War of Ferrara facts for kids
Quick facts for kids War of Ferrara |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Republic of Venice Papal States (1482) |
.svg){kind=small} Duchy of Ferrara Marquisate of Mantua Kingdom of Naples Papal States (1483–1484) |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Roberto Sanseverino | Federico da Montefeltro | ||||||||
The War of Ferrara (also called the Salt War) was a conflict in Italy from 1482 to 1484. It was fought between Ercole I d'Este, the Duke of Ferrara, and the forces of Pope Sixtus IV. The Pope was supported by his allies from the Republic of Venice. The war ended with a peace agreement called the Treaty of Bagnolo on August 7, 1484.
Contents
Why the War Started: Diplomatic Background
After a plot against Florence failed in 1480, a surprising peace came about. This peace was not popular with the Venetians or Pope Sixtus IV. Venice had just finished a long war with the Ottoman Turks in 1479. This meant Venice could now focus more on its lands in Italy.
There were always small disagreements along the borders. But a big problem was about the trade of salt. Venice had a special agreement that gave it control over salt trade. However, Ferrara, led by Ercole I d'Este, started to take control of saltworks in Comacchio. This seemed like a threat to Venice's business interests.
Venice had support from Girolamo Riario, who was the lord of Imola and Forlì. He was also the nephew of Pope Sixtus. Riario wanted to expand his family's land and saw Ferrara as a target.
The main reason for the war, the casus belli, happened in early 1482. Venice had a representative in Ferrara called a visdominio. This person looked after the Venetian people living in Ferrara. In 1481, the visdominio arrested a priest for debt, which was beyond his power. The priest was then excommunicated by the local bishop's helper. The visdominio was forced to leave the city. This event became the excuse for Venice to declare war.
Venice's allies included the Pope's troops and those of Riario. They also had help from the Republic of Genoa and William VIII, the Marquis of Montferrat. On Ferrara's side, led by Federico da Montefeltro, were troops from Ferdinand of Naples. His son, Alfonso of Calabria, invaded the Papal States from the south. Ferrara also received help from Ludovico il Moro of Milan, and the rulers of Mantua and Bologna. These cities felt threatened by Venice's growing power.
Key Events of the War
Venetian troops, led by a military commander named Roberto Sanseverino, attacked Ferrara from the north. They fiercely sacked Adria and quickly took over Comacchio. They also attacked Argenta and began to surround Ficarolo in May, which fell on June 29. Rovigo also fell to them on August 17.
Venetian forces crossed the Po River and by November 1482, they were outside the walls of Ferrara. They began a tight siege of the city. Pope Sixtus seemed to change his mind about the war's progress. He worried that Venice was becoming too powerful in northern Italy.
In the Papal States, the Colonna family took advantage of the chaos. They fought battles against their enemies, the Della Rovere family. A major battle, the Battle of Campomorto, happened near Velletri on August 21, 1482. In this battle, the Neapolitan troops were badly defeated by Roberto Malatesta. The Duke of Calabria barely escaped with the help of his Turkish soldiers. Some castles belonging to the Orsini family also fell to the Pope. However, a disease, malaria, caused more damage than battle. Roberto Malatesta died in Rome on September 10. This greatly weakened the Pope's successes in the Lazio region. Pope Sixtus then made a separate peace with Naples on December 12.
Pope Sixtus asked Venice to stop fighting, but Venice refused strongly. When he threatened to excommunicate them, Venice pulled its ambassador away. This led to Pope Sixtus officially banning Venice from church activities in May 1483. Now, Sixtus allowed Alfonso and his troops to pass through his lands to defend Ferrara. They were even helped by papal troops under Virginio Orsini. Florentine troops also arrived, and Ferrara's situation started to improve.
To distract Venice, Roberto Sanseverino was sent to attack the Duchy of Milan. He claimed to be supporting the rights of a Visconti heir. However, this attack was diverted when Sanseverino's efforts were used against Alfonso, who was raiding Milanese lands. The war then began to slow down.
The Treaty of Bagnolo
The war ended with the Treaty of Bagnolo, signed on August 7, 1484. Ercole gave up the territory of Rovigo in the Polesine region, which he had lost early in the war. The Venetian forces that were occupying Ferrara's land then left. Ercole had successfully prevented Ferrara, the home of the Este family, from being taken over by the Papal States.
Pope Sixtus was eager for peace because Venice had won many battles. Venice had used a small excuse to declare war on Ferrara and wanted to expand its territory. Florence, Naples, Mantua, Milan, and Bologna supported Ferrara. While the Pope's forces kept the Neapolitans from helping Ferrara, and the Roman countryside was troubled by the Colonna, Venice had starved Ferrara into a siege. With Venice ready to take Ferrara, the Pope suddenly changed sides. He feared his former allies. He made a treaty with Naples and allowed the Neapolitan army to pass through his lands. This gave them a chance to bring supplies to Ferrara and break the siege. At the same time, the Pope excommunicated the Venetians. He then urged all of Italy to fight against Venice.
The Peace of Bagnolo stopped Venice from expanding further into the mainland. It gave Venice the town of Rovigo and a large area of the fertile Po delta. This land gained at Bagnolo marked the highest point of Venetian territory. Venice would never again control such a large area or have as much influence as it did in the late 1400s.
However, Pope Sixtus was not happy with the terms of the treaty, which were decided without him. It is said that the news of the treaty made him very angry. He called the peace shameful and humiliating. The illness he suffered from, gout, worsened, and he died the next day, on August 12, 1484.
An unknown writer wrote a poem about this war, called La guerra di Ferrara.
See also
In Spanish: Guerra de Ferrara para niños
- Wars in Lombardy
- Italian Wars
- List of treaties
