Pietro Farnese, also called Piero de Farneto or Petruccio di Cola (c. 1310 – 20 June 1363) 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 ...

.'' He was co-lord of Farnese, Canino, Ischia and Cellere, Captain General of the Papal Army and Captain General of the Florentine Army.

Biography

Little is known of his youth. In 1338, at

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 ...

, together with his father Nicola, he sided with the

Monaldeschi The House of Monaldeschi was one of the powerful noble families of Orvieto, central Italy, members of the Guelphs and Ghibellines, Guelph party who contested with murders and violence the Ghibelline Filippeschi for control of the medieval commune, ...

della Vipera against the Monaldeschi della Cervara and was declared a rebel. In 1345 he returned to Orvieto and was appointed as commander of the communal army, commanding 5,000 men at the siege of Castiglion Fiorentino. In February 1352 he was able to reconquer Orvieto, which had surrendered to Perugia, but was pushed back by Pepo Monaldeschi del Cane. In 1354 he entered the service of cardinal

Gil de Albornoz Gil or GIL may refer to: Places * Gil Island (disambiguation), one of several islands by that name * Gil, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province, Iran * Hil, Azerbaijan, also spelled ''Gil, a village in Azerbaijan * Hiloba, also spelled ''Gil, ...

at Milan, to fight against the Ghibelline leader Bernabò Visconti. In November of the following year he became Captain General of the Papal Army, receiving half the fief of

Onano Onano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Viterbo in the Italian region Lazio, located about northwest of Rome and about northwest of Viterbo. Onano borders the following municipalities: Acquapendente, Gradoli, Grotte di Castro, ...

in the

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

. In 1359, always for Albornoz, he directed the military operations against Forlì and Forlimpopoli, which were stormed in July. The following year Giovanni Visconti da Oleggio, lord of Bologna, declared war on Bernabò Visconti, but was forced to ask (in exchange for the lordship over his city) the help of Albornoz, who sent Pietro Farnese to take possession of it. In 1361 he recovered

Lugo Lugo (, ; la, Lucus Augusti) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population ...

, Bagnacavallo and Solarolo, but in June he had to return to the defence of Bologna, menaced by Visconti. The latter was defeated the following month. In 1362 he was appointed as Commander of the Florentine Army in the war against

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 ...

. Farnese obtained a decisive victory, for which he was rewarded with a monument executed by Orcagna, still visible in

Florence Cathedral Florence Cathedral, formally the (; in English Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower), is the cathedral of Florence, Italy ( it, Duomo di Firenze). It was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was structurally c ...

. In 1363 he fell ill with the plague and died at

Castelfiorentino Castelfiorentino is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, central-northern Italy, halfway between Florence (distance 30 km), Pisa (45 km) and Siena (55 km). The population is approximate ...

Biography

See also