«Come i Visconti asediaro Pavia». Sieges and military operations around Pavia from 1356 to 1359

Abstract

The definitive conquering of Pavia by the Viscontis occurred at the end of a complex and dramatic situation, that saw diverse actors play a role on the territorial scene of Pavia: the armies and fleets of the Viscontis, the territorial forces like the marquis from Montferrat, the élite management of the of the city and in particular the Beccaria family. The present essay scrutinises in depth the technical-military aspects as well as the political trends that were developed in the city. Under the first point of view, the interest is, therefore, focused on the ‘block’ that tightened the hold on the city, isolating the same, in the summer of 1356, on the battlefield fortifications and their dislocation, on the role of the fluvial fleets. In the second prospective, the counterblows that the events of the siege had on the community of Pavia, engaged in the last desperate defence for the autonomy of the city, sustained by the Augustinian friar Jacopo Bussolari as a preacher but also as a political leader: therefore, the political disagreements and contrasts emerged amongst the citizens, the mobilisation to arms but also the discharging.