ENZIO, or ENTIUS, 1225-72; king of Sardinia, a natural son of Frederick II. and the beautiful Bianca Lancia; b. at Palermo. He fought by his father's side against the Lombards at the battle of Cortenuova before he was 13 years of age, and the following year was married to Adelasia, the heiress of Sardinia and Corsica, and given the title of 1 ing of Sardinia. In May, 1239, he was declared vicar imperial in northern Italy, and commanded the German and Saracen troops in the imperial army; he entered the March of Ancona, and became so formidable a foe to the papacy, that the distinguished soldier-cardinal, John of Colonna, was sent against him. Gregory IX. excommuni cated Frederick and his son before the end of the year; and a crusade against them was preached soon afterwards. In 1241, the command of the fleet having been intrusted to Enzio, he gained a splendid victory over the Genoese, sinking three of their vessels and capturing 19. Amongst the captives were three cardinal-legates, and many bishops and archbishops; the booty included the large sums of money which the notorious cardinal Otho had just collected in England. After the death of the pope (August), Euzio was
sent with a large army to aid his brother Conrad, king of the Romans, against the invading Tartar hosts; the victory won by the two brothers near the river Delphos finally delivered Europe from the presence of these desolating hordes. Enzio was afterwards sent into Lombardy, which was for several years the scene of his chief exploits. In 1245, he was again excommunicated by pope Innocent IV., and in 1247 he besieged Parma, but was forced to retire. He then besieged Colonna, and in 1249 took the castle of Arola, but, on May 26 of the same year, he was taken prisoner at Fossalta by the troops of Bologna and consigned to perpetual imprisonment. "A captive at the age of 24," says Dean Milman, "this youth, of beauty equal to his brav ery—the poet, the musician, as well as the most brilliant soldier and consummate cap tain—pined out 23 years of life, if not in a squalid dungeon, in miserable inactivity." [From Eneyelopodia 13ritannica, 9th ed.]