Battle of Fossalta
Enzio of Sardinia is captured,
(depiction in a manuscript from the 14th century)
| date | May 26, 1249 |
|---|---|
| place | near Fossalta ( Modena ) |
| output | Victory of the Guelfs |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
|
Ghibellines ( Holy Roman Empire , Sardinia , Modena , Cremona ) |
|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 9,000 men | 15,000 men |
| losses | |
|
unknown |
unknown |
At the Battle of Fossalta on May 26, 1249, the Bologna militias , led by their governor Filippo degli Ugoni and their bishop Ottaviano degli Ubaldini , defeated the imperial troops under the command of King Enzio of Sardinia near Fossalta ( Modena ) .
background
The battle was related to the claim of Emperor Frederick II to bring the northern Italian communities united in the Lombard League under his control. In 1236 he declared war on the communes because they did not want to dissolve their alliance as Frederick demanded. In 1237, the Lombard League was defeated by the Emperor at the Battle of Cortenuova , who, despite the victory, did not succeed in defeating Milan and a few other cities definitively.
Siege of Parma
The conflict was exacerbated by the antagonism between the emperor and the pope for supremacy in Italy , which was split into loyal Ghibellines and pope-friendly Guelphs . When in 1247 the Guelphs gained the upper hand in the city of Parma, which had been ruled by the Ghibellines, Emperor Frederick besieged the city for months. On February 18, 1248, the besieged Guelphs broke out of Parma and stormed Friedrich's camp. 2,000 imperial soldiers were killed, 3,000 were taken prisoner, the rest fled to Cremona with Friedrich . Friedrich's position of power in northern Italy was broken by this defeat. Subsequently, the Guelphs under Cardinal Ubaldini took over the rule of Romagna .
Battle of Fossalta
In the spring of 1249 Ubaldini marched with Bolognese troops to Modena to provide Ghibelline troops on the Panaro . Ugoni and Ubaldini had 4,000 horsemen and 3,000 foot soldiers. The Modenese came to the aid of Enzio of Sardinia , who led over 15,000 German and Ghibelline soldiers. The two armies met in Fossalta near Modena, but without engaging in a fight. After Ugoni and Ubaldini received 2,000 additional soldiers from Bologna, they attacked the Imperialists early in the morning of May 26, 1249. The imperial troops withstood an unsuccessful embrace of Bologna until evening, but then their resistance collapsed. During the nightly persecution, numerous imperial troops were taken prisoner in the area cut by numerous canals, including Enzio, whose horse had already been killed during the battle.
End of the Hohenstaufen rule
Although the emperor demanded the immediate release of his son, Bologna imprisoned him for life. Friedrich II died in 1250. His grandson Konradin von Hohenstaufen tried to consolidate the Hohenstaufen rule in Italy until 1268, failed in the battle of Tagliacozzo and was executed. With Konradin as the last legitimate male heir, the Staufer imperial family also died out.