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Francesco Zurolo

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Francesco Zurolo
Francesco Zurolo
Leadership
CaptainOtranto garrison
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HistoryFrancesco Zurolo (or Francesco Zurlo) was an Italian feudal lord, baron and Italian leader. He fought as a captain and was a military leader until his death, which occurred during the early stages of the war of the Ottoman conquest of Otranto, of the same. Founder (posthumously – after his death in 1480 and by his will, when he was still alive, he appointed his daughter Caterina Zurolo executor) of the religious complex, consisting of the Convent of Santa Maria del Gesù known as Sant'Antonio ad Oppido Lucano, in 1482.
RanksCaptain

Francesco Zurolo, also called Francesco Zurulo (in some historical documents of the time) or more commonly Francesco Zurlo (first half of the 15th century – 11 August 1480), he was an Italian feudal lord, baron of Oppido Lucano and feudal lord of Pietragalla and Casalaspro (it was a village that arose near Pietragalla).

He was a member of the noble Zurolo family or Zurlo family.

He was also the military leader and captain of the city of Otranto, together with Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi, during the siege of the Ottoman Turks, during the early stages of the Ottoman conquest of the city; he died heroically with his soldiers shortly after a breach in the walls, where he was killed by the Turkish soldiers.

By his will, he was the posthumous founder of the convent complex of Santa Maria del Gesù known as Sant'Antonino in Oppido Lucano and also thanks and by will of one of his daughters, Caterina Zurolo, who fulfilled the wishes of her father who died in battle. The complex saw its construction in 1482.

Biography

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Francesco Zurolo was the son of Giacomo Zurolo and Francesca Brancaccio. He had brothers and sisters, among whom we remember: Caterina, Ettore, Beatrice, Pietro, Elisabetta and Lucrezia.[1]

He married Cassandra Caracciolo with whom he had daughters: Lucrezia, Caterina and Ughetta.[2]

Francesco Zurolo (or Francesco Zurlo) feudal lord and baron of Pietragalla, Casalaspro (it was a village that arose near Pietragalla) and Oppido Lucano.[3]

Zurolo family

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The chronicle of the Zurolo family or Zurlo family has been recorded since the earliest times and has enjoyed, with varying fortunes, nobility in the Kingdom of Naples and in particular in Campania, Apulia, Salento (is a province of Apulia), Basilicata, and Molise.[4]

The southern part of the Bay of the Turks, where the first Turkish invasion forces of Ahmed Pasha's troops landed. It is located a few kilometers north of Otranto. It is currently protected by the FAI.

The Battle of Otranto

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The Turkish invasion

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The invasion of Puglia was supposed to take place near to invade the fortified city of Otranto rather than near Bari. They landed in an area near the city, today called the Bay of the Turks, where the first looting began and subsequently the first skirmishes with the soldiers of the Otranto garrison.

Bastions and walls of what remains of the Aragonese castle of Otranto, 15th century, scene of the Turkish invasion and the war of Otranto.

In anticipation of the Turkish invasion of Apulia, Zurolo was appointed by Ferrante of Aragon (commonly called Ferdinand I of Naples) as commander of the square (or of the garrison) of Otranto city, together with another captain, Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi, with whom he led the heroic but desperate defense of the city.

Otranto was attacked on Friday, In the early hours of July 28, 1482, by about 18.000 Turks, led by Gedik Ahmed Pasha, with 150 warships, including some ninety galleys, fifteen maones, and forty schooners, supported by the aga of the janissaries, the bailif of Negroponte, and the berjebei of Thrace. The Otranto army, on the other hand, had only about 5.000 men at its disposal, practically all the inhabitants of the city,[5] poorly armed, and a small group of mercenaries (400 soldiers) all commanded by Captain Francesco Zurlo, who also had few and antiquated weapons at their disposal and an obsolete defensive system.[6][7]

Inside the church of Santa Caterina a Formiello in Naples, in the chapel on the left, the remains of the two captains who commanded the garrison of Otranto during the Turkish invasion of August 1480 are preserved.

Failed diplomacy

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Ahmet sent several mediators to ask for the surrender of Otranto, but the people rose up against the first mediator who avoided lynching, a certain Turcman or Turciman: a citizen of Otranto out of contempt threw the keys of the city on the seashore; other sources state that in reality it was the two captains who threw the keys into the well of the city, after having refused the diplomatic offer of unconditional surrender.[8] Other mediators managed to escape death and communicated to the Pasha the refusal of Otranto to convert and surrender. Another messenger, perhaps the bearer of an ultimatum, did not even manage to get close to Otranto because he was pierced by an arrow at the gates of the city.[9] It seems that Gedik himself approached the walls of Otranto with a ship, but was almost killed by a cannon shot, exploded with orders from commander Zurlo.[10]

The facade of the cathedral basilica of Santa Maria Annunziata, where the Otrantines took refuge during the Turkish siege, was violated by the attackers after the capture, with the destruction of the sacred frescoes except that of the Madonna, which once deconsecrated was transformed into a mosque.[11] In 1481, after the liberation of Otranto by the troops of Alfonso, Duke of Calabria, in 1482 it was extensively remodeled and the facade rebuilt.[12]

