Francesco II Ordelaffi (c. 1300–1374), also known as Cecco II, was a lord of
Forlì, the son of Sinibaldo Ordelaffi (died 1337, brother of
Scarpetta and
Francesco) and Orestina Calboli, and the grandson of
Teobaldo I Ordelaffi.
Initially he ruled the city with his uncle Francesco, but in 1332 the two were ousted by a Papal Army, remaining in control of
Forlimpopoli only. The following year, however, he became the
Ghibelline leader in
Romagna
Romagna ( rgn, Rumâgna) is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, North Italy. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to t ...
, receiving the seigniories of
Cesena and
Bertinoro
Bertinoro () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Forlì-Cesena, Emilia-Romagna (Italy). It is located on hill Mount Cesubeo, in Romagna, a few kilometers from the Via Emilia.
History
There are remains of a settlement dating from the Iron ...
and establishing a firm rule on Forlì.
In 1337 Francesco imprisoned the Archbishop of Ravenna and was excommunicated by the Pope
Benedict XII
Pope Benedict XII ( la, Benedictus XII, french: Benoît XII; 1285 – 25 April 1342), born Jacques Fournier, was head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1334 to his death in April 1342. He was the third Avignon pope. Benedict was a careful p ...
: however, the struggle ended with the Ordelaffi victorious, since the Pope named him vicar of Forlì, Cesena and Folimpopoli, in exchange of an annual payment. The excommunication was later renewed when he sided for Emperor
Louis IV of Bavaria in order to avoid the tribute, being named imperial vicar. Around 1347 he hosted
Giovanni Boccaccio
Giovanni Boccaccio (, , ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was somet ...
in Forlì.
In 1350 Francesco conquered Bertinoro,
Meldola,
Fontanafredda and
Ghiaggiolo, but had to face the opposition of the strong Papal general
Gil de Albornoz
Gil or GIL may refer to:
Places
* Gil Island (disambiguation), one of several islands by that name
* Gil, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province, Iran
* Hil, Azerbaijan, also spelled ''Gil, a village in Azerbaijan
* Hiloba, also spelled ''Gil, ...
, supported by the
Malatesta of
Rimini, as well as another excommunication. Despite the strong resistance of his wife Cia degli Ubaldini and his son Ludovico, Cesena fell on June 21, soon followed by Bertinoro. Francesco and Forlì fell on July 4, 1359, and he was to content of the title of vicar of Forlimpopoli and
Castrocaro
Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole ( rgn, Castruchèira or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Forlì-Cesena in the Italy, Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about southwest of Forlì.
The ''comu ...
thenceforth. Later he fought for
Bernabò Visconti against the Papal armies, and tried unsuccessfully to reconquer Forlì. He died in
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
in 1374.
His son
Sinibaldo was later lord of Forlì.
References
*
External links
Page at www.condottieridiventura.it
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francesco 02 Ordelaffi
Ordelaffi, Francesco 2
Ordelaffi, Francesco 2
Francesco 2
Ordelaffi, Francesco 2
Ordelaffi, Francesco 2
Lords of Forlì