Rimini and Fano from 1432. He was widely considered by his contemporaries as one of the mo ...

. Shortly afterwards he defended

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 ...

against an attack by

Anton Galeazzo Bentivoglio Antongaleazzo Bentivoglio (c. 1385–1435) was an Italian condottiero who was executed by the papacy for treason. Life The son of Giovanni I Bentivoglio, after the murder of his father, Antongaleazzo studied law and was a leader of the republ ...

. In 1431 a revolt broke out in

, forcing Carlo to retreat to

then to Gradara and elsewhere. In 1433 he helped the Montefeltro and the Visconti reconquer their own lands. The resulting treaty brought peace between the Papal States and the two Malatesta brothers, Carlo and Galeazzo. Carlo returned to Pesaro on 24 September and killed all those who had revolted two years earlier.

Bibliography

*E. Angiolini and A. Falcioni - ''La signoria di Malatesta dei Sonetti Malatesti (1391-1429)'' - Rimini, Ghigi, 2002, ISBN *G. Franceschini - ''I Malatesta'' - Milano, Dall'Oglio, 1973. *A. F. Massera - ''Note Malatestiane'' - Galileiana, Firenze, 1911. *L. Tonini - ''Rimini nella signoria de' Malatesti: parte prima che comprende il secolo XIV'', Vol.1 - Rimini, Albertini, 1880. *M.R. Valazzi - ''Pesaro tra Medioevo e Rinascimento - Venezia'', Marsilio, 1990, {{ISBN, 8831750909.

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20070815154939/http://www.condottieridiventura.it/condottieri/m/0922%20%20%20%20%20%20CARLO%20MALATESTA%20%20Di%20Venezia.htm 1390 births 1438 deaths 15th-century condottieri House of Malatesta