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Chapter 10VitC.1.10

Vita Caroli

The Siege of Padua and the Secret Overture

A coalition of Italian city-states besieges Padua and Feltre, and a fearful citizen of Belluno secretly offers to betray Feltre's gate to Charles if he will drive out the besieging enemies.

In the month of June, the Venetians, Florentines, Milanese, Mantuans, Ferrarese, and their other allies besieged the city of Padua with a very large force — nearly ten thousand armed horsemen and a countless number of foot soldiers — and a part of their army also besieged the city of Feltre with the bishop of Feltre, Sicco of Caldinalco, the Sienese counts, and the lords of Camino. And while they had been encamped for a long time at the siege with five hundred men in armor and many foot soldiers — since the city of Padua together with Feltre was under the dominion of Mastino della Scala, lord of Verona, and of the other cities named above — the aforementioned Venetians had already seized Tunglan, Saraballum, and Bassanum, which had been under the dominion of the said Mastino, and the count of Colalto, advocate of Treviso, and very many others had rebelled against the said Mastino and were siding with the Venetians. A certain citizen of Belluno by the name of Sudracius of Bongagio, fearing that the city of Feltre would thus be lost and that Belluno would consequently fall into the hands of the Venetians, whom he especially hated, and seeing himself besieged on every side, turned his thoughts to Jacopo Auoschano, who was with the camp.1 . . . . And Budesteyn, along with some mountaineers belonging to the dominion of Belluno, had submitted to our authority, and the count came to us secretly — while we were in Parma, without the knowledge of either party, both the Veronese and the Venetians — so that the Venetians and the lord of Verona, against whom he was acting, would not find out, saying: "If you could conquer and put to flight the enemies from the city of Feltre, I would wish to open one gate of the city for you, because I favor you regarding the city rather than anyone else."2 I, indeed, considering his words, set a fixed day for him on which I would come secretly.

The Feigned Duel and the Secret March

Charles assembles his forces under the pretext of a noble duel, then leads them on a grueling night march through unfamiliar mountain terrain to surprise and capture the fortress of Permense from the Venetians.

And because I needed to gather men together wisely on account of a certain duel between two nobles in the diocese of Noviforensis over the Adige, I summoned many nobles under the pretext that if their friends should cause some dissension, I could protect them in the duel — so that it would not be found out why I was assembling them, and so that I could approach the city of Feltre in secret.345 But the victor—the slayer of his opponent, who had triumphed and prevailed in the appointed duel—we girded with a military sword. And when these things had been done, I asked the soldiery who were present to go with us—no one knowing where we intended to go.6 They, however, ready and presenting themselves at once, immediately set out on the journey with me and rode the whole night through the valley of the Flemings. The next day, however, I rode through deserted mountain regions leading through Castruginum, where men were not accustomed to ride. And when I had reached the forest that lies between Castruginum and Prymeya, I could not find a way through because of the uprooted trees, and so my army was in despair. Then I, on foot with some infantrymen, sought a way through the steep mountain passes and roads long since destroyed, so that we made it beyond the forest—the guards of the woods having withdrawn some time before because of the setting sun, and suspecting no threat or danger there from anyone directed at them. And so we made our way through the mountains. But with them following us, we came to the fortress of Permense, which had also been besieged by the Venetians, and after putting the enemies to flight, we took it.

The Deception and Capture of Belluno

The Venetian besiegers of Feltre flee in confusion at the approach of Charles's unknown force, and Charles enters Belluno through a ruse—his ally Andigetus convinues the city leaders that friendly counts have arrived, only for them to discover they have admitted the enemy.

Those who were coming to join their company, which was encamped before the city of Feltre, reported that a great host — one they did not recognize and could not tell whose it was — was advancing against them. When they heard this from the city, they withdrew by night. The fortress, however, we left the next day, passing from Prymeium toward Agordum, and from Agordum we pressed on quickly to the city of Belluno. And we sent ahead to Andigetum, with whom we had been negotiating, signaling to him that we were near the city with our forces. He, approaching the captains and rulers at once, told them that messengers had come to him saying that the counts of Clarmonetum — allies of Mastino de la Scala, their lords — had arrived with a great army, putting their enemies to flight in order to aid them. They joyfully opened the gates, thinking they were friends. And I entered through the gates on the feast of blessed Procopius, the fourth day of the month of July. And when everyone had entered, I unfurled the banners of the kingdom of Bohemia and the county of Tyrol.

