Nolfo da Montefeltro (born Sighinolfo; c. 1290 – 1364) was count of Montefeltro from 1323 to 1360. He was the son of

Federico I da Montefeltro Federico (; ) is a given name and surname. It is a form of Frederick, most commonly found in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. People with the given name Federico Artists * Federico Ágreda, Venezuelan composer and DJ. * Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, ...

, who had been slain by the people of the city in revolt against him. In 1323 Nolfo, now a leader of the

Ghibelline The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, rival ...

part 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 ...

, reconquered the city by defeating the Papal commander,

Ferrantino Malatesta Ferrantino Malatesta (1258 – 12 November 1353) was a lord of Rimini and several other lands in northern Italy, a member of the House of Malatesta, Malatesta family. He was the son of Malatestino dell'Occhio, becoming lord in Rimini after the deat ...

. His first move as lord was the assassination of all his father's enemies. In 1333 he was named advisor by

John of Bohemia John the Blind or John of Luxembourg ( lb, Jang de Blannen; german: link=no, Johann der Blinde; cz, Jan Lucemburský; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of ...

and captain of the Papal Army. Nolfo annexed

Borgo San Sepolcro Sansepolcro, formerly Borgo Santo Sepolcro, is a town and ''comune'' founded in the 11th century, located in the Italian Province of Arezzo in the eastern part of the region of Tuscany. Situated on the upper reaches of the Tiber river, the town ...

and the fortress of

San Leo San Leo ( rgn, San Lé) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about southwest of Rimini. Geography San Leo borders the following municipalities: ...

, and was hired as

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 ...

by the Pisane, for which he occupied

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one o ...

in 1342. In 1348 he was appointed commander-in-chief of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

's army against the

counts of Gorizia The County of Gorizia ( it, Contea di Gorizia, german: Grafschaft Görz, sl, Goriška grofija, fur, Contee di Gurize), from 1365 Princely County of Gorizia, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. Originally mediate ''Vogts'' of the Patriarchs of ...

; he was also made imperial vicar of the county of Urbino. In 1351 he was hired by Giovanni Visconti, lord of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. The following year he captured

Cagli Cagli is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Pesaro e Urbino, Marche, central Italy. It c. south of Urbino. The Burano flows near the town. History Cagli occupies the site of an ancient village on the Via Flaminia, which seems to have bo ...

, but was pushed back in 1354 by the Papal commander Gil de Albornoz, sent in Italy to reconquer the fractionated Papal States. After signing a treaty of peace, he was made Papal vicar in his lands. Nolfo died in 1364.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Montefeltro, Nolfo 1290 births 1364 deaths Nolfo 14th-century condottieri Republic of Venice generals Wars of the Guelphs and Ghibellines Counts of Urbino