Bartolomeo Fanfulla
A mercenary captain of the Italian Wars whose name became legend more for a single act of defiance than for his lengthy military career.
1477–1525 (age 48)·Italian condottiero·Birthday: September 1
Biography
Bartolomeo Fanfulla was a soldier of fortune, a condottiero navigating the chaotic, shifting alliances of the early 16th-century Italian Wars. Hailing from Lodi, he fought in the service of various city-states and foreign powers, including the French during their invasion of the peninsula. His life was one of campaign trails, besieged cities, and the harsh economics of Renaissance warfare. Yet, Fanfulla’s historical footprint was cemented not by a grand strategic victory, but by a moment of vivid, almost theatrical bravado. According to popular legend, during the Battle of Ravenna in 1512, with French forces facing the Spanish-Papal army, he deliberately dropped his sword to provoke a charge, an act of calculated recklessness that passed into folklore. This story, immortalized in poem and opera, transformed him from a minor captain into a symbol of flamboyant courage, overshadowing the details of his actual, well-traveled service.
#1 When Bartolomeo Was Born
The biggest hits of 1477
Bartolomeo's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1477Born
1482Started school
1490Became a teenager
1493Could drive
1495Could vote
1498Turned 21
1507Turned 30
1517Turned 40
1525Died at 48
Key Achievements
- Served as a condottiero (mercenary captain) during the turbulent Italian Wars of the early 1500s.
- Fought in the pivotal Battle of Ravenna in 1512 on the side of the French forces.
- His legendary act at Ravenna was celebrated in Luigi Alamanni's poem 'Girone il Cortese' and later in operatic works.
Did You Know?
His full name was Bartolomeo degli Alari, with 'Fanfulla' being a nickname or *nom de guerre*.
The legend of his sword-drop at Ravenna is the subject of the 19th-century opera 'Fanfulla' by Carlo Pedrotti.
He is sometimes confused with a later 16th-century condottiero of the same nickname.
“A man fights for the paymaster of the day, but his sword arm is his own.”
