Montalcino Castle
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The external front with the Medicean rampart. |
The front toward the city with the main gate. |
Montalcino can be easily reached from Siena following the Cassia road
(ss2) up to Buonconvento, after a few km we find on our right the crossing road that
conducts until the town.
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Mercenary
Companies and the Decline of Siena (Johns Hopkins University
Studies in Historical and Political Science, 116th Ser., 1.)
Table
of Contents:
Preface and Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Italy and the Companies
of Adventure 2. A Coincidence of Disasters: The Companies and
Sienese Society 3. The Cost of the Raids 4. Mercenary Companies
and the Countryside 5. The Price of Valor 6. Meeting the Expenses
of Raids: Sources of Income 7. The Fiscal and Administrative
Impact of Heavy Taxation 8. Fiscal Crisis, Giangaleazzo Visconti,
and the End of Sienese Independence Conclusion Appendix: Dating,
Money, and Measurement Notes Bibliography Index
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Montalcino rises in the heart of southern Tuscany. In
the Middle Age the territory of Montalcino was divided between four ecclesiastical
areas: Arezzo, Chiusi, Grosseto and Siena. This subdivision mirrored that
of the antiquity, in fact here met the territories of the important Etruscan
'Lucumonies of' Arezzo, Chiusi, Roselle (Grosseto) and perhaps also of
Volterra. Many recoveries of this time are today preserved in the Archaeological
museum of Montalcino.
The medieval history of this area is full of innumerable black holes, that's
why the whole written documentation was preserved in the destroyed archives
of the abbey of S.Antimo, from which the castle depended. Also the fact that
the Francigena Road passed at east of the town, near the settlement of Torrenieri,
didn't helped us to retrieve historical notices preceeding the second
half of 12th century.
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One of the town walls gates connected with the castle at the level of
the S.Giovanni tower. |
The history that we know starts from the end of the 12th century, with the
free town of Montalcino allied with Siena during the war of the 1176, lost,
against Florence. Montalcino offered resistence to the expansionists aims of
Siena and the alliance was broken, consequently in the mid-13th century the
castle was destroyed by the senese army, momentarily in peace with that Florentine
(busy to eliminate the analogous obstacle constituted by Semifonte).
The renewal of hostilities with Florence prevented the Senesi to complete the
conquest of Montalcino but the castle remained under the protectorate of the
Church and the Commune of Siena. After a rebellion attempt to conquer again
its autonomy, in 1232 the castle was reoccupied and forced to a new alliance
with Siena. After another insurrection in the 1252 the castle was conquered
again by the Senesi but immediately lost due to the intervention in its
help of Florence and Grosseto. To Montaperti battle Montalcino lined up with
Florence against Siena and the victory of this last didn't do anything else
than bring the city to a new loss of autonomy. In 1269 Siena was again defeat
at Colle Valdelsa and Montalcino was freed again. Only after half the
14th century the castle returned under the control of Siena. In this period
the fortifications were reconstructed to better control the city center.
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The northeast tower. |
By now Montalcino was Senese and in the 15th century became one of the most
important centers of the Republic territory. In the following century the city
and the castle withstand in 1553 the siege of the Medicean and Imperial
army, during the war that brought Siena to the definitive capitulation of 1555.
After the surrender many citizens of Siena reached Montalcino where, headed
by Pietro Strozzi, let relive in exile the Republic. The city became the chief
town of the territories not conquered by the Florentines and resisted until
1559 when, isolated by the fall of the castles of Talamone
and Castiglione della Pescaia, offered its surrender and sworn fidelity
to Cosimo de' Medici.
The castle is today practically intact. Its construction was begun in 1361
on the southern vertex of the 13th century city walls, incorporating the keep
of S.Martino and the S.Giovanni tower. It looks as classic castle-enclosure,
with pentagonal plant endowed with towers to all the angles. The tower
of southeast is placed by the side of the keep. The walls and the towers have
still practicable the complete watch-walk endowed of machicoulis (projection
from the wall made of stone which has openings through which the defenders can
fire upon an enemy directly below) in stone, supported by bows on brackets with
inverted pyramid form. The northern towers are open on the side facing the courtyard.
The castle incorporated also an ancient little basilica that became
the chapel of the fortification, and its rests are still visible near the northeast
tower. On the south side rise the mighty Medicean rampart, added by Cosimo at
the half of the 16th century.
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