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Pietro Maria Scotti
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Pietro Maria Scotti, Known as Buso.
From
Vigoleno. Ghibelline. Count of Vigoleno and Carpaneto Piacentino.
Pietro Maria Scotti, was also known as Conte Buso for
his sword skills (“buso” meaning “hole”, for the “signature” he left on
his victims’ body),
Family
Son of a Guelph-Ghibelline union, a
Guelph (by birth and also on his mother's side, daughter of the leader
of the Red part of Parma) with a daughter of Pallavicino Pallavicini
(chief of the Ghibelline part, in turn son of Roland the Magnificent and
of a Scotti Guelph), Pietro Maria bore the name of one of his
grandparents, Pietro Maria (dei) Rossi.
Pietro Maria Scotti
was the son of Count Francesco Maria Scotti (? -1511).
He married
Camilla Scotti di Fombio, with whom he had a son, Galeazzo. She is said
to be 'a Malaspina'.
Brother Guglielmo
Brother-in-law Gisello Malaspina
Brother-in-law Ludovico Caracciolo
Timeline
Pietro Maria Scotti was forced to leave Piacenza due to the turbulence
he caused in the city.
In early 1514, he returned to Piacenza from
Rome. He finds himself in considerable financial difficulty due to heavy
expenses that he has had to bear; he is also annoyed because the
contract for the city duties were rented by the Apostolic Chamber to a
company headed by Lazzaro Malvicini and Niccolò Scotti after the payment
of 25,000 scudi. He arms around a hundred troublemakers, including his
brother Guglielmo, with whom he attacks the houses of his rivals to
plunder them. Numerous Guelphs were killed in the action; the latter in
turn take up arms; several clashes arise in the city near the church of
San Simone and in the vicinity of that of San Donnino.
In
mid-February the pontifical governor Tommaso Campeggi had the doors
closed and the guard posts strengthened. The Guelphs strengthen
themselves on the towers of Sant'Antonio, San Francesco, Santa Brigida,
of Sant'Eufemia and on the terrace of the Landi from where they beat the
Ghibellines' homes with their barrages. The latter concentrated their
forces near the Landi houses, the cathedral towers and the church of San
Pietro in Foro. The fighting lasted a few days until, on Campeggi's
instructions, both the Guelphs and the Ghibellines (including Scotti)
left Piacenza through two different gates. The conflict moves to the
countryside. Attacked by Guelph militias led by Troilo dei Rossi and
Federico Gonzaga da Bozzolo he took refuge in Carpaneto Piacentino. At
the beginning of March, peace was ratified between the factions to which
Scotti did not belong. He joins with other malcontents; at the head of
1000 men gathered in Rivalta he makes a new attempt against Piacenza
with Jacopo dal Verme. He forces open the Door of San Lazzaro, he scales
the walls and takes over the watchtowers. He calls the Sforza leader
Ludovico Vistarini from Lodi. The action ends with nothing done.
During the summer, with the protection of Galeazzo and Antonio Maria
Pallavicini he harasses his brother-in-law Gisello Malaspina in his
territories who is fighting in the opposing camp; he robs a load of
wheat destined for Piacenza and damages an aqueduct owned by a church.
He moved to the service of the Sforza against the French; continues its
devastation in the Piacenza area with burning of villages and killing of
soldiers and inhabitants.
In February 1515, he takes over the castles
of Predovera, Macerata and Statto which belong to his brother-in-law
Ludovico Caracciolo.
During the Spring, At the head of 3000
followers, among whom there are many men sent to him by the Landi and
the Anguissola, he takes away the castle of Viustino from Bertolino
Nicelli which collapses following some artillery shots: the loot is
rich, consisting of considerable quantities of wheat, wine, hay and
livestock. He frees the fortress of Groppo from the siege placed there
by the Guelphs and forces Nicelli to flee after inflicting heavy new
losses on him. He obtains the same results in Val Nure (conquest of
Ronco); he occupies the castle of Ferriere which he hands over to
Antonio Maria Pallavicini.
A papal brief puts an end to the fights
between Guelphs and Ghibellines. Scotti makes peace with Jacopo
Anguissola, some of whose houses he had previously looted. He is exiled
to Florence.
In August, hw was allowed to return to the Piacenza area
despite the resistance offered by the papal lieutenant of Piacenza Goro
Gheri, who considers him an instrument of the Pallavicini. He sells
Vigoleno to Gian Marco Pollastrelli for the sum of 4000 imperial lire.
In October 1518, his assets are confiscated by the French.
He was
condemned to death in absentia, for rebellion, by the French in April
1519.
In September, Jacques de Sainte-Colombe and the artillery
captain Jean Pommereul attacked him in the fortress of Predovera, in Val
di Prino, where he gave asylum to around forty bandits: it was stormed
and the French hanged the 18 men found there. Pietro Buso Scotti escapes
capture because the previous night he [accidentally] left for personal
reasons. The castle was demolished by Lautrec.
