Napoleone Orsini (c. 1420 – September 1480) 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 ...
.
The son of Orso
Orsini of Bracciano, he fought for
Pope Eugene IV against
Francesco Sforza in 1443. Later, in the 1450s, he flanked
Ferdinand of Aragon in the struggle between the
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...
and 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 ...
. Subsequently, Orsini fought against the rival baronial families of the
Colonna
The House of Colonna, also known as ''Sciarrillo'' or ''Sciarra'', is an Italian noble family, forming part of the papal nobility. It was powerful in medieval and Renaissance Rome, supplying one pope (Martin V) and many other church and politica ...
and the
Anguillara in the
Lazio
it, Laziale
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.
In 1461 as
papal
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
commander for
Pope Pius II
Pope Pius II ( la, Pius PP. II, it, Pio II), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini ( la, Aeneas Silvius Bartholomeus, links=no; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August ...
, he defeated
Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, who was moving to enter the
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...
, at
Mondolfo
Mondolfo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italian region Marche, located about northwest of Ancona and about southeast of Pesaro, on the Adriatic Sea.
Mondolfo borders the following municipalities: ...
, in the
Abruzzo
Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...
. The following year he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Papal Army and warred against
Roberto Malatesta
Roberto Malatesta (c. 1441/42 – 10 Septembe1482) was an Italian condottiero, or mercenary captain, lord of Rimini, and a member of the House of Malatesta.
Early life
Born at Fano, Roberto was an illegitimate son of Sigismondo Pandolfo an ...
, lord of
Rimini, being wounded in the course of the campaign.
Orsini did not take part in any relevant military feat thenceforth.
References
*
*
External links
Page at condottieridiventura.it
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orsini, Napoleone 1
1420s births
1480 deaths
15th-century condottieri
Napoleone 1