{{Infobox noble , name = Pippo Spano , title = , image = Andrea del Castagno - Pippo Spano, Niccolò Acciaiuoli, Francesco Petrarca - Google Art Project.jpg , caption =

Fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

Andrea del Castagno Andrea del Castagno () or Andrea di Bartolo di Bargilla (; – 19 August 1457) was an Italian Renaissance painting, Italian Renaissance painter in Florence, influenced chiefly by Masaccio and Giotto, Giotto di Bondone. His works include fresc ...

({{circa, 1450){{Cite book, last=Weigert, first=Hans, title=Buildings of Europe: Renaissance Europe, publisher=

The Macmillan Company Macmillan Inc. (also known as Macmillan US, and formerly The Macmillan Company) was an American book publishing company originally established as the American division of the British Macmillan Publishers. The two were later separated and acqui ...

, year=1961, editor-last=Busch, editor-first=Harald, location=New York, page=0, editor-last2=Lohse, editor-first2=Bernd , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = , reign = , reign-type = , predecessor = , successor = , suc-type = , spouse = , spouse-type = , issue = , issue-link = , issue-pipe = , full name = , noble family = Buondelmonti degli Scolari , house-type = , father = , mother = , birth_date = 1369 , birth_place =

Republic of Florence The Republic of Florence (; Old Italian: ), known officially as the Florentine Republic, was a medieval and early modern state that was centered on the Italian city of Florence in Tuscany, Italy. The republic originated in 1115, when the Flor ...

, christening_date = , christening_place = , death_date = December 1426 , death_place = Lipova , burial_date = , burial_place =

Székesfehérvár Basilica The Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary () was a basilica in Székesfehérvár (), Hungary. From the year 1000 until 1527, it was the site of the coronation of the Hungarian monarch. After the Ottomans occupied the city in 1543 ...

, religion = Roman Catholic , occupation = Hungarian magnate, general; Italian condottiere. , memorials = , url = , module = Filippo Buondelmonti degli Scolari (1369 – December 1426), known as Pippo Spano,{{Cref2, a was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

magnate, general, strategist and confidant of King

Sigismund of Hungary Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in 1437. He was elected King of Germany (King of the Romans) in 1410, and was also King of Bohemia from 1419, as well as prince-elect ...

, born in the

. The personal friend of Sigismund and member of the

Order of the Dragon The Order of the Dragon (, literally "Society of the Dragonists") was a Chivalric order#Monarchical or dynastical orders, monarchical chivalric order only for selected higher aristocracy and monarchs,Florescu and McNally, ''Dracula, Prince of M ...

, he was buried in the

beside the Hungarian kings.

Early career

Filippo, the son of a destitute Florentine nobleman, was born at Tizzano, near

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

. He is first mentioned in

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

around 1382, when he entered the service of Sigismund's

treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...

and was awarded the castle in

Simontornya Simontornya is a town in Tolna County, Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the eas ...

(''Simonsthurm''). Further services to the Crown, such as providing resources to fight the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

, led to his appointment as administrator of all gold mines in the kingdom. Present in

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

, in the context of a Hungarian nobles' rebellion and

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Tvrtko I of Bosnia Stephen Tvrtko I ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Stjepan/Stefan Tvrtko, Стјепан/Стефан Твртко; 1338 – 10 March 1391) was the first king of Bosnia. A member of the House of Kotromanić, he succeeded his uncle Stephen II ...

's death (1391), Pippo managed to subdue the main leaders of the revolt. He took part in the unfortunate anti-Ottoman final Crusade of September 1396 at

Nicopolis Nicopolis () or Actia Nicopolis was the capital city of the Roman province of Epirus (Roman province), Epirus. Its site, near Preveza, Greece, still contains impressive ruins. The city was founded in 29 BC by Octavian in commemoration of his ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

, and, unlike most on the Christian side, managed to flee after the defeat. He, the King, and a number of high dignitaries sailed a small boat up the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

, all the way to Hungarian and Croatian lands. He married Barbara, daughter and heir of Andrew of

Ozora Ozora is a village in Tolna, Hungary, Tolna, Hungary. It has been notable since the Middle Ages, when Pipo of Ozora built a castle at this site by permission of Sigismund of Hungary in 1416. Artúr Görgei won an important victory in this area a ...

, in 1398. During the new period of trouble with the claim to the throne of Charles II's son

Ladislaus of Naples Ladislaus the Magnanimous (, ; 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 military leader, protector ...

