{{Short description|Battle in 1237 in Italy}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox military conflict | conflict = Battle of Cortenuova | partof = [[Guelphs and Ghibellines]] | image = Erbeutung des Mailänder Carroccios.jpg | image_size = 335px | caption = Miniature depicting the capture of the [[Carroccio]]<br />[[Nuova Cronica]] Vatican Library Chig.L.VIII.296 | date = 27 November 1237 | place = [[Cortenuova]], [[Lombardy]], [[Italy]] | coordinates = {{coord|45|32|N|9|47|E|region:IT_type:city(1812)|display=inline,title}} | result = [[Holy Roman Empire|Imperial]] victory | combatant1 = [[Holy Roman Empire]]<BR />[[Kingdom of Sicily]] | combatant2 = '''[[Lombard League]]'''<br /><small>[[Milan]], [[Lodi, Lombardy|Lodi]], [[Crema, Lombardy|Crema]], [[Bergamo]], [[Brescia]], [[Verona]], [[Vicenza]], [[Padua]], [[Treviso]], [[Mantua]], [[Alessandria]] and [[Vercelli]]</small> | commander1 = '''[[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]]'''<br />[[Ezzelino III da Romano|Ezzelino da Romano]]<br />Gebhard von Arnstein | commander2 = [[Tiepolo (disambiguation)|Pietro Tiepolo]] [[Prisoner of War|P]]{{executed}}<BR />[[Archbishops of Milan|Guglielmo I da Rizolio]] | strength1 = ~10,000 <ref name=HAD>{{cite book |title=Schlacht bei Cortenuova |last=Hadank |first=Karl |year=1905 |location=Kreis Löwenberg }}</ref><ref name=HHM>{{cite book |title=History of Latin Christianity Vol. IV |last=Milman |first=Henry Hart |year=1855 |location=London }}</ref><ref name=FVK>{{cite book |title=Wörterbuch der Schlachten, Belagerungen und Treffen aller Völker 4. Band |last=Freiherr von Kausler |first=Franz Georg |year=1833 |location=Ulm }}</ref><ref name= TLK>{{cite book |title=History of Frederick II: Emperor of the Romans Vol.II |last=Kington-Oliphant |first=Thomas Laurence |year=1862 |location=Cambridge }}</ref><ref name=JSE>{{cite book |title=Allgemeine encyclopädie der wissenschaften und künste |last=Ersch |first=Johann Samuel |year=1832 |location=Leipzig }}</ref> | strength2 = ~15,000 <ref name=HAD/><ref name=FVK/><ref name=MWB>{{cite book |title=Mediæval popes, emperors, kings, and crusaders Vol.III|last=Busk |first=Mrs. William |year=1856 |location=London }}</ref> | casualties1 = Unknown | casualties2 = Thousands killed<ref name=MWB/><ref name=SCH>{{cite book |title=Kaiser Friedrich II: Verwandler der Welt |last=Schaller |first=Hans-Martin |year=1964 |location=Göttingen }}</ref><ref name=VOA>{{cite book |title=Kämpfer grosses Menschentum aller Zeiten, Volume 1 |last=Von Arnim |first=Hans |year=1923 |location=Berlin }}</ref><BR />Thousands captured<ref name=HAD/> }} {{Campaignbox Guelphs and Ghibellines}}
The '''Battle of Cortenuova''' (sometimes spelled '''Cortenova''') was fought on 27 November 1237 in the course of the [[Guelphs and Ghibellines Wars]]: in it, [[Holy Roman Emperor]] [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] defeated the Second [[Lombard League]].<ref name=Trecc/>
==Background== In 1235 Emperor Frederick was in Germany to quell the rebellion of his son [[Henry (VII) of Germany|Henry]]. In the autumn of that year he decided to return to Italy to suppress the [[Lombardy|Lombard]] communes which, backed by Pope [[Gregory IX]], were contesting his authority.<ref name=arsBell/> He arrived at [[Valeggio sul Mincio|Valeggio]], near [[Verona]], and, with the help of [[Ezzelino III da Romano]] and other [[Ghibellines|Ghibelline]] leaders, sacked the city of [[Vicenza]]. Satisfied with this first outcome, he came back to Germany to deal with another German princes' rebellion, leaving [[Hermann von Salza]], [[Grand Master of the Teutonic Order]], in Italy to monitor the situation.<ref name=Trecc/>