The Fall of Belluno and the Alliance with Venice

Belluno falls to Charles by God's grace, its remaining fortress surrenders, and after a six-week siege of Feltre, Charles negotiates a powerful alliance with Venice, gaining seven hundred mailed soldiers and Venetian military support against Mastino della Scala.

But when they saw the enemies themselves, stunned, they had no idea what they would do, and they couldn't resist our strength. And so through God's grace we gained control of the city. A fortress held out against us for several days, but threats were brought to bear on those inside it, and they surrendered the fortress into our hands. Then we positioned our army before the city of Feltre. And because the Veronese were then occupied with the Venetians, and they themselves were with them, so that they couldn't do us or our army any harm at all, but both groups were dealing with us, wanting to draw us to their side as allies. And when we had spent six weeks besieging the city of Feltre, we came to an agreement with the Venetians. And they bound themselves to us, in such a way that they would support us with all their forces in that war against Mastino della Scala. And they sent us, at their own expense, seven hundred mailed soldiers and many infantry.

The Fall of Feltre and the Capture of Padua

Charles travels to Venice in triumph, secures a formal alliance, returns to take Feltre by famine, while the Paduans capture Padua and hand Mastino's brother Albert to the Venetians; Charles appoints captains to govern the conquered cities.

Leaving our brother behind with the army, we went on to Venice, where we were received with great honor and treated with deep respect. We established a mutual bond of alliance, and when we returned from there, we took the city of Feltre by famine.7 The Paduans from Corraria also dealt with us, and they captured the city of Padua and took captive Albert the Elder, brother of Mastinus, whom they handed over to the Venetians as a prisoner. And our remaining servants held Padua under their own control. As for us, leaving our servants behind, we appointed captains in the cities of Feltre and Belluno and in the camps: Volcmarus of Burchstall, a magnate from the county of Tyrol, in Feltre; Andigetus of Bongagio in the city of Belluno; and as war captain against the Veronese, John of Lipa, who died on the seventh day of his captaincy. In his place I substituted Leporus.8

Return to Bohemia and Dynastic Marriage

Charles returns through the Tyrol and Bohemia, forges a new alliance with Austria, and gives his daughter Margaret in marriage to Louis, son of the king of Hungary, binding himself against every enemy.

So we returned to the county of Tyrol, went into the valley of the Inn, and from there into the kingdom of Bohemia, and we entered into an alliance with the leaders of Austria; for before this we had not been friends. That winter, in Lent, we handed over our firstborn daughter Margaret to Louis, the firstborn of Charles, king of Hungary, and we bound ourselves against every man.

The Plague of Locusts

Charles witnesses a terrifying locust plague of biblical proportions—a swarm stretching seven miles, darkening the sun, producing a great stench, and multiplying with astonishing speed, scattering across Bavaria, Franconia, and Lombardy.

After this, when our brother-in-law had invited us to dine with him the following day, at sunrise one of the soldiers woke us from sleep, saying: "Lord, get up — the last day is here, because the whole world is full of locusts."✦✦91011 Then, getting up, we mounted our horse and rode swiftly, wanting to see the end of them as far as Pulcauia, where their limit stretched for seven miles in length; their breadth, however, we could not begin to take in.121314 Their sound was like the roar of beating wings, and their wings were inscribed as if with dark letters, and they were packed so densely, like condensed snow, that the sun could not be seen because of them.✦15161718 A great stench came from them. And they had split up — some heading toward Bavaria, others toward Franconia, others toward Lombardy, and still others scattered in all directions across the entire land.✦192021 And they were prolific — two would produce twenty in a single night, and even more; they were tiny at first, but they grew quickly, and by the third year they were still being found.✦22232425

The Death of Sister and Brother-in-Law

Within two months of the locust plague, Charles's sister and her husband the duke of Austria both die, and he never sees them again.

At the same time, within two months, our sister and her husband the duke of Austria died — people we never saw again from that time on.