, Lo Scolari exposed acts of treason on the part of some noblemen. He was however forced to give in to most of their demands, as the King was taken prisoner in Visegrád Castle (1401). After Sigismund reasserted control briefly, the nobles openly recognized Ladislaus as King. The forces of the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

took

Zadar Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...

in 1403, and Pippo had to retreat; the same year, he regained

Veszprém Veszprém (; , , , ) is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county of the same name. Etymology The city's name derives ...

and, in September, took

Esztergom Esztergom (; ; or ; , known by Names of European cities in different languages: E–H#E, alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the righ ...

and again raided Bosnia - breaking up contacts between Sicilian and rebel armies and forcing the invaders to flee. He persuaded the rebels to seek Sigismund's pardon. While in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, Pippo was made Count of Temesvár (Timișoara). In this capacity, he initiated the building of the Hungarian border castle system to contain the Ottoman aggression; immediately, Pippo started confronting the Turks, but also moving against the Bosnian armies of

Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić (c. 1350–1416) was a medieval Bosnian nobleman and magnate, Grand Duke of Bosnia, Knez of Donji Kraji, and Duke of Split. He was the most prominent member of the Hrvatinić noble family, and one of the major feu ...

that had been besieging the town of

Šibenik Šibenik (), historically known as Sebenico (), is a historic town in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka (Croatia), Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is one of the oldest Croatia, Croatian self-governing cities ...

in Dalmatia, regaining parts of today's Croatia.

In Italy

In 1408, Pippo became the Ban of Szörény and member of the prestigious

; by that time, he had become wealthy and powerful. In 1410, Sigismund sent him to persuade

Italian city-states The Italian city-states were numerous political and independent territorial entities that existed in the Italian Peninsula from antiquity to the formation of the Kingdom of Italy in the late 19th century. The ancient Italian city-states were E ...

to cut off their links with

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

: he traveled in great pomp to his native

, then to

Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...

(meeting

Niccolò III d'Este Niccolò III d'Este (9 November 1383 – 26 December 1441) was Marquess of Ferrara from 1393 until his death. He was also a condottiero. Biography Born in Ferrara on 9 November 1383, Niccolo was the son of Alberto d'Este and Isotta Albaresan ...

). In August, he was received by

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) 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 the Leaning Tow ...

Antipope John XXIII Baldassarre Cossa (died 22 December 1419) was Pisan antipope as John XXIII (1410–1415) during the Western Schism. The Catholic Church today regards him as an antipope in opposition to Pope Gregory XII, whom it recognizes as the rightful succ ...

. In September, present in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, Pippo is said to have backed a conspiracy. As part of the anti-Venetian campaign of 1411, Lo Scolari entered

Friuli Friuli (; ; or ; ; ) is a historical region of northeast Italy. The region is marked by its separate regional and ethnic identity predominantly tied to the Friulians, who speak the Friulian language. It comprises the major part of the autono ...

at the head of an army, conquered

Aquileia Aquileia is an ancient Roman city in Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about from the sea, on the river Natiso (modern Natisone), the course of which has changed somewhat since Roman times. Today, the city is small ( ...

and, in December, he took

Udine Udine ( ; ; ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the middle of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic Sea and the Carnic Alps. It is the capital of the Province of Udine, Regional decentralization entity ...

and several fortresses in

Romagna Romagna () is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, in northern Italy. Etymology The name ''Romagna'' originates from the Latin name ''Romania'', which originally ...

, then

Vittorio Veneto Vittorio Veneto is a city and ''comune'' situated in the Province of Treviso, in the region of Veneto, Italy, in the Cardinal direction, northeast of Italy, between the Piave and the Livenza rivers, borders with the following municipalities: Alpa ...

- capturing a high official from the

Barbarigo family The Barbarigo were a Patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician, Venetian nobility, noble Venetian family, whose members had an important role in the history of the Republic of Venice. History The family originated from the Istrian area (accordin ...

. In January 1412, the renewed attack ensured Pippo a supply of high-ranking Venetian prisoners, whom he ordered mutilated to avenge a Hungarian killed by the enemy. He suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Motta in August 1412 against the

Venetian Republic The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

under

Carlo Malatesta Carlo I Malatesta (June 1368 – 13 September 1429) (also Carlo of Rimini) was an Italian condottiero during the Wars in Lombardy and lord of Rimini, Fano, Cesena and Pesaro. He was a member of the powerful House of Malatesta. Carlo's wife was ...

.{{cite book, title=The Papal State under Martin V , first=Peter , last=Partner , year=1958 , place=Rome Pippo intended to besiege

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

in January, but he could not maintain his army on the spot, and moved towards the Brenta, in Cartigliano and

Marostica Marostica (; ), is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy. It is mostly famous for its live chess event and for the local cherry variety. History Between the 11th and 13th centuries, the locality was greatly ...

, leading an unsuccessful attack on

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; or , archaically ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, where it straddles the Bacchiglione, River Bacchiglione. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and e ...

. Further failures provoked his retreat to Friuli, and then to Hungary, in February. This outcome made Venetian accounts imply a settlement with the Most Serene Republic, and even the mythical execution of Pippo as revenge by the Emperor King (he supposedly had molten gold poured down his throat). Lo Scolari returned to Friuli in September, in order to aid Florence against Ladislaus' troops. At Lodi (in

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

), he attended the meeting between Sigismund and the ruler of the city, Giovanni da Vignate.

Later assignments

Pippo took part in the March 1414 initial proceedings of the

Council of Constance The Council of Constance (; ) was an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church that was held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance (Konstanz) in present-day Germany. This was the first time that an ecumenical council was convened in ...

