In one of his most important works Machiavelli
manoeuvres the life of Castruccio Castracani to be at once a compelling
political and war treatise and still a compelling page turner.
Castruccio had humble beginnings
like all the great men of history. Brought up by Messer Antonio, a priest of
the order of Michele of Lucca, and Madonna Dianora, his sister and a widow who
chanced upon him as the baby thrown in the vineyard, Castruccio had his war
genius espied by Messer Fransesco Guinigi (a captain of the army of the Visconti
of Milan). He quickly endeared himself to all of Lucca by being deferential to
the great men, modest with his equals and courteous to his inferiors. He also
sort to gain as many friends as possible. After the death of Messer Antonio, he
was left as lord over his realm and in charge of the 13 year old Pagolo. This greatly
increased his power and won him enemies such as Giorgio del Opizi, head of the
Guelph party who had hoped to become the chief man after Messer Fransesco. With
the promise of restoring some Ghibellines exiled in Paris and the help of Lord
Uguccione of Pisa he captured Lucca and put to death all of the household of
Giorgio as well as their friends and sympathizers effectively wiping out
potential resistance. Fortune then determined upon herself to increase
Castruccio’s potency. Uguccione who grew ill just before his army engaged the
Guelphs, who aspiring to regain power initiated an uprising, and left
Castruccio in charge. With military antics straight out of the ‘Art of War’
treatise, Castruccio won the war largely by deception. He let the enemy grow
overconfident thinking he was weak without Uguccione and promulgated
disinformation to that effect. On engagement he arranged his men such that he
had the strong on the flanks and the weak in the middle columns; the enemy had
done the converse. Consequently the strong men of castruccio engaged the weak
of the enemy while the middle columns of castruccio which moved forward more
slowly than the flanks were not engaged. Castruccio was soon granted a victory
so complete that his fame grew in leaps and bounds. However, Uguccione seeing
Castruccio’s victory had diminished his greatness grew jealous and sought his
arrest in Lucca through Neri, his son and governor.
Neri fearing the Lucchese didn’t put
him to death as per the wishes of his father who at once set forth for Lucca
with the intention of finishing the job himself. No sooner had he left Pisa
than the Pisans rebelled and put his deputy to death. The Lucchese on learning
of the arrest of Castruccio and the happenings in Pisa caused a tumult and
Castruccio was released then made a prince. Uguccione was force to flee and
died in poverty in Lombardy. Castruccio quickly used his war expertise to
recapture the towns of Massa, Carrara, and
Lavenza, and in a short time had overrun the whole of Lunigiana before wresting
Pontremoli from Messer Anastagio Palavicini. He quickly made friends with
Fredrik of Bavaria, king of the Romans, and with his help was made lord of
Pisa. Later on the family of Poggio staged an uprising in Lucca which was put
down by one of their own peacefully. Castruccio on learning of this feigned
gratitude and pardon and invited the whole family for a meeting where he put
all of them to death.
At the height of his career he had
captured Pistoia and Pisa and was on the verge of gaining Florence when
Pneumonia cut short his illustrious ambition. Once more fortune had shown her
might. Had he been born in Rome he would have been no less great than Alexander
the great or Scipio.