Cangrande I Della Scala - Second War With Padua

Second War With Padua

Cangrande and Uguccione della Faggiuola arrived outside Vicenza with a large force on 21 May 1317. Cangrande secretly entered Vicenza and the next day at dawn disguised as a Vincentine Guelph he encouraged the Paduans to enter the city, suddenly rushing upon them in person with a small body of troops as they moved to enter the gates while Uguccione's larger force attacked from the rear, albeit in the nick of time for Cangrande's habitual impetuosity had nearly cost him dearly, and decisively ended the battle. Cangrande showed magnanimity to his hereditary foe Vinciguerra di San Bonifacio who was seriously wounded in the conflict, having him nursed at his own palace and affording him a magnificent funeral on his death a few weeks later.

Cangrande wasted little time in accusing Padua of breaking the peace treaty of 1314. In December 1317, Venice, which had overseen this treaty, finally declared it null and void. Cangrande set out immediately with a large army to surprise the town of Monselice, a key Paduan stronghold on the eastern slopes of the Euganean Hills. Monselice was betrayed to the Veronese vanguard on 21 December and the rich town of Este soon followed, encircled by Cangrande's forces and called on to surrender. The garrison resisted, whereupon Cangrande plunged into the moat and led his forces on an all-out assault on the walls. In a short space of time the town was taken, sacked and burnt. Following this, many other towns in the area surrendered in fear of suffering a similar fate.

After Christmas Cangrande marched his army to the walls of Padua itself in an effort to terrify the populace into surrender. The Paduan Greater Council represented by Jacopo da Carrara felt compelled to agree to any terms other than unconditional surrender and on 12 February 1318 ceded Monselice, Este, Castelbaldo and Montagnana to Cangrande for life and ordered the restoration of citizens exiled from Padua.