Attack on the city

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Ahmed Pasha, after having failed all diplomatic attempts, gave the order to bombard the enemy walls for 3 days, on 9, 10 and 11 August, during which the walls were only slightly reinforced by the defenders. During these 3 days, the Turkish soldiers who were captured by the defenders were killed by slaughter, some hanged and others impaled, on the orders of Zurlo, to scare the attackers.[13][14] The Turks then managed to break through the walls with their batteries and open a gap at a point, where the door called La Porticella was located. On the day of the last battle, when the invaders managed to open the breach (see siege) in the walls, despite having been seriously wounded in the arm during an assault the previous day, Francesco rushed armed together with his son and other brave men in an attempt to repel the invaders, dying shortly thereafter.[15] Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi died the following day, still in defense of the city.[16][17]

Some emissaries from Otrant managed to escape from the fortress to go and warn the Aragonese forces of the impending siege.

In the fourth chapel on the left, called the chapel of the Blessed Martyrs of Otranto, in the church of Santa Caterina in Forniello, are the remains of the martyrs of Otranto, transferred under the altar, between the years 1900-1901. The work depicts the martyrdom of the 813 Otrantines, edited by the Lecce painter Luigi Scorrano, taken from the painting by Giovanni Bellini, commissioned by Mehmet II.[18][19]

The fate of Otranto

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In August 1480 archbishop Stefano Pendinelli, the priests and 813 citizens of Otranto, when the Turks arrived, did not surrender and did not renounce their faith in Christ, for this reason they were taken to the Minerva hill and killed. In the year 1721 they were proclaimed Patrons of the City and Archdiocese of Otranto and canonized by Pope Francis on Sunday 12 May 2013 in St. Peter's Square in Rome.[20][21]

Fresco depicting Francesco Zurolo also known as Francesco Zurlo †1480, convent and church of Santa Maria del Gesù, commonly known as Sant'Antonio.[22][23]

Various versions about his death and that of his son

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There are several versions of hisdeath:in one, he was captured by the Turks and sawn in two;[24][25] he dies fighting in the defense of the walls probably mutilated, a fact that would have given rise to the first version.[26][27]

The reprisal was particularly bloody: 813 people were beheaded after 15 days of resistance: commander Zurlo fell almost immediately after opening a breach in the city, on the bastions of the walls during the enemy's last assault.[28][29] Shortly after, Captain Delli Falconi also died.[30]

Even on the fate of the son the sources disagree: according to some he fell heroically together with his father,[31] according to others he was taken prisoner to Turkey, where they made him deny Christ.[32]

Posthumous sponsor

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He was founder, posthumously – after his death in 1480, who when he was still alive made a will and, among other things, issued a testamentary disposition, naming his daughter Caterina Zurolo (baroness of Oppido Lucano and lady of other lands), to execute after his death the construction work in Oppido Lucano, currently in Tolve, a hamlet of the town, of a religious complex, consisting of a convent (now known as Santa Maria del Gesù, then of Sant'Antonio) with the annexed church of Sant' Antonio to Oppido Lucano;[33][34] the aforementioned works began in 1482 as denoted by the foundation stone: "MCCCCLXXXII | FRANCISCO ZVRVLO | FECIT".[35]

Burial

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In the church of Santa Caterina a Formiello in Naples there are two display cases containing some mortal remains-skulls of the heroic defenders of Otranto - are on display, under the altar of the fourth chapel, their number is 240, in them there are also those of the two brave captains recovered and transferred (from Otranto to Naples) by will of Alfonso II d'Aragon.[36][37]

Otranto, Via Francesco Zurlo, road sign entitled:[38] FRANCESCO ZURLO|CAPTAIN 1480.

Dedications

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  • There is a fresco created by the Italian artist Giovanni Todisco, in around 1611, in one of the internal rooms of the convent of Santa Maria del Gesù known as Sant'Antonio, in Oppido Lucano, representing the baron and knight Francesco Zurolo with the halberd held in the right hand and with a scroll in the left, wearing late medieval plate-type armor and helmet.[39]
  • In the historic center of Otranto, near the Romanesque cathedral, the streets are almost all dedicated to the heroes of the Battle of Otranto. Among these there is also one dedicated to "Francesco Zurlo – captain 1480".[40]

Quotes

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  • Francesco Tateo (1984), "il Turco mandò ambasciatori al signor Giovanne Antonio Delli Falconi e al segnor Francesco Zurulo con proposta che si volessero rendere, e da loro li fu risposto, che volessero combattere di fuora, che loro si difenderanno da valorosi da dentro in servizio di Dio e del serenissimo loro signore e che morranno tutti." [the Turk sent ambassadors to Signor Giovanne Antonio Delli Falconi and to Signor Francesco Zurulo with a proposal that they wanted to surrender, and they replied to him that they wanted to fight outside, that they will defend themselves from brave men from within in the service of God and the Most Serene their lord and that they will all die.], Chierici e feudatari del Mezzogiorno (Clerics and feudal lords of the South), Biblioteca di Cultura Moderna (in Italian), p. 899, ISBN 8842023949
  • Rosa Lucia Gualdo, Francesco Zurulo si è trovato poi tutto armato, sotto certi muri et repari ruinati, morto; et questa è la verità, licet che de lui variamente se sia dicto. [Francesco Zurulo then found himself all armed, under certain ruined walls and shelters, dead; and this is the truth, since it is said variously about him.], p. 256

