Francesco Zurolo

Francesco Zurolo also called Francesco Zurulo (in some historical documents of the time) or more commonly Francesco Zurlo (first half of the 15th century – 11 August 1480) was an Italian feudal lord, baron and leader.

He defended the city of Otrantina from the siege of the Ottoman Turks during the early stages of Ottoman conquest of Otranto, he died heroically in Otranto with his soldiers during the early stages of the siege.

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
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.

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

Francesco Zurolo (or Zurlo) feudal lord and baron of Pietragalla, Casalaspro and Oppido Lucano, descended from one of the most important Neapolitan families from which he owned various lands/feuds in the Kingdom of Naples. The chronicle of the family has been recorded since the earliest times and has enjoyed, with varying fortunes, nobility in the Kingdom and in particular in Campania, Apulia, Salento (Apulia), Basilicata, and Molise.

The Turkish invasion
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. It was attacked by about 18000 Turks, led by Gedik Ahmed Pasha, with some ninety galleys, fifteen maones, and forty schooners, supported by the aga of the janissaries, the bailiff of Negroponte, and the berjebei of Thrace. He thus became one of the two leaders of the city, remaining to defend it with only 400 armed men. There were also some horses with them.

Ahmet Pasha demanded surrender from the defenders of Otranto once an emissary was sent to the city, the commander Zurlo rejected the proposal of all the citizens, the emissary was sent away, and the captain replied that he would fight to the death for the defense of the city. Another intermediary was sent by Pascia to make the inhabitants surrender without a fight but the latter was killed, after which the Turks began to bombard the city walls with their naval artillery for 14 days.

On Friday 11 July the Turks destroyed the remaining walls with their battery and opened a passage through them and on the day of the last battle, when the invaders managed to open a breach in the walls, despite having been seriously wounded in the arm during an assault the previous day, Francis rushed armed together with his son and other brave men in an attempt to repel the invaders, dying in a short time. Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi died the following day, still in defense of the city.

The fate of the city
In August 1480 archbishop Stefano Pendinelli, the priests and 800 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.

According to another version, the archbishop, knowing that the resistance of the two captains had failed against the invaders, died of a heart attack after hearing this news.

Various versions about his death and that of his son
There are several versions of hisdeath:in one, he was captured by the Turks and sawn in two; he dies fighting in the defense of the walls probably mutilated, a fact that would have given rise to the first version.

According to another version, in Otranto the commander of the city, Francesco Zurolo, instead of surrendering in the face of the overwhelming force of the Turks (18000 soldiers were against 6000 citizens), began to hang some of their emissaries, impale some of their prisoners and even to fire a bombard at Gedik himself, who had approached the port with a boat to parley.

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.

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

Posthumous sponsor
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; the aforementioned works began in 1482 as denoted by the foundation stone: "MCCCCLXXXII | FRANCISCO ZVRVLO | FECIT".

Burial
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, including those of the two brave captains who were recovered and transferred (from Otranto to Naples) by will of Alfonso II d'Aragon.

Dedications

 * 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.


 * 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".

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