Carlo I Malatesta (June 1368 – 13 September 1429) (also Carlo of Rimini) was an Italian

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 ...

during the

Wars in Lombardy The Wars in Lombardy were a series of conflicts between the Republic of Venice and the Duchy of Milan and their respective allies, fought in four campaigns in a struggle for hegemony in Northern Italy that ravaged the economy of Lombardy and ...

and lord of

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 ...

Fano Fano is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort southeast of Pesaro, located where the ''Via Flaminia'' reaches the Adriatic Sea. It is the third city in the region by popula ...

Cesena Cesena (; rgn, Cisêna) is a city and ''comune'' in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, served by Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine Mountains, about from the Adriatic Sea. The total population is 97,137. History Cesena was o ...

and

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, ...

. He was a member of the powerful

House of Malatesta ) , type= Noble house , country=ItalySan Marino, estates= Castel Sismondo (Rimini) Rocca Malatestiana (Cesena) , titles=, founded=, founder=Malatesta da Verucchio, final ruler=Pandolfo IV Malatesta, deposition=, dissolution= The House of Malatesta ...

. Carlo's wife was Elisabetta Gonzaga; they were married in November 1386.

Francesco I Gonzaga Portrait of Francesco I Gonzaga Francesco I Gonzaga (1366 – 7 March 1407) was ruler of Mantua from 1382 to 1407. He was also a condottiero. Succeeding his father Ludovico II Gonzaga in 1382, he led a policy of balance between the nearby ...

married Carlo's sister

Margherita Malatesta {{Infobox noble , name = Margherita Malatesta , title = Consort of the ruler of Mantua , image = Маргарита Малатеста.jpg , caption = , alt = , CoA = ...

in 1393, cementing ties between the families. Carlo was the brother of Pandolfo III and

Andrea Malatesta Andrea Malatesta (30 November 1373 – 20 September 1416
) was an

Galeotto I Malatesta Galeotto I Malatesta (1299–1385) was an Italian condottiero, who was lord of Rimini, Fano, Ascoli Piceno, Cesena and Fossombrone. Biography Born in Rimini, he was the son of Pandolfo I Malatesta and the brother of Malatesta II Malatesta. In 133 ...

. After Galeotto's death in 1385, the Malatesta lands were divided among his four sons. Carlo inherited

. In 1385 he was named vicar for

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 ...

by the

Pope Urban VI Pope Urban VI ( la, Urbanus VI; it, Urbano VI; c. 1318 – 15 October 1389), born Bartolomeo Prignano (), was head of the Catholic Church from 8 April 1378 to his death in October 1389. He was the most recent pope to be elected from outside the ...

and, two years later,

Gonfalonier The Gonfalonier (in Italian: ''Gonfaloniere'') was the holder of a highly prestigious communal office in medieval and Renaissance Italy, notably in Florence and the Papal States. The name derives from ''gonfalone'' (in English, gonfalon), the ter ...

. In 1390 he defeated a Bolognese corps led by

Alberico da Barbiano Alberico da Barbiano (c. 1344–1409) was the first of the Italian condottieri. His master in military matters was the English mercenary John Hawkwood, known in Italy as Giovanni Acuto. Alberico's ''compagnia'' fought under the banner of Saint ...

. In his early years he fought mainly against the

Montefeltro Montefeltro is a historical and geographical region in Marche, which was historically part of Romagna. It gave its name to the House of Montefeltro, Montefeltro family, who ruled in the area during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Regions of I ...

family, but later allied with them through a double marriage arrangement. In 1394, he was placed in charge of Rocca Contrada, a town important in the local balance of power, located at the border of the Marca di Ancona, Umbria, and the Duchy of Urbino. That same year, he and his youngest brother Galleotto, received Bertinoro as security for a loan made to the papacy. Formerly, aligned with the Visconti's, the marriage of his sister Margherita drew him closer to the Gonzaga's. In 1397 in the war between 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 ...

and the Gonzaga of Mantua, he defeated the Visconti leader Jacopo Dal Verme at

Governolo Roncoferraro (Mantovano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan and about southeast of Mantua. Roncoferraro borders the following municipalities: Bagnolo Sa ...

, but when

Giovanni da Barbiano Giovanni da Barbiano (died 27 September 1399) was an Italian condottiero, the leader of a force of mercenary soldiers. He was a brother or nephew of the condottiero Alberico da Barbiano. Born in Barbiano di Cotignola, a commune of what is now e ...

and others refused to advance against Brescia, he retired in disgust to Romagna. In 1398, he successfully arbitrated a truce between the parties. Malatesta resumed service with the papacy, and in 1402 led an allied force including his brother Andrea of Cesena, the Florentines, a number of lords of the papal states and the troops of the papal legate Baldassarre Cossa against Milan. He then negotiated a settlement with Francesco Gonzaga as representative of the

Duchess of Milan Lady of Milan Early consorts ''The name wives and consorts of the early Della Torre lords of Milan are not known. But Napoleone della Torre may have been married to a Margherita di Baux.'' House of Visconti, 1277–1302 House of della To ...

