Mercurio Bua
Portrait of a Gentleman, thought to be Mercurio Bua by Lorenzo Lotto[1]
Other name(s)Mercurio Buia
Born1478
Nafplion
Diedunknown (around 1542)
Treviso
Rankcondottiero (stratioti captain)

Mercurio Bua (Albanian: Mërkur Bua; Greek: Μερκούριος Μπούας, romanized: Merkourios Bouas; some modern sources use Buia[2]) was an Albanian condottiero (Stratioti captain) active in Italy. His father was Pjetër Bua, leader of the Albanians in the Morea in the 15th century. Born in Nauplia in 1478, Mercurio Bua moved to Venice in 1489 after his father's death and participated in the important phases of the Italian Wars serving the Republic of Venice, the Duke of Milan Ludovico Sforza, the Kingdom of France, the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and then again Venice.[3][4] For his deeds the King of France Louis XII rewarded him with the honorary title Count of Aquino and Roccasecca.[4]

Life

The red insignia with the black eagle and the cross of Saint Andrew was a gift by his Caesarean Majesty Emperor Maximilian for Captain general of the Lezeri cavalry (MDX).[5]

Born in Nafplio in the Peloponnese, Mercurio was the son of Pjetër Bua (fl. 1450s), who belonged to the Albanian noble family of Bua that settled in Peloponnese, and who was the leader of the Albanian community of the region after the fall of the Despotate of the Morea.[6][7][8][9][10]

As accounted by Giovanni Andrea Saluzzo, Lord of Castellar who participated in the Battle of Novara in 1500 as a trusted man of the marquess Ludovico II of Saluzzo against the Duke of Milan Ludovico il Moro, the Albanian captain Mercurio, who at that time was serving the Duke of Milan, was captured in Novara by a certain Duncan after the defeat of Ludovico il Moro. Taken into the prisons of Castellar for a few weeks, Mercurio was then liberated by Giovanni Andrea Saluzzo in June 6, 1500.[11]

Due to his martial prowess, he was eventually made Count of Aquino and Roccasecca.[4]

A letter written by Bua has survived. He wrote it in June 17, 1506 and directed to the treasury administration of the court of France as the capitaine de cent hommes de guerre de cheval albanoys ("Captain of 100 Albanian cavalrymen and men-of-war") in relation to the payment of his company.[12]

The armorial of Mercurio Bua features within the shield, on the upper right corner, an azure insignia with the eagle displayed in dexter position, belonging to the Despot of Argyrokastron, whose realm bears the symbols of the House of Bua.[13]

In 1508, according to the chronicler Ambrogio da Paullo, he was challenged to a duel by the twenty-two-year-old Faccendino Sanseverino (sometimes identified as the son of Roberto Sanseverino, actually nephew of Antonio Maria), who wanted to defend the honor of the Duke of Ferrara and the Marquis of Mantua, for certain insulting words spoken by Mercurio. Mercurio, knowing him as "a young expert and a strong man in arms" and doubting "not to lose his honor to fight with him", preferred to ambush him with 25 stradioti on the road from Melegnano to San Donato Milanese. They gave him more than thirty wounds, "so that the poor young man, as he came to defend the honor of the marquises and so his own, miserably remained dead." Mercury was reproached for having done so "out of cowardice more than anything else, unde was forced to flee with great scorn and shame [...] and so Facendino lost his life and Mercurio the conduct, as he had with the roy, and the honor".[14]

Mercurio Bua died in Treviso, (Italy) between 1542-45, where earlier he served as captain of a unit of 50 soldiers.[15] He is buried in Santa Maria Maggiore in the same city near the tomb of his wife. In 1562 a marble monument was erected on his tomb, made by Antonio Lombardo. In 1637 the following inscription was made on the monument:

"Mercurio Bua Comiti E. Principibus Peloponnesi
 Epirotarum Equitum Ductori,
Anno Salu. MDCXXXVII."

