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The
reasons why John the Crazy choose the Castle of
Griante
Why
did John the Crazy, who was a skilled strategist
and a good commander, sought refuge into the vulnerable
castle of Griante?
We can make some guesses and the most probable
ones are:
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He
thought that his enemies would not follow
him, which did not happen.
-
He
sought refuge inside the Castle of Griante
because his enemies were at his heels and
his crew was unable to row any longer. So,
he had no time to fully estimate the consequences
of his choice or, knowing them very well,
he couldn’t but face the events for he couldn’t
go any further.
-
He
considered the Castle of Griante a safer shelter
than any other dwelling he had along the lake.
-
He
considered the Castle of Griante the better
supplied with food and weapons to resist to
a possible siege.
-
The
Castle had become the most important of his
operative bases
-
He
believed the Castle of Griante inhabited by
people he could trust.
John
the Crazy had had long years of training as a
soldier in the Venetian Army. He, then, knew very
well and was able to judge in an adequate way
the possibilities and the limits of Griante Castle.
He therefore knew that it was easily reachable
by the enemy’s artilleries from the hill at its
West Side, just at it happened.
We
will never know the very reason of his choice,
but for sure there are evidences of the bombing
in an accurate drawing of the castle. It was sketched
330 years after the event and depicts the Castle
from the hill at its back, also including the
tower in which are visible to hole made by the
assaulters’ artilleries. To a better understanding
of the ruinous defeat of the Crazy, we have to
consider that, for the first time, he had the
command of a troupe of Lansquenets, who were fierce
mercenaries always ready for mutiny and rebellion
in order to get more money and booty. Probably,
that was the reason why he was unable to refrain
them from assaulting the boat loaded with wine
that Garrau cunningly sent ashore at Borgo Vico.
They did not obey him because they mutinied.
This
would also explain Garrau’s generosity toward
the Lansquenets in leaving them free to go back
to their Countries: they rendered him a great
service.
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