Battle of Parabiago

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Battle of Parabiago

Date	February 20-February 21, 1339^[1]
Location	Parabiago
Result	Milanese victory

Combatants

Compagnia di San Giorgio

Milan

Commanders

Lodrisio Visconti
Werner von Urslingen
Konrad von Landau

Luchino Visconti
Ettore da Panigo

Casualties

c. 4,500

c. 2,300

The Battle of Parabiago was fought in the February 1339 near Parabiago, in Lombardy, northern Italy, between the "St. George's Mercenary" of Lodrisio Visconti, and the Milanes army. A renowned condottiero, he was an exiled member of the Visconti family then in power in Milan with a kind of triumvirate formed by Azzone and his uncles, Luchino and archbishop Giovanni Visconti, Lodrisio's brothers. Aiming to return victoriously in his city, he hired some 2,500 knights, mainly from Germany, and 1,000 Swiss infantry which had fought in the unsuccessful war of Mastino II della Scala for the hegemony in northern Italy. These units were led by Werner von Urslingen and Konrad von Landau.

Lodrisio Visconti set for Lombardy in the late January 1339, defeating the Milanese in Rivolta d'Adda, and later conquering also Cernusco sul Naviglio, Sesto di Monza and Legnano, where he was joined by the Scaliger troops. Luchino set to met the Compagnia, with his citizen milices and 700 knights from Savoy under the Bolognese Ettore da Panigo. Azzone, suffering of gout, remained in Milan.

On 20 February 1339, with high snow on the ground, the Compagnia suddenly attacked one of the two corps in which the Milanese army had divided, and which was camping near the current Canale Villoresi, near Parabiago. The Milanese were routed and retired to Milan, with Lodrisio's troops pursuing them. Here the two main corps met, the Milanese again initially defeated. Luchino himself was captured. However, the citizen milice did not rout completely and offered a confused though effective. In the meantime da Panigo's knights joined with some fugitives at Rho, and moved to Parabiago where they defeated the 400 men-at-arms left by Lodrisio, and freed Luchino.

In the meantime new of the initial defeate reached Azzone, who ordered to close and prepared to substain the siege of the Company of San Giorgio. However, when the German mecercenaries men where attacked by da Panigo's men they were completely routed, and Lodrisio captured in turn.

Total casualties amounted to some 6,500/7,000.

Lodrisio Visconti was prisoner into an iron cage in San Colombano al Lambro until 1349, when, Azzone and Luchino died, magnanimous Giovanni Visconti freed him.

[edit] Trivia

According to a legend, St. Ambrosius himself had appeared in the battle from a white cloud, riding a horse and leading the Milanese in the decisive moments. To celebrate the event, the Giovanni Visconti had a church and an abbey built, called Sant'Ambrogio della Vittoria ("St. Ambrose of the Victory"). Until 1581, every February 21 a procession was held from Milan to Parabiago to remember the victory.