Which means "To Count Mercurio Bua, Prince of Peloponnesus, Leader of the Epirote Horsemen, Year of our Salvation, 1637". The monument also lists some of his military career.[16][17]

Marriages and children

His first marriage was in 1519 with Maria Boccali, the daughter of Niccolò Boccali.[18] The Boccali came from the Morea and were related to branches of Skanderbeg's family and of the Arianiti family,[19] as well as the Byzantine imperial family of the Palaiologi.[20] The Boccali too provided for generations very valiant and loyal fighters to Venice.[19] Maria always lived in Venice, even when Mercurio served the Holy Roman Empire.[18] Maria died in 1524 leaving one son with the name Flavio. She was buried in Santa Maria di Treviso. In 1525 Mercurio married Elisabetta, daughter of Alvise Balbi. With her Mercurio had four children: Helena Maria, Curio, Polyxena and Alessandro. Elizabeth died in or before 1528.[4]

In culture

The life of Bua had been dramatised in the works of Tzanes Koronaios (Zanetto Coroneo). Koronaios, who had been stradiotti-troubadour of Zantiote origin, was a companion of Mercurio Bua.[21] In his work, a long epic poem in vernacular Greek on the exploits, bravery and military victories of Mercurio Bua, Koronaios gives Bua's mythological pedigree, which includes Achilles, Alexander the Great and Pyrrhus.[22] A possible answer on why this work was written in Greek and not in Italian or even medieval Albanian would be that the close environment of Mercurio Bua spoke primarily Greek, retained its Byzantine traditions and cultural identity.[23] In this work he was praised as "chosen among the Hellenes" or in another verse as "rampart of the Albanians"[24] This poem was found in a manuscript in Italy and was published partially by C. Hopf and in its entirety by Constantine Sathas. It was written in 1519 when Koronaios was in Venice and refers to Bua's history till 1517. It consists of about 4.500 rhyming verses and contains valuable historical information. Koronaios wrote and sent to Bua also a smaller poem (“pittakion”) of about 125 verses in Greek language, too.[25][26]

Another mention of a Mercurio Bua exists in the Histoire des guerres civiles de France by Enrico Caterino Davila. There a man named Mercurio Bua was active in the service of the king of France in the 1580s. He was present as a commander of a unit of light cavalry at the Battle of Coutras in 1587, leading an ill-fated cavalry charge that led to his unit being diverted away from the decisive action, thus contributing to a catastrophic defeat of the royal army.[27] Nevertheless, it is unknown if it is the same person.

