Mattresses and football in costume: the siege of 1529.

The beginning of 1529 the siege were frequent citizens, the troops of Charles V extended everywhere, recall the Landsknecht (German mercenaries) in the pay of Charles V, who in 1527 entered Rome by defeating Pope Clement VII.

Florence was afraid of having to suffer his share and the Florentines decided that not well seen Alessandro de ‘Medici were to be deposed and replaced by a republican government. One of the first to support the republic was Michelangelo (despite the Medici were his customers) and in 1529 became responsible for the defensive plans of Florence.

Michelangelo readied a trip that included Pisa, Livorno and Ferrara to study the city’s defenses and apply concepts of defense as well as attack on the city of Florence. Remain the acts of his study sketches with drawings of fortifications.

In 1529 they reached the besiegers of Florence at the gate. The enemy army’s superiority was clear but Florence resisted for 10 months before capitulating.

In all that time nothing was left unturned, including wrap the wool mattresses bell tower of San Miniato; an idea of Michelangelo to protect it from artillery shells and also to make it a means of attack by two “pieces” positioned at the top and pointed at the besieging army. The height of the church was to cover a large area of attack and shooting down increase the destructive power of the blows.

The Florentines just to prove that the siege did not pose major problems to the city and thus sapping the strength of will of the enemy they invented a game to play for the carnival. In Piazza Santa Croce was set up on the field, a prominent square from the hills where the attackers watched, not only, the musicians began to play over the roof of the church to make it obvious that a party it was. This seems to be the first game in what later became the historic Florentine football, football in costume. The soldiers of Charles V also fired a cannon trying to hit the party in place, but the ball went over the heads of the musicians and fell harmlessly over the church resulting in a collective ridicule. The party ended with a monumental grill, just to realize that the food was not lacking.

Eventually florence had to capitulate and the Medici returned to power in the city thus saving it from looting, Michelangelo fled to Venice fearing retaliation.