Read the original Latin

De mense autem Junii cum obsedissent Veneti, Florentini, Mediolanenses, Mantuani, Ferrarienses et alii eorum complices civitatem Padue cum maxima gente, quasi cum decem milibus equitum armatorum et cum infinito numero peditum, et aliqua pars gentis eorum obsedissent eciam civitatem Feltrensem cum episcopo Feltrensi, Siccone de Caldinacio, comitibus Seneensibus, dominis de Camino. Et dum diu stetissent in obsidione cum quingentis galeatis et multis peditibus, quia civitas Paduana cum Feltrensi erat de dominio Mastini de la Scala, domini Veronensis, et aliarum civitatum, que supra nominate sunt, et iam predicti Veneti acquisivissent Tunglan, Saraballum et Bassanum, que de dominio dicti Mastini extiterant, comesque de Colalto, advocatus Tervisii, et quam plures alii rebellassent predicto Mastino et starent cum Venetis: quidam civis civitatis Bellunii nomine Sudracius de Bongagio timens, ne amitteretur sic civitas Feltrensis, et per consequens Bellunium perveniret in manus Venetorum, quos specialiter odio habebat, et videns se obsessum ex omni parte, cogitavit de Jacobo Auoschano, qui cum castris . . . . . et Budensteyn et cum aliquibus montanis pertinentibus ad dominium Bellunii dicioni nostre se supposuerat, et comitatus consilia eius, dum in Parma, eramus, [sine sciencia] utriusque partis, tam Veronensis quam Venetorum venit ad nos secrete, ne rescirent Veneti et dominus Veronensis, quia contra ipsum faciebat, dicens: "Si possetis devincere et fugare hostes a civitate Feltrensi, unam portam civitatis vellem vobis aperire, quia pocius vobis faveo de civitate quam alteri cuicumque. Ego vero attendens verba ipsius posui sibi certam diem, qua secrete venirem.

Et quia oportebat me sapienter congregare homines, propter quoddam duellum duorum nobilium in diocesi Noviforensi super Athesim convocans multos nobiles sub colore, si amici eorum facerent aliquam dissensionem, quod possem eos tueri in duello, ne resciretur, propter quid congregacionem facerem, ut civitatem Feltrensem secrete adire possem.

Victorem vero ac interfectorem alterius, qui in duello dicto triumphaverat et obtinuerat, cinximus gladio militari. Et cum hec facta fuissent, rogavi miliciam, que presens aderat, quod deberet ire nobiscum, partes nullo sciente, ubi volebamus. Ipsi vero parati exhibentes se continuo arripuerunt iter mecum, et equitaverunt equitantes mecum per vallem Flemarum tota nocte. Crastino vero die equitavi per deserta montana, que vadunt per Castruginum, ubi non consueverunt homines equitare. Et cum pervenissem ad nemus, quod est inter Castruginum et Prymeyam, viam habere non potui propter evulsas arbores; et sic desperabat exercitus meus. Tunc ego pedes cum aliquibus peditibus per abrupta moncium et viarum dudum destructarum quesivimus viam, ita quod pervenimus ultra nemus, custodibus silve dudum recedentibus propter solis occasum nec suspicantibus, aliquem timorem seu periculum ibidem ab aliquo ipsis imminere. Et sic viam fecimus nobis in montibus. Ipsis vero nos sequentibus venimus ad castrum Permense, quod eciam obsessum fuerat per Venetos, et fugatis inimicis cepimus illud.

Qui venientes ad societatem suam, que iacebat ante Feltrensem [civitatem], dixerunt, quod magna gens, quam nescirent, cuius esset, veniret super eos. Qui audientes a civitate nocte recesserunt. Castrum vero die altera transientes de Prymeio versus Agordum et de Agordo festinanter ivimus ad civitatem Belluniensem. Et premisimus ad Andigetum, cum quo tractaveramus, significantes sibi, quod essemus prope civitatem cum gente. Qui statim accedens capitaneos et rectores, dixit eis, quod nuncii venissent sibi dicentes, quod comites Clarmonetenses, [socii] Mastini de la Scala, domini eorum, venissent cum magno exercitu fugando inimicos ipsis in auxilium. Qui letanter apperuerunt portas, putantes amicos esse. Et ego intravi portas in die beati Procopii quarta die mensis Julii. Et cum omnes intrassent, aperui banneria regni Boemie et comitatus Tyrolis.