Sources

Citations

  1. ↑ Fossi, Gloria; Bussagli, Marco; Reiche, Mattia (2000). Italian art: painting, sculpture, architecture from the origins to the present day. Giunti Editore Firenze Italy. pp. 182–3. ISBN 88-09-01771-4.
  2. ↑ Institutul de Istorie și Arheologie "A.D. Xenopol." (1987). Anuarul Institutului de Istorie și Arheologie "A.D. Xenopol.". Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România. p. 91. Intre acestia, un loc insemnat 1-a ocupat Mercurio Buia, ajuns la inceputul secolului XVI in serviciul imparatului Maximilian de Habsburg, care l-a primit in rindul contilor imperiului. ... Familiei Buia (Bua)...; Magazin istoric. 1994. p. 62. Mercurio Buia („Bua" — socotit „albanez") a dobândit în serviciul împăratului Maximilian de Habsburg; Valente, Francesca (28 September 2014). "San Girolamo Emiliani sarà patrono di Quero Vas". Corriere delle Alpi. Retrieved 1 June 2020. Il 27 agosto dello stesso anno il forte fu raggiunto da 3 mila fanti francesi inviati da Jacques de La Palice (proprio l'ispiratore dell'aggettivo "lapalissiano") che guidati dal capitano di ventura Mercurio Buia conquistarono la fortezza, uccidendo tutti i soldati nemici, tranne Girolamo e due capitani bellunesi.; (Bujduveanu 1997, p. 91):"1495 = Familia Buia a dat din acest an până la finele secolului al XVI-lea opt căpitani de armatoli. Mercuriu Buia trece în Italia cu vreo..."; (Giurescu & Giurescu 1976, pp. 395, 405):"Familia Buia a dat de la 1495 pînă la finele secolului al XVI-lea nu mai puţin de opt căpitani, dintre care Mercuriu Buia a avut o deosebită însemnătate....Buia, Mercuriu - capitan".
  3. ↑ Floristán 2019, p. 10
  4. 1 2 3 4 Ricciardi Maria Luisa (1989) Lorenzo Lotto, "Il Gentiluome della Galleria Borghese", Artibus et Historiae, vol. 10, No 19, p. 96. Available through JSTOR.)
  5. ↑ Sathas, Konstantinos (1867). Hellenika anekdota (1 ed.). University of Crete Library: Τύποις του Φωτός. pp. 5–9.
  6. ↑ Gramaticopolo 2016, p. 47: "Pietro Bua, di nobile famiglia albanese trapiantata nel Peloponneso, considerato dalla comunità albanese della regione come loro capo dopo la caduta del despotato di Morea."
  7. ↑ Floristán 2019, p. 10: "Dalle notizie del 1457, conosciamo i fratelli Alessio e Giovanni Bua uno dei quali fu padre di Pietro Bua, a sua volta padre di Mercurio Bua, famoso condottiero e capitano degli stradioti nei primi decenni del sec. XVI."
  8. ↑ Zorzi, Renzo; Cini.", Fondazione "Giorgio (2002). Le metamorfosi del ritratto (in Italian). L.S. Olschki. p. 164. ISBN 978-88-222-5147-3. as the greek condottiere Mercurio Bua who was resident in Treviso
  9. ↑ Bugh, Glenn Richard (2002). "Andrea Gritti and the Greek Stradiots of Venice in the Early 16th Century". Thēsaurismata tou Hellēnikou Institoutou Vyzantinōn kai Metavyzantinōn Spoudōn: 93. Retrieved 16 April 2021. In any case , there is no evidence to disprove Barbarigo ' s testimony that Teodoro Paleologo , 54 perhaps the most famous Greek stradiot - captain ( outside of Mercurio Bua )
  10. ↑ Romano, Roberto. "a produzione letteraria di Jacopo Trivolis, nobile veneto-corfiota" (PDF). Porphyra. p. 81. Retrieved 19 April 2021. al capitano greco-albanese Mercurio Bua
  11. ↑ Comba 2005, p. 177:"Giovanni Andrea Saluzzo Castellar, egli stesso condomino di numerosi feudi, fiero della sua consanguineità col marchese, e contemporaneamente uomo di corte (...uomo di fiducia di Ludovico II...)"; p. 218: "Giovanni Andrea Saluzzo di Castellar racconta come alcuni anni dopo, partiti per parteciare alla presa di Novara, lui stesso e il marchese..."; p. 302: "L'autore narra anche un episodio del giugno 1500 che lo riguarda personalmente: la liberazione di Mercurio Bua Albanese, capitano di 500 stradiotti arruolato dal duca di Milano, preso a Novara insieme al Moro da tale Duncan scozzese. Tradotto nelle prigioni private del Castellar per alcune settimane, fece amicizia con il suo carceriere."
