Braccio da Montone's victory over Perugian forces secured his lordship of Perugia and reshaped central Italian political power in 1416.
Key Facts
- Date
- 12 July 1416
- Duration
- 7 hours
- Perugian cavalry captured
- 3,000 men
- Perugian casualties
- 300 men
- Braccio's losses
- 180 men-at-arms killed
- Notable prisoners
- Carlo I Malatesta and Galeazzo Malatesta
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Braccio da Montone, a prominent condottiere with political ties to Antipope John XXIII against King Ladislaus, sought to conquer Perugia. He had long coveted lordship of the city, and the broader struggles among Italian city-states and rival factions created the conditions for open military confrontation with Perugia's forces, led by Carlo I Malatesta.
On 12 July 1416, Braccio da Montone engaged the Perugian army at Sant'Egidio in a seven-hour battle fought under intense heat. Braccio employed a distinctive tactic of repeated cavalry assaults by smaller rotating units to exploit weak points in the enemy line while allowing his troops to rest in turns. The Perugians suffered 300 casualties and 3,000 cavalry captured; both Carlo I Malatesta and his cousin Galeazzo Malatesta were taken prisoner.
Braccio's decisive victory delivered him the long-sought lordship of Perugia. He also received command of Bologna as a result of his political alliances. The Michelotti family members captured during the battle were executed, an unusual outcome for condottiere warfare, signaling the harsh political stakes of Braccio's consolidation of power in central Italy.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Braccio da Montone.
Side B
1 belligerent
Carlo I Malatesta, Galeazzo Malatesta.