Astorre I Manfredi Italian condottiere Country: Italy

1. Early Life
2. Reclaiming Faenza and the "Compagnia della Stella"
3. Service and Treachery
4. Triumph and Humiliation
5. Downfall and Execution

Early Life

Astorre Manfredi was born around 1345 to Giovanni Manfredi, lord of Faenza and other castles in the Romagna region. After his father lost his last stronghold in Romagna, Astorre lived in Pistoia. In 1375, three years after his father's death, he managed to reestablish his family's position in Granarolo.

Reclaiming Faenza and the "Compagnia della Stella"

In 1377, Manfredi, aided by his brother Francesco and the Ordelaffis, lords of Forlì, reconquered Faenza from the Este dynasty. To collect revenue from his feud, Manfredi formed a mercenary band known as the "Compagnia della Stella."

Service and Treachery

Manfredi and his men were hired by Barnabo Visconti to attack Genoa, but Astorre called off the assault when the city paid him 13,000 florins. On a second attempt to attack Genoa, his men were ambushed, and Manfredi narrowly escaped capture.

Around this time, Manfredi's brother Francesco sought to seize power in Faenza, leading Astorre to imprison him in the castle of Solarolo. Astorre later served Bologna in a war against the Visconti and earned fame for his actions. The Bolognese rewarded him with a palace in the city, which bears his name to this day.

Triumph and Humiliation

In the Battle of Portomaggiore on April 16, 1395, Manfredi defeated the Ferrarese rebel Azzo d'Este and held him prisoner in Faenza the following year. However, his excessive pretensions prompted Niccolò III d'Este, lord of Ferrara, to capture Manfredi's son, Gian Galeazzo, who was later ransomed in exchange for Azzo.

Downfall and Execution

In 1400, Manfredi's seizure of the castle in Solarolo sparked a war with Giovanni I Bentivoglio, papal vicar of Bologna. Bentivoglio hired the renowned Alberico da Barbiano, who had founded Italy's first mercenary company in 1376. Outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Astorre could rely only on the Pope's support. Consequently, in 1404, Faenza and its dependencies were returned to the Papal States.

While in the service of the papacy, Manfredi was captured for allegedly plotting an uprising to reclaim Faenza. He was sentenced to death and executed in the main square of his city in 1405.