Taddeo d'Este

1390 – 21 June 1448) was a condottiere, a freelance military leader, who was known for his defense of the Republic of Venice in 1439 against Milanese forces under Niccolò Piccinino.

Taddeo became a mercenary at an early age, fighting for Venice, and gave the republic his loyalty for the next thirty years during the wars in which the city struggled to gain territory in the Terraferma, on the mainland.

In November 1419, with 100 horsemen, he was sent to defend Cividale del Friuli against Hungarian troops under Louis of Teck, the Patriarch of Aquileia.

Taddeo returned on leave to Venice and in September married Magdalene, daughter of Filippo Arcelli, governor general of the Friuli army.

By the autumn of 1421 the Venetian republic had imposed economy measures on the army, reducing troop levels to their lowest in a long time, with only 400 cavalry.

[1] In 1431 Taddeo d'Este was again fighting for the republic against the Patriarch of Aquileia, who with the encouragement of Milan had raised a force of over 6,000 German and Hungarian troops with which to try to recover part of his former domain.

[1] In August 1434 Taddeo d'Este was engaged in fighting in Romagna with the troops of Bologna, and was taken prisoner, being released after the intervention of the Marquess of Ferrara.

Taddeo d'Este and Francesco Barbero conducted a long and gallant defense of Brescia against Milanese troops under Piccinino.

[6] Gattamelata broke out, making a skilled escape via mountain routes, leaving Taddeo with just 1,000 men to conduct the defense.

[1] In 1441 d'Este was back in Venice attending the celebrations of the marriage of Jacopo, son of Doge Francesco Foscari.

[1] In the 1440s Leonello and Taddeo d'Este were challenged by the canons of S. Giacomo, Monselice, who claimed they had been levying tithes in the parish of S. Maria, Solesino, by force for several years.

The next year he managed to arrange for a part of the Bolognese forces to transfer to Venice, and after some further fighting was able to bring the war with Bologna to a close.

In addition to Sforza's men the Milanese army had 10,000 soldiers and the condottieri under leaders such as Francesco Piccinino, Guidaccio Manfredi, Luigi dal Verme and others had 15,000 cavalry and infantry.

[11] After fierce fighting, Taddeo d'Este, Alberto Scotto and the Venetian governor Gherardo Dandolo were forced to surrender and were taken captive.