BAGLIONI'S DOMINATION

    In the first half of the fifteenth century history of Torre d'Andrea enters the history of Umbria for the first time. After having been weakened by many other dominions, in late June 1438 Assisi voluntarily passed under Francesco Sforza. In this way, Assisi gained the wrath of many important families of Perugia, Bracceschi and Niccolò Piccinino more than the others. However, as written down by Cristofani "Assisi's way of life was not less tough than under Fortebraccio's and Pope's government". Francesco Sforza was not able to "take care about who was faithful to him", because he was very busy in everlasting wars and battles against Visconti and the citizens of Venice and Florence. For this reasons, once the city was kept, Count Sforza left Benedetto degli Agapiti da Pisa as his deputy. But in September 1438, Francesco Piccinino's mercenary troops settled down near Assisi and damaging any kind of things till the spring of the following year. Cristofani says: "so many troubles maybe touched Sforza's heart that assigned the deputy role to his brother Alessandro, who settled in the rock and lived there as governor". But the discord between Assisi and Perugia was not diminished. The fire laid under the ashes, ready to burn again. There was no lack of reasons: the occupation of Torranca's castle by the Assisans, which has been captured by Perugia and partially destroyed in 1414; and other offences by Assisi, in particular the undressing of Giacoma, Malatesta Baglioni's widow. Indomitable exiles of "Parte di Sopra" from Assisi blew on the fires between Assisi and Perugia; and this because when Sforza came to rule Assisi they were forced to leave the city, between the cheers of the "Parte di Sotto"'s people and the Fiumi family. But the things turned from bad to worse for Sforza and his supporters: Sforza's people turned, in Pope Eugenio IV's mind, from allies to rivals, because of their complete domination over many cities that once belonged to Church State. To fight Sforza, Eugenio IV in 1441 recruited Nicolò Piccinino and his soldiers of fortune. At that time, there was not a Sforza's worse enemy than that: according to Cristofani "Perugia's fortune captain, heir of Braccio's authority and power, deadly hated Assisi as it was against its own home Perugia, and because Assisi was devoted to Sforza, his personal rival". Under the direction of the Pope, Piccinino, after the fall of Città di Castello, moved to Assisi with his troops. He entered Bettona's territory, and occupied Costano. Later he headed for Bastia, Petrignano, Sterpeto, S. Gregorio, Torchiagina, Rocca S. Angelo, Palazzo and the other castles sited on the northern part of Assisi's territory. Only Valfabbrica and Palazzo could resist his soldiers. But after some battles and rests, at the end of the year the fight came to a greater cruelty. In late October, indeed, Piccinino besieged Assisi with 20.000 soldiers and knights, with the sole purpose of conquering and sacking it and thus to give his soldier a part of the booty. Despite a long resistance, the city fell, and was sacked by Piccinino's hordes. Only few fortresses were held by Sforza and his faithful men. But then Alessandro, having seen himself lost and having no possibility of help by his brother, on the night of December 4, 1442, guided by unknown and wild territories by the citizen of Assisi Guido Fiumi, secretly escaped towards the Marca. Thus, after the conquest of all the close strongholds, the whole city was in Piccinino's hands, and he gave his sons Jacopo and Francesco the power over the whole territory, despite the Pope's will. The same things happened to some others castles in vicinity. Sterpeto passed under the citizen of Naples Antonello Della Torre, Piccinino's follower, and then to Braccio Baglioni of Perugia, because Antonello was found "guilty of a secret agreement with Sforza". By Piccinino's will, Baglioni occupied other castles: among these, Torre Chiagina e Torre d'Andrea.

BRACCIO I BAGLIONI'S RULE

    In 1443 Baglioni's domination over Tordandrea begun and it lasted until 1600 (save a brief interrupt, caused by a re-occupation of the castle by Andrea degli Abbati "he was suffering about Baglioni's domination over his own castle and hometown, and thus he conquered it again in October, 24, 1463"). But Torre, taken away from Marquis degli Abbati "for having been a rebel of the Roman Church and the city of Assisi" was given to Braccio "by act of Pope Sisto IV for good duty". In December 8, 1479, Braccio I Baglioni died. Two years before, his son Grifone was murdered near Cantiano. Grifone's posthumous son, Grifonetto, was still a nipper and he will be killed at twenty at the "red wedding", that caused various revenges inside Baglioni's family.

BRACCIO II'S RULE

    Braccio II succeeded his father Grifonetto, and for his duties to the Roman Church, he had in 1515 from Pope Leone X the title of Marquis of Torre d'Andrea. Braccio II was the first illuminated lord of Torre. He put forward in 1534 a statute, subsequently expanded and perfected, about "given damages" of Torre d'Andrea, and he signed the last of July 1549. After his death Torre d'Andrea was called, until XVIII century, Torre di Braccio. Braccio was many times in Torre, and he looked after the town's businesses and problems. Every six months he chose the "podestà" (mayor). Baglioni was grateful to Torre's priors and citizens, who gave him many gifts, in money and in kind. Braccio II died in 1559: his widow Costanza sent her thanks for their condolence to the priors and the population.

BRACCIO II'S SUCCESSORS

    Braccio II left three male sons: Grifone, Carlo and Federico, but only the first two were interested in the government of the marquisate of Torre; Federico, indeed was kept by the fine art of the war, and thus he died while fighting against the Turkish in the well known battle of Farmagosta, in 1571. Grifone and Carlo themselves announced in November 3, 1559, the arrival of their deputy Girolamo Faustini in Torre d'Andrea to be the mayor, to take good care of the castle and "to do the usual wars". It has been shown by the documents that, more than Grifone and Carlo, was their mother Costanza to take care of the castle: she often send letters to recommend the priors and the mayor to look after "her beloved citizens". She personally announced, in September 22nd 1572 the arrival in Torre of "Lord Carlo, son of mine". But in 1574 Costanza died and from that time Grifone was considered as Lord of Torre. Maybe from 1581 his successor was Galeotto Baglioni. In 1591, an important proclamation from Galeotto stated the prohibithion of "having any kind of arms, nor the day, nor the night time, nor in the country, nor in the castle without a written permission given by Lord Galeotto". The last Baglioni known to be rulers of Torre are Braccio and Carlo, Galeotto's nephews, which in 1600 sold the entire marquisate to Giulio dei Conti of Montauto.