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Compagnia Della Stella
The La Compagnia della Stella (''Company (or Fellowship) of the Star'') was the name of two separate companies of mercenary soldiers which operated in northern Italy at different times in the 14th century. Compagnia della Stella of Albert Sterz The first company with the name was formed in August 1364 by the condottieri (soldiers of fortune) Anichino di Bongardo (Hannekin Baumgarten), Albert Sterz and Ugo della Zuccha and was composed largely of English and German mercenary soldiers. Bongardo contributed the men of his own company and Albert Sterz many men of the White Company who followed him when he left it after its mauling at the Battle of Cascina. The name referred to the emblem of the Knights of Bongard, the family to which Anichino belonged. The following month Anichino left the company and command devolved to Albert Sterz. Under Sterz's leadership the company was hired by the Papal States who were engaged in hostilities with Perugia. The Star Company comprised about 5,000 c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Albert Sterz
Albert Sterz (known in Italy as Alberto Sterz) was a German noble who was a leader of mercenary Free companies, primarily operating in Italy. Born in what is now Germany he moved to France to fight alongside the English during the Hundred Years War. When a truce was agreed between England and France at Brétigny in 1360 he formed, with other demobilised soldiers of fortune such as the Englishman John Hawkwood, a company of mercenaries originally named the Great Company. Later to be known as the White Company it recruited unemployed veteran English, German and Gascon soldiers and, like other similar groups (or companies), it survived initially by extortion, threatening to ravage towns if not bought off. Starting in the Champagne district they worked their way south and set up a base only 25 miles from Avignon, where the Pope of that time lived. There they extorted 100,000 florins from the Pope after promising not to attack and to leave the area. The Pope suggested they might like t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
White Company
The White Company ( it, Compagnia Bianca del Falco) was a 14th-century English mercenary Company of Adventure ( it, Compagnia di ventura), led from its arrival in Italy in 1361 to 1363 by the German Albert Sterz and later by the Englishman John Hawkwood. Although the White Company is the name by which it is popularly known, it was initially called the Great Company of English and Germans and would later often be referred to as the English Company (Italian: ''Compagnia degli Inglesi'', Latin: ''Societas Angliciis''). Origins of the name No medieval source explains the company's name. The traditional view is that it is a reference to the brightly polished armour of the men-at-arms. However, William Caferro has suggested that it was because the company originally wore white surcoats. This view might be supported by the fact that mercenaries led by Arnaud de Cervole in France at this time were known as ''bandes blanches.'' Makeup of the company Despite it being commonly referred to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of Cascina
The Battle of Cascina was an engagement between Pisan and Florentine troops on 28 July 1364 near Cascina, modern-day Italy. Florence's victory followed a recent defeat to Pisan forces that had enabled mercenary John Hawkwood, who was in command of the Pisan army, to occupy the Valdinievole, Prato en route to Florence. Hawkwood and his army looted the lucrative Mugello region and Pistoia before proceeding towards Florence. Hawkwood fought alongside Hanneken von Baumgarten and had 3,000 men-at-arms at his disposal. Florence's defenses were organized by Enrico di Monforte. In addition to the city's garrison, Florence hired 11,000 infantrymen and 4,000 knights and placed them under the command of Galeotto Malatesta, as Pandolfo II Malatesta had recently been relieved of his command. Malatesta's forces engaged the Pisan contingent in the commune of San Savino to the southeast of Cascina, and gained a clear victory in the engagement. Pisan forces incurred thousands of casualties ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Papal States
The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 until 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th century until the unification of Italy, between 1859 and 1870. The state had its origins in the rise of Christianity throughout Italy, and with it the rising influence of the Christian Church. By the mid-8th century, with the decline of the Byzantine Empire in Italy, the Papacy became effectively sovereign. Several Christian rulers, including the Frankish kings Charlemagne and Pepin the Short, further donated lands to be governed by the Church. During the Renaissance, the papal territory expanded greatly and the pope became one of Italy's most important secular rulers as well as the head of the Church. At their zenith, the Papal States covered most of the modern Ital ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Perugia
Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. The region of Umbria is bordered by Tuscany, Lazio, and Marche. The history of Perugia goes back to the Etruscan period; Perugia was one of the main Etruscan cities. The city is also known as the University, universities town, with the University of Perugia founded in 1308 (about 34,000 students), the University for Foreigners Perugia, University for Foreigners (5,000 students), and some smaller colleges such as the Academy of Fine Arts "Pietro Vannucci" ( it, Accademia di Belle Arti "Pietro Vannucci") public athenaeum founded in 1573, the Perugia University Institute of Linguistic Mediation for translators and interpreters, the Music Conservatory of Perugia, founded in 1788, and other institutes. Perugia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of San Mariano