In August 1237 the emperor returned again to Italy, this time aiming to definitively crush the Second [[Lombard League]].<ref name=Trecc/> He crossed the Alps to [[Verona]] and here his 2,000 knights were joined by [[Ezzelino III da Romano]]'s troops, including soldiers from [[Treviso]], [[Padua]], [[Vicenza]], and Verona itself, as well as by Tuscan men led by Gaboard of Arnstein. Later 6,000 infantry and horsemen from the Kingdom of Sicily came, including [[Muslim settlement of Lucera|Apulian Muslim archers]].<ref>These units intervened at the end of the battle – "Emptying their quivers", as quoted by [[Pier delle Vigne]]</ref> The rest of the army was formed by Ghibellines from [[Cremona]], [[Pavia]], [[Modena]], [[Parma]], and [[Reggio Emilia|Reggio]], for a total of 12,000 – 15,000 men<ref name=arsBell>{{cite web|url=http://www.arsbellica.it/pagine/medievale/Cortenuova/Cortenuova.html#ducicor|title=Battaglia di Cortenuova|publisher=ARS Bellica|access-date=18 July 2011}}</ref>
The imperial army marched first against [[Mantua]], which decided to surrender instead of being sacked,<ref name=Trecc/><ref name=stuporM>{{cite web |last=Carlo |first=Fornari |title=La Battaglia di Cortenuova |url=http://www.stupormundi.it/Cortenova.htm |work=Stupor Mundi |access-date=18 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515023659/http://www.stupormundi.it/Cortenova.htm |archive-date=15 May 2011 |df=dmy }}</ref> and then to [[Bergamo]], whose council of nobles took the same decision in exchange for no formal submission.<ref name=Trecc/> Frederick then invaded [[Brescia]]'s territory, capturing [[Goito]] and [[Montichiari]] among the others, although the latter's resistance gave time for most of the Lombard League troops to reach Brescia.<ref name=arsBell/> The 2,000-knights and 6,000-infantry<ref name=arsBell/> strong army, led by [[Pietro Tiepolo]], ''[[podestà]] ''of Milan and son of the [[doge of Venice]],<ref name=Trecc>{{cite web|last=Roversi Monaco|first=Francesca|title=Cortenuova, Battaglia di|url=http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/battaglia-di-cortenuova_(Federiciana)/|work=Federiciana|publisher=[[Enciclopedia Italiana]]|access-date=19 July 2011}}</ref> occupied a favorable position at [[Manerbio]] (November 1237). The two armies remained fifteen days facing each other without battling, separated by a marsh that thwarted the knights' effectiveness. Frederick, whose army was becoming short of supply, left his camp in search of a more advantageous position, and on 24 November 1237 crossed the [[Oglio]] River near [[Pontevico]], where the Lombardian League's army was camped, marching northwards to wait for the enemy's moves at [[Soncino, Lombardy|Soncino]].<ref name=Trecc/><ref name=stuporM/>
==Battle== The Lombards believed the rumors, skilfully spread by the emperor, that he was withdrawing to Cremona to spend the winter there.<ref name=Trecc/> Therefore, they also started towards their winter quarters. However, Frederick had posted a contingent from Bergamo at [[Cividate al Piano]], which would inform him of the Lombard movements through [[smoke signal]]s. When the Lombard army had completed its crossing of Oglio at [[Pontoglio]] and [[Palazzolo sull'Oglio|Palazzolo]], the imperial troops saw large clouds of smoke and moved to [[Cortenuova]], which was 18 km from their current positions.<ref name=Trecc/>
