Oliverotto Euffreducci, known as Oliverotto of Fermo (1475,

Fermo Fermo (ancient: Firmum Picenum) is a town and ''comune'' of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo. Fermo is on a hill, the Sabulo, elevation , on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway. History The oldest hum ...

– 31 December 1502,

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 ...

), 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

during the pontificate of

Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI ( it, Alessandro VI, va, Alexandre VI, es, Alejandro VI; born Rodrigo de Borja; ca-valencia, Roderic Llançol i de Borja ; es, Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja, lang ; 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Churc ...

. His career is described in

Niccolò Machiavelli Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli ( , , ; 3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527), occasionally rendered in English as Nicholas Machiavel ( , ; see below), was an Italian diplomat, author, philosopher and historian who lived during the Renaissance. ...

's ''

Il Principe ''The Prince'' ( it, Il Principe ; la, De Principatibus) is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and Political philosophy, political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli as an instruction guide for new princes and royals. The g ...

''.

Biography

Early life and rise to power

Euffreducci was born in

. During his childhood, he was brought up by his uncle, Giovanni Fogliani after he was left fatherless. He was sent to serve as a soldier under the

Paolo Vitelli in order to win high command. In 1495, he fought with Vitelli first at

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

and then in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

for the French. In 1499, the two were fighting for the Florentines against Pisa, but both were accused of treason by

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 ...

. Vitelli was summarily put to death while Oliverotto was spared due to the intervention of the government of Fermo. He then united with

Vitellozzo Vitelli Vitellozzo Vitelli (c. 1458December 31, 1502) was an Italian condottiero. He was lord of Montone, Città di Castello, Monterchi and Anghiari. Biography Together with his father, Niccolò, who became lord of Città di Castello, and his brothers, ...

, Paolo's brother, and both went into the service of

Cesare Borgia Cesare Borgia (; ca-valencia, Cèsar Borja ; es, link=no, César Borja ; 13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was an Italian ex- cardinal and '' condottiero'' (mercenary leader) of Aragonese (Spanish) origin, whose fight for power was a major ...

. As his ambition grew, Oliverotto wanted to seize

for himself. Consequently, he wrote to his uncle, claiming he wanted to meet him. Suspecting no foul play from his nephew, Fogliani brought the citizens of Fermo and lodged him in his own

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

. Soon, Oliverotto prepared a formal

banquet A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes i ...

in which he invited the prominent people of Fermo and his uncle. As Machiavelli put it: Then, Oliverotto laid siege to the palace of the

governing council A personal ordinariate for former Anglicanism, Anglicans, shortened as personal ordinariate or Anglican ordinariate,"...the liturgies approved for the Anglican ordinariates..." "Bishop Stephen Lopes of the Anglican Ordinariate of the Chair of St ...

, and, having scared them all, set up a government and gave himself absolute power. Later, he made himself a formidable ruler to all of his neighboring states.

Downfall and legacy

In May 1502, Oliverotto conquered

Camerino Camerino is a town in the province of Macerata, Marche, central-eastern Italy. It is located in the Apennines bordering Umbria, between the valleys of the rivers Potenza and Chienti, about from Ancona. Camerino is home to the University of Cam ...

for Cesare Borgia. However, realizing that the Duke was becoming stronger, he attended the meeting at La Magione with

Giulio Giulio () is an Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: * Giulio Alberoni (1664–1752), Italian cardinal and statesman * Giulio Alenio (1582–1649), Italian Jesuit missionary and scholar * Giulio Alfieri (1924–2002), Italian ...

, Paolo and Francesco Orsini,

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 ...

Pandolfo Petrucci Pandolfo Petrucci (14 February 1452 – 21 May 1512) was a ruler of the Italian Republic of Siena during the Renaissance. Biography Born and raised in Siena, a member of an aristocratic family, Petrucci was exiled from his home in 1483 for bei ...

, Vitelli and others, on 9 October. Although Oliverotto was against Paolo Orsini's line of reconciliation with Cesare Borgia, he nonetheless took

in Cesare's name. But this didn't change Borgia's secret design, and the Duke had him captured and strangled, together with Vitellozzo Vitelli, on 31 December 1502.Machiavelli: The Chief Works and Others, Vol. I, pg. 165 Oliverotto was succeeded as ruler by his son Ludovico, who ruled until he was killed at the Battle of Monto Giorgio in 1520, when Fermo became again directly subjected to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

. As with

Agathocles of Syracuse Agathocles ( grc-gre, Ἀγαθοκλῆς, ''Agathoklḗs''; 361–289 BC) was a Greek tyrant of Syracuse (317–289 BC) and self-styled king of Sicily (304–289 BC). Biography Agathocles was born at Thermae Himeraeae (modern n ...

, he is immortalized in Machiavelli's ''

The Prince ''The Prince'' ( it, Il Principe ; la, De Principatibus) is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli as an instruction guide for new princes and royals. The general theme of ''The ...

'' as one of the leaders who gained power via criminal means. He is portrayed as a violent and cunning character.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Euffreducci, Oliverotto 1475 births 1502 deaths People from Fermo 15th-century condottieri Italian murder victims People murdered in Italy Assassinated Italian politicians Deaths by strangulation 16th-century condottieri