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Niccolò Piccinino

Type Figure Region Italy Time 1386–1444 Also known as Piccinino

Niccolò Piccinino (1386–1444) was a famous Italian condottiero born near Perugia at Caliciano, nicknamed Piccinino for his short stature;…

Timeline

  1. 1386–1424Perugia · UmbriaAfter his father died in factional strife, Piccinino fled to Florence and Bologna, serving under Bartolomeo da Sesto and Braccio da Montone. After Braccio and his son Oddo fell in battle in 1424, he inherited command of the mercenary company.
  2. 1425–1439Milan · LombardyEmployed by Filippo Maria Visconti, he fought alongside or against Francesco Sforza, winning at Gattolinò, Cremona, and elsewhere, and after long stalemates with Gattarella and Venetian coalitions was granted several fiefs and raised to marquis.
  3. 1440Anghiari · TuscanyOn 29 June 1440 he led Milanese forces into Tuscany and was defeated by the Florentine-Venetian coalition on the plain of Anghiari, an episode later the subject of Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting 'The Battle of Anghiari'. Though defeated, Piccinino retained Arezzo and Cortona.
  4. 1441–1444Milan · LombardyFrom 1441 he again clashed with Sforza in the Marche; after defeat at Montelaurò in 1444 he was recalled to Milan, his troops routed in his absence, and Piccinino died on 15 October that year from severe wounds and grief, his sons Francesco and Jacopo also inheriting the mercenary trade.

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