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The Battle of Montaperti was fought on September 4, 1260, between Florence and Siena in Tuscany as part of the conflict between the Guelphs and Ghibellines. It gained notoriety for an act of treachery that turned the tide of the battle, which was immortalised by Dante Alighieri in his poem The Divine Comedy. September 4 is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years). ...
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Founded 59 BC as Florentia Region Tuscany Mayor Leonardo Domenici (Democratici di Sinistra) Area - City Proper 102 km² Population - City (2004) - Metropolitan - Density (city proper) 356,000 almost 500,000 3,453/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Latitude Longitude 43°47 N 11°15 E www. ...
This page is about Siena, Italy. ...
Tuscany (Italian Toscana) is a region in central Italy, bordering on Latium to the south, Umbria to the east, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria to the north, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. ...
The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting, respectively, the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire in Italy during the 12th and 13th centuries. ...
Dante redirects here. ...
Dante shown holding a copy of The Divine Comedy, next to the entrance to Hell, the seven terraces of Mount Purgatory and the city of Florence, in Michelinos fresco. ...
The Guelphs and the Ghibellines
- Main article: Guelphs and Ghibellines.
The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire respectively in Italy during the 12th and 13th centuries. The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting, respectively, the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire in Italy during the 12th and 13th centuries. ...
The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches. ...
This page is about the Germanic empire. ...
(11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ...
(12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ...
In the middle of the 13th century, the Guelphs held sway in Florence whilst the Ghibellines controlled Siena. In 1258, the Guelphs succeeded in expelling from Florence the last of the Ghibellines with any real power; they followed this with the murder of Tesauro Beccharia, Abbot of Vallombrosa, who was accused of plotting the return of the Ghibellines. Events= February 10 - Mongols overrun Baghdad, burning it to the ground and killing 800,000 citizens Llywelyn the Last declares himself Prince of Wales. ...
Vallombrosa is a Benedictine abbey 21 miles (33 km) south-east of Florence, in the Apennines, surrounded by forests of beech and firs. ...
The feud came to a head two years later when the Florentines, supported by their allies from around Tuscany, moved an army of some 35,000 men towards Siena. The Sienese called for help from King Manfred of Sicily, who provided a contingent of German cavalry. Even with these reinforcements, though, they could only raise an army of 20,000. Manfred (c. ...
The Battle The two armies met at the hill of Montaperti, outside Siena, on the morning of September 4th. The battle raged all day, but despite their superior numbers, the Florentines were unable to make headway into the determined Sienese. As evening approached and the Florentines exhausted themselves on their opponent's defensive lines, the Sienese forces launched their counterattack, lead by the Count of Arras.
Though seemingly reckless, the Sienese were confident in counterattacking with such a significant numerical disadvantage because their charge was a signal to a member of the Florentine army, Bocca degli Abati. Although Bocca fought for Florence alongside the Geulphs, he was at heart a Ghibelline.
At the sign of the counterattack he made his way across the Florentine lines towards the standard bearer of the Florentine army and hacked off his hand, causing the Florentine flag to fall. In the military climate of the day, the standard was all important - troops on both sides dressed identically, so the standard served as a way of knowing where your leader was and that he was still safe and in command - so the loss of their standard caused the Florentine army to panic. A flag is a piece of coloured cloth flown from a pole or mast, usually for purposes of signalling or identification. ...
Seizing this opportunity within the confusion, hundreds of Florentine Ghibellines attacked their Guelph compatriots as the main Sienese army charged, and the Florentines were routed, pursued by their enemies as they fled. It is estimated that some 15,000 men died.
The Battle of Montaperti and The Divine Comedy Whilst he was trawling through the Florence archives during the 14th century, Dante Alighieri (who was himself a Ghibelline) read about the battle from an account by Giovanni Villani, a Florentine merchant and historian, and discovered this act of treachery. As a result of this he reserved a place in the ninth circle of Hell for the traitor Bocca degli Abati in his Divine Comedy: (13th century - 14th century - 15th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 14th century was that century which lasted from 1301 to 1400. ...
// Life Early history and family Dante was born in 1265 and he tells us he was born under the sign of Gemini, placing his birthday in June. ...
Medieval illustration of the Mouth of Hell Hell is, according to many religious beliefs, a place or a state of painful suffering. ...
Dante shown holding a copy of The Divine Comedy, next to the entrance to Hell, the seven terraces of Mount Purgatory and the city of Florence, in Michelinos fresco. ...
- When someone yelled: "What the devil's eating you,
- Bocca? Isn't it enough to chatter away
- With your jaws? Do you have to bark too?"
- "So!" I exclaimed. "Now there's no need for you to say
- Anything, you wicked traitor! Now I can expose
- The shameful truth about you to the light of day!"
See Also Dante redirects here. ...
The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting, respectively, the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire in Italy during the 12th and 13th centuries. ...
Manfred (c. ...
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