Monteguidi

Monteguidi, ancient castle of the Aldobrandeschi family for the entire XIII century, is mentioned in Ildebrandino VIII’s will in the year 1208, but we also find it afterwards in all the division stipulations of this family’s property. Anyway, during the second half of the century, it must have been already tied very strongly to Siena and it must already have been somewhat independent, if in 1251, due to the conflicts that had arisen with the townships of Mensano and Selva, the Sienese assembled the villagers inviting them to commit themselves not to create disorders. The village was temporarily occupied by a group of rebels headed by Provenzan Salvani , but regained its freedom in 1268 and it was definitely conquered again through a military campaign in 1300. In 1339 Monteguidi is mentioned as being part of the vicarage of Mensano. In 1372 the inhabitants had to ask the Republic of Siena for help in order to repair the perimeter walls . The Republic provided to repair the walls at different intervals in the following years. In 1437 there are again records of the restoration of the perimeter walls, partially damaged by an earthquake, with the elimination of the proposal to reduce the extension of the walls. A few years later, history repeated itself. The documents again tell us of the rebuilding and restoration of the walls in 1474, in 1480 and in 1494. But, by this time, the Sienese dominion was coming to an end and the situation in Monteguidi and other nearby localities appeared quite confused. In 1547, the committee members of Monteguidi, Mensano and Radicondoli were called to order and soon afterwards were condemned , because guilty of having furnished provisions and animals to the Spanish troops. Around the second half of 1554, when the situation was getting critical, the position of Monteguidi appeared so obviously precarious, that the Sienese government, ordered Captain Buonsignori , , to transfer immediately to Monteguidi about 25 of the one hundred foot soldiers allocated in Casole to guard the village. Less than three months late Casole and all the other localities in the area fell.