Challenge of Barletta

Monument to the Challenge in Barletta.

The Challenge of Barletta (Italian: Disfida di Barletta) was a battle fought in the country of Trani near Barletta, southern Italy, on 13 February 1503, on the plains between Corato and Andria.

The battle was provoked by a French knight Charles de la Motte who, after drinking too much of the local wine, made disparaging remarks about the Italians. It consisted in a mounted tournament between 13 Italians (the most famous being Ettore Fieramosca), based in Barletta, and 13 French knights who were based in Canosa di Puglia. Charles de la Motte accused Italians of cowardice. The Italian knights won the battle, and the French then left the area. Barletta has since acquired the moniker Città della Disfida (City of the Challenge), as a result.

The event inspired a historical novel by the Italian writer Massimo D'Azeglio, Ettore Fieramosca, or La disfida di Barletta, written in 1833.

See also

• Battle of Cerignola

Further reading

• Simonis, Damien; et al. (January 2004). Lonely Planet's Italy (6th ed.). Lonely Planet Publications. pp. p. 659. ISBN 1741043034. 

Gallery

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  Commemoriative poster for the 4th centenary of the Disfida.

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  Epitaph for the Disfida on the battle site.

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  Detail of the monument in Barletta.

External links

• "Official site" of the Disfida