Ubertino I Da Carrara - Wars of Aggrandisement

Wars of Aggrandisement

Ubertinello besieged Monselice for a year and a month until it fell on 19 August after his succession. The citadel held out until 28 November under Fiorello da Lucca. On 2 December, he obtained Treviso from Mastino II della Scala, Alberto's brother and co-ruler. By a treaty of 4 January 1339, however, he was forced to yield Treviso to Venice and accept Bassano and Castelbaldo instead. Verona, Lucca, Vicenza, and Parma were confirmed to the Scaligers.

On 9 April 1340, Ubertinello affirmed an alliance with Obizzo of Ferrara, Taddeo Pepoli, and Florence at Lendinara. This alliance was immediately opposed by an alliance of Luchino Visconti and Ludovico Gonzaga with Mastino. The war was sparked by envy for the rich cities of the Scaliger. Ubertinello sent Enghelmario di Villandres to take Vicenza, but Visconti scattered his army. The next year, Ubertinello broke the Scaliger alliances and bound himself with Visconti, Gonzaga, and Azzo da Corregio with the aim of taking Parma. In September, the allies raided Veronese territory as far as the gates of Vicenza, but the men of Mantua, loaded with booty, retired, leaving the remaining troops insufficient to take the city. Azzo began the siege of Parma on 21 May anyway.

Florence, meanwhile, had her eye on Lucca, longtime rival for the Tuscan primacy. She offered a huge sum of money to Mastino in return for the city, but the Republic of Pisa began besieging in the meantime. Florence turned to Ubertinello and, on the basis of the old treaty, demanded his military aid against Pisa. He refused, however. Florence paid 180,000 gold florins for the city, but Ubertinello sent troops instead to aid Pisa, allied with the Republic of Genoa, Gonzaga, Visconti, Corregio, and the other Ghibellines of Tuscany and Romagna. On 11 July 1342, Lucca fell to Pisa.