The imperial vanguard included Muslim soldiers and horsemen, which were the first units to attack the withdrawing Lombards, followed by the infantry. Taken by surprise, the [[Milan]]ese and [[Piacenza|Piacentines]] were unable to form a defense line, and fled to Cortenuova.<ref name=Trecc/> When Frederick and his main force reached the battlefield, it was scattered with knights, slain or wounded and his passage blocked by riderless horses.<ref name=HAD/><ref name=TLK/> At Cortenuova, other Milanese and troops from [[Alessandria]] rallied around their [[Carroccio]], where the Lombards fought valiantly<ref name=MWB/> under the Muslim archers' arrows and the Teutonic charges. A column of men from Milanese noble families, despite the arrival of other Bergamo troops, was able to protect the rest of the army's retreat to Cortenuova till nightfall.<ref name=Trecc/> To keep the army's morale as high as possible, Frederick ordered his troop to sleep with their armor on, and to attack at the first light of dawn. On the other side, the ''podestà'' of Milan, recognizing that the troops could not withstand another battle, ordered the abandonment of the town along with the Carroccio and the rest of the baggage.<ref name=Trecc/>
On the dawn of 28 November the Imperials attacked the hastily retreating Lombards, who collapsed with minimal resistance.<ref name=Trecc/> Many drowned in the Oglio, which was overflowing due to a flood. About 4,000 Lombards were captured, and the wounded and killed numbered several thousand. The Milanese alone lost 2,500 soldiers.<ref name=arsBell/> Of the battlefield, [[Pietro della Vigna|Peter de Vinea]] recorded:<ref name=TLK/>
<blockquote style="margin-right:1em; margin-left:1em; border-left:solid 4px rgba(205,0,0); padding:1.0em"><poem>who can describe the heaps of corpses and the number of captives?... the Germans dyed their swords in blood;... the loyal Cremonese with the other states satiated their axes with blood; the Saracens emptied their quivers. Never in any war were so many corpses piled up; had not night come on suddenly, none of the enemy would have fled from Caesars hands<div style="text-align:right"> – [[Pietro della Vigna|Peter de Vinea]], ''Ep. II. 3.''</div> </poem> </blockquote>
==Aftermath== The Lombard League's army was virtually annihilated. Frederick made a triumphal entrance in the allied city of [[Cremona]], with the Carroccio towed by an elephant and Tiepolo chained on it.<ref name=Trecc/> The latter was first detained in Apulia and then publicly executed in [[Trani, Apulia|Trani]]. The Carroccio was later sent to Rome as a show of the imperial power.<ref name=Trecc/>
The Lombard League disbanded. [[Lodi, Italy|Lodi]], [[Novara]], [[Vercelli]], [[Chieri]], and [[Savona]] were captured or submitted to the emperor, while [[Amadeus IV of Savoy]] and [[Boniface II of Montferrat]] confirmed their Ghibelline allegiance.<ref name=Trecc/> [[Milan]], [[Brescia]], [[Piacenza]], and [[Bologna]] remained alone in arms.<ref name=HHM/> Frederick, now at the top of his strength, besieged Milan. He rejected all Milanese peace overtures, insisting on unconditional surrender. Milan and five other cities, however, held out, and, in October 1238, he had to raise the [[Siege of Brescia (1238)|siege of Brescia]].<ref name=Trecc/>
The emperor then went on to invade the [[Papal States]], and was excommunicated by [[Pope Gregory IX]].<ref name=Trecc/>
== References== {{Reflist}}
==Sources== *{{cite book|first=Riccardo|last= Caproni|title= La battaglia di Cortenova|location=Bergamo|year=1987}} *{{cite book|first=Carlo |last=Fornari|title=Federico II condottiero e diplomatico|location=Bari|publisher=Adda Editore|year=2000}} *{{cite book|first= William |last=Busk|title=Medieval Popes, Emperors, Kings and Crusaders |volume=III |location=London|year=1856}} *{{cite book|first=Henry H.|last=Milman|title=History of Latin Christianity Vol. IV|location=London|year=1855}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cortenuova, Battle of}} [[Category:1237 in Europe]] [[Category:1230s in the Holy Roman Empire]] [[Category:13th century in Italy]] [[Category:Battles involving the Holy Roman Empire|Cortenuova 1237]] [[Category:Wars of the Guelphs and Ghibellines]] [[Category:Conflicts in 1237]] [[Category:Military history of Lombardy]] [[Category:Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor]]