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Gennaro Zurolo (December 2021). L'Assedio di Otranto del 1480 e i suoi prodi capitani: Francesco Zurolo detto Zurlo e Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi [The Siege of Otranto in 1480 and its brave captains: Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo and Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi] (Paperback) (in Italian). Nola (NA). p. 53. See the cited family tree represented by the author in his text.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ Gennaro Zurolo (December 2021). L'Assedio di Otranto del 1480 e i suoi prodi capitani: Francesco Zurolo detto Zurlo e Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi [The Siege of Otranto in 1480 and its brave captains: Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo and Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi] (Paperback) (in Italian). Nola (NA). pp. 53, 55–56. The geanology of Francesco Zurolo (extrapolated from 3 pages of text).{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ Gennaro Zurolo (December 2021). L'Assedio di Otranto del 1480 e i suoi prodi capitani: Francesco Zurolo detto Zurlo e Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi [The Siege of Otranto in 1480 and its brave captains: Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo and Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi] (Paperback) (in Italian). Nola (NA). p. 55. ...as well as baron of Oppido Lucano and feudal lord of Pietragalla and Casalaspro...{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ Count Berardo Candida-Gonzaga (1875). Memorie delle famiglie nobili delle province meridionali d'Italia, volume secondo [Memoirs of the noble families of the southern provinces of Italy, second volume] (Ancient book) (in Italian). Factory typ. of the Cav. G. de Angelis and son. pp. 219–220. The author mentions all the fiefdoms owned by the Zurolo family in southern Italy (Kingdom of Naples) at the time of their dominion.
  5. ^ Vito Bianchi (1 March 2018) [2016]. Otranto 1480, Il sultano, la strage, la conquista [Otranto 1480, The Sultan, the Massacre, the Conquest] (E-book) (in Italian) (2nd ed.). Bari (BA): Editori Laterza. ISBN 9788858132340. Retrieved 11 June 2025. ... Zurlo. An army of about 10.000 warriors would have fallen upon that disorganized and miserable group, with a large number of armorers, cooks, doctors and troop prostitutes.
  6. ^ Staff of historiaregni (14 April 2020). "SUD-I turchi ad Otranto" [SOUTH-The Turks in Otranto]. historiaregni (in Italian). Retrieved 11 April 2024. The Turk set up a powerful fleet of 90 galleys, 15 maones and 40 schooners with 18.000 men placed under the command of Agomat Keduti Pasha, supported by the agà of the Janissaries, the bailiff of Negroponte and the berjebei of Thrace. They had set sail from Vlora and the Aragonese, as soon as he learned of it, had a thousand soldiers and four hundred infantry brought to Otranto, entrusting them to the command of Francesco Zurlo and Giovanni Antonio Falconi.
  7. ^ Staff of altaterradilavoro (20 July 2020). "La Battaglia di Otranto. Sogno espansionistico nel sud Italia per gli ottomani, campanello d'allarme per gli stati della Penisola" [The Battle of Otranto. An expansionist dream in southern Italy for the Ottomans, a wake-up call for the states of the Peninsula.]. ALTA TERRA DI LAVORO, GIA' TERRA LABORIS, GIA' LIBURIA, GIA' LIBORIA OLIM CAMPANIA FELIX (in Italian). Retrieved 8 June 2025. The Ottomans could count on more than 15.000 well-armed and trained men, on the constant flow of supplies from the Albanian coast and on artillery pieces superior in both number and quality, not to mention their 7 bombards "of incredibly large dimensions". The Idruntino deployment, on the other hand, could count on about 5.000 men, practically all the inhabitants of the city armed in the least badly plus a small group of mercenaries, all commanded by Captain Francesco Zurlo, on a few and antiquated weapons and on an obsolete defensive system based on the Byzantine walls of the city, dating back to the 10th century, and on the castle of the Frederick era built overlooking the sea and weakened by years of neglect and saltiness.
  8. ^ Donato Moro; Gino Pisanò; et al. (Institute of Mediterranean cultures of the province of Lecce) (2002). Gino Pisanò (ed.). Hydruntum, fonti documenti e testi sulla vicenda otrantina del 1480, Volume 1 [Hydruntum, sources, documents and texts on the Otranto affair of 1480, Volume 1] (in Italian). Vol. 1. Congedo. p. 135. ISBN 9788880864165. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  9. ^ Staff of HistoriaRegni, Portale di divulgazione storica (14 April 2020). "SUD-I turchi ad Otranto" [SOUTH-The Turks in Otranto]. HistoriaRegni, Portale di divulgazione storica (in Italian). Retrieved 11 April 2024. In the early hours of July 28, the Ottoman ships appeared in front of the port and, having found an undefended point on the coast suitable for landing, they disembarked men, horses, cannons and ammunition. The city was besieged and surrender was immediately ordered. A popular assembly gathered in the cathedral, headed by deputies Angelantonio Sanpietro, Gabriele Gaetano, Domenico Coluccia, Alessandro Carbotto, Lanzillotto Fagà and other notables, decided not to surrender. A ninety-year-old local man, Ladislao De Marco, took the keys to the city, went to the seashore followed by a large number of fellow citizens and provocatively showed them to the enemy, before throwing them into the waves.