Ipsi vero videntes inimicos, stupefacti nesciebant, quid essent facturi, nec poterant resistere potencie nostre. Et sic per dei graciam obtinuimus civitatem. Castrum vero aliquot diebus tenebatur contra nos; minis tamen impositis qui in castro fuerant, castrum in manus nostras resignaverunt. Deinde posuimus exercitum ante civitatem Feltrensem. Et quia Veronensis tunc occupabatur cum Venetis et ipsi secum, unde nocere nobis et exercitui nostro minime poterant, sed utrique eorum nobiscum tractabant, nos sibi in adiutorium attrahere cupientes. Et cum stetissemus per sex septimanas in obsidione civitatis Feltrensis, concordati sumus cum Venetis. Et ligaverunt se nobiscum, ita ut nobis assisterent cum tota potencia in guerra illa adversus Mastinum de Scala. Et miserunt nobis in expensis propriis septingentos galeatos et multos pedites.

Nos vero dimmittentes fratrem nostrum cum exercitu ivimus Venecias, ubi cum magno honore suscepti magnaque tractati reverencia ligam mutuam firmavimus et inde reversi Feltrensem civitatem fame acquisivimus. Illi quoque de Corraria Paduani tractaverunt nobiscum et ceperunt civitatem Paduam et captivaverunt Albertum, seniorem fratrem Mastini, quem Venetis in captivitatem dederunt. Et remanentes servitores nostri retinuerunt Paduam in sua potestate. Nos vero dimittentes servitores nostros constituimus in civitatibus Feltrensi et Belluniensi et castris capitaneos Volcmarum de Burchstall magnatem de comitatu Tyrolis in Feltrensi, in civitate Bellunii Andigetum de Bongagio, capitaneum vero guerre contra Veronenses Johannem de Lipa, qui septimo die capitaneatus mortuus est, loco cuius Leporem substitui.

Sic reversi in comitatum Tyrolis, ivimus in vallem Eni, abinde in regnum Boemie, et confederati sumus cum ducibus Austrie; nam ante non eramus amici. Illa hieme in carnisprivio tradidimus filiam nostram primogenitam Margaretham Ludovico, primogenito Karoli, regis Ungarie, et ligavimus nos contra omnem hominem.

Post hoc vero, cum sororius noster in crastinum nos ad prandium invitasset, in ortu solis unus militum suscitavit nos de sompno dicens: Domine surgatis, dies novissimus adest, quia totus mundus plenus est locustis. Tunc surgentes ascendimus equum, [et] velociter cucurrimus volentes finem videre earum usque in Pulcauiam, ubi finis earum erat per septem miliaria in longitudine; latitudinem vero earum minime potuimus considerare. Quarum vox erat similis sono tumultuanti, ale earum erant scripte quasi denigratis litteris, et erant in spissitudine quasi nix condensate, ita quod sol propter eas videri non poterat. Fetor magnus procedebat ab eis. Et divise sunt alie versus Bavariam, alie [versus] Franconiam, alie versus Lombardiam, alie hinc inde per universam terram. Et erant generative, quia due per noctem viginti generabant et ultra; erant parvule, sed cito crescebant et inveniebantur in tertium annum.

