Camiola

Who is Camiola?

Camiola Turinga was a Sienese widow well known in Messina as a virtuous woman. She was the daughter of Lawrence of Thuringia. She lived in the beginning of the fourteenth century, during the time of the reign of Frederick III of Sicily. When her husband and parents died she inherited much wealth and was known for handling this large fortune in a moral fashion.

Boccaccio, as a medieval historian and early Renaissance archaeologist, describes the events that happened that lead up to her becoming a widow when she was still a young lady. He says in his De mulieribus claris in the next to the last biography that when king Frederick III of Sicily died, his eldest son Peter took over. Right after that time Godfrey of Squillace, commander for king Robert of Sicily, attacked the town of Lipari. The townspeople were overwhelmed and practically wiped out. Peter then gathered together an army of mercenaries and volunteer auxiliary troops. He put them into the command of a Count John of Chiaamonte. John's mission was to bring much needed supplies for the starving people of Lipari.

When Godfrey learned that John's army outnumbered his own, he abandoned his camp and left all his supplies there. John then came upon these supplies and took back to the people of Lipari. Then with overconfidence John challenged Godfrey to battle. Godfrey accepted the challenge. He prepared and reinforced his troops overnight and was fully prepared in the morning. John, being overconfident, did not expect Godfrey to attack, assuming instead that he Godfrey would retreat.