Alessandro dal Borro

Alessandro dal Borro. The painting is attributed to Charles Mellin ; it is said to have been made around 1630.

Marchese Alessandro dal Borro (born April 22, 1600 - December 2, 1656 ) was a Tuscan nobleman and general. For a time he was Field Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire and was considered the "terror of the Turks" (Italian "Il terrore dei Turci"). He also achieved fame through his obesity , which was considered a status symbol during the Renaissance .

Family and education

Dal Borro was born in Arezzo , the son of Girolamo, a captain and nobleman. Alessandro was part of an illustrious family and studied mathematics at the University of Florence .

Military career

Dal Borro took the captain in the company Ottavio Piccolomini the Thirty Years' War in part. This company was part of the army of the Grand Duke of Siena, Cosimo II de 'Medici . He was sent to Germany to support Cosimo's cousin, Emperor Ferdinand II , on the battlefield. The troops under dal Borro won many victories, and he was rewarded for this with two titles as baron and entry into the Bohemian nobility.

Later dal Borro fought in many campaigns against the Turks and also served in the armed forces of Spain and Venice . The Grand Duke of Tuscany, Ferdinando II. De 'Medici , called him back to Florence and appointed him commander of the army of the Grand Duchy. On July 29, 1643 he was appointed Marquis of Borro for his services. Thereupon he returned to the service of Venice.

death

Dal Borro died in Corfu in 1656 from injuries sustained in the fight against barbarian pirates . His possessions went to Nicholas de Borro (1644–1690), who like dal Borro died of war wounds.

literature

• DEL BORRO, Alessandro , Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, Volume 36 (1988)