Gattamelata | |
|---|---|
 Detail of Donatello's equestrian statue of Gattamelata | |
| Born | Erasmo da Narni 1370 |
| Died | 16 January 1443(1443-01-16) (aged 72–73) |
| Occupation | Condottiero |
| Children | Polissena |
Erasmo Stefano of Narni (1370 – 16 January 1443), better known by his nickname ofGattamelata (meaning "Honeyed Cat"), was an Italiancondottiero of theRenaissance. He was born inNarni, and served a number of Italian city-states: he began withBraccio da Montone, served thePapal States andFlorence, as well as theRepublic of Venice in 1434 in the battles with theVisconti of Milan.
He was the subject ofDonatello'sequestrian bronze sculpture in the main square ofPadua, the same city over which he becamepodestà in 1437.
In Narni, the farmhouse in which Gattamelata was born bears a plaque reading "Narnia me genuit Gattamelata fui" ("I was born in Narni, I was Gattamelata").[1]
Erasmo of Narni was born inNarni, inUmbria, into a poor family. His station in life led him to the military, initially under theAssisi lord[2] Cecchino Broglia. Later, together with his friend Brandolino Brandolini, he served underBraccio da Montone, one of the leading Italiancondottieri of the 15th century,[3] lord ofPerugia from 1416.
With Braccio, he participated in the conquest ofTodi,Rieti, Narni,Terni andSpoleto, and, in 1419, in the battle of Viterbo againstMuzio Attendolo.[3] At theWar of L'Aquila (June 1424), Braccio's army was utterly defeated, and the condottiero himself killed; Erasmo led the remaining troops into the service of theRepublic of Florence. In 1427 PopeMartin V hired him to regain the lands captured by Braccio da Montone.[3]Città di Castello fell in 1428, but Erasmo had moved to the northernPapal States to counter the rebellion ofImola,Forlì andBologna. He entered the latter in 1431 as the General Captain of the Papal States, and he also suppressedAntonio Ordelaffi's rebellion in Forlì.[3]
Mostly because of his discontent with late wages,[3] Erasmo abandoned the Papal services in 1434. He was subsequently hired by theRepublic of Venice. In the course of the war against theFilippo Maria Visconti ofMilan, he defended Bologna and fought againstNiccolò Piccinino. The latter defeated him at Castelbolognese on 28 August 1434, in a battle in which Gattamelata was wounded.[3] After a series of clashes and counter-manoeuvers, often lost by the anti-Visconti league (Gattamelata's side), he successfullydefended Brescia andVerona in 1438. For this he was granted the title of General Commander of the armies of the Republic of Venice.[3] However, the following year the Venetians lost numerous cities, includingLegnago,Soave and finally Verona itself. This defeat led to strong criticism of Gattamelata.[3] The Venetian Republic then called onFrancesco Sforza to fight alongside Gattamelata, and the two re-entered Verona on 9 July 1439.[3]
In 1440, while mustering a flotilla onLake Garda, Gattamelata was struck down by acerebral haemorrhage. He never fully recovered, nor led further substantial military campaigns. He died at Padua in 1443.
Erasmo's daughter Polissena Romagnola married Tiberto Brandolini, the son of his best friend Brandolino Brandolini of Bagnacavallo, a descendant of the lords of Brandenburgh,[4] and Giovanna dei Signori della Tela. Polissena and Tiberto had two sons Sigismondo and Leonello.[5] Therefore, the counts of Brandolini d'Adda appear to be the only known descendants of Erasmo of Narni. On the 8th of February 1458, Sigismondo married Antonia, daughter ofAnnibale Bentivoglio. His second marriage was to Margherita Scotti, which showed that Sigismondo was a sufficiently important personality to be able to form an alliance with the most notable family in Piacenza.[6]
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