Francesco Zurolo

Francesco Zurolo, also called ''Francesco Zurulo'' (in some historical documents of the time) or more commonly ''Francesco Zurlo'' (first half of the 15th century – 11 August 1480), he was an Italian feudal lord, baron of Oppido Lucano and feudal lord of Pietragalla and ''Casalaspro'' (it was a village that arose near Pietragalla).

He was a member of the noble Zurolo family or ''Zurlo family''.

He was also the military leader and captain of the city of Otranto, together with Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi, during the siege of the Ottoman Turks, during the early stages of the Ottoman conquest of the city; he died heroically with his soldiers shortly after a breach in the walls, where he was killed by the Turkish soldiers.

By his will, he was the posthumous founder of the convent complex of Santa Maria del Gesù known as Sant'Antonino in Oppido Lucano and also thanks and by will of one of his daughters, Caterina Zurolo, who fulfilled the wishes of her father who died in battle. The complex saw its construction in 1482.

Biography

Francesco Zurolo was the son of Giacomo Zurolo and Francesca Brancaccio. He had brothers and sisters, among whom we remember: Caterina, Ettore, Beatrice, Pietro, Elisabetta and Lucrezia.

He married Cassandra Caracciolo with whom he had daughters: Lucrezia, Caterina and Ughetta.

Francesco Zurolo (or ''Francesco Zurlo'') feudal lord and baron of Pietragalla, ''Casalaspro'' (it was a village that arose near Pietragalla) and Oppido Lucano.

Zurolo family

The chronicle of the Zurolo family or ''Zurlo family'' has been recorded since the earliest times and has enjoyed, with varying fortunes, nobility in the Kingdom of Naples and in particular in Campania, Apulia, Salento (is a province of Apulia), Basilicata, and Molise.

The Battle of Otranto

The Turkish invasion

The invasion of Puglia was supposed to take place near to invade the fortified city of Otranto rather than near Bari. They landed in an area near the city, today called the Bay of the Turks, where the first looting began and subsequently the first skirmishes with the soldiers of the Otranto garrison.

In anticipation of the Turkish invasion of Apulia, Zurolo was appointed by Ferrante of Aragon (commonly called Ferdinand I of Naples) as commander of the square (or of the garrison) of Otranto city, together with another captain, Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi, with whom he led the heroic but desperate defense of the city.

Otranto was attacked on Friday, In the early hours of July 28, 1482, by about 18.000 Turks, led by Gedik Ahmed Pasha, with 150 warships, including some ninety galleys, fifteen maones, and forty schooners, supported by the aga of the janissaries, the bailif of Negroponte, and the berjebei of Thrace. The Otranto army, on the other hand, had only about 5.000 men at its disposal, practically all the inhabitants of the city, poorly armed, and a small group of mercenaries (400 soldiers) all commanded by Captain Francesco Zurlo, who also had few and antiquated weapons at their disposal and an obsolete defensive system.

Failed diplomacy

Ahmet sent several mediators to ask for the surrender of Otranto, but the people rose up against the first mediator who avoided lynching, a citizen of Otranto out of contempt threw the keys of the city on the seashore; other sources state that in reality it was the two captains who threw the keys into the well of the city, after having refused the diplomatic offer of unconditional surrender. Other mediators managed to escape death and communicated to the Pasha the refusal of Otranto to convert and surrender. Another messenger, perhaps the bearer of an ultimatum, did not even manage to get close to Otranto because he was pierced by an arrow at the gates of the city. It seems that Gedik himself approached the walls of Otranto with a ship, but was almost killed by a cannon shot, exploded with orders from commander Zurlo.