, where the Emperor King charged him with guarding John XXIII - an assignment he did not fully accomplish, as the Antipope soon managed to flee. In 1415, the Count of Temesvár witnessed the rebel

Jan Hus Jan Hus (; ; 1369 – 6 July 1415), sometimes anglicized as John Hus or John Huss, and referred to in historical texts as ''Iohannes Hus'' or ''Johannes Huss'', was a Czechs, Czech theologian and philosopher who became a Church reformer and t ...

' execution in

Konstanz Konstanz ( , , , ), traditionally known as Constance in English, is a college town, university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the Baden-Württemberg state of south Germany. The city ho ...

. He fought the Turks again in 1417 in

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

, in 1418 around

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

, and in 1419 in Bosnia (where he agreed to a five-year truce); the King Emperor awarded him Severin,

Mehadia Mehadia (; ; ) is a small market town and Commune in Romania, commune in Caraș-Severin County, Banat, Romania. It lies on the European route E70, in the Cerna River (Danube), Cerna River valley. The town is located on the site of the ancient An ...

and Orşova. He was called to

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

, where he dealt with the Hussite insurrection from 1420 (see

Battle of Vítkov Hill The Battle of Vítkov Hill was a part of the Hussite Wars. The battle pitted the forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, against Hussite forces under command of Jan Žižka (in English, John Zizka). Vítkov Hill was located on the edge of the ...

), being severely beaten by

Jan Žižka Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha (; 1360 – 11 October 1424) was a Czechs, Czech military leader and Knight who was a contemporary and follower of Jan Hus, and a prominent Radical Hussite who led the Taborites, Taborite faction during the Hu ...

Havlíčkův Brod Havlíčkův Brod (, until 1945 Německý Brod; ) is a town in Havlíčkův Brod District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban mon ...

(see

Battle of Německý Brod The Battle of Německý Brod (also Battle of Deutschbrod) took place on 10 January 1422, at Německý Brod in Bohemia, during the Hussite Wars. Led by Jan Žižka, the Hussites besieged the army of Royalist crusaders. The Roman Catholic ...

), in January 1422. The rumor that Pippo had been killed in Bohemia led to an Ottoman attack in Wallachia against his ally

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

Dan II. Prompted by requests from

Stefan Lazarević Stefan Lazarević ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Лазаревић, 1377 – 19 July 1427), also known as Stefan the Tall (), was a Serbian ruler as prince (1389–1402) and Despot (court title), despot (1402–1427). He was also a diplomat, legislat ...

, he moved into Serbia and won a large-scale battle. In 1425 Scolari, Dan II and the Bulgarian prince Frujin Asen crossed the

and defeated the Ottomans near Vetren and captured Silistra. However, he suffered a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

the next year and was carried to Lipova where he died. He was buried in

Székesfehérvár Székesfehérvár (; ; ; ; Serbian language, Serbian: ''Стони Београд''; ), known colloquially as Fehérvár (), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the Regions of Hungary, regional capital of C ...

, next to the tombs of the Hungarian kings, his funeral being attended by King Sigismund in person.

Legacy

He was enumerated in South Slavic epic poetry, known as "Filip the Magyar ( Hungarian)" ({{langx, sr, Филип Мађарин, {{langx, bg, Филип Маджарин).

Annotations

{{Cnote2 Begin, liststyle=upper-alpha {{Cnote2, a, His short name was Filippo Scolari. He was commonly known under his lifetime as "Pippo Spano". He is known in Hungarian historiography as Pipo of Ozora ({{langx, hu, Ozorai Pipó). {{Cnote2 End

References

{{Reflist

Sources

*{{cite book, author=Domenico Mellini, title=Vita Di Filippo Scolari, Volgarmente Chiamato Pippo Spano, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zgU6AAAAcAAJ, year=1570, publisher=Sermartelli *{{cite book, author=Domenico Mellini, title=Vita del capitano Filippo Scolari ... chiamato Pippo Spano conte di Temesvar ... riveduta et accresciuta dal autore. - Firenze, Sermartelli 1606, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sVZTAAAAcAAJ, year=1606, publisher=Nella Stamperia del Sermartelli *{{cite book, author1=Gizella Nemeth, author2=Gizella Nemeth Papo, author3=Adriano Papo, title=Pippo Spano: un eroe antiturco antesignano del Rinascimento, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BwEiAQAAIAAJ, year=2006, publisher=Edizioni della Laguna, isbn=978-88-8345-219-2

External links

{{Wikisource, Marko Kraljević and Philip the Magyar, Marko Kraljević and Philip the Magyar *{{in lang, hu}
''Magyar Életrajzi Lexikon''
*{{in lang, it}

*{{in lang, it}

{{Commons category, Pipo of Ozora {{Serbian epic poetry {{Authority control 1369 births 1426 deaths Nobility from the Republic of Florence 14th-century people from the Republic of Florence 15th-century condottieri Ozora, Pipo of Medieval Hungarian military leaders Hungarian people of Italian descent People of the Hussite Wars Military personnel from Florence Knights of the Dragon Burials at the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Bans of Severin Royal treasurers (Kingdom of Hungary) Medieval Italian military personnel Buondelmonti family 14th-century Hungarian nobility Italian expatriates in Hungary