BRACCIO. KORTKBRACCI. 



URACCIO, FORTKBRACCL 



defeated him with great loss in May and June of that yew. Khounhid 

 at last quitted Kpirua, leaving Omer Vrioni in command there, while 

 at the same time Prince Mavrocordato landed at Mesolonghi with a 

 body of regular troops in the Greek service, and being joined by 

 Booaris advanced towards ArU. This movement led to the battle of 

 Petta, on the lth of July 1833, which the Greeks and Philhellenee 

 lost through the treachery of Oogos, an old Kleftis and captain of 

 Anuatolee. Boamria, after fighting bravely, was obliged to retire with 

 Mavrocordato to Mesolonghi Soon after the Souliotes, who had 

 remained in their mountains, signed a capitulation with the Turks, by 

 which they gave up Sonli and the fortress of Khiafa, and on receiving 

 a awn of money, retired with their families to Cefalonia, in September 

 1833. Booths with a handful of Souliotea remained with Mavro- 

 cordato, determined to defend Mesolonghi to tbe last. He kept the 

 Turks at bay by various sortie*, and also amused them by promises of 

 surrender, until a Hydriote flotilla coming to relieve the place, the 

 Turks raised the siege and retired into Epirus, March 1833. Tbe pasha 

 of Soodra advanced next with a numerous force of Albanians, deter- 

 mined upon taking Meeolonghi. Boxxaru feeling the importance of 

 that town to the Greek cause, and knowing the weakness of the forti- 

 fications, which were unfit to resist a regular siege, determined to meet 

 the enemy. He left Mesolonghi with a body of only 1200 men, 800 of 

 whom were his own Souliotea, and arrived on the 20th of August 1823, 

 near Kerpenisi, where tbe van of the Albanians, consisting of about 

 4000 Mirditea under Jeladeen Bey, was encamped. Having held a 

 council with bis officers, it was determined to attack the enemy's camp 

 the following night. The Souliotes marched silently to the attack and 

 surprised the Albanians, of whom they made a great slaughter. 

 Bouaris while leading on his men received a shot in the loins, and 

 soon after another in the face, when he fell and expired. The Souliotes 

 then withdrew, carrying away Boxxaris' body, which was interred at 

 Meeolonghi with every honour. The executive government of Greece 

 being informed of the event issued a decree in which they styled 

 Boxxaris the Leonidas of modern Greece. His brother, Constantino 

 Boxxaris. succeeded him in the command of the Soulioto battalion. 

 The self-devotedness of Bozzaris was the means of protracting the 

 defence of Mesolonghi for two years more. 



BRACCIO FORTEBRACCI, called also BRACCIO DA MONTO'NE, 

 from the name of his patrimonial estate, was born at Perugia in 1368, 

 of an old patrician family. Braccio, before he was twenty, served as a 

 Condottiere, or leader of a mercenary troop, in the service of the 

 Count of Montefeltro against the Malatesti, lords of Rimini. In 1393, 

 when a general insurrection of the popular party took place at Perugia, 

 in which a number of the nobles were killed and the remainder driven 

 away, the castle of Montone became a rallying-point for the exiles, and 

 Braccio one of their stoutest champions. After a desultory warfare 

 between the two factions for several years, the popular party applied 

 for protection to Gian Galeazzo VUconti, the powerful duke of Milan, 

 and paid allegiance to him in January 1400 ; and after the death of 

 Viaconti, the party transferred iU allegiance to Pope Boniface IX., 

 under the plea of " the welfare of the Republic," on condition that the 

 emigrant nobles should remain in banishment. Braccio now resumed 

 his life of a Condottiere, and served in Lombardy under the great 

 leader Alberioo da Barbiano. He afterwards carried on a partisan 

 warfare on his own account, in tbe Marches of Ancona, against the 

 Marquis Ludovico Migliorati, the nephew of I'ope Innocent VII., when 

 be levied contributions, plundered towns, and got ransoms from the 

 officer* whom he made prisoner*. 