Attack on the city

Ahmed Pasha, after having failed all diplomatic attempts, gave the order to bombard the enemy walls for 3 days, on 9, 10 and 11 August, during which the walls were only slightly reinforced by the defenders. During these 3 days, the Turkish soldiers who were captured by the defenders were killed by slaughter, some hanged and others impaled, on the orders of Zurlo, to scare the attackers. The Turks then managed to break through the walls with their batteries and open a gap at a point, where the door called ''La Porticella'' was located. On the day of the last battle, when the invaders managed to open the breach (see siege) in the walls, despite having been seriously wounded in the arm during an assault the previous day, Francesco rushed armed together with his son and other brave men in an attempt to repel the invaders, dying shortly thereafter. Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi died the following day, still in defense of the city.

Some emissaries from Otrant managed to escape from the fortress to go and warn the Aragonese forces of the impending siege.

The fate of Otranto

In August 1480 archbishop Stefano Pendinelli, the priests and 813 citizens of Otranto, when the Turks arrived, did not surrender and did not renounce their faith in Christ, for this reason they were taken to the Minerva hill and killed. In the year 1721 they were proclaimed '' Patrons of the City'' and Archdiocese of Otranto and canonized by Pope Francis on Sunday 12 May 2013 in St. Peter's Square in Rome.

Various versions about his death and that of his son

There are several versions of hisdeath:in one, he was captured by the Turks and sawn in two; he dies fighting in the defense of the walls probably mutilated, a fact that would have given rise to the first version.

The reprisal was particularly bloody: 813 people were beheaded after 15 days of resistance: commander Zurlo fell almost immediately after opening a breach in the city, on the bastions of the walls during the enemy's last assault. Shortly after, Captain Delli Falconi also died.

Even on the fate of the son the sources disagree: according to some he fell heroically together with his father, according to others he was taken prisoner to Turkey, where they made him deny Christ.

Posthumous sponsor

He was founder, posthumously – after his death in 1480, who when he was still alive made a will and, among other things, issued a testamentary disposition, naming his daughter Caterina Zurolo (baroness of Oppido Lucano and lady of other lands), to execute after his death the construction work in Oppido Lucano, currently in Tolve, a hamlet of the town, of a religious complex, consisting of a convent (now known as Santa Maria del Gesù, then of Sant'Antonio) with the annexed church of Sant' Antonio to Oppido Lucano; the aforementioned works began in 1482 as denoted by the foundation stone: "MCCCCLXXXII , FRANCISCO ZVRVLO , FECIT".

Burial

In the church of Santa Caterina a Formiello in Naples there are two display cases containing some mortal remains-skulls of the heroic defenders of Otranto - are on display, under the altar of the fourth chapel, their number is 240, in them there are also those of the two brave captains recovered and transferred (from Otranto to Naples) by will of Alfonso II d'Aragon.

Dedications

* There is a fresco created by the Italian artist Giovanni Todisco, in around 1611, in one of the internal rooms of the convent of Santa Maria del Gesù known as Sant'Antonio, in Oppido Lucano, representing the baron and knight ''Francesco Zurolo'' with the halberd held in the right hand and with a scroll in the left, wearing late medieval plate-type armor and helmet.
* In the historic center of Otranto, near the Romanesque cathedral, the streets are almost all dedicated to the heroes of the Battle of Otranto. Among these there is also one dedicated to "''Francesco Zurlo – captain 1480''".

Quotes

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See also

* Archbishop Stefano Pendinelli
* Archdiocese of Otranto
* Battle of Otranto
* Church of Santa Caterina in Formiello
* Convent of Santa Maria del Gesù
* Ferrante of Aragon
* Gedik Ahmed Pasha
* Giovanni Bellini
* Kingdom of Naples
* Luigi Scorrano
* Martyrs of Otranto
* Oppido Lucano
* Ottoman Empire
* Otranto
* Ottoman conquest of Otranto
* Ottoman Turks
* Patron saint
* Pietragalla
* Pope Francis
* Tolve
* Vico and Vicoletto of the Zuroli
* Zurolo

Notes

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Zurolo, Francesco
15th-century births
1480 deaths
Lords in Italy
Italian barons
15th-century condottieri