Domenico Malatesta, best known as Malatesta Novello (5 August 1418 – 20 November 1465) 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 ...

, a member of the

Malatesta family ) , 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 Malates ...

Malatesta Novello, Italian nobelman built the first public library in Europe

Biography

He was born at

Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. ...

, the son of Pandolfo III Malatesta and Antonia da Barignano. In 1429, after the death of his uncle

Carlo Malatesta Carlo I Malatesta (June 1368 – 13 September 1429) (also Carlo of Rimini) was an Italian condottiero during the Wars in Lombardy and lord of Rimini, Fano, Cesena and Pesaro. He was a member of the powerful House of Malatesta. Carlo's wife was ...

, he became lord of

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 ...

, at the age of 11, together with his brothers Galeotto Roberto (the only one of age, although he died in 1432) and Sigismondo Pandolfo. Two years later, he suppressed several riots in the city spurred by the Malatesta 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, ...

; the people turned against the leader, and hailed him and his brother Sigismondo Pandolfo as lords. Also, in 1431, he quelled a revolt in

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 ...

. In 1433, the year since which he reigned alone in Cesena, he was created Imperial Knight by the

Emperor Sigismund Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was a monarch as King of Hungary and Croatia ('' jure uxoris'') from 1387, King of Germany from 1410, King of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in ...

. Therefore, he abandoned the name Domenico to be called Malatesta Novello. At the time his lands included Cesena,

Bertinoro Bertinoro () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Forlì-Cesena, Emilia-Romagna (Italy). It is located on hill Mount Cesubeo, in Romagna, a few kilometers from the Via Emilia. History There are remains of a settlement dating from the Iron ...

Meldola Meldola ( rgn, Mèdla) is a town and ''comune'' near Forlì, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. History The area of Meldola was inhabited since very ancient times. The Romans built here a large aqueduct (still existing under the ground) which served the mi ...

Sarsina Sarsina ( rgn, Sêrsna) is an Italian town situated in the province of Forlì-Cesena, Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. Its territory is included in the Tuscan-Romagnolo Apennines. History Ancient Sarsina or Sassina was a town of the Umbri. Capt ...

Roncofreddo Roncofreddo ( rgn, Runfrèd or ) is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Forlì-Cesena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about southeast of Forlì Forlì ( , ; rgn, Furlè ; la, Fo ...

and the Piviero di Sestino. He also received

Cervia Cervia ( rgn, Zirvia) is a seaside resort town in the province of Ravenna, located in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. Cervia is a major seaside resort in Emilia-Romagna, North Italy. Its population was 28,700 at the 2018 census. ...

by Sigismondo Pandolfo, building there important fortifications. In 1434, when he was 16, he married Violante da Montefeltro (daughter of Guidantonio count of Urbino) then four. The two lived separated, joining only on her twelfth birthday (1442). Aside from his military deeds, Malatesta Novello is celebrated for his large building programs in Cesena, such as the Convent di S. Maria (1438), the strengthening of the Rocca Malatestiana and enlargement of the city walls (1441); in 1452 he founded the

Biblioteca Malatestiana The Malatestiana Library (), also known as the Malatesta Novello Library, is a public library in the city of Cesena in northern Italy. Purpose-built from 1447 to 1452 and opened in 1454, and named after the local aristocrat Malatesta Novello, it i ...

, the first public library in Europe. He also built public works such as bridges, tunnels and dams. He died in Cesena in 1465. His death marked the end of the Malatesta seigniory in Cesena.

Sources

History of Cesena

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malatesta, Novello 1418 births 1456 deaths Novello People from Brescia 15th-century condottieri Lords of Italy