Warfare in Fifteenth Century Italy, according to Luca Landucci

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July 13th - The King of Naples sent a herald to Florence, with the proclamation displayed, stamped with the arms of the king, and he went to the Signoria to declare war, being deputed to tell us that the king and the Holy Father were ready to oblige us in every way, if we sent away Lorenzo de Medici; to which the citizens would not agree; and so war began.

July 19th - The Sienese invaded our territory and took booty and prisoners, and on the 22nd they captured Calciano.

July 23rd - They captured Rincine and destroyed it, and took away men and women of all classes; and our soldiers were worse than they, pillaging and working great havoc all through Valdelsa, so that everyone left their homes and felt safe nowhere but in Florence. Each day there was some incursion or other, and the enemy overran Panzano, pillaging and burning.

July 27th - Our men made an incursion into the territory of the Sienese, and pillaged and burnt the mills and captured on various occasions more than 100 horses. At this time the enemy's camp was before the Castellina, and ours was on the Poggio Imperiale; and then our troops moved to Imola. The Marchese di Ferrara was appointed Capitano of the Florentines, being given 50 thousand florins a year during the war, and when there was no war 30 thousand florins, and he had to maintain 1500 horse at his own cost.

July 31st - Our men took much booty in the neighbourhood of Volterra. He who seeks evil, finds it. It was not very intelligent of them [the Sienese] to let themselves be drawn into making in their own territory, for they will suffer two-thirds of the damage, and we the rest; whilst the King of Naples and the Pope, who brought it about, will get off easily.

August 1st - The enemy took Lamole, and captured more than 100 persons, and also continued to bombard the Castellina. The rule for our Italian soldiers seems to be this: ‘You pillage there, and we will pillage here; and there is no need for us to approach too close one another.' They often let a fort be bombarded for several days, without attempting to succour it. We require to be taught by the northern soldiers how to make war.

August 15th - ...Messer Niccolo Vitellozzi was going about sacking certain forts of Citta di Castello, and burning men, women, and children, with every sort of cruelty. After that, Messer Lorenzo of Citta di Castello burnt some of our fortresses in the district of Arezzo, and committed atrocities, burning people. They were both cruel men. Such generally come to a bad end. Godly people, as we read in the Holy Scripture, never come to a bad end.

August 18th - We lost the Castellina; the inhabitants escaped.

August 19th - ... And on the same day the enemy encamped before Radda and Panzano.

August 20th - They bombarded the said castles all day.

August 21st - A commissary came to us from Venice, who hired for us 3 thousand soldiers, to be paid by the Venetians.

August 22nd - The enemy made an incursion as far as Ponte a Grassina, carrying off a smith and many others.

August 24th - The people about Rovezzano took fright, and the alarm was sounded and they fled into Florence with all their possessions, by the Porta alla Croce, so that it really seemed as if the territory were lost. Such a terror was never seen, everyone being utterly dismayed. They did not consider themselves safe even in Florence, and suffered much discomfort and misery. And on the same day we lost Radda, which was sacked and burnt.

August 27th - We lost Meletuzzo and San Polo, the constable there having been guilty of treachery.

September 7th - Our Capitano, the Marchese di Ferrara, came to Florence, arriving at about 22 in the evening [6 pm], with a great company of crossbowmen on horseback, and musketeers, and we escorted him into the city with great honour, lodging him in the same house which he had before. He had about 50 mules laden with baggage, and remained in Florence till Saturday, the 12th, when he took his baton and went into camp.

September 14th - Brolio was taken by assault.

September 25th - Cacchiano was lost and was given over to the flames. And on the same day, mortars were sent to Casoli di Volterra, and our camp was set up before it; but our troops went to succour those who were losing.

September 29th - We regained Castelnuovo....And on the same day the enemy's camp was moved to the Monte a Sansovino. They were beginning to go a little further away.

October 5th - Our forces began to besiege Casoli.

