In 1154, the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa of Germany decided he should be king of Italy, declaring himself God’s chosen earthly representative. This statement put him at significant odds with the Italians, who argued that the pope crowned Barbarossa as Holy Roman Emperor, which meant the pope was God’s anointed representative.
It was this rift that sparked the bizarre War of the Bucket in 1325.
Barbarossa’s siege may have been over, but conflict was alive and well in Italy. Two factions emerged from the war: the Ghibellines, who supported the Holy Roman Emperor, and the Guelphs, who favored the pope.
This political division led to resentment and rivalries among Italy’s city-states, which meant that skirmishes and disputes became regular occurrences in the centuries following Barbarossa’s reign.
Bologna and Modena were two such bordering city-states that were on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Bologna was more Guelph-dominant (pope-supporting), and Modena was mostly Ghibelline (emperor-supporting).
This caused a significant rivalry between the two that led to many raids over the years. But in 1325, according to HistoryNet, tensions finally boiled over.
One night in 1325, several Modenese soldiers infiltrated the city walls of Bologna. They spotted a bucket at a public well, seized it, and hightailed it out of the city, delighted with their victory.
Upon discovering the missing bucket, the Bolognese were infuriated and demanded its return. The Modenese were not amenable to this demand and refused. Incensed and humiliated, Bologna declared all-out war on Modena. With that, the War of the Bucket commenced.
Between Bologna and Modena, Modena was considered the underdog. Compared to Bologna, the city-state had significantly fewer resources and soldiers.
Bologna assembled over 32,000 troops and brought in forces from other northern Italian Guelph contingencies for backup. They even managed to get the pope actively on their side. Pope John XXII reportedly declared Modena’s chief magistrate a heretic and stepped up to lead an army of foot soldiers against Modena.
With their more experienced soldiers, the Modenese confronted the Bolognese outside the town of Zappolino. Due to the chaos and disorganization of Bologna’s troops, Modena soon overwhelmed them, forcing the Bolognese to retreat. Between the two sides, it’s estimated there were approximately 2,000 casualties.
The Bolognese, overwhelmed and humiliated, had no choice but to call off the attack and remain within the safety of their city’s walls. The Modenese continued to taunt the Bolognese by staging a mock decathlon right outside the city — and they reportedly even stole a second bucket for good measure.
Of course, the War of the Bucket was about much more than an actual bucket. In fact, some historians say the pail itself wasn’t actually stolen until Modena had already defeated Bologna in battle. Centuries of discord led up to the conflict, and the bucket — if it did truly exist — was simply the straw that broke the camel’s back.
The war eventually fizzled out, and in January of 1326, an armistice was signed by the two rivals that temporarily settled matters. Conflict, however, would continue between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines for another two centuries until Italy was invaded by Charles I of Spain in 1529.
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