  10. ^ Vito Bianchi (1 March 2018) [2016]. Otranto 1480, Il sultano, la strage, la conquista [Otranto 1480, The Sultan, the Massacre, the Conquest] (E-book) (in Italian) (2nd ed.). Bari (BA): Editori Laterza. ISBN 9788858132340. Retrieved 11 June 2025. ... Zurlo had scornfully refused the offers of the sanjak and had gone so far as to reply with a bombard, "which had done him ill-served": Gedik Ahmed Pasha had walked away foaming with rage, annoyed by the...
  11. ^ Staff of the Municipality of Otranto (5 November 2024). "Cattedrale Santa Maria Annunziata, Si erge sul luogo più alto della cittadina, fu concepita affinché potesse essere la chiesa più autorevole di tutta la Puglia" [Cathedral of Santa Maria Annunziata, It stands on the highest point of the town, it was conceived so that it could be the most authoritative church in all of Puglia.]. Città di Otranto (in Italian). Puglia Region. Retrieved 10 June 2025. following the liberation of the city from Turkish rule, which lasted 300 days from 1480 to 1481, a period in which the Cathedral was transformed into a mosque.
  12. ^ Staff of Arcidiocesi di Otranto. "La Cattedrale, Dal 1080 ai giorni nostri, La storia della Cattedrale di Otranto" [The Cathedral, From 1080 to the present day, The history of the Cathedral of Otranto]. Arcidiocesi di Otranto (in Italian). Otranto (LE): Archdiocese of Otranto. Retrieved 12 June 2025. In 1481, the liberating troops of Alfonso of Aragon demolished the façade and the west side, which were rebuilt in the same year. In 1482, the right apse was enlarged to give a worthy burial to the remains of the glorious Martyrs of Otranto.
  13. ^ Marco Ottanelli (June 2014). Francesco D’Alpa (ed.). "Buon compleanno Galileo!" [Happy birthday Galileo!]. L'ATEO (Newspaper article) (in Italian). 97. Rome (RM): UAAR (Unione degli Atei e degli Agnostici Razionali): 11. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  14. ^ Staff of STORIA MODERNA, Dall'Umanesimo alla fine dell'Ottocento (14 December 2014). "I MARTIRI DI OTRANTO-Un'operazione storiografica strumentale" [THE MARTYRS OF OTRANTO – An instrumental historiographical operation]. STORIA MODERNA, Dall'Umanesimo alla fine dell'Ottocento (in Italian). Retrieved 6 March 2024. Meanwhile, in Otranto, the commander of the city, Francesco Zurlo, instead of surrendering in the face of the overwhelming force of the Turks (18.000 soldiers against 5.000-6.000 citizens), began to hang some of their emissaries, impale some of their prisoners and even fire a bombard at Gedik himself, who had approached the port with a vessel to parley.
  15. ^ Count Berardo Candida-Gonzaga (1875). Memorie delle famiglie nobili delle province meridionali d'Italia, volume secondo [Memoirs of the noble families of the southern provinces of Italy, second volume] (Ancient book) (in Italian). Factory typ. of the Cav. G. de Angelis and son. p. 223. Francis was sent by King Ferdinand I of Aragon to Otranto together with the other captain Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi, to preside over the city, knowing that Muhammad II was sending an army to invade the Kingdom of Naples. When the first Turkish emissary arrived to establish the surrender, Captain Zurlo refused it and told him that he would fight until his death. With the arrival of the second emissary he had him arrested and killed, then immediately afterwards the Turks used their battery of warships to hit the walls of Otranto, for 15 days the city of Otranto was besieged by warships, on the 11th on a Friday in August, the walls were largely destroyed and the invaders opened a breach. From there the enemy soldiers entered and quickly faced Captain Francesco who died almost immediately fighting together with his son.
  16. ^ Grazio Gianfreda (1973). Editrice salentina (ed.). Otranto nella storia [Otranto in history] (in Italian). pp. 256 and 257. With a handful of brave men, Captain Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi arrived at the Turks and faced them and found his death along with his companions.
  17. ^ L. Gualdo Rosa; Isabella Nuovo; Lucia Gualdo Rosa (1982). Edizioni Dedalo (ed.). Gli umanisti e la guerra otrantina-testi dei secoli XV e XVI [The humanists and the Otranto war - texts from the 15th and 16th centuries] (in Italian). Edizioni Dedalo. p. 176. ISBN 9788822060051. Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi with 400 armed men or soldiers had to preside over the garrison of Otranto, then finding himself during a possible invasion facing an enemy of overwhelming numerical superiority, who could have attacked at any time.
  18. ^ Filippo Cirelli; Salvatore Fergola, eds. (1840–1841). "Vedere dal testo" [«See from the text»]. Poliorama Pittoresco (Newspaper articles). Year V, Semester I and II (1840/41) (in Italian). Naples (NA): 180. The painting in the chapel is based on a painting by the Venetian painter Bellini, who, at the request of Sultan Mehmet II himself, went to Constantinople to paint the original.
