Filippo di Piero Strozzi (
French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
: ''Philippe Strozzi''; 1541 – 27 July 1582) 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 ...
, a member of the Florentine family of the
Strozzi Strozzi is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Numerous members of the Strozzi family, an ancient later ennobled family from Florence
** Alessandra Macinghi Strozzi (c. 1408–1471), an Italian businesswoman and aristoc ...
. He fought mainly for France.
Biography
He was born in
Florence
Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025.
Florence ...
to
Piero Strozzi
Piero (or Pietro) Strozzi ( 1510 – 21 June 1558) was an Italian military leader. He was a member of the rich Florentine family of the Strozzi.
Biography
left, Portrait of Piero Strozzi by Anonymous artist
Born in Florence, Piero Strozzi w ...
and Laudomia de' Medici. His father had been exiled from his native city and found refuge in France where
Catherine de' Medici
Catherine de' Medici (, ; , ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Italian Republic of Florence, Florentine noblewoman of the Medici family and Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to Henry II of France, King Henry II. Sh ...
was queen. Piero would go on to be appointed as
Marshal of France
Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...
. His son Filippo became
the page of the future king
Francis II.
In 1557, Strozzi entered the French army. Starting from the first battles in
Piedmont
Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...
, he fought in numerous battles of the 16th century. In 1558, he took part in the
siege of Calais against England, where his father was killed soon afterward at the
Siege of Thionville. In 1560, he was sent to
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
to fight for the then-regent
Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise (; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from 1538 until 1542, as the second wife of King James V. She was a French people, French noblewoman of the ...
against
Elizabeth of England
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...
and was made lord of
Épernay
Épernay () is a Communes of France, commune in the Marne (department), Marne Departments of France, department of northern France, 130 km north-east of Paris on the mainline railway to Strasbourg. The town sits on the left bank of the Marne ...
. Three years, later he became colonel of the Royal Guards.
In 1564, he came to help Emperor
Maximilian II during the
Ottoman invasion in Hungary. The following year, he faced again the Ottomans at the
siege of Malta. From there, he moved to Rome and called to counter the Turk menace in the
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
, distinguishing himself in the defence of
Ancona
Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...
. He later fought also in
Transylvania
Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
.
Returned to France in 1567, he fought against the
Huguenots
The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...
. Two years later, he became the sole
Colonel General
Colonel general is a military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically General officer#Old European system, general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, ...
(commander-in-chief of the army) of France, and subsequently took part to the long
siege of La Rochelle
The siege of La Rochelle (, or sometimes ) was a result of a war between the French royal forces of Louis XIII of France and the Huguenots of La Rochelle in 1627–1628. The siege marked the height of Huguenot rebellions, the struggle between ...
. He was accompanied by his friend
Pierre de Bourdeille
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
. In 1573, he fought alongside the
House of Orange
The House of Orange-Nassau (, ), also known as the House of Orange because of the prestige of the princely title of Orange, also referred to as the Fourth House of Orange in comparison with the other noble houses that held the Principality of O ...
against the Spaniards.
In 1581, Filippo Strozzi exchanged the position of General Commander for that of lord of
Bressuire
Bressuire (; ; Poitevin: ''Beurseure'') is a commune in the French department of Deux-Sèvres, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The town is situated on an eminence overlooking the Dolo, a tributary of the Argenton.
Notable buildings
Bressuire ha ...
and was called by
António, Prior of Crato
António, Prior of Crato (; 153126 August 1595), sometimes called "The Determined", "The Fighter", "The Independentist" or "The Resistant", was a grandson of King Manuel I of Portugal who claimed the Portuguese throne during the 1580 dynastic ...
(Portuguese
claimant
A plaintiff ( Π in legal shorthand) is the party who initiates a lawsuit (also known as an ''action'') before a court. By doing so, the plaintiff seeks a legal remedy. If this search is successful, the court will issue judgment in favor of the ...
to the
Portuguese throne against Spanish
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
King
Philip II) as a private mercenary. With a contingent of French, Dutch, English, and Portuguese volunteers, he set sail to the
Azores
The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...
, a Portuguese Atlantic territory that still did not recognize Philip II as king. His fleet was, however, destroyed in the
Battle of Terceira (26 July 1582) by the Spanish-Portuguese navy under the admiral
Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz Álvaro or Álvar (, , ) is a Spanish, Galician and Portuguese male given name and surname of Germanic Visigothic origin.
The patronymic surname derived from this name is Álvarez.
Given name Artists
* Álvaro Carrillo, Afro-Mexican songwrit ...
.
Taken prisoner, he was executed at age 42, by being wounded to death and then thrown into the sea from a Spanish ship, as a
pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...
. The harsh punishments meted out to the unfortunate Strozzi and captured members of his crews were carried out at the instructions of the Spanish admiral, despite much protest from his own crews.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strozzi, Filippo Di Piero
1541 births
1582 deaths
Filippo di Piero
Tuscan nobility
Immigrants to France
16th-century condottieri
French generals
Executed military leaders
People of the French Wars of Religion
Italian people executed abroad
People executed by Spain by decapitation
People executed for piracy
16th-century executions by Spain
Military personnel from Florence
People of the Italian Wars
People of the War of the Portuguese Succession