15 Nov 1325 The city of Bologna declared war on the rival city of Modena in 1325 after some Modenese snuck into town and stole the bucket from the town well. 4,000 men lost their lives in the conflict. Having won the sole battle in the War of the Bucket, the citizens of Modena kept that bucket and it remains in Modena to this day. Once again, 4,000 men lost their lives fighting in this conflict.
The two armies clashed near what is today the Italian town of Castello di Serravalle in the region of Emilia-Romagna. It was the largest medieval battle which cost thousands of men their lives, changed the history of Italy, plunged the peninsula in a centuries-long conflict, and ensured the papal supremacy that Italians today take for granted.
While such bloodshed was common in Europe, its cause was not, for it was waged over a wooden bucket. A bucket made of oak, to be precise.
MILITARY HISTORY SOCIETY OF ROCHESTER
ROCHESTERMILITARY.COM
