# Giovanni Zurolo

Giovanni Zurolo (or Zurlo; also known as Giovanni II Zurolo, Latin: Johannes Zurolo); 1382–1440), was an Italian feudal lord and count of the Terra d'Angri, Roccapiemonte and fiefdoms of the Kingdom of Naples. He was a leader during the dynastic struggles between the Angevin and Aragonese families. Giovanni II sided with the Angevins, remaining faithful to them in the conflict. When King Alfonso V of Aragon led his army of four thousand mounted men to occupy the fortress of Angri, Giovanni was able, using a handful of soldiers, to block them from crossing Scafati Bridge, checking Alfonso's advance.
Giovanni II was the founder of the convent with adjoining church of the SS. Annunziata of Terra d'Angri, by a notarial deed dated 26 July 1436.

## Biography

Giovanni II, Count of Zurolo was the second-born son of Bernardo Zurolo and Antonella Caracciolo, from whom he inherited the Terra d'Angri, Roccapiemonte and other fiefdoms of the Kingdom. He had brothers and sisters, among whom are recorded: Biancamano known as Blanca, Francesco, Salvatore II known as Russillo and Emilia.
He received the title of feudal lord directly from King Louis II of Anjou-Valois and feudal dominion over Angri.
Giovanni married Dalfina Caracciolo in c. 1416, the daughter of Leonetto and Caterina Filangieri. With Dalfina he had a daughter, Antonella, born c. 1418, the Countess of Bsistenza who in 1439 married the Count of Buccino, Francesco Caracciolo – known as Petricone.

## Battle of the Terra d'Angri of 1421

Giovanni strenuously defended the Terra d'Angri during a battle on 24 September 1421, from the soldiers of Andrea Fortebraccio da Montone, the Italian leader known as Braccio da Montone. During the struggles for succession to the throne of Naples, between Alfonso V of Aragon and Louis III of Anjou, siding with the latter, being the Angevin faction.

### Background

During the dynastic struggles for the succession to the throne of Naples (see the kingdom of Naples), between Alfonso V of Aragon and Louis III of Anjou, Giovanni Zurolo sided in favor of the latter, in fact in this period the fiefdom of Angri drew many benefits thanks to his loyalty to this dynasty, as his paternal grandfather was already a feudal lord loyal to the dynasty (called like his nephew Giovanni Zurolo known as Giovannello).
Once King Alfonso had taken power in the Kingdom of Naples, he then punished the disobedient feudal lord by sending the Italian mercenary leader Braccio da Montone, already appointed by him and the queen, to the Terra d'Angri Joanna II of Anjou, on 21 September 1421, Count of Foggia and Prince of Capua and "perpetual general" (i.e. permanent governor of the entire Neapolitan kingdom).
On 23 September Andrea and King Alfonso visited various Neapolitan locations after which he was instructed by the rulers to attack the fiefdom of Angri governed by Count Giovanni Zurolo, who had not accepted the loyalty of the new sovereign. Braccioforte marched towards the Sarno valley (see Agro Nocerino-Sarnese) with his mercenary army made up of around 12,000 men and, mostly: crossbowmen, foot infantry and knights.

### Battle account

At dawn on 24 September 1421 the mercenaries headed towards the border of Angri, more precisely towards a bridge in the current city of Scafati (at the time the dominion of the Terra d'Angri, in fact the city of Scafati did not yet exist), the bridge was called Pons Sarni (which exists and still overlooks the Sarno river in that locality), They waited there for the enemy because the area was easier for those attacked to defend themselves, furthermore, there was also a military fortification, which currently no longer exists.
The feudal lord's plan envisaged a defensive fight in this area with the help of the armed forces of his brother Francesco Zurolo, count of Nocera de' Pagani and Montoro, and then also being assisted by the military aid of count Muzio Attendolo Sforza of Cotignola who it should have arrived a few days later, since it was a fairly easy area to defend and the banks of the river already allowed excellent defense by those attacked. Giovanni Zurolo waited with the local militia near the Angrese border but help from Francesco and Sforza never arrived. Betrayed by his brother (in truth his brother tried in vain to convince him to give up but the count wouldn't hear of it), Giovanni had to fight alone against an overwhelming enemy army, retreating immediately after Braccio's first attack to the fief of Angri and instead headed towards the city, after a few hours and a few enemy assaults it was invaded and sacked.
The news of the military defeat of Angri spread quickly among the various inhabitants of the lands of the Agro and the nearby city of Nocerina, the looting and destruction was a warning to the locals to guarantee obedience towards the new Aragonese dynasty. Braccio, after taking Angri, left a group of his soldiers under the command of a captain governor, a certain Luca de Triccia, since, in the evening, he headed to conquer Castellammare di Stabia with the rest of the army.

