Michele Antonio of Saluzzo

Michele Antonio del Vasto (26 March 1495 – 18 October 1528) was the Marquess of Saluzzo from 1504 until his death.

Michele Antonio del Vasto
Marquess of Saluzzo
Portrait by Jean Clouet, c. 1525
Born	26 March 1495 Saluzzo
Died	18 October 1528(1528-10-18) (aged 33) Aversa
Buried	Santa Maria in Aracoeli, Rome
Noble family	House of Aleramici
Father	Ludovico II, Marquess of Saluzzo
Mother	Margaret of Foix-Candale

Born in Saluzzo, the elder son of Ludovico II of Saluzzo and Margaret of Foix-Candale,^[1] he was Count of Carmagnola until he succeeded to his father. He took part, initially alongside Ludovico, in the Italian Wars of Louis XII and Francis I of France. In particular, he distinguished himself at the Battle of Pavia (1525).^[2]

Michele Antonio died from wounds sustained by a cannonball at the Battle of Aversa.^[a][3] According to his last will, he was buried in the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli in Rome,^[3] while his heart was kept in Piedmont.

A ballad about the wounded marquess explaining his last will was popular among the Italian Alpini during World War I.

See also

• Italian War of 1521-1526

Notes

1. Gregorovius simply states Saluzzo died of wounds.^[3]

References

1. Tavuzzi 2007, p. 134.
2. Rapple 2009, p. 52-53.
3. Gregorovius 1902, p. 641.

Sources

• Rapple, Rory (2009). Martial Power and Elizabethan Political Culture: Military Men in England and Ireland, 1558-1594. Cambridge University Press.
• Tavuzzi, Michael (2007). Renaissance Inquisitors: Dominican Inquisitors and Inquisitorial Districts in Northern Italy, 1474- 1527. Brill.
• Gregorovius, Ferdinand (1902). History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages. Vol. VIII. Translated by Hamilton, Annie. George Bell & Sons.

Preceded by Ludovico II

Marquess of Saluzzo 1504–1528

Succeeded by Giovanni Ludovico