Roberto Malatesta

Malatesta debuted as papal diplomat in southern Italy (1457) to sign a treaty of peace with Alfonso V of Aragon.

In 1461-1463 he fought against Pope Pius II's troops in the Marche, led by Federico III da Montefeltro; in 1461 Sigismondo Pandolfo and Roberto were victorious at the battle of Castelleone di Suasa.

[1] In 1475, he was finally invested with the vicariate of Rimini by the new pope, Sixtus IV; in the same year, he was married to Federico's daughter, Elisabetta.

Hired by Florence after a period as Papal commander, he defeated the allied troops of Girolamo Riario near Perugia in 1479; he was a nephew of the pope who was trying to establish a lordship in Imola and Faenza, and the King of Naples.

His great achievement was the liberation of Rome by the victory of Campo Morto (21 August 1482), when, at the head of the Venetian-Papal forces, he completely defeated the royal army of Naples under the command of Duke Alfonso of Calabria.