### Other accounts of the battle

According to ancient and official sources, Count Giovanni Zurolo, after having briefly discussed against the enemy army at the Pons Sarni, headed with his soldiers to the Oppido Angarium (fortress city of Angri) and fought with the local citizens, a militia and various improvised leaders until the end of the clash, in fact after a few hours of various enemy assaults they surrendered but the city was not spared by the attackers.
Other sources instead speak of a retreat by Zurolo from his brother to the fortress of Nocera de' Pagani and of abandoning his lands at the mercy of his enemies, from which the Angrese had to defend themselves alone and against an overwhelming army.

## Angri fiefdom reinstatement

in 1428 the fief of Angri was restored (to which the historical-reenactment events 1421–1425 and 1428–1436 called "Palio Storico Città di Angri" are linked), the period in which Giovanni strategically distanced himself from Angri, his brother Francesco made use of the special prerogatives and graces that he had deserved with his surrender, he worked hard at the court of King Alfonso so that the fiefdom of Angri could return to its legitimate owner of his brother and his heirs. Angri, in fact, with the Cancellara fiefdom (see the Grancia di Pizzaguto) once again entered the feudal succession of the Zurolo with all the connected jurisdictional rights (by virtue of the royal disposition of Ferdinand I of Aragon, known as Ferrante XVIII, King of Naples, 1458–1494), with a certain Scipione (son of Salvatore Rossillo and nephew of Giovanni) who in 1485 is listed, in the documents of the time, as dominus utilis of Angri; then on 5 February 1463, he was invested with the fiefdom of Solofra, again by the same sovereign, Ferrante I. Ad antiquo therefore the fiefdom of Angri remained with the Zurolo counts until it came under the dominion of other noble and powerful lords of the kingdom.

## Sponsor

He was the founder of the former convent of the Dominican preaching fathers, with the adjoining church of the SS. Annunziata della Terra d'Angri (in Piazza Annunziata), on a previous chapel also dedicated to the SS. Annunziata. The notarial deed drawn up before the major church (later Collegiate) of Angri was executed on 26 July 1436.

## 1438 Battle of Terra d'Angri

At the beginning of June 1438, when King Alfonso, with his army of four thousand men on horseback, moved to occupy the fortress of Angri, Count Zurolo with a handful of soldiers fought heroically and forced him to stop at the Ponte di Scafati (Scafati brige), blocking his path. In these bloody battles, which lasted for days, between the partisans of the Angevin and Aragonese factions, the young captain Angelo Concilio, of the Casato de' Concilij of Angri, heroically lost his life.

## Death and burial

Giovanni, feudal lord of Angri, died in around 1440, and was probably buried in the church of his greatest ancestors of Santa Restituta in the Cathedral of Naples.

## Dedications

* Road plaques in white marble entitled Giovanni Zurolo affixed at the end of the road, where it begins and ends, on the walls of two buildings for civic use, a third plaque was instead entitled Largo Palio Storico, of the same workmanship as the previous ones, affixed in the clearing between Via Coronati and Via Amendola, relating to the events of 1421–1425 and 1428–1436 called "Palio Storico Città di Angri". The aforementioned headstones were subsequently removed by the same municipality for legal reasons.
* Via Zurlo, in Angri, dedicated to the feudal lord of the Terra d'Angri, Count Giovanni Zurolo (mistakenly called Zurlo), around the 70s of the last century.
* In Montoro, now Montoro Inferiore, there was a chapel dedicated to Santa Margherita, located in the ancient farmhouse of Borgo, Mercatello district. There, in the altarpiece, Bernardo Zurolo and his sons, Francesco Zurolo and Giovanni II Zurolo were represented.
* In the church of the Ss. Annunziata of Angri, a plaque was placed inside by the community of faithful, the parish priest, and a member of the Zurolo family, in memory of the foundation of the same, by Count Giovanni Zurolo, dated in July 2004.
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