Peruffo, Alberto/Cristini, Luca The battle of Campomalo and the siege of Milan 1036-37

The Wars in Italy between Conrad II and Bishop Aribertus

In the spring of 1034, a strong contingent of Italian Loricati, heavily armed knights named after their armor, the so-called lorica, crossed the Alps via the Great St. Bernhard Pass, having left the fortified castle of Bard, which protected the western border of Italy from Burgundy. The Italian army quickly stormed into the canton of Fribourg, against the castle of Murten, which was defended by the Burgundians and was located north of the Alpine chain near the small lake of Morat, about 200 kilometers from the Great St. Bernhard Pass, a distance that the Italians apparently covered without resistance. The castle was stormed and quickly taken by the Milanese warriors, who made up the bulk of the Italian forces. At the head of the Kingdom of Italy army attacking the castle was a knight in armor, armed with an iron mace, whose hairless appearance and calm demeanor were far removed from the stereotypical warrior of those violent times. On closer inspection, you could have recognized the tonsure on the head of this condottiere, who was none other than Ariberto, Archbishop of Milan. Here, however, we want to tell of his most important military adventures: the Battle of Campomalo in 1036 and the subsequent siege of Milan in 1037!