In 1406 the great Western schism began, which was only extin- 

 guished twelve years after by tbe Council of Constance, during which 

 period several pope* or autipopes distracted the church by their 

 conflicting i.tm Ladialaus, king of Naples, thought of availing 

 himself of this confusion to occupy the Papal States and all central 

 Italy, and he sent messengers to Braccio in 1408, to induce him to 

 enter his service, promising to forward bis views towards the subjection 

 of hu native town, Perugia. Braccio accepted the proposal, received a 

 ram of money for his condotta, and crossing the Apennines at the 

 head of a considerable body of horse and foot, he scoured the valley of 

 the Tiber and took several towns in the name of the king. Tbe people 

 of Perugia, in alarm, sent ambassadors to Ladislaus, who was then at 

 Home, and offered him the dominion of their city, provided he would 

 not let the emigrant* return. " Rather than make peace with the 

 nobles," said the leaden of the people in the council, " we will submit 

 to a foreign king." Ladialau* accepted, in June 1408, the dominion of 

 Perugia. He agreed that the emigrant nobles should not be allowed 

 to remain within thirty mile* of the gates of Perugia. He also lent a 

 Urge body of Neapolitan cavalry to attack Braccio, who, having 

 received timely information, retired to the Marches, from whence in 

 1409 he marched again toward* the south, and joined the other great 

 Condottiere, Sforza Attendolo, in driving away the troops of Ladislaus 

 from the Roman State in tbe name of the new pope, John XXIII. 

 Braccio again attacked IVrugio, when Ladisiaus, having mule peace 

 with Pope John, sent Sforza to check his movements, and Braccio 

 moved towards Bologna in obedience to the order* of the pope. In 

 1414 Idulislaus died, and wa* succeeded by hi* lister Joanna IL, a 

 weak pnnoM. In tbe following year the Council of Constance deposed 

 John XXIII. lirmocio, ever intent upon hi* object of re-entering his 

 native town by force, having exacted a sum of eighty thousand ducats 



from the people of Bologna, marched with his bands in the spring of 

 1410, and encamped in front of Perugia, before the citizens had time 

 to prepare for defence. After some resistance, the citizens in despair 

 sent him a deputation, offering to make him Lord of Perugia, provided 

 be granted a general amnesty for the past On the 1 Bth of J uly 1 4 1 6, 

 Braccio at the head of his bands, and of all the emigrant nobles, after 

 twenty-four years of exile, ro-ontered Perugia in triumph amidst 

 acclamations, and received the oath of allegiance from the magistrate* 

 and the principal citizens. His conduct was temperate, but firm; he 

 enjoined strict discipline on his soldiers ; he divided, at first, the civil 

 offices among the two parties, but by degrees he gave to his friends 

 the larger share ; he checked the importunities of the emigrants to 

 recover possession of their confiscated property ; he paid the debts of 

 the republic with his own treasures, accumulated during his wars; 

 and ho encouraged the university of 1'erugia. The people began to 

 like him, and the learned gave him their praises; but he was cruel 

 towards those who offered him any resistance. 



In 1417 Braccio marched towards Rome, which in the absence of a 

 legitimate pope was occupied by the Neapolitans, and entered it by 

 capitulation, but he was shortly after obliged to evacuate it at tho 

 approach of his rival Sforza. The Council of Constance bad now 

 elected Pope Martin V., a man of determination, who expressed his 

 intention of recovering full possession of the Papal States, and ridding 

 them of all lords and usurpers. A deputation was sent to him from 

 the council and magistrates of Perugia, requesting him to confirm 

 Braccio, count of Montone, as lord of Perugia. Martiu gave an 

 evasive answer, upon which Braccio prepared for the threatened 

 danger by raising money from the neighbouring chieftains of the 

 Marches and of Umbria, who paid his demands through fear. About 

 this time Braccio issued a decree restoring to the emigrant nobility 

 of Perugia their property, of which they hod been deprived since 

 1393. 



