Piero (or Pietro) Strozzi ( 1510 – 21 June 1558) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

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 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 ...

, Piero Strozzi was the son of

Filippo Strozzi the Younger Filippo Strozzi the Younger (4 January 1489 – 18 December 1538) was a Florentine banker, and the most famous member of the Strozzi family in the Renaissance. He is best remembered as a tragic hero and defender of the lost Florentine republic ...

and Clarice de' Medici. Although in 1539 he married another Medici, Laudomia di Pierfrancesco, he was a fierce opponent of the main line of that family. He fought in the army led by his father and other Florentine exiles from France to oust the Medici from Florence, but, after their defeat at the Battle of Montemurlo, Piero fled to France at the court of

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 ...

. He was in French service during the Italian War of 1542. Having raised an army of Italian mercenaries, he was confronted by the Imperial-

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

forces at the Battle of Serravalle, where he was defeated. According to the cryptographers and historians who in 2022 have examined an encoded letter sent in 1547 by Charles V to his ambassador in France there was fear that Strozzi would send an assassin. In 1548 he was in

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 ...

supporting

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 ...

of behalf of Henry II of France, during the war of the

Rough Wooing The Rough Wooing (; December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following the English Reformation, the break with the Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland ...

. There he designed fortifications against the English at

Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...

and Haddington. After he was shot in the thigh by an

arquebus 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. The term ''arquebus'' was applied to many different forms of firearms ...

at Haddington, Strozzi supervised the works at Leith from a chair carried by four workmen. Strozzi also designed works at

Dunbar Castle Dunbar Castle was one of the strongest fortresses in Scotland, situated in a prominent position overlooking the Dunbar Harbour, harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian. Several fortifications were built successively on the site, near th ...

with the assistance of Migliorino Ubaldini. In 1551 he successfully defended Mirandola against papal troops during the War of Parma. He was named

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) ...

in 1554. Later he fought in the defence of the

Republic of Siena The Republic of Siena (, ) was a historic state consisting of the city of Siena and its surrounding territory in Tuscany, Central Italy. It existed for over 400 years, from 1125 to 1555. During its existence, it gradually expanded throughout south ...

against

Cosimo de' Medici Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici (27 September 1389 – 1 August 1464) was an Italian banker and politician who established the House of Medici, Medici family as effective rulers of Florence during much of the Italian Renaissance. His power derive ...

, leading a French army. He obtained a

pyrrhic victory A Pyrrhic victory ( ) is a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. Such a victory negates any true sense of achievement or damages long-term progress. The phrase originates from a quote from ...

Pontedera Pontedera (; ) is an Italian comune with a population of 30070, located in the province of Pisa, Tuscany, Central Italy, central Italy. The town is located 20 km (12 miles) from Pisa and 50 km (31 miles) from Florence. It houses the headquarte ...

on 11 June 1554, but his army could not receive help from the ships of his brother Leone (who had been killed by an

shot near

Castiglione della Pescaia Castiglione della Pescaia (; abbreviated by locals as Castiglione or Castiglioni), is an ancient seaside town in the province of Grosseto, in Tuscany, central Italy. The modern town grew around a medieval 12th century fortress () and a large fishe ...

) and he was forced to retreat to

Pistoia Pistoia (; ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about north-west of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typic ...

. On 2 August his defeat at the Battle of Marciano meant the end of the Sienese independence. In 1556 he was appointed as superintendent of the

Papal The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of sta ...

army and 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 ...

. In 1558, under the command of Francis, Duke of Guise, he participated in the siege of Thionville (1558), near

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

. He died there from wounds received on 21 June 1558. He is generally credited as the inventor of the

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

military speciality (arquebusiers à cheval or horse arquebusiers).p.102, Fortescue His son

Filippo Filippo is an Italian male given name, which is the equivalent of the English name Philip, from the Greek ''Philippos'', meaning "horse lover".''Behind the Name''"Given Name Philip" Retrieved on 23 January 2016. The female variant is Filippa. T ...

was also a military commander, as was his brother

Leone Strozzi Leone Strozzi (15 October 1515 – 28 June 1554) was an Italian condottiero belonging to the famous Strozzi family of Florence. Biography He was the son of Filippo Strozzi the Younger and Clarice de' Medici, and brother to Piero, Roberto and L ...

, a Knight of Malta, known as the Prior of Capua.

Issue

By his wife, he had two children: * Filippo Strozzi (1541-1582), military commander; * Clarice Strozzi (dead in December 1567), married Onorato I of Savoia in 1558. He had also an illegittime son: * Scipione Strozzi (dead in 1552), military.

Ancestry

Notes and references

References

* Fortescue, John William, ''A History of the British Army'', volume I, chapter 2, Macmillan, 1899

Biography

Issue

Ancestry

Notes and references

References

Further reading