October 11th - At this time the enemy were bombarding the Monte a Sansovino.

October 20th - A truce was made with the enemy for eight days, two days' notice to be given. Intelligent men did not approve of it.

October 31st - Notice was given, and the enemy pressed hard on the Monte a Sansovino. And there was a plot in our camp; and the Capitano hung one of the chief men under him.

November 1st - And on the same day, the Monte a Sansovino was lost; the garrison capitulating on the condition that their persons and property be respected. And everyone said that if the truce had not been made, the enemy would have had to break up the camp, as they were so short of provisions that they could not have held out more than three days. Our forces never chose to make a sortie. Hence came the evil; and everyone marveled that the enemy were not completely victorious after this, for they won much glory.

December 3rd - And at this time our soldiers went into quarters in the Pisan territory and elsewhere, and also the Capitano.

December 24th - And at this Christmas-time, what with terror of the war, the plague, and the papal excommunication, the citizens were in sorry plight. They lived in dread, and no one had any heart to work. The poor creatures could not procure any silk or wool, or only very little, so that all classes suffered.

1479

February 4th - Chianti was pillaged.

February 8th - Four galleys reached the Port of Pisa, two from the west and two from the Barbary, which had joined forces. They came in great terror, for fear of the fleet of the king and the Genoese. It was considered a great piece of news.

March 9th - At this time Signor Roberto made an incursion into the Pisan district with many men, and came as far as the Port of Pisa and set it on fire, but did not do it much harm; and then he advanced into the Val di Calci, and burnt the mills and took much booty, after which he retired beyond the Serchio. And in this direction the Duke of Calabria [the son of the King of Naples] penetrated as far as the Poggio Imperiale, with the design of capturing it, but he did not succeed. And meanwhile our troops advanced as far as Siena, and pillaged the country, and took a certain fort called Selvoli and held it for some time, that is to say, till the 4th of April....And we were continually raising fresh bands of infantry; and the Venetians sent us a number of soldiers, that were all dispatched to the Pisan territory. And the Capitano now went into the Pisan territory, awaiting Count Carlo [Venetian commander] and a large body of cavalry.

April 12th - There was a skirmish outside Pisa between our Capitano and Signor Roberto, and a good number were slain. And it was said that our Capitano had no wish to vanquish the enemy, and therefore did not do his duty; this was the unanimous opinion of the people.

April 18th - At this time Count Carlo came to Florence, and was appointed a Capitano, and two separate camps were formed, he going into the Perugian territory and defeating the papal troops, which departed utterly routed. And after this the ducal forces could have been broken up; but through the fault of our Capitano, the Duke of Ferrara, and through dissensions amongst the citizens, no action was taken, or else the enemy would certainly have been conquered. The Duke of Calabria pitched his camp before Colle. People continually deceive us, and we cannot be victorious, as God punishes us for our sins. [At this time, Luca Landucci and his family leave Florence for his villa at Dicomano, and there are no further entries in the dairy until November]

November 8th - At midnight the alarm was rung in the Mugello, and everyone was overwhelmed with terror, wanting to rush to Florence. But the enemy came to Piancandoli, and did not enter the Mugello.

November 15th - The Duke of Calabria took Colle di Valdelsa. He had besiegd it for about seven months before he was able to take it; the mortars had been fired against it 1024 times, so that the greater part of the walls was destroyed. And now the enemy went into quarters.

November 24th - A herald came with the olive branch to announce that peace was already being negotiated.

December 8th - Sarzana was lost.

December 23rd - News arrived that the Duke of Calabria had taken possession of Siena, but it was not true. However, to all intents and purposes, he was master of the place, for the Sienese were helpless, having let him come in with all his troops, and he did what he chose.

1480

January 20th - It seemed doubtful whether the peace would not come to anything.

March 16th - The ratification of the peace arrived in the night, about 7 [3 am]. There were great rejoicings, with bonfires and ringing of bells.