Pope Martin allied himself with Queen Joauna of Naples, who gave 

 him her general, Sforza Atteudolo, to reduce the Papal territories 

 into subjection. Braccio made preparation to oppose him, but before 

 the two rivals could meet in the field the pope quarrelled with Joanna, 

 upon which both he and Sforza supported tbe chums of the Anjou 

 dynasty to the crown of Naples. One consequence of this change 

 was that Martin agreed to moke terms with Braccio, whom he invited 

 to meet him at Florence in February 1420. Braccio went to the con- 

 ference with the retinue of a great potentate, and accompanied by the 

 lords of Foligno, Camerino, Fabriano, and others, and by the prindpul 

 nobles of Perugia, Assisi, Todi, Orvieto, Narni, and Rieti. On arriving 

 at the gates of Florence, he took off his armour and put on a vest of 

 purple and gold, and entered the city on foot, escorted by the magis- 

 trates and first citizens of tho republic, who accompanied him to the 

 palace of the pontiff. It v/ni agreed that Perugia and its territory, 

 and several towns in the Marches, should be administered by Braccio 

 and his heirs. Braccio was to serve with his troop.i at the expense 

 of the pope against Bologna, which had revolted under one of tho 

 BentivoglL 



On his return Braccio contributed to embellish Perugia, and he 

 ordered tbe construction of the emissary to carry off the superabund- 

 ant waters of the Tbrasymene Lake. Bologna in the course of two 

 months was obliged to capitulate to the troops of Braccio, and submit 

 to the pope in July 1420. At the close of that year he married, with 

 great pomp, the sister of Varani, lord of Camerino. Meantime a civil 

 war broke out in the kingdom of Naples. Louis of Anjou, count of 

 Provence, encouraged by Pope Martin, and supported by Sforza, who 

 had quarrelled with Queen Joanna, invaded the kingdom, where be 

 found numerous adherents among the nobles. Joanna sent Antonio 

 Caraffa, nicknamed Malizia on account of his cunning, as her ambas- 

 sador to Alfonso of Aragou and Sicily, who was thun in Sardinia. 

 Alfonso want to Sicily to collect his fleet for tho assistance of Joanuii, 

 who at the same time offered to Braccio the command of her Iniul 

 forces, with the rank of high-constable of the kingdom, and |>aid him 

 down 200,000 ducats in advance. In the spring of 1421 Braccio 

 entered the Abruzzo with a largo force, suprisiug by the rapidity of 

 his march the partisans of the Angevius, who submitted, except 

 Count Caldora, who took refuge in the mountains. Sulmonu capitu- 

 lated. Uraccio, issuing out of tho defiles of Abruzzo, surprised Capua, 

 and suddenly appeared before Naples, which was then besieged by 

 Sforza and by the ileet of Louis of Anjou. King Alfonso meantime 

 arrived with his fleet at the entrance of the bay ; Sforza was obliged 

 to raise the siege, the Angevin* retired to Costollamare, and Braopio 

 entered Naples in triumph with King Alfonso, who, together with 

 Queen Joanna, solemnly bestowed upon Uraccio the golden staff of 

 high-constable of the kingdom, with supreme command over both the 

 Neapolitan and Aragonese forces, and caused the troops to swear obe- 

 dience to him. The queen at the same time created him Count of 

 Foggia and Prince of Capua, the last of which towns she gave him 

 in fief. A desultory predatory warfare was carried on for some time 

 by the troops of Braccio against those of Sforza, in which however 

 the poor inhabitants of the line plains of Campania were the greatest 

 sufferers. Pope Martin now interfered as mediator, and Louis of 

 Anjou, giving up his attempt for the present, withdrew to Rome. 

 Sforza remained under arms, but Bracoio undertook to win him over 

 to the queen's party ; in which he succeeded at an interview near 