  19. ^ Gennaro Zurolo (December 2021). L'Assedio di Otranto del 1480 e i suoi prodi capitani: Francesco Zurolo detto Zurlo e Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi [The Siege of Otranto in 1480 and its brave captains: Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo and Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi] (Paperback) (in Italian). Nola (NA). p. 25. Look at the painting on the altarpiece page, located in the Chapel of the Blessed Martyrs of Otranto, 1900-1901. Work of the painter from Lecce Luigi Scorrano.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  20. ^ "CONCISTORO. Canonizzazione degli 800 martiri di Otranto" [CONSISTORY. Canonization of the 800 martyrs of Otranto]. Avvenire.it (in Italian). 11 February 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2024. According to tradition, his decapitated body remained standing in front of Gedik Ahamed Pasha. About five hundred years later, with the public consistory that the Pope will hold this morning, the canonization of Antonio Primaldo and his 800 (813) companions, the martyrs of Otranto, killed on 14 August 1480 by the Ottomans for having refused to deny one's God.
  21. ^ Staff of the site (26 April 2019). "All'apostolo Pietro si deve la nascita della comunità cristiana a Otranto. L'Arcidiocesi di Otranto" [The birth of the Christian community in Otranto is due to the apostle Peter. The Archdiocese of Otranto]. www.diocesiotranto.it. Retrieved 11 April 2024. In August 1480 Archbishop Stefano Pendinelli (1451–1480) was massacred by the Turks in the cathedral together with priests and religious, while eight hundred people from Otranto faced martyrdom for Christ on the Minerva hill. The Martyrs, who have always and uninterruptedly been venerated by the Church of Otranto, in the year 1721 were proclaimed Patrons of the City and of the Archdiocese of Otranto and canonized by Pope Francis on Sunday 12 May 2013 in St. Peter's Square in Rome.
  22. ^ Giuseppe Greco (1998). Oltre la memoria, Momenti di vita della Parrocchia SS. Pietro e Paolo in Oppido Lucano [Beyond Memory, Moments of Life of the Parish of SS. Pietro e Paolo in Oppido Lucano] (Paperback) (in Italian). Lavello (PZ): FINIGUERRA ARTI GRAFICHE. pp. 252 and later. One of the two mural paintings by the painter Giovanni Todisco da Abriola (see), which is preserved inside, depicts the brave Francesco Zurolo, known as Francesco Zurlo, founder of the convent with its annexed church, as an armed knight.
  23. ^ Gennaro Zurolo (December 2021). "IL CAPITANO FRANCESCO ZUROLO DETTO ZURLO" [CAPTAIN FRANCESCO ZUROLO CALLED ZURLO]. L'Assedio di Otranto del 1480 e i suoi prodi capitani: Francesco Zurolo detto Zurlo e Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi [The Siege of Otranto in 1480 and its brave captains: Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo and Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi] (Paperback) (in Italian). Nola (NA). p. 59.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  24. ^ Jakov Lukarević (Luccari) (1605). Ad instantia di Antonio Leonardi (ed.). Copioso ristretto de gli annali di Ravsa [Copious summary of the annals of Ravsa] (in Italian). Vol. 3. National Library of the Czech Republic. p. 111. ... cut Francesco Zurlo, the governor of the garrison, into pieces...
  25. ^ Matteo di Giovanni; Cecilia Alessi; Alessandro Bagnoli (2006). "Siena: La memoria di Pio 11" [Siena: The memory of Pius 11]. In Alessandro Bagnoli, Cecilia Alessi (ed.). Cronaca di una strage dipinta [Chronicle of a painted massacre] (Paperback) (in Italian). Ali. ISBN 9788888769134. After being captured and disarmed, it was cut into two parts.
  26. ^ Lucia Gualdo Rosa, Isabella Nuovo and Domenico Defilippis, Francesco Tateo (1982). Gli umanisti e la guerra otrantina-testi dei secoli XV e XVI [The humanists and the Otranto war - texts from the 15th and 16th centuries] (Paperback) (in Italian). Bari (BA). p. 35. ISBN 9788822060051. Francesco Zurlo after being captured by the Ottoman invaders was cut into two parts.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  27. ^ Lucia Rosa Gualdo; Isabella Nuovo; Domenico Defilippis (1982). Gli umanisti e la guerra otrantina. Testi dei secoli XV e XVI [The humanists and the Otranto war. Texts from the 15th and 16th centuries] (Paperback) (in Italian). Introduction: Francesco Tateo. Bari (BA): Edizioni Dedalo. pp. 35–176. ISBN 9788822060051. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  28. ^ Momčilo Spremić (1987). "RAGUSA TRA GLI ARAGONESI DI NAPOLI E I TURCHI" [RAGUSA AMONG THE ARAGONIANS OF NAPLES AND THE TURKS]. Dubrovnik e gli Aragonesi (1442–1495) [Ragusa between the Aragonese of Naples and the Turks] (Paperback) (in Cree). p. 193. Francesco Zurlo was killed almost immediately after a breach was opened in the walls of Otranto.
  29. ^ Francesco Grasso (1994). La poesia delle Calabrie (The poetry of Calabria) [The poetry of Calabria] (Paperback) (in Italian). Vol. 1. Vibo Valentia (VV): QUALECULTURA-Jaca Book. p. 133. ISBN 8816900512.
  30. ^ Vito Bianchi (1 March 2018) [2016]. Otranto 1480, Il sultano, la strage, la conquista [Otranto 1480, The Sultan, the Massacre, the Conquest] (E-book) (in Italian) (2nd ed.). Bari (BA): Editori Laterza. ISBN 9788858132340. Retrieved 11 June 2025. ... Zurlo, already wounded in the previous melees, was mortally wounded, and his body lay fully armed under the walls of the stands. Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi also died from blood loss.