In 1520, he connects
with the groups of exiles in Germany headed by Girolamo Morone.
In
early 1521, he fought in the service of the Duke of Milan Francesco
Sforza. He is in Motella and Verolanuova to collect infantry; delivered
some money to the troops, he moves to Reggio Emilia.
In July,
Prospero Colonna sends him to Piacenza with other escapees; here with
200 light horses and 300 infantry he holds his own against his
opponents. He takes possession of the Val di Nure and cuts the supply
lines to the capital. The French called together his factional opponents
such as Paride and
Cesare Scotti. With the Anguissola family he
organized a treaty with Tameo da Treviso, constable of the Porta di San
Raimondo in Piacenza who should have found access to the city open on
the night of San Giovanni. The plot is discovered by Cesare Scotti;
Tameo da Treviso runs away; Pietro Buso Scotti runs away. He continues
to travel the streets of Piacenza. In mid-July in Alseno he intercepted
two wagons carrying the money intended for the wages of the French
garrison of Parma. Almost all the infantrymen in the escort are killed.
At the beginning of Augusr he attacks Piacenza again at the Porta di San
Raimondo; this is set on fire: some of his men scale the city walls;
they are rejected by the inhabitants. He is suddenly besieged in the
castle of Statto by Girolamo da Trivulzio and Cesare Scotti: he leaves
on a sortie in which he loses twenty men. He flees into the mountains.
In the action he was injured in the knee (or arm) by a shotgun blast and
therefore had to be transported on a stretcher to Reggio Emilia. He
meets with Colonna. Not yet recovered he reaches the camp on the Enza
with Bartolomeo da Villachiara and Marcantonio della Motella. He
devastates the Parma area; he conquers the castles of Vigoleno, Diolo
and Tavazzano; he obtains Fiorenzuola d'Arda and Borgo San Donnino (Fidenza);
he besieges the castle of Agazzano, belonging to Gaspare Scotti,
defended by 500 French infantry. Assale Castel San Giovanni with Ettore
Visconti.
In September, Agazzano surrenders to the Sforza. Scotti
divides the spoils among his men: Visconti also arrives and, evidently
defrauded of his share of the loot, has him killed by his soldiers with
a sword blow that cuts off his head. His body is thrown among the
rubbish in the moat in the castle. It was never found, but his ghost is
said to roam the castle.
Quotes
• “He had a very
lively spirit, a fickle whim; his rest seemed like death to him. In the
midst of calm he longed for storms, arming his heart to arouse new
disputes and new turbulences over time." DE' CRESCENZI
• “If he
joined the Gebelline faction, making himself leader of the bandits, who
is greatly feared; although he has no credit with those who live well,
but only with sad ones. In any case, he is open to mutiny." TREES
• “Bloody man, party leader.” LITTA
• “This character, (who
with his exploits animated the Piacenza chronicles from 1514 until his
death in September 1521), presents very interesting aspects from the
point of view of the factions. Son of a Guelph-Ghibelline union, a
Guelph (by birth and also on his mother's side, daughter of the leader
of the Red part of Parma) with a daughter of Pallavicino Pallavicini
(chief of the Ghibelline part, in turn son of Roland the Magnificent and
of a Scotti Guelph), Pietro Maria bore the name of one of his
grandparents, Pietro Maria (dei) Rossi. His genealogy therefore referred
to two aristocratic leaders, a Ghibelline and a Guelph, both of whom in
different periods of their lives were at loggerheads with the prince
(the Duke of Milan at the time).. This marked primacy (Guelph part,
whose leader is Niccolò Scotti) was at the origin of Buso's change of
party...Buso had become (with the protection of his Ghibelline uncles
Pallavicini of Busseto) leader of gangs of 3000-4000 men who brought
together exponents of Piacenza Ghibellinism, and were capable of
seriously threatening the city and lording it over the countryside; then
he escaped to Mantua, where the Lombard Ghibellines were hiding, leader
of gangs capable of conferring with a Ghibelline general from a
completely different region such as Prospero Colonna; only to end up
killed in a conflict between bandits over loot.” and they were able to
seriously threaten the city and lord it over the countryside; then he
escaped to Mantua, where the Lombard Ghibellines were hiding, leader of
gangs capable of conferring with a Ghibelline general from a completely
different region such as Prospero Colonna; only to end up killed in a
conflict between bandits over loot.” and they were able to seriously
threaten the city and lord it over the countryside; then he escaped to
Mantua, where the Lombard Ghibellines were hiding, leader of gangs
capable of conferring with a Ghibelline general from a completely
different region such as Prospero Colonna; only to end up killed in a
conflict between bandits over loot.”ARCHANGELS
See also:
•
The ghost of Count Buso
•
Condottieri di ventura
For more on the Douglas Scotti families of
Italy, see our Italy portal.
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Source
Sources for this article include:
Roberto Damiani, author of the Condottieri di ventura website
Any contributions will be
gratefully accepted
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