Malatesta IV Baglioni (1491 – 24 December 1531) 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 ...

and lord of

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 ...

Bettona Bettona (Latin: ''Vettona'') is an ancient town and comune of Italy, in the province of Perugia in central Umbria at the northern edge of the Colli Martani range. It is 5 km (3 mi) E of Torgiano and 12 km (7 mi) SW of Assisi. ...

Spello Spello (in Antiquity: Hispellum) is an ancient town and ''comune'' (township) of Italy, in the province of Perugia in eastern-central Umbria, on the lower southern flank of Mt. Subasio. It is 6 km (4 mi) NNW of Foligno and 10 km (6 ...

and other lands in

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

Biography

He was the son of

Gian Paolo Baglioni Gian Paolo Baglioni (c. 1470 – June 1520) was an Italian condottiero and lord of Perugia. He was the son of Rodolfo Baglioni and initially fought mostly in Umbria, especially against the family rivals, the Oddi. In 1498 he was hired by Florence ...

, ruler of Perugia, and Ippolita Conti. He followed his father in his ventures from a very early age, and at fifteen he was count of Bettona. Later, in the course of the

Italian Wars The Italian Wars, also known as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts covering the period 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The pr ...

, he served the

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, ...

, capturing Lodi and

Cremona Cremona (, also ; ; lmo, label= Cremunés, Cremùna; egl, Carmona) is a city and ''comune'' in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po river in the middle of the ''Pianura Padana'' ( Po Valley). It is the capital of th ...

. In 1527 he was able to obtain the seignory of Perugia, after eliminating his brother and his uncle. During the

War of the League of Cognac The War of the League of Cognac (1526–30) was fought between the Habsburg dominions of Charles V—primarily the Holy Roman Empire and Spain—and the League of Cognac, an alliance including the Kingdom of France, Pope Clement VII, the Repub ...

, Malatesta left Perugia to Philibert of Orange, chief of the Imperial army in Italy, to assume the defence of the Republic of Florence. A secret agreement with

Pope Clement VII Pope Clement VII ( la, Clemens VII; it, Clemente VII; born Giulio de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the ...

and the Imperials stated that he would receive the city back after his ''condotta'' for Florence ended. His treason was revealed on 3 August 1530, at the

Battle of Gavinana The Battle of Gavinana was a battle in the War of the League of Cognac. It was fought on 3 August 1530 between the city of Florence and the army of the Holy Roman Empire. History The Imperial forces were led by Philibert of Châlon, Prince of ...

, in which the Florentine force under

Francesco Ferrucci Francesco Ferruccio (or Ferrucci) (14893 August 1530) was an Italian captain from Florence who fought in the Italian Wars. Biography After spending a few years as a merchant's clerk he took to soldiering at an early age, and served his apprentic ...

was destroyed by the Imperial army. Ferrucci's exclamation: "Ahi traditor Malatesta!" has remained famous. Baglioni was thus able to return to Perugia on 20 September. He died in Bettona the following year.

References

Page at condottieridiventura.it
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baglioni, Malatesta 2 16th-century condottieri Military leaders of the Italian Wars Republic of Venice generals Lords of Perugia 1491 births 1531 deaths