Paolo Orsini (1369 – 5 August 1416) 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

Canino Canino is a town and ''comune'' of Italy, in the province of Viterbo (northern Lazio) in the internal part of Maremma Laziale. It is west of Valentano and northwest of Viterbo. It is also near the ancient Etruscan town of Vulci, and the des ...

Fiano Romano Fiano Romano is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy, approximately north of that city. Fiano Romano borders the following municipalities: Capena, Civitella San Paolo, Montelibretti, Montopoli di Sabina, ...

Gallese Gallese is an Italian ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Viterbo, from Viterbo. It was taken by Duke Thrasimund II of Spoleto in 737 or 738, at which time it was essential to communications between Rome and Ravenna and had a large fort ...

Olevano Romano Olevano Romano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about east of Rome. It is the probable birthplace of the composer Giovanni Gentile. Culture Starting from the early 19th centur ...

Orvieto Orvieto () is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy, situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff. The city rises dramatically above the almost-vertical faces of tuff cliffs that are compl ...

Marta Marta may refer to: People * Marta (given name), a feminine given name * Märta, a feminine given name * Marta (surname) :István Márta composer * Marta (footballer) (born 1986), Brazilian professional footballer Places * Marta (river), an ...

Montalto di Castro Montalto di Castro is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Viterbo in the Italian region Lazio, located about northwest of Rome and about west of Viterbo. It is home to a large fossil fuel powered power plant managed by ENEL and the l ...

Narni Narni (in Latin, Narnia) is an ancient hilltown and ''comune'' of Umbria, in central Italy, with 19,252 inhabitants (2017). At an altitude of 240 m (787 ft), it overhangs a narrow gorge of the Nera River in the province of Terni. ...

and

Tuscania Tuscania is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Viterbo, Lazio Region, Italy. Until the late 19th century the town was known as Toscanella. History Antiquity According to the legend, Tuscania was founded by Aeneas' son, Ascanius, wher ...

. He belonged to the

Orsini family The House of Orsini is an Italian noble family that was one of the most influential princely families in medieval Italy and Renaissance Rome. Members of the Orsini family include five popes: Stephen II (752-757), Paul I (757-767), Celestine II ...

. He married Rita Sanguigni and with her had two children , Giampaolo and Calvinia, on whom little evidence survives. He also had an illegitimate son Francesco who also became a condottiero.

Life

The son of Francesco Orsini, he distinguished himself as a soldier and diplomat from his youth onwards. In the struggles between

Ladislaus of Naples Ladislaus the Magnanimous ( it, Ladislao, hu, László; 15 February 1377 – 6 August 1414) was King of Naples from 1386 until his death and an unsuccessful claimant to the kingdoms of Hungary and Croatia. Ladislaus was a skilled political and m ...

and

Pope Innocent VII Pope Innocent VII ( la, Innocentius VII; it, Innocenzo VII; 1339 – 6 November 1406), born Cosimo de' Migliorati, was head of the Catholic Church from 17 October 1404 to his death in November 1406. He was pope during the period of the Western S ...

, he re-established the pope's authority over Rome in 1406 and the following year defended Innocent against Ladislaus' allies in the

Colonna family 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 Middle Ages, medieval and Roman Renaissance, Renaissance Rome, supplying one pope (Pope Martin ...

and was made

Captain General of the Church The captain general of the Church ( it, Capitano generale della Chiesa) was the ''de facto'' commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Papal States during the Middle Ages. The post was usually conferred on an Italian or other noble with a pr ...

. During Innocent's time away from Rome, Paolo sided with

Louis II of Anjou Louis II (5 October 1377 – 29 April 1417) was Duke of Anjou and Count of Provence from 1384 to 1417; he claimed the Kingdom of Naples, but only ruled parts of the kingdom from 1390 to 1399. His father, Louis I of Anjouthe founder of the House of ...

against a new assault by Ladislaus, managing to defeat him in the 1411 battle of Roccasecca.Paolo Orsini's entry on condottieridiventura.it.
/ref> Whilst en route to the battle of Sant'Egidio against

Braccio da Montone {{Infobox noble, type , name = Braccio da Montone , title = Prince of Capua , image = Braccio da Montone.jpg , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = Prince of Capua , reign = {{nowrap, July 1421 – 5 June 1424 , predecessor = R ...

, Paolo was treacherously killed by his enemies

Angelo Tartaglia Angelo Broglio da Lavello, known as Angelo Tartaglia (1350 or 1370–1421), was an Italian condottiero and nobleman, captain of the Papal Army, lord of Lavello and Toscanella. Biography Born in Lavello, Basilicata, Tartaglia trained at the mi ...

, Cristoforo da Lavello and

Ludovico Colonna Ludovico Colonna (1390 - 12 October 1436) was an Italian condottiero, count of Santa Severina and lord of Ardea. An illegitimate son of Giovanni Colonna, he began his military career at a young age, joining Braccio da Montone's 'compagnia di ve ...

Colfiorito Colfiorito is a village in Umbria, central Italy, former Catholic bishopric under its Roman name Plestia, now a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Foligno and a Latin Catholic titular see. Geography It is located on a plateau at 760 m over t ...

and his army overwhelmed by Braccio's force. A later anonymous sonnet on him stated

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orsini, Paolo category:1369 births category:1416 deaths

Paolo Paolo is both a given name and a surname, the Italian form of the name Paul. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Paolo Art *Paolo Alboni (1671–1734), Italian painter *Paolo Abbate (1884–1973), Italian-American s ...