Jacopo Caldora

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jacopo Caldora

Jacopo Caldora or Giacomo Caldora (* around 1369 in Castel del Giudice , † October 15 or November 18, 1439 near Benevento ) was an Italian condottier .

Life

Jacopo Caldora came from a family of the Abruzzo nobility and was born around 1369 in Castel del Giudice in what was then the Kingdom of Naples as the son of Giovanni Antonio Caldora and Rita Cantelmo. He began his military career under Braccio da Montone and then went on to recruit his own band of fighters in order to acquire a large feudal estate as a mercenary leader. As such, he helped King Ladislaus of Naples against Ludwig II of Anjou in 1411 . Then he entered the service of Johannas II , Ladislaus' sister and from 1414 successor to the Neapolitan throne. When it was suspected that he had committed treason, he temporarily lost Johanna's favor and saw his property confiscated. In 1419 he received new fiefs from the queen.

Caldora later hired himself as the general of King Alfonso V of Aragón when he tried to get Joan's kingdom into his hands. In 1424 the condottier had the task of defending Naples for Alfonso V , but switched sides so that Johanna II got the city into her hands. Therefore, promoted by this to captain general of the royal army, Caldora succeeded on June 2, 1424 a significant victory over L'Aquila besieging Braccio da Montone, who was seriously wounded in captivity and died three days later. In return, Caldora's military fame and influence on Johanna increased. After Bologna's uprising against the cardinal legate, he took action against the city on the orders of the church, which in 1428 successfully resisted him. In 1430 the Neapolitan queen gave him the Carbonara fief and the Duchy of Bari . He also married two of his children to two children of his benefactor, the powerful minister Sergianni Caracciolo , who was murdered in 1432. The increasing power of Caldora brought him into opposition to Giovanni Antonio Orsini del Balzo , the prince of Taranto.

When Joan II had blessed the temporal in February 1435, Caldora stepped over to the side of René of Anjou , who was then held in captivity and whom the late queen had designated as her successor. For his new master, Caldora moved against Capua and fought in the Abruzzi nobles who were in alliance with Aragón. In 1436 he was militarily active in Apulia and the next year he swore his loyalty to René. While he was besieging Cercello Castle near Benevento in autumn 1439, he died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of about 70 and was buried in the Church of Santo Spirito in Sulmona . His son Antonio Caldora took over command of his company .

literature

personal data
SURNAME Caldora, Jacopo
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian condotters
DATE OF BIRTH around 1369
PLACE OF BIRTH Castel del Giudice
DATE OF DEATH October 15, 1439 or November 18, 1439
Place of death at Benevento