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Great Company (German)
The Great Company was a group of mercenaries, chiefly of German origin but operating in the Italian peninsula, who flourished in the mid-14th century. At its height, the company numbered approximately 10,000-12,000 men, chiefly armored cavalry. The Great Company's power set the pattern for later condottieri who came to dominate Renaissance Italian warfare. History 1340s The company was founded in 1342 by Werner von Urslingen, whose reputed motto was "Enemy of God, Enemy of Piety, Enemy of Pity", with some writers even reporting the phrase inscribed on his breastplate. Urslingen was inspired by Lodrisio Visconti's Compagnia di San Giorgio, under which he had fought in the battle of Parabiago. Commanders included his brother Reinhardt, Ettore da Panigo, Konrad von Landau and Francesco degli Ordelaffi. The strength of the company at this point was recorded as 3,000 men-at-arms. In autumn 1342, the company was dissolved and Urslingen and many of his German followers return ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fra' Moriale
Montréal de Albarno, also known as Fra Moriale (1315 ? –August 1354) was a Provençal mercenary and condottiero. Life Montreal de Albarno was born as Jean Montréal du Bar at Le Bar-sur-Loup. He came from the aristocratic family "maison de Grasse" which was one of the oldest and wealthiest families in Provence. Le Bar-sur-Loup was previously known as Albarno. He arrived in Italy in 1331, and, like his uncle, Isnard de Albarno, became a member of the military Order of Knights Hospitaller, better known now as the Knights of Malta. His name Italianized was "Moriale" and Fra came from the fact that his was from a religious order. He fought for Louis I of Hungary in the succession wars for the Kingdom of Naples. Later he was hired by the Papal States, but he abandoned them due to insufficient payment. The King of Hungary made him his vicar and gave him the castle of Aversa. Along with Corrado Lupo, head of a company of 7000 men, they became the two foreign commanders of the H ... [...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] |
Duchy Of Milan
The Duchy of Milan ( it, Ducato di Milano; lmo, Ducaa de Milan) was a state in northern Italy, created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then the lord of Milan, and a member of the important Visconti family, which had been ruling the city since 1277. At that time, it included twenty-six towns and the wide rural area of the middle Padan Plain east of the hills of Montferrat. During much of its existence, it was wedged between Savoy to the west, Venice to the east, the Swiss Confederacy to the north, and separated from the Mediterranean by Genoa to the south. The duchy was at its largest at the beginning of the 15th century, at which time it included almost all of what is now Lombardy and parts of what are now Piedmont, Veneto, Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. Under the House of Sforza, Milan experienced a period of great prosperity with the introduction of the silk industry, becoming one of the wealthiest states during the Renaissance. From the late 15th century, the Duchy of M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
House Of Visconti (Milan)
The Visconti of Milan are a noble Italian family. They rose to power in Milan during the Middle Ages where they ruled from 1277 to 1447, initially as Lords then as Dukes, and several collateral branches still exist. The effective founder of the Visconti Lordship of Milan was the Archbishop Ottone, who wrested control of the city from the rival Della Torre family in 1277. Origins The earliest members of the Visconti lineage appeared in Milan in the second half of the 11th