The Ghibelline victory ended Angevin dominance in Piedmont and redistributed the region among Montferrat, Visconti, and Savoy.
Key Facts
- Date
- 22 April 1345
- Location
- Near Santena, ~15 km southeast of Turin
- Ghibelline leader
- John II, Marquess of Montferrat
- Angevin commander
- Reforce d'Agoult, royal seneschal of Naples
- Territories redistributed
- Alba, Acqui Terme, Ivrea, Valenza, Alessandria, Chieri
- Commemorative church
- Built by John II in Asti in honour of Saint George
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Queen Joan I of Naples dispatched seneschal Reforce d'Agoult to northern Italy in 1344 to counter John II of Montferrat, who had seized Mondovì, Cherasco, Savigliano, and threatened Chieri. Reforce took Verzuolo and Alba, then besieged the castle of Gamenario, prompting Lombard Ghibellines to form an anti-Angevin alliance under John II.
On 22 April 1345, John II led the Ghibelline coalition against Reforce d'Agoult's Angevin forces at Gamenario near Santena. The engagement was brief and fierce; despite an initially uncertain outcome, the Ghibellines prevailed, lifting the siege of the fortress and delivering a severe military defeat to the Angevin army.
The Angevins lost nearly all control of Piedmont. John II gained Alba, Acqui Terme, Ivrea, and Valenza; Luchino Visconti received Alessandria; and the House of Savoy took Chieri. Many formerly French-aligned cities declared independence, and the civil war in the Marquisate of Saluzzo ended with the defeat of Angevin-backed Manfred V.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Reforce d'Agoult.
Side B
1 belligerent
John II, Marquess of Montferrat.