Francesco III Ordelaffi (c. 1357 – September 8, 1405), also known as Cecco III, was an Italian

condottiero Condottieri (; singular: ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian military leaders active during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The term originally referred specifically to commanders of mercenary companies, derived from the ...

and lord of

Forlì Forlì ( ; ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is, together with Cesena, the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena.The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the east of the Montone river, ...

. A member of the

Ordelaffi The Ordelaffi were a noble family that ruled the lower Romagna and Napoli from the 13th century to 1504, with some interregnums. History The Ordelaffi origins are unclear, but themselves claimed a lineage with "Lor de Laffia", a Germanic soldier ...

family, he was brother to Pino I. Together with Pino, he was a protagonist in the reconquest of Forlì by his uncle Sinibaldo; the two imprisoned him and assumed jointly the seigniory on December 13, 1385. In the 1390s he allied with Antonio da Montefeltro against

Carlo Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: *Carlo (name) *Monte Carlo *Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince Char ...

Andrea Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew. Origin of the name The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that re ...

and Pandolfo Malatesta, and helped Azzo X d'Este in his failed attempt to gain

Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...

from Niccolò III. In 1402 succeeded Pino in the lordship of Forlì, receiving the title of Papal vicar by

Boniface IX Pope Boniface IX (; ; c. 1350 – 1 October 1404, born Pietro Tomacelli) was head of the Catholic Church from 2 November 1389 to his death, in October 1404. He was the second Roman pope during the Western Schism.Richard P. McBrien, ''Lives of th ...

. His last years of rule were marked by cruelties and political suppression, and, when, being severely ill, in 1405 he attempted to ratify the succession for his son Antonio, the population rose and killed him. The city was therefore a Republic for several years.

Marriage

Married to Caterina Gonzaga, daughter of Guido II Gonzaga of Novellara. Issue: * Taddea Ordelaffi * Lucrezia Ordelaffi ,married to Andrea Malatesta Cecco also had an illegitimate son, Antonio

Sources

External links

Page on Ordelaffi at Enciclopedia Italiana website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ordelaffi, Francesco 03 Ordelaffi, Francesco 3 Ordelaffi, Francesco 3 Francesco 3 Ordelaffi, Francesco 3 14th-century condottieri Lords of Forlì