 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Battle of Tagliacozzo" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(September 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Battle of Tagliacozzo | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofCrusade against the Hohenstaufen andGuelph-Ghibelline conflict | |||||||
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Charles of Anjou | Conradin  | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3,000–5,000 | 5,000–6,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Heavy | Heavy | ||||||
TheBattle of Tagliacozzo was fought on 23 August 1268 between theGhibelline supporters ofConradin ofHohenstaufen and the Guelph army ofCharles of Anjou. The battle represented the last act of Hohenstaufen power inItaly. The capture and execution of Conradin several months after the battle also marked the fall of the family from theImperial andSicilian thrones, leading to the new chapter ofAngevin domination inSouthern Italy.
The German emperors of the Hohenstaufen line, who had inherited the kingdom of Sicily from its Norman rulers in 1194, had continually attempted to consolidate their more long-standing claims to northern Italy as well—an ambition which was vehemently opposed by manynorthern Italian states and by thePapacy. The resulting struggle between the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire split the loyalties of many Italians and led to factionalism, the resulting factions being termed theGuelphs and Ghibellines. The death of the German emperorFrederick II of Hohenstaufen in 1250 in the midst of this struggle eventually found his legitimate grandson and heir as King of Sicily, Conradin, in southern Germany, and Sicily under the rule of Conradin's uncle,Manfred of Sicily, the illegitimate son of Frederick II. Manfred ruled in Sicily at first along with his legitimate half-brother,Conrad IV (Conradin's father), and after Conrad IV's death frommalaria in 1254, asregent for Conradin. However, in 1258 Manfred declared himself king, despite Conradin's claim, purportedly because of rumors of Conradin's death.
Pope Clement IV, continuing the policy of his predecessorPope Urban IV, was determined to check Manfred's growing power. Heexcommunicated Manfred and continued discussions with Charles of Anjou as a secular prince who might, by force of arms, replace the dangerous Hohenstaufens. Bolstered by papal resources, which included a crusading tithe granted to combat the "infidel" Hohenstaufen, Charles entered Italy in 1265 and defeated and killed Manfred the next year at theBattle of Benevento, and began to establish himself as King of Sicily.
After Benevento, Clement IV continued the papal policy of employing Charles to resist the power of theGhibellines, although with this support was the fear that the Angevins themselves would, like the Hohenstaufen before them, attempt to dominate northern as well as southern Italy and thus menace the temporal power of the Holy See, despite explicit promises by Charles that he would not lay claim to northern Italy. However, the papacy still considered its ancient Hohenstaufen enemy to be the primary threat for the time being, and when Conradin, now aged 15, entered Italy with his army in September 1267 to challenge Charles' rule of Sicily, Clement immediately sought Charles' support in defeating them in Tuscany, appointing Charles as papal vicar.[2]
After considerable maneuvering, Conradin's army, which enjoyed numerical superiority, confronted that of Charles of Anjou on thePalentine Plains outside the town ofTagliacozzo (more precisely, nearScurcola Marsicana). Each army deployed in three divisions. The first Hohenstaufen division was composed of Spanish and Italian knights, led by the InfanteHenry of Castile; the second division was largely composed of Italians but included a body of German knights, and was led by Galvano Lancia; the final division contained most of the German knights, and was led by Conradin himself, accompanied by his close friendFrederick I, Margrave of Baden.
Charles' first division was mostly composed of Italians, with someProvençal knights, under an unknown commander; the second division contained the bulk of the French troops, and was mostly made up of landless knights and men-at-arms in quest of wealth, commanded by French Marshal Henri de Cousances; and finally the third division, which Charles himself led alongside the veteran French crusader, Erard of Valery (who was referred to by the Italians as "Allardo di Valleri"),[3] was composed of veteran French knights. This third division was hidden behind a hill by Charles at Valery's advice, in order to constitute a tactical surprise against the numerically superior Hohenstaufen forces.
Conradin's army dominated the initial phase of the battle. They overwhelmed Charles' first two divisions and put them to flight. A man wearing Charles' armour and who was accompanied by the Angevin banner was killed by Henry of Castile and the banner captured. The Hohenstaufen forces did not realize the man they had just killed was Henri de Cousances and not Charles himself however. Believing the battle was won, they then split up, some to pursue Charles' fleeing divisions, others to pillage the Angevin camp. At this point Charles sprung his trap; his hidden elite reserves entered the fight and decimated Conradin's forces. Conradin fled back to Rome but was later captured, imprisoned and executed. Thus ended theHohenstaufen's line.
42°01′54.9″N13°24′04.4″E / 42.031917°N 13.401222°E /42.031917; 13.401222
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
