Ruggero Cane Ranieri

However, they extend over such a very wide chronological period, they cannot possibly refer to a single individual, but rather to two separate people: [1] the first, also known by the name of Ruggero Cane, was a military man and diplomat in the fourteen seventies.

[2] The public figure of Ruggero "Cane" Ranieri only emerges at the beginning of the 15th century in the conflicts raging in and around Perugia between the nobility and the faction of the so-called “Raspanti”, representing the wealthy, powerful, corporative middle class in the town.

During the siege, many members of the Ranieri house lost their lives, whereas many of the survivors left for exile, which lasted until the "Raspanti" were defeated and the fortress of Civitella was recaptured by Ruggero in 1407.

Renowned for his military prowess,[3] Ruggero Cane Ranieri is remembered above all for his service under the Venetian Republic,[4] which he defended against the Hungarian imperial invaders and won a memorable victory during the battle of Motta di Livenza in Friuli in 1412.

[5] The historic events leading up to this act of war were as follows: Sigismund of Luxembourg (1369-1437), Emperor from 1410, managed to establish his authority over the kingdom of Hungary after many years of bloody battles, during which he fought against  Ladislaus of Naples, (1377-1414), who claimed not only the Hungarian territories, but also the coastal areas of Dalmatia.

Sigismund's troops, led by one of the most famous military leaders of Italian origin, Filippo degli Scolari (better known as Pippo Spano), moved against Venice in the autumn of 1411, and quickly captured Udine, Bassano and Feltre.

After an initial disadvantage, the Serenissima troops came back, thanks above all to the intervention of the cavalry led by Ruggero Cane Ranieri and his military companion Crasso da Venosa.

According to one report of the time, although Ruggero Cane did not travel directly to Rome (perhaps because he initially supported Oddo Fortebraccio and was extremely mistrustful of the Pope [11]), on 28 August of that same year, he appears holding the Church banner among the retinue accompanying the entrance of the papal legate into the city.

Information on his public funeral can be found in the so-called Cronaca del Graziani: «On18 April, the procession for the death of Rugiere de Costantino dei Ranieri began; 25 families rode through the city on horseback, all wearing flags.