Castruccio Castracani

Castruccio Castracani , born in 1281 with Lucques, dead the September 3rd 1328 with Lucques, was a Condottiere, which was duke of Lucques.

Born in a pledged family with the Gibelins, it was constrained with the exile with his father by the clan of the Guelfes about the year 1300. After the disappearance of his parents, it served like Condottiere with the orders of the king de France Philippe IV Beautiful the, in particular in the Flandres. It put later at the service Visconti with Milan.

In 1313, it rejoined the party of Uguccione della Faggiuola, after the election of this gibelin chief to the supreme office of the town of Pisa and, under its orders, took part in the conquest of Lucques in 1314, which was worth to him to be named about it tyrant. In 1315, it took part in the Bataille of Montecatini, which saw the defeat of the troops of Florence.

A revolt with Lucques briefly drove out Gibelins to return the capacity to the party guelfe, but Castracani took again the city and, in 1316, was made elect lord of Lucques. Being rejoined with the party of Frederic Beautiful the, anti King of the Romans since 1314, it was made by this one imperial vicar of Lucques in 1320. After the defeat of its suzerain to the Battle of Mühldorf the September 28th 1322, it passed to the service of the winner, Louis of Bavaria.

In 1325, at the time of the Battle of Altopascio, it beat Florentins again and, in reward, was named duke of Lucques, Pistoia, Volterra and Luni by the emperor. In 1327, it seized the town of Pisa, and was named by it imperial vicar. However its relations with its guard were degraded and led, the same year, with its Excommunication by the papal legate Jean XXII, probably influence by Guelfes remained powerful.

After its death in 1328, Guelfes returned with the capacity shared its fortune with the detriment of his/her children.

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