Note *49 — Chapter III

The chronicle of Gubbio (Muratori, R.I.S., XXI., 982) speaks of Oddantonio's death happening on 22 July, "ob violatum pudicitiam feminarum," as the author of the Annali di Forlì, R.I.S., XXII., 222, writes. It is recorded that he left debts of many thousands of ducats to the Count, his brother, "per soperchierie e trascurate spese, fatte in quel poco di tempo che egli aveva governato." Graziani, however, the supposed author of the Perugian chronicle published under his name, who, as Prof. Oscar Scalvanti has demonstrated (Boll. per l'Umbria, vol. IV., p. 57 et seq.), is not the author, but rather Antonio dei Guarneglie, followed by Pietro Angelo di Giovanni, says in his Cronaca della Città di Perugia that Oddantonio was murdered on 21 July, on Tuesday evening, at the sixth hour of the night, which I take to be about two o'clock on the morning of 22 July. He gives a long and circumstantial account of his murder. The Chronicle of Rimini, R.I.S., XV., 948, names the protonotary and one of the three other friends whom "Graziani" says fell with him. They were Manfredo da Carpi and Tomasso di Ser Guidicino da Arimino. "Graziani," who doubtless wrote from hearsay, says he was killed because "non aveva rispetto a persona e che quando glie piaceva una giovane, o zitola o maritata che fusse, se ne voleva cavare la voglia. Et el conte Guido suo padre fo tutto el contrario." The usual cries rang through the city: "Morto è il signore! Viva la Chiesa e viva el populo!" See Arch. St. Ital., ser. I., tom. XVI., parte I., p. 552 et seq. While fully admitting Sigismondo Malatesta to be capable of any cunning, I do not think we have any evidence against him here. The Malatesti were the enemies of the Montefeltri, and the latter, with their subjects, were afraid of Sigismondo, already a very brilliant soldier. Cf. Marcolini, St. d. Prov. di Pesaro e Urbino (Pesaro, 1885).