  31. ^ Grazio Gianfreda; Grazio Gianfreda (2015). I santi martiri di Otranto [The holy martyrs of Otranto] (Paperback) (in Italian) (12nd ed.). Lecce (LE): EDIZIONI GRIFO. pp. 37, 42 and 45. ISBN 9788869940019. Retrieved 27 March 2024. Francesco Zurlo, with his son at his side and at the head of his brave men, fought like a lion and massacred the enemy, repeating Leonidas' gesture at the Pass of Thermopylae. The resistance was tenacious: the ground was ceded inch by inch, until, overwhelmed by the pressing storm, he fell heroically together with his son and all his warriors.
  32. ^ L. Gualdo Rosa; I. Nuovo; D. Defilippis (1982). Gli umanisti e la guerra otrantina. Testi dei secoli XV e XVI [The humanists and the Otranto war. Texts from the 15th and 16th centuries] (Paperback). Dedalo Edizioni (editor).
  33. ^ "IL CONVENTO DI S. MARIA DEL GESU' (detto di S. ANTONIO)" [THE CONVENT OF S. MARIA DEL GESU' (known as S. ANTONIO)] (in Italian). Retrieved 28 March 2024. The founders of the convent were Francesco Zurlo and Caterina Zurlo, lords of Oppido Lucano.
  34. ^ "Oppido – Convento di Sant' Antonio" [Oppido – Convent of Sant 'Antonio] (in Italian). Retrieved 28 March 2024. The founders of the convent were Francesco Zurlo and Caterina Zurlo, lords of Oppido Lucano.
  35. ^ Gennaro Zurolo (December 2021). L'Assedio di Otranto del 1480 e i suoi prodi capitani: Francesco Zurolo detto Zurlo e Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi [The Siege of Otranto in 1480 and its brave captains: Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo and Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi] (Paperback) (in Italian). Nola (NA). pp. 55 to 61. Religious complex located near the inhabited center, it stands in its entirety equipped with large entrance portals (see infra), one of which bears: the oblong plaque or stone of foundation and consecration of the temple with epigraph-FRANCESCO ZVRVLO I FECIT below is the religious emblem of the Conventual Order of Santa Maria del Gesù with a sculpted monogram depicting a radiant disc charged by the cross in the center and by two letters VM placed at the bottom on either side; the other portal, on the other hand, bears the date of foundation – MCCCCLXXXII carved with the coat of arms of the family – Zurulo seu Zurolo, as can be seen above all from both this inscription and the archival documents and the oldest armorial bearings of the founder. This large convent structure was erected by virtue of a testamentary disposition of Francesco Zurolo – who died two years before the aforementioned date of erection – to whom he presumably appointed his only daughter Caterina as heir and executor.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  36. ^ Giuseppe Ceci (1900). "La chiesa e il convento di Santa Caterina a Formello" [The church and convent of Santa Caterina in Formello]. Napoli nobilissima (Newspaper articles) (in Italian). IX. Naples (NA): Arte tipografica Napoli - Naples (NA): 49–51, 67–70. When the Lombard Dominicans took possession of S. Caterina a Formello, they transferred there the relics of the martyrs of Otranto that they had had in custody during the short time of their stay at Maddalena. They had been in that church since the Duke of Calabria had annexed it to his palace of the Duchesca.
  37. ^ Giuseppe Ceci (1901). "La chiesa e il convento di Santa Caterina a Formello" [The church and convent of Santa Caterina in Formello]. Napoli nobilissima (Newspaper Article) (in Italian). X: 35–39, 101–105, 178–183.
  38. ^ Gennaro Zurolo (December 2021). "IL CAPITANO FRANCESCO ZUROLO DETTO ZURLO" [CAPTAIN FRANCESCO ZUROLO CALLED ZURLO]. L'Assedio di Otranto del 1480 e i suoi prodi capitani: Francesco Zurolo detto Zurlo e Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi [The Siege of Otranto in 1480 and its brave captains: Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo and Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi] (Paperback) (in Italian). Nola (NA). p. 62. Plaque placed in the street of the historic center of Otranto, near the Cathedral.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  39. ^ Gennaro Zurolo (2024). "Capitolo V, parte I" [Chapter V, part I]. Casata Zurolo. Origini e sviluppo di una famiglia feudale del Meridione d'Italia [Zurolo House. Origins and development of a feudal family from Southern Italy] (Paperback) (in Italian). Nola (NA). p. 174. The fresco representing Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo, wearing early medieval armour, present in one of the internal rooms of the convent of Oppido Lucano.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  40. ^ Gennaro Zurolo (2021). "Il capitano Francesco Zurolo detto Zurlo" [Captain Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo]. L'Assedio di Otranto del 1480 e i suoi prodi capitani: Francesco Zurolo detto Zurlo e Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi [The Siege of Otranto in 1480 and its brave captains: Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo and Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi] (Paperback) (in Italian). Nola (NA). p. 62. The road plaque in memory of Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo, retranscribed by the municipality of Otranto as Francesco Zurlo, located in a similar street and near the cathedral.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