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force commitment. An engagement with only limited commitment between the forces and without decisive results is sometimes called a skirmish. The word "battle" can also be used infrequently to refer to an entire operational campaign, although this usage greatly diverges from its conventional or customary meaning. Generally, the word "battle" is used for such campaigns if referring to a protracted combat encounter in which either one or both of the combatants had the same methods, resources, and strategic objectives throughout the encounter. Some prominent examples of this would be the Battle of the Atlantic, Battle of Britain, and Battle of Stalingrad, all in World War II. Wars and military campaigns are guided by military strategy, whereas bat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Astorre I Manfredi
Astorre Manfredi (c. 1345 – November 28, 1405) was an Italian condottiero. He was the son of Giovanni Manfredi, who had been lord of Faenza (today's Emilia-Romagna) and other castles in the area before the Papal reconquest. Astorre lived for a while in Pistoia after his father had lost his last possession in Romagna; three years after the latter's death, in 1375, he managed to recover Granarolo. In 1377, he conquered back Faenza, then occupied by the Este, with the help of his brother Francesco and the Ordelaffis, Lords of Forlì. To obtain the money to keep his seignory, he formed a ''Compagnia di Ventura'' (mercenary band), called Compagnia della Stella (''Company of the Star''). He was hired by Barnabò Visconti to attack Genoa, but when that city paid him 13,000 florins, he moved back; when he tried again to assault the city, his troops were ambushed in the Bisagno valley and badly defeated. Astorre himself barely escaped being taken prisoner. In the meantime, his brot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bernabò Visconti
Bernabò or Barnabò Visconti (1323 – 19 December 1385) was an Italian soldier and statesman who was Lord of Milan. Along with his brothers Matteo and Galeazzo II, he inherited the lordship of Milan from his uncle Giovanni. Later in 1355, he and Galeazzo II were rumoured to have murdered their brother Matteo since he endangered the regime. When Galeazzo II died, he shared Milan's lordship with his nephew Gian Galeazzo. Bernabò was a ruthless despot toward his subjects and did not hesitate to face emperors and popes including Pope Urban V. The conflict with the Church cost him several excommunications. On 6 May 1385, his nephew Gian Galeazzo deposed him. Imprisoned in his castle, Trezzo sull'Adda, he died a few months later, presumably from poisoning. Life He was born in Milan, the son of Stefano Visconti and Valentina Doria. From 1346 to 1349 he lived in exile, until he was called back by his uncle Giovanni Visconti. On 27 September 1350 Bernabò married Beatrice Regina del ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
War Of Chioggia
The War of Chioggia ( it, Guerra di Chioggia) was a conflict between Genoa and Venice which lasted from 1378 to 1381, from which Venice emerged triumphant. It was a part of the Venetian-Genoese Wars. The war had mixed results. Venice and her allies won the war against their Italian rival states, however lost the war against King Louis the Great of Hungary, which resulted in the Hungarian conquest of Dalmatian cities. Background The two maritime powers, Genoa and Venice, had long been leading commercial powers with ties to Constantinople that had nurtured their growth during the Early Middle Ages. Their rivalry over trade with the Levant had generated a number of wars. Genoa, having suffered previous defeats at the hands of the Venetians, had emerged from submission to the Visconti tyrants of Milan during the 14th century, although it had also been severely weakened by the Black Death of 1348 which took a toll of 40,000 on the city. Venice had participated in the dismemberment of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sampierdarena
Sampierdarena (also San Pier d'Arena; Ligurian: San Pè d'ænn-a) is a major port and industrial area of Genoa, in northwest Italy. With San Teodoro it forms the West Central (Centro Ovest) ''municipio''. Geography Sampierdarena lies on the coast about west of the centre of Genoa. In 2000 the population was 67,741. History Sampierdarena was an ancient fishing village, named after the church of San Pietro d'Arena ("St. Peter of the Sand"). During the Italian Renaissance it became a residential area, with great palaces being built such as the Palazzo Imperiale Scassi, designed by Domenico and Giovanni Ponzello according to the style of Galeazzo Alessi and for this reason believed in the past to be a work of Alessi himself and the Palazzo Spinola di San Pietro (whose designer is unknown), one of those drawn by the painter Peter Paul Rubens in the book Palazzi di Genova, published in Antwerp in 1622. After the coming of the railways (1854) it became one of the great industr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mercenary Units And Formations Of The Middle Ages
A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather than for political interests. Beginning in the 20th century, mercenaries have increasingly come to be seen as less entitled to protections by rules of war than non-mercenaries. The Geneva Conventions declare that mercenaries are not recognized as legitimate combatants and do not have to be granted the same legal protections as captured service personnel of the armed forces. In practice, whether or not a person is a mercenary may be a matter of degree, as financial and political interests may overlap. Modern mercenary organizations are generally referred to as private military companies or PMCs. Laws of war Protocol Additional GC 1977 (APGC77) is a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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