1503 The Challenge of Barletta
Early in the 16th century much of Italy was a battlefield as armies of independent city states, France, Spain, and the papacy vied for control of the peninsula. On this date in 1503 French and Italian knights battled, not over politics, but national honour.
In southern Italy a number of French knights were taken prisoner in a skirmish and brought as captives to the town of Barletta. In chivalric fashion, they were invited to a banquet where one of them, a mouthy individual named Charles de la Motte, made disparaging remarks about the courage of Italian men of war. Feelings were hurt, an argument ensued and the upshot of it was a challenge: 13 Italian knights would joust with an equal number of Frenchmen. Winners would be awarded the horses and weapons of the vanquished as well as 100 ducats. De la Motte would lead the French and Ettore Fieramosca, a famous leader of condottieri would be at the head of the Italian knights.
In a series of encounters that went on all day and into the evening, the Italians emerged triumphant, winning all 13 battles. The French were forced to apologize for their intemperate speech. News of the challenge spread throughout Italy and became the stuff of legends. A monument was set up in Barletta to commemorate the event, but 300 years later when Napoleonic armies invaded the area, French troops tore the statue down. It was put back up when the Corsican Tyrant was defeated and to this day Barletta is nicknamed Città della Disfida, “City of the Challenge”. An annual festival celebrates the encounter and costumed figures recreate the day of battles.
On the poster above you can see the coats of arms of the 13 Italian knights and the arms of the City of Barletta.