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TheChallenge of Barletta (Italian:Disfida di Barletta) was aduel fought in the countryside ofTrani, nearBarletta,Southern Italy, on 13 February 1503, during theThird Italian War, on the plains betweenCorato andAndria.
The tournament was provoked by a French knightCharles de la Motte who, after drinking too much ofthe local wine, made disparaging remarks about the Italians.[1] It consisted in[clarification needed] a mounted tourney between 13 Italians (the most famous beingEttore Fieramosca), who were part of the Spanish army based in Barletta, and 13 Frenchknights who were based inCanosa di Puglia. The Italian knights won the battle, and the French had to pay ransom. Barletta has since acquired the appellationCittà della Disfida (City of the Challenge) as a result.
The event inspired a historical novel by the Italian writerMassimo D'Azeglio,Ettore Fieramosca, or La disfida di Barletta, written in 1833. A comedic version of the fight is also depicted in the 1976 Italian comedy filmIl Soldato di Ventura.
French troops made an incursion up toCanosa di Puglia, where they had a small fight with Spanish troops. A few French soldiers were made prisoners and were brought toBarletta. Among the French prisoners there was the noblemanCharles de Torgues, also known asMonsieur Guy de la Motte.
On 15 January 1503 the French prisoners were invited to take part to a banquet during whichla Motte questioned the valor and courage of Italian soldiers, then allied with the Spaniards. A diatribe followed. To solve the question, the French waged a challenge according to specific rules set up by the French to show whether the Italians were up to the valor of French soldiers. The challenge consisted in a mounted tourney between 13 Italians (the most famous beingEttore Fieramosca), who were part of the Spanish army based in Barletta, and 13 Frenchknights who were based inCanosa di Puglia. The number of 13 knights was set by the Frenchla Motte, who believed that that would give to the Italians an opportunity to refuse the challenge because of the superstition associated with the number 13. The winners would receive as a bounty the weapons and the horses of the other army who had also to pay a ransom of 100ducats for each knight (gold value in 100 ducats is about US$15,000 in early 2018). Moreover, each army had to provide two hostages as a collateral.Prospero Colonna andFabrizio Colonna were put in charge of making the Italian "team". The captain of the Italians was Fieramosca.
For the two armies, the participants were as follows:
 Italian knights | Knights |  French knights | |
| Ettore Fieramosca | Charles de Torgues | ||
| Francesco Salamone | Marc de Frigne | ||
| Marco Corollario | Girout de Forses | ||
| Riccio da Parma | Claude Grajan d'Aste † | ||
| Guglielmo Albimonte | Martellin de Lambris | ||
| Mariano Abignente | Pierre de Liaye | ||
| Giovanni Capoccio | Jacques de la Fontaine | ||
| Giovanni Brancaleone | Eliot de Baraut | ||
| Ludovico Abenevoli | Jean de Landes | ||
| Ettore Giovenale | Sacet de Sacet | ||
| Fanfulla da Lodi | François de Pise | ||
| Romanello da Forlì | Jacques de Guignes | ||
| Miale da Troia | Naute de la Fraise | ||
The field judges for the Italian faction were:Francesco Zurolo (or Zurlo),[2] Diego Vela, Francesco Spinola, Alonzo Lopez, the French ones instead: Lionnet Du Breuil,[3] Monsieur de Murtibrach, Monsieur de Bruet and Etum Sutte.
The Italian hostages: Angelo Galeotta and Albernuccio, the French ones: Monsieur de Musnai and Monsieur de Dumoble.
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