Condottiere, born in Capua, Campania, SW Italy. He fought in the service of the Aragonese against Charles VIII in 1494. In the conflict between France and Spain for the possession of the Kingdom of Naples, he led the 13 Italian knights who defeated the French in the ‘Challenge of Barletta’ in 1503. He was seen by the Italian Romantic movement as a forerunner of the fight for independence. In the tournament battle, fought on chargers with armour, lances, swords and battleaxes, the Italiansemerged victorious. Passing into Italian folklore. This battle became known as the

Disfida di Barletta 1503