A TOMB AT RAVENNA 



Unfortunately we know little of Guidarello's 

 early life, and the few details of his exploits which 

 have been preserved all relate to his last years. 

 In April 1498 he sold land to the value of thirty-five 

 florins, and raised a troop of horse, at the head 

 of which he set out for Tuscany to join the 

 Venetian army under Duke Guidobaldo of Urbino. 

 Marino Sanudo, whose Diaries afford us so much 

 valuable information concerning this period, mentions 

 Guidarello repeatedly in his chronicle of passing 

 events. From him we learn that this knight of 

 Ravenna was among the chief captains of the 

 forces in Val d'Arno who met in the camp during 

 the last week of September to decide on the 

 measures necessary for reducing the fortress of 

 Marati, then held by the Florentines. On this 

 occasion Duke Guidobaldo himself was present, 

 as well as Piero and Giuliano del Medici, the 

 sons of Lorenzo, who had recently been expelled 

 from Florence by the partisans of Savonarola, and 

 were now fighting in the enemy's ranks against their 

 native city. " And here, too," writes Sanudo, " were 

 present Signor Bartolommeo d'Alviano, Paolo Man- 

 fron, my lord Annibale Bentivoglio of Bologna, 

 and one Guidarello of Ravenna." l 



On January 20, 1499, the same chronicler 



1 Marino Sanudo Diarii, ii. 8. 

 239 