Eodem tempore infra duos menses mortui sunt soror nostra et sororius dux Austrie, quos ab eo tempore nunquam vidimus.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩John.6.40;1Pet.1.5 — For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 1Pet.1.5 — who are being guarded through God's power, through faith, for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
  2. ↩Exod.10.15;Rev.9.3-Rev.9.9 — They covered the face of the whole land, and the land was darkened; and they ate all the plants of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left; and not a green thing remained in the trees or in the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt. Rev.9.3 — And out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and they were given authority, like the scorpions of the earth have authority. Rev.9.4 — And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. Rev.9.5 — And they were given authority not to kill them, but to torment them for five months. And their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a person. Rev.9.6 — And in those days people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them. Rev.9.7 — And the locusts were like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold, and their faces were like human faces. Rev.9.8 — and they had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like those of lions. Rev.9.9 — and they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of many horses rushing into battle
  3. ↩Exod.10.21-Exod.10.23;Joel.2.10 — Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over the heavens, and let there be darkness over the land of Egypt, and let the darkness be palpable.' Exod.10.22 — And Moses stretched out his hand toward the heavens, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. Exod.10.23 — No one saw his brother, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days; but for all the children of Israel there was light in their dwellings. Joel.2.10 — Before them the earth quakes, the heavens tremble; the sun and moon grow dark, and the stars withdraw their light.
  4. ↩Exod.10.15;Ps.105.34-Ps.105.35 — They covered the face of the whole land, and the land was darkened; and they ate all the plants of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left; and not a green thing remained in the trees or in the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt. Ps.105.34 — He spoke, and the locusts came, and the young locusts without number. Ps.105.35 — They ate up all the vegetation in their land, and devoured the fruit of their soil.
  5. ↩Exod.10.5-Exod.10.6;Joel.1.4 — and they will cover the surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the land; and they will eat the remnant of what has escaped, which remains to you from the hail, and they will eat every tree that grows for you from the field. Exod.10.6 — They will fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and the houses of all Egypt—something your fathers and your fathers' fathers have never seen since the day they came into being on the earth until this day. And he turned and went out from Pharaoh. Joel.1.4 — What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; and what the swarming locust left, the young locust has eaten; and what the young locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩The sentence is extremely long in the Latin, with multiple subordinate clauses. It has been rendered as a single English sentence to preserve the original structure, though the length is notable.
  2. 2 ↩The bracketed reading [sine sciencia] is a normalized emendation; the translation follows the corrected text.
  3. 3 ↩The Latin 'sub colore' (literally 'under color') is rendered as 'under the pretext' to capture the sense of a cover story or false justification.
  4. 4 ↩'Athesim' refers to the Adige River (Italian: Adige; German: Etsch), a major waterway in northern Italy.
  5. 5 ↩'Noviforensis' is a medieval Latin place name of uncertain modern identification; the form is preserved as given.
  6. 6 ↩Milicia rendered as 'soldiery' (military force); the term could also mean 'knight' in some contexts, but the collective sense fits the narrative better here.
  7. 7 ↩fame: ablative of means/cause, rendered as 'by famine' (instrumental sense).
  8. 8 ↩guerre: genitive singular, Romance form of guerra, dependent on capitaneum ('captain of war').
  9. 9 ↩sororius: rare/medieval term for brother-in-law; lemma uncertain.
  10. 10 ↩sompno: medieval spelling of somno (sleep); normalized silently.
  11. 11 ↩invitasset: archaic/medieval pluperfect subjunctive for invitavisset; rendered as 'had invited.'
  12. 12 ↩Pulcauiam: toponym, likely Pulkau (in present-day Austria); identification uncertain.
  13. 13 ↩et: bracketed in source, indicating editorial uncertainty about inclusion; included here as natural connective.
  14. 14 ↩vero (postpositive): rendered as 'however,' marking the adversative shift from measurable length to immeasurable breadth.
  15. 15 ↩scripte: perfect passive participle of scribo; here rendered 'inscribed' — the wings appeared marked as if written upon.
  16. 16 ↩denigratis: medieval form, possibly from denigrare ('to blacken'); rendered 'dark' modifying letters.
  17. 17 ↩nix condensate: ablative, descriptive of density; rendered 'condensed snow' to convey the packed, compressed quality.
  18. 18 ↩ita quod: result clause, rendered 'so that.'
  19. 19 ↩Et: rendered 'And,' continuing the descriptive sequence.
  20. 20 ↩versus: used directionally ('toward'); repeated with each destination.
  21. 21 ↩hinc inde: fixed phrase meaning 'in all directions / here and there.'
  22. 22 ↩generative: rare/medieval adjective meaning 'reproductive / capable of breeding'; rendered 'prolific.'
  23. 23 ↩parvule: medieval form of parvulae ('tiny ones'); rendered 'tiny at first.'
  24. 24 ↩quia: causal, rendered 'for' (implied in the dash structure).
  25. 25 ↩sed: adversative, rendered 'but,' contrasting small initial size with rapid growth.

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