Vitellozzo Vitelli (c. 1458December 31, 1502) was an Italian

condottiero ''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Euro ...

. He was lord of

Montone Montone is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located about 35 km north of Perugia. Montone is a walled medieval village with a small industrial and housing estate surrounding the walled to ...

Città di Castello Città di Castello (); "Castle Town") is a city and '' comune'' in the province of Perugia, in the northern part of Umbria. It is situated on a slope of the Apennines, on the flood plain along the upper part of the river Tiber. The city is north o ...

Monterchi Monterchi is a '' Comune'' (Municipality) in the Province of Arezzo in the Italian region of Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence and about east of Arezzo. It sits in the northern part of Valtiberina (The Tiber Valley), the valley where ...

and

Anghiari Anghiari () is a hill town and municipality (''comune'') in the Province of Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy. Bordering ''comuni'' include Arezzo (southwest), Pieve Santo Stefano (north) and Subbiano (west). History The Battle of Anghiari took place on 2 ...

Biography

Together with his father,

Niccolò Niccolò is an Italian male given name, derived from the Greek Nikolaos meaning "Victor of people" or "People's champion". There are several male variations of the name: Nicolò, Niccolò, Nicolas, and Nicola. The female equivalent is Nicole. The fe ...

, who became lord of Città di Castello, and his brothers, who all at one time or other were condottieri (mercenary captains), this family instituted a new type of infantry armed with sword and pike to resist the German men-at-arms, and also a corps of mounted infantry armed with

arquebuses An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier. Although the term ''arquebus'', derived from the Dutch word ''Haakbus ...

. Vitellozzo served the Medici of

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

in their war against

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the ci ...

, and later with the French in

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

in 1496 and with the

Orsini Orsini is a surname of Italian origin, originally derived from Latin ''ursinus'' ("bearlike") and originating as an epithet or sobriquet describing the name-bearer's purported strength. Notable people with the surname include the following: *Angel ...

faction against

Pope Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI ( it, Alessandro VI, va, Alexandre VI, es, Alejandro VI; born Rodrigo de Borja; ca-valencia, Roderic Llançol i de Borja ; es, Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja, lang ; 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Churc ...

. In 1500 Vitellozzo and the Orsini made peace with the pope, and the latter's son

Cesare Borgia Cesare Borgia (; ca-valencia, Cèsar Borja ; es, link=no, César Borja ; 13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was an Italian ex-cardinal and ''condottiero'' (mercenary leader) of Aragonese (Spanish) origin, whose fight for power was a major i ...

, being determined to crush the petty tyrants of Romagna and consolidate papal power in that province, took the condottieri into his service. Vitellozzo distinguished himself in many engagements, but in 1501 he advanced against Florence, moved as much by a desire to avenge his brother Paolo, who while in the service of the Republic, had been suspected of treachery and put to death (1499), as by Cesare's orders. While Borgia was actually negotiating with the republic, Vitelli seized

Arezzo Arezzo ( , , ) , also ; ett, 𐌀𐌓𐌉𐌕𐌉𐌌, Aritim. is a city and '' comune'' in Italy and the capital of the province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about southeast of Florence at an elevation of above sea lev ...

. He was forced by Borgia and the French to give up the city, to his chagrin, and he began from that moment to nurture hostile feelings towards his master and to aspire to independent rule. Vitellozzo Vitelli wanted revenge for his brother's death. Seizing Arezzo prompted the Florentines to fear attack, and almost forced Cesare to attack Florence, but this action was in conflict with the wishes of Louis d'Orleans, king of France. He took part with the Orsini, Oliverotto da Fermo and other captains in the conspiracy of La Magione against the Borgia (Vitelli was married to Porzia, daughter of Paolo Orsini), but mutual distrust and the incapacity of the leaders before Cesare's energy and the promise of French help, brought the plot to naught, and Vitelli and other condottieri, hoping to ingratiate themselves with Cesare once more, seized Senigallia in his name. There they were tricked by him and captured while their troops were out of reach. Vitelli and Oliverotto were strangled that same night on December 31, 1502. This incident may have alienated

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested on ...

from Borgia (whose service the artist was in), as he was Vitelli's friend.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vitelli, Vitellozzo 1450s births 1502 deaths 15th-century condottieri Assassinated Italian politicians People from Città di Castello People murdered in Italy Italian murder victims Deaths by strangulation Vitelozzo 16th-century condottieri