, by which Bologna, Perugia, and Assisi were returned to the papacy.

Pope Boniface IX Pope Boniface IX ( la, Bonifatius IX; it, Bonifacio IX; c. 1350 – 1 October 1404, born Pietro Tomacelli) was head of the Catholic Church from 2 November 1389 to his death in October 1404. He was the second Roman pope of the Western Schism.Richa ...

, not wishing to prolong an expensive conflict, later accepted the terms, despite opposition from both Florence and Bologna. In 1406 he was named governor of Milan. From 1409 Carlo fought constantly 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 ...

, not only as Captain General of the Church but also as diplomat. In the chaotic situation created by the presence of three popes at the same time, he backed

Gregory XII Pope Gregory XII ( la, Gregorius XII; it, Gregorio XII; – 18 October 1417), born Angelo Corraro, Corario," or Correr, was head of the Catholic Church from 30 November 1406 to 4 July 1415. Reigning during the Western Schism, he was oppose ...

, whom he also housed at Rimini, until his abdication at the

Council of Constance The Council of Constance was a 15th-century ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church, held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance in present-day Germany. The council ended the Western Schism by deposing or accepting the res ...

. The resignation letter was read by Carlo himself. After his brother-in-law's (Francesco I Gonzaga) death in 1407, Carlo protected Francesco's young son

Gianfrancesco I Gonzaga Gianfrancesco I Gonzaga (1395 – 23 September 1444) was Marquess of Mantua from 1407 to 1444. He was also a condottiero. Biography Gianfrancesco was the son of Francesco I Gonzaga and Margherita Malatesta. He inherited the rule of Mantu ...

, his nephew through his sister Margherita. Gianfrancesco would become the first

Marquis of Mantua The Marquisate or Margraviate of Mantua was a margraviate in Lombardy, Northern Italy. Constituted by the Capitani del popol, an administrative title used in Italy during the Middle Ages. The Marquisate of Mantua began with Gianfrancesco I G ...

. In 1412 he became ''capitano generale'' (commander-in-chief) of the Venetian army, fighting against the Hungarian invasion of King

Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it '' Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

. However, he was wounded in action at the Battle of Motta, and had to cede his position to his brother Pandolfo. On 12 July 1416 Malatesta was defeated by

Braccio da Montone {{Infobox noble, type , name = Braccio da Montone , title = Prince of Capua , image = Braccio da Montone.jpg , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = Prince of Capua , reign = {{nowrap, July 1421 – 5 June 1424 , predecessor = R ...

at the Battle of Sant'Egidio, wounded and taken prisoner. Pandolfo paid 80,000

ducati Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. () is the motorcycle-manufacturing division of Italian company Ducati, headquartered in Bologna, Italy. The company is directly owned by Italian automotive manufacturer Lamborghini, whose German parent company is Au ...

as ransom. Later, his territories were invaded by the Visconti army. Carlo lost

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

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 a ...

, and was subsequently defeated at Zagonara. Again taken prisoner, he was housed as a guest by the Duke of Milan Filippo Maria, and later freed without harm. The Carlo Malatesta who married Vittoria Colonna, niece of Pope Martin V, was the son of Malatesta dei Sonetti who was lord of Pesaro.

Guillaume Du Fay Guillaume Du Fay ( , ; also Dufay, Du Fayt; 5 August 1397(?) – 27 November 1474) was a French composer and music theorist of the early Renaissance. Considered the leading European composer of his time, his music was widely performed and repr ...

's ballade "Resvellies Vous" (Awake and be merry) was written for the marriage of this younger Carlo in 1423. Carlo Malatesta of Rimini provided the newlyweds with a "most sumptuous ''nozze''" in Rimini.Cesare and Clementino Clementini, ''Raccolto istorico della fondatione de' Rimini, e dell' origine e vite de' Malatesti'' (Rimini, 1617-1627), 105. Malatesta died in 1429, having obtained by

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 ...

the legitimation of his sons, who inherited the seigniories of Rimini and Fano, while the sons of

Malatesta dei Sonetti 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 ...

received Pesaro and his nephew

Domenico Domenico is an Italian given name for males and may refer to: People * Domenico Alfani, Italian painter * Domenico Allegri, Italian composer * Domenico Alvaro, Italian mobster * Domenico Ambrogi, Italian painter * Domenico Auria, Italian archit ...

received Cesena.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Malatesta, Carlo I Malatesta, Carlo 1 Malatesta, Carlo 1 Carlo 1 Malatesta, Carlo 1 Lords of Rimini Captains General of the Church 14th-century condottieri People from Rimini