Bibliography

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Francesco Zurolo.

Historical sources

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  • Ibn Kemal. Osman Han'ın Hikâyeleri [Stories of the House of Osman] (Paperback) (in Turkmen).
  • Grazio Gianfreda (1973). Editrice salentina (ed.). Otranto nella storia [Otranto in history] (Paperback) (in Italian). Editrice salentina. pp. 256–257.
  • Lucia Gualdo Rosa; Isabella Nuovo; Domenico Defilippis (1982). Dedalo editions (ed.). Gli umanisti e la guerra otrantina-testi dei secoli XV e XVI [The humanists and the Otranto war - texts from the 15th and 16th centuries] (Paperback) (in Italian). Introduction: Francesco Tateo. Bari (BA): Dedalo editors. pp. 35–176. ISBN 9788822060051. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  • Francesco Tateo (1984). Laterza (ed.). Chierici e feudatari del Mezzogiorno [Clerics and feudal lords of the South] (Paperback) (in Italian). Laterza. p. 899. ISBN 9788842023944. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  • Momčilo Spremić (1987). "RAGUSA TRA GLI ARAGONESI DI NAPOLI E I TURCHI" [RAGUSA AMONG THE ARAGONIANS OF NAPLES AND THE TURKS]. Dubrovnik e gli Aragonesi (1442-1495) [Dubrovnik and the Aragonese (1442–1495)] (Paperback) (in Cree). p. 193.
  • Giuseppe Greco (1998). Oltre la memoria, Momenti di vita della Parrocchia SS. Pietro e Paolo in Oppido Lucano [Beyond Memory, Moments of Life in the Parish of SS. Pietro e Paolo in Oppido Lucano] (in Italian). Lavello (PZ): FINIGUERRA ARTI GRAFICHE. pp. 252 and later.
  • Donato Moro; Gino Pisanò; et al. (Institute of Mediterranean cultures of the province of Lecce) (2002). Gino Pisanò (ed.). Hydruntum, fonti documenti e testi sulla vicenda otrantina del 1480, Volume 1 [Hydruntum, sources documents and texts on the Otranto affair of 1480, Volume 1] (Paperback) (in Italian). Vol. 1. Congedo. pp. 15, 27, 135 and 139. ISBN 9788880864165. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  • Donato Moro; Gino Pisanò; et al. (Institute of Mediterranean cultures of the province of Lecce) (2002). Gino Pisanò (ed.). Hydruntum, fonti documenti e testi sulla vicenda otrantina del 1480, Volume 2 [Hydruntum, sources, documents and texts on the Otranto affair of 1480, Volume 2] (Paperback) (in Italian). Vol. 2. Congedo. pp. 18, 32 and 73. ISBN 9788880864394. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  • Matteo di Giovanni; Cecilia Alessi; Alessandro Bagnoli (2006). "Siena: La memoria di Pio 11" [Siena: The memory of Pius 11]. In Alessandro Bagnoli, Cecilia Alessi (ed.). Cronaca di una strage dipinta [Chronicle of a painted massacre] (Paperback) (in Italian). ISBN 9788888769134. After being captured and disarmed, it was cut into two parts.
  • Luanne D. Zurlo (4 November 2014). Archway Publishing (ed.). Fifteen Feet from the Pope Dispatches from a Sabbatical in Rome (Paperback). Archway. pp. 57 and 58. ISBN 9781480811287.
  • Vito Bianchi (1 March 2018) [2016]. Otranto 1480, Il sultano, la strage, la conquista [Otranto 1480, The Sultan, the Massacre, the Conquest] (E-book) (in Italian) (2nd ed.). Bari (BA): Editori Laterza. ISBN 9788858132340. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  • Grazio Gianfreda; Quinto Gianfreda (2015). I santi martiri di Otranto [The holy martyrs of Otranto] (Paperback) (in Italian) (12nd ed.). Lecce (LE): EDIZIONI GRIFO. pp. 37, 42 and 45. ISBN 9788869940019.
  • Gennaro Zurolo (December 2021). L'Assedio di Otranto del 1480 e i suoi prodi capitani: Francesco Zurolo detto Zurlo e Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi [The Siege of Otranto in 1480 and its brave captains: Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo and Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi] (Paperback) (in Italian). Nola (NA). pp. 25, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62 and 63.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Vincenzo Scarpello (28 June 2022). Aspetti di storia militare nella guerra d'Otranto [Aspects of military history in the Otranto war] (Paperback) (in Italian). Biblioteca Militare. pp. 40–41.
  • Albrecht Classen (5 September 2023). "The Ottoman's Army". In Albrecht Classen, De Gruyter (ed.). Globalism in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Age-Innovative Approaches and Perspectives (E-book). Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. p. 480. ISBN 9783111190228.
  • Gennaro Zurolo (2024). "Chapter IV and V part I". Casata Zurolo. Origini e sviluppo di una famiglia feudale del Meridione d'Italia [Zurolo House. Origins and development of a feudal family from Southern Italy] (Paperback) (in Italian). pp. 112, 171, 172, 173 and 174.

