| Battle of Gamenario | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The castle of Gamenario in the 19th century | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Kingdom of Naples and Angevin lands | March of Montferrat (Ghibellines) Asti Pavia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Reforce d'Agoult † Jean de Cimiers [2][3] | John II of Montferrat Otto of Brunswick [2] | ||||||
TheBattle of Gamenario, fought on 22 April 1345, was a decisive battle of the wars between theGuelphs (represented by theAngevins) andGhibellines (Lombardcommunes). It took place in north-west Italy in what is now part of thecommune ofSantena about 15 km southeast ofTurin.
In the spring of 1344 QueenJoan I of Naples sent royalseneschalReforce (Reforza or Rinforzato) d'Agoult to northern Italy in hopes of putting an end to the war withJohn II,Marquess of Montferrat.[4] The latter had subjugatedMondovì,Cherasco, andSavigliano, ousted the Falletti from Alba, and later moved againstChieri, a stronghold of the Angevine possessions in Piedmont.[5]
Reforza conqueredVerzuolo May 1344.[5] In the following year he tookAlba and besiegedGamenario, a castle in the neighbourhood of Santena.Lombard Ghibellines formed an anti-Angevin alliance, choosing John II as their leader. On 22 April, he confronted Reforza d'Agoult and battle was joined. The meeting was brief and bloody. Initially uncertain, the outcome was a victory for the Ghibellines, who recovered the besieged fortress and dealt a severe blow toAngevin influence in Piedmont. To celebrate his victory, John built a new church inAsti in honour ofSaint George, near whose feast day the battle was won.
In the aftermath,Piedmont was partitioned between the victors. John received Alba,Acqui Terme,Ivrea, andValenza.Luchino Visconti receivedAlessandria and theHouse of Savoy (related to thePalaiologos ofMontferrat) receivedChieri. The Angevins lost almost complete control of the region and many formerly French cities declared themselves independent.
The defeat of the Angevins was also a defeat for Angevin-supportedManfred V of Saluzzo and the civil war inthat margraviate was ended at Gamenario.
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