Bellarion the Fortunate · Chapter
XIV: The Vanquished explained
Theodore of Montferrat sallies from Vercelli at dawn, routing Carmagnola, then marches on Casale to confront Bellarion.
What happens
Theodore of Montferrat sallies from Vercelli at dawn, routing Carmagnola, then marches on Casale to confront Bellarion. Bellarion, having drawn Theodore out, coordinates a pincer movement: while Theodore advances, Carmagnola reoccupies Vercelli and sacks it. Theodore's march is slowed by his siege train; near Villanova, Bellarion attacks his flank and rear. Theodore attempts a tactical retreat toward the causeway between Corno and Popolo, but Ugolino da Tenda's cavalry strikes his rear from Balzola, collapsing his formation. Within three hours, Theodore's army is destroyed; he is captured and brought to Casale, where he is mocked by the populace. Bellarion, exhausted, collapses after ordering Theodore held for judgment.
Themes in this chapter
War and Strategy
Bellarion's plan to draw Theodore out of Vercelli by attacking a vital point, the pincer movement with Ugolino, and Theodore's attempted retreat to the causeway all exemplify strategic warfare.
Fortune and Fate
Theodore's initial success turns to catastrophic defeat; Bellarion's fortune holds as his plans succeed; the populace's fickle acclamations underscore the role of fortune.
Deception and Identity
Bellarion's feigned weakness in Casale deceives Theodore into marching; Theodore's mask of benignity is stripped away, revealing his true nature in defeat.
Characters to notice
- Theodore of Montferrat
Leads a sally from Vercelli, routs Carmagnola, then marches on Casale; after a tactical retreat fails, he is captured and paraded through Casale, where he is mocked.
- Bellarion
Orchestrates the strategy to draw Theodore out of Vercelli; commands the forces that engage Theodore near Villanova; after the victory, he collapses in a swoon.
- Francesco Busone da Carmagnola
Routed by Theodore's initial sally but rallies his troops and reoccupies Vercelli, subjecting it to a sack; writes to Duke Filippo Maria reporting the victory.
- Ugolino da Tenda
Leads a condotta from Balzola, striking Theodore's rear at the critical moment, causing the collapse of Theodore's formation; later escorts Theodore to custody.
- Filippo Maria Visconti
Addressed in Carmagnola's letter reporting the reoccupation of Vercelli.
- Giasone Trotta
Leads heavy riders who break through openings in Theodore's infantry line during the battle.
Key passages
“Theodore’s sally from Vercelli had been made at daybreak on that Friday morning. It had been shrewdly planned, for Theodore was no bungler, and, before he had brought more than half his men into action, Carmagnola, startled by the suddenness of the blow that fell upon him, was routed and in flight.”
Theodore launched a well-planned attack from Vercelli at dawn on Friday, catching Carmagnola off guard and routing him before half his forces were engaged.
Describes Theodore's initial successful sally and Carmagnola's rout.
“Thus, by that ancient plan of attacking a vital point that had been left undefended, had Bellarion succeeded in drawing his enemy from a point of less importance in which he was almost impregnably entrenched.”
Bellarion used the classic strategy of striking a critical undefended target to lure Theodore out of his strong position.
Explains Bellarion's strategic deception to draw Theodore out of Vercelli.
“Less than three hours that engagement lasted, and of all those who had taken the field with Theodore, saving perhaps a thousand who fled helter-skelter towards Trino after Ugolmo’s passage, there was not a survivor who had not yielded.”
The battle lasted under three hours; almost all of Theodore's army was captured or killed, except about a thousand who fled to Trino.
Summarizes the decisive defeat of Theodore's forces.
“Theodore, on foot, marched proudly at the head of a little band of captives of rank, who had been retained by their captors for the sake of the ransoms they could pay.”
Theodore walked on foot at the front of a group of high-ranking prisoners kept for ransom, maintaining his pride despite his capture.
Describes Theodore's demeanor during his humiliation in Casale.