Archival sources

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  • Conte Berardo Candida-Gonzaga (1875). Memorie delle famiglie nobili delle province meridionali d'Italia, volume secondo [Memoirs of the noble families of the southern provinces of Italy, second volume] (Ancient book) (in Italian). (pages 219 and 220) The author mentions all the fiefdoms owned by the Zurolo family in southern Italy (Kingdom of Naples) at the time of their dominion. (p. 223) Francesco Zurlo, in order not to deny his faith, fought the Turkish invaders to the death, being courageously killed by them. The Archbishop of Otranto was then informed of his heroic death shortly afterwards. Factory typ. of the Cav. G. de Angelis and son. pp. 219, 220 and 223.
  • Francesco Senatore; Francesco Storti (1997). Dispacci sforzeschi da Napoli: 10 gennaio – 26 dicembre 1461 [Sforza dispatches from Naples: 10 January – 26 December 1461] (Ancient book) (in Italian). Carlone. pp. 114–459.

Secondary sources

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  • Francesco Grasso (1994). La poesia delle Calabrie [The poetry of Calabria] (Paperback) (in Italian). Vol. 1. Vibo Valentia (VV): QUALECULTURA-Jaca Book. p. 133. ISBN 8816900512.

Historical novels

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Newspaper articles

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  • Filippo Cirelli; Salvatore Fergola (1840–1841). "Vedere dal testo" [See from the text]. Poliorama Pittoresco (Newspaper articles). Year V, Semester I and II (1840/41) (in Italian). Naples (NA): 180.
  • Giuseppe Ceci (1900). "La chiesa e il convento di Santa Caterina a Formello" [The church and convent of Santa Caterina in Formello]. Napoli nobilissima (Newspaper articles) (in Italian). IX. Naples (NA): Arte tipografica Napoli - Naples (NA): 49–51, 67–70.
  • Giuseppe Ceci (1901). "La chiesa e il convento di Santa Caterina a Formello" [The church and convent of Santa Caterina in Formello]. Napoli nobilissima (Newspaper articles) (in Italian). X. Naples (NA): Arte tipografica Napoli - Naples (NA): 35–39, 101–105, 178–183.
  • Marco Ottanelli (June 2014). Francesco D’Alpa (ed.). "Buon compleanno Galileo!" [Happy Birthday Galileo!]. L'ATEO (Newspaper Article) (in Italian). 97. Rome (RM): UAAR (Unione degli Atei e degli Agnostici Razionali): 11. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
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Official

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  • Staff of Arcidiocesi di Otranto. "La Cattedrale, Dal 1080 ai giorni nostri, La storia della Cattedrale di Otranto" [The Cathedral, From 1080 to the present day, The history of the Cathedral of Otranto]. Arcidiocesi di Otranto (in Italian). Read the section of the first paragraph. Otranto (LE): Archdiocese of Otranto. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  • Staff of the site (8 June 2006). "Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà Mediterranea-ZURLO E CAPECE ZURLO" [Golden Book of Mediterranean Nobility-ZURLO AND CAPACE ZURLO]. GENEALOGIE DELLE FAMIGLIE NOBILI DEL MEDITERRANEO-(Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà Mediterranea) online (in Italian). Retrieved 3 March 2024. In the history of the city, read the part in which the baron and leader of Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo is mentioned.
  • Staff of Nobili Napoletani. "Capece Zurlo". Nobili Napoletani (in Italian). Naples (NA). Retrieved 16 August 2023. See the paragraph concerning the section concerning the feudal lord and baron Giovanni Zurolo or Zurlo.
  • Staff of Nobili Napoletani. "LE PRINCIPALI BATTAGLIE SVOLTESI NEL MEZZOGIORNO D'ITALIA" [THE MAIN BATTLES THAT TAKE PLACE IN SOUTHERN ITALY]. Nobili Napoletani (in Italian). Naples (NA). Retrieved 16 August 2023. See the paragraph relating to the section concerning the battle of Otranto fought by Baron Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo.
  • Staff of the Municipality of Otranto (10 June 2025). "Cattedrale Santa Maria Annunziata, Si erge sul luogo più alto della cittadina, fu concepita affinché potesse essere la chiesa più autorevole di tutta la Puglia" [Cathedral of Santa Maria Annunziata, It stands on the highest point of the town, it was conceived so that it could be the most authoritative church in all of Puglia.]. Città di Otranto (in Italian). Puglia Region. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  • Gennaro Zurolo (12 November 2024). Pasquale Cavallo (ed.). "Famiglia Zurolo" [Family Zurolo]. Nobili Napoletani (in Italian). See the section by Francesco Zurolo also known as Francesco Zurlo. Naples (NA): Pasquale Cavallo. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  • Staff of GENEALOGIE DELLE FAMIGLIE NOBILI DEL MEDITERRANEO-(Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà Mediterranea). "ZURLO E CAPECE ZURLO" [GENEALOGIES OF THE NOBLE FAMILIES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN – (Golden Book of the Mediterranean Nobility)]. GENEALOGIE DELLE FAMIGLIE NOBILI DEL MEDITERRANEO-(Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà Mediterranea) (in Italian). Naples (NA). Retrieved 5 March 2024. The genealogy of some of the most illustrious ancestors of the Zurolo family, also called Zurlo or Capece Zurlo.

Other

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