  12. ↑ Xhufi 2013, p. 8.
  13. ↑ Sathas, Konstantinos (1867). Hellenika anekdota (1 ed.). University of Crete Library: Τύποις του Φωτός. pp. 5–9.
  14. ↑ Lombardia, Regia Deputazione sovra gli Studi di Storia Patria per le Antiche Provincie e la (1871). Miscellanea di storia italiana (in Italian).
  15. ↑ Zele, Walter (1993). "Note e Documenti". Archivio Veneto: 110.
  16. ↑ Sathas K. (1867), Andragathemata of Bua, by Tzanes Coroneos, Hellenika Anekdota, vol.1, p.123, in Greek language
  17. ↑ Edward Hutton: Venice and Venetia. Read Books, 2009. Page 229. ISBN 1-4446-4992-2.
  18. 1 2 Bassani 2008, p. 159: "...nonché anche le vicende dello stradiota Mercurio Bua, ammogliato in prime nozze anch'egli con una Boccali, Maria, vissuta sempre a Venezia, anche quando Bua militava con gli imperiali.
  19. 1 2 Bassani 2008, p. 62: "I Bocoli o Boccali provenivano dalla Morea ed erano imparentati con rami della famiglia di Scanderbeg e degli Arianiti. Anch'essi fornirono per generazioni combattenti valorosissimi e fedelissimi a Venezia (oltre ai Peta, ai Renessi e altri)."
  20. ↑ Korre, Katerina (2018). Μισθοφόροι stradioti της Βενετίας: πολεμική και κοινωνική λειτουργία (15ος-16ος αιώνας) (Thesis) (in Greek). Greece: Ionian University. p. 178. Οι Μπόχαλη συγγένευαν με τους Παλαιολόγους συνεχίζοντας την οικογενειακή πρακτική που ενσωμάτωσε πλήρως τη φάραστην κοινωνική τάξη των τοπικών βυζαντινών αρχόντων
  21. ↑ Zečević, Nada (2019). "Restoration, Reconstruction and Union: memories of home in the stratiot poetry of Antonio Molino". Radovi: Zavoda za Hrvatsku Povijest Filozofskoga Fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu. 51 (1): 165. doi:10.17234/RadoviZHP.51.8. Among such works we find the elegant rhymes of Greek Humanist Michael Tarchaniota Marullus (b. ca. 1458–1500), the heroic poems of Tsanes Koronaios which glorify the famed Albanian commander of the Venetian army, Mercurio Bua (fl. late 15th/early 16th c.), the comprehensive cycles of the oral tradition of Albanian stratiots in Southern Italy and Slavic peasant-fighters from Venetian Dalmatia (uskoci) – but also plays by Italian comedy writers that utilised the stratiot tradition to win the interest of their popular Italian audiences.
  22. ↑ Of the various people called Pyrrhus, the most likely candidates would seem to be the mythological Neoptolemus, son of Achilles and king of Epirus, and the historically-documented King Pyrrhus of Epirus.
  23. ↑ Korre, Katerina (2018). Μισθοφόροι stradioti της Βενετίας: πολεμική και κοινωνική λειτουργία (15ος-16ος αιώνας) (Thesis) (in Greek). Greece: Ionian University. p. 412. Εντύπωση προκαλεί το γεγονός ότι το έργο γράφτηκε στην ελληνική γλώσσα και όχι στην ιταλική ή ακόμα στη μεσαιωνική αλβανική. Μία απάντηση θα ήταν ότι ο κύκλος του Μερκούρη Μπούα μιλούσε πρωτίστως ελληνικά, είχε βυζαντινή κουλτούρα και πολιτισμικές καταβολές.
  24. ↑ Fattori, Niccolò (7 May 2019). Migration and Community in the Early Modern Mediterranean: The Greeks of Ancona, 1510-1595. Springer. p. 13. ISBN 978-3-030-16904-6. Ethnic and confessional boundaries in the early modern Mediterranean could be extraordinary blurred, especially withint the same cultural sphere, and , and for example the Stradiot captain Mercurio Bua was celebrated as "chosen among the Hellenes / rampart of the Albanians" within the same stanza of a poem without anyone seeing anything contradictory about it
  25. ↑ Hopf Charles (1873) Ex Jannis Coronei Rebus a Mercurio Bua gestis, in Chroniques Greco-Romanes, Librairie de Weidmann, Berlin, pp 367- 370. (Contains the first 136 verses).
  26. ↑ Sathas K., chapter A, pp 1-153.
  27. ↑ Davila, Enrico Caterino (1657). Histoire des guerres civiles de France. Vol. 1. Paris. p. 563.

Bibliography

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