"Questions about Condottieri/Italian Renaissance Mercenaries" Topic
5 Posts
All members in good standing are free to post here. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the posters, and have not been cleared with nor are they endorsed by The Miniatures Page.
For more information, see the TMP FAQ.
Back to the Renaissance Discussion Message Board
Action Log
06 Jan 2017 8:17 p.m. PST by Editor in Chief Bill
- Removed from DBx board
- Removed from Fantasy Discussion board
- Removed from Medieval Discussion board
Areas of InterestRenaissance
Featured Hobby News Article
Featured Link
Top-Rated Ruleset
Featured Showcase ArticleThe next Teutonic Knights unit - Crossbowmen!
Featured Workbench Article
Featured Profile Article
|
GARS1900 | 29 Mar 2016 4:37 p.m. PST |
Does anyone know what was historically the biggest independent condottierri band during the Renaissance/Italian wars? I've had a surprisingly hard time trying to figure this out. Mind you, I'm talking about a formed army; not one in the permanent employ of a city-state or national power. I suppose an example would be the Black Bande led by Lodovico de Medici. Also, I would like to know about the behavior of such bands; how did they generally treat civilians, enemy combatants, ect. I know mercenaries in this period have a truly nasty reputation today, but I've read Landsknecht codes of conduct, which seem surprisingly modern. This leads me to theorize that there were rules against rape, rampant pillaging, civilian deaths, ect, but that the rules seem to have not always enforced. What are your thoughts on this? |
Der Krieg Geist | 29 Mar 2016 5:58 p.m. PST |
Odd to ask on the fantasy discussion board but sorry, don't know the answer to your inquiry |
cplcampisi | 29 Mar 2016 11:25 p.m. PST |
It varied over time -- I strongly recommend Michael Mallett's "Mercenaries and their Masters" to develop a good understanding of condottieri. Very generally, if I remember correctly, when foreign (non-Italian) mercenaries dominated the effects on the civilians were usually worse, but as the Italians became more common among the leadership it was better. Size varied typically by prestige of the captain, and also over time. If you are specifically interested in the Black Bands of Giovanni(?) de Medici see Maurizio Arfaioli's thesis: PDF link and/or his book based on his thesis (available for download): link (Note the thesis and the book aren't identical, and I've found that the thesis has some good info that the book is lacking). |
Condotta | 01 Apr 2016 9:37 p.m. PST |
I would tell you, but first, I must review the contract. Ha, and without a contract, can only hope you'll follow the links cplcampisi provided…may he one day rise in the ranks. Why are you asking, anyway? Before your period of interest, but I always liked Sir John Hawkwood, who had a nice little army: paladins.co.uk/hawkwood.php |
VicCina | 03 Apr 2016 11:18 a.m. PST |
From all of the reading I've done for this period the sizes of the condottieri varied greatly depending on the time of year, the captain in charge, who the employer was, if payments were made on time and so on. There are times when the captains didn't have any troops under them because the captains weren't employed and would only gain troops once they a contract and money to pay them. It's a very fluid time period. |
|