The Battle of Casalecchio enabled Gian Galeazzo Visconti's dominance over northern Italy by defeating the Bolognese-Florentine coalition.
Key Facts
- Date
- 26 June 1402
- Location
- Near Bologna, northern Italy
- Florentine cavalry supplied
- 5,000 cavalry
- Milanese vanguard strength
- 8,000 cavalry
- Milanese allies
- Malatesta of Rimini and Gonzaga of Mantua
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan, pursued expansionist ambitions across northern Italy, threatening Bologna and Florence. Bologna, under Giovanni Bentivoglio, sought support from Florence, which dispatched 5,000 cavalry, and from the Lord of Padua, who sent cavalry, supplies, and two of his sons to resist Visconti's advance.
On 26 June 1402, near Casalecchio di Reno outside Bologna, the Bolognese-Florentine army led by Muzio Attendolo clashed with the Milanese forces commanded by Alberico da Barbiano and Jacopo Dal Verme. The Milanese vanguard of 8,000 cavalry, directed by condottiero Ludovico da Parma and Facino Cane, engaged the allied coalition in a decisive engagement.
The Milanese victory at Casalecchio effectively broke the Bolognese-Florentine resistance, leaving Gian Galeazzo Visconti in a position of dominance over much of northern and central Italy. Florence, deprived of its coalition partners, faced the prospect of Visconti encirclement until his sudden death from plague in September 1402 altered the political situation.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
3 belligerents
Alberico da Barbiano, Jacopo Dal Verme, Facino Cane, Ludovico da Parma.
Side B
3 belligerents
Muzio Attendolo, Bernardo della Serra.