MONTAPERTI battle

In the 1260 Siena enjoyed a lot prosperity. This unexpected fortune was due to the Francigena street, that passed really through the territory from the republic senese. The city had become wealthy thanks to the customs that were imposed to the travellers, to the earningses of the numerous hostels for wayfarers, and to the commerce that was in strong expansion.
In their trafficis with the European markets, the Senesis were soon in open competition with the bankers and the Florentine merchants. There were wars a lot of battles sustained between 1200 and 1250 among Florence 'guelfa' and Siena 'ghibellina', battles that however had not succeeded in determining a winner! The final battle was in September 4 th 1260 close to Montaperti, where the Florentine army was destroyed by the senese one.

In 1258, in Florence the guelfis succeed to the ghibellinis exiling from Florence the main families of the opposite faction, that found shelter in the Siena ghibellina. The hearts in the two cities, already in fervor, heat up and they culminated in a military action unprecedented: was 1260! The florentins, helped by many Tuscan allies, send against Siena a powerful army composed by the at least 35.000 soldiers, fully armed. In the desperate attempt to defend himself from this murderous horde, the senesis invoked the help of the ghibellino Manfredi (King of Sicily) that however could send only a modest battalion of German riders! Siena was found to fight against well organized Florentine power with a modest number of men: 20.000 unities, a lot of which enlist in hurry among the people of the regions. Was an awful moment for Siena and the situation seemed to turn to the worse! But the senesis, thanks also to the numerous ghibellini support, they a plan, so well done to remain also immortalized in the verses of the Divine Comedy of Dante!

The two army met on the hill of Montaperti in the morning: it was September 4 th 1260. The struggle lasted the whole day and was bloody: the Florentines, despite their numerical supremacy, didn't succeed in crushing the well resolved senesis. Toward the evening the Florentines were exhausted and was then that the clever plan went off! An little number of senesi driven by the Count of Arras launch a modest counterattack: to the eyes of the Florentine commanders had to seem a desperate action and they will dictate him little importance! But well soon they realized that was only the initial action of the plan that would have destroyed them! In fact this attack was the signal for the Florentine Bocca degli Abati, that, even if behind the teams of the invaders, was of ghibellino belief! As he saw the count move toward him, Bocca, with a definite hit of sword, cut the hand to the bringer of the standard of the Florentine cavalry making him fall down. at that times the standards were of fundamental importance both to point out to the soldiers where their commander was both to distinguish between allies and enemies (often suits with the same colors!). With to fall some standard the Florentine troops they were taken by the panic because they didn't know anymore where to direct their attack. In this general disarrangement, hundreds of Florentine ghibellini, hidden among horde guelfa soldiers, took advantage to fiercely fling themselves against the fellow citizens of the opposite faction. At the same time the senese army, even if exhausted and decimated, moved with unheard determination against the oppressor, conquering an overwhelming victory immortalized in the centuries! Has been calculates today that at least 15.000 Florentines lost the life during this clash!