Ostasio II da Polenta (died 1396) 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
Ravenna
Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the cap ...
.
Biography
Ostasio was the son of
Guido III da Polenta
Guido III da Polenta (died 1389) was a lord of Ravenna, Italy and a member of the da Polenta family.
He peacefully held the city's government for 30 years after the death of his father, Bernardino I. Guido married the daughter of Obizzo III d'E ...
, lord of Ravenna.
He served under the
Angevines in 1382. Four years later, he fought at the orders of his brother-in-law,
Antonio della Scala, lord of
Verona
Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...
, against
Francesco da Carrara of
Padua
Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
. In 1387, he led a corps of 1,500 knights and, along with
Giovanni Ordelaffi Giovanni Ordelaffi (1355–1399) was a member of the noble family of Ordelaffi, the Lords of Forlì, in Italy, in the 14th and in the 15th centuries.
Born in Forlì, he was a famous condottiero.
His most famous battle was the Battle of Castagnaro ...
, he faced the White Company led by
John Hawkwood
Sir John Hawkwood ( 1323 – 17 March 1394) was an English soldier who served as a mercenary leader or '' condottiero'' in Italy. As his name was difficult to pronounce for non-English-speaking contemporaries, there are many variations of it in ...
, who had been hired by the Paduans. He was defeated at the
Battle of Castagnaro
The Battle of Castagnaro was fought on 11 March 1387 at Castagnaro (today's Veneto, northern Italy) between Verona and Padua. It is one of the most famous battles of the Italian condottieri age.
The army of Verona was led by Giovanni Ordelaffi an ...
by Hawkwood.
In 1389 (the year in which he had his father imprisoned), he was made papal vicar of Ravenna, a position he held until his death in 1396, reigning together with
Obizzo da Polenta Obizzo da Polenta (died 30 January 1431) was an Italian nobleman and politician and the lord of Ravenna of the da Polenta family.
Biography
Obizzo da Polenta was the son of Guido III da Polenta, the Lord of Ravenna from 1359 to 1389. In 1389, Obi ...
and his other brothers.
See also
*
Da Polenta family
The da Polenta () or Polentani () were an old noble Italian family whose name derives from the Castle of Polenta near Bertinoro in Romagna.
The founder of the house is said to have been Guido, surnamed "l'Antico" (the Elder), who wielded great a ...
Sources
*
External links
Page at condottieridiventura.it
{{DEFAULTSORT:Da Polenta, Ostasio 2
Year of birth unknown
1396 deaths
Ostasio 2
14th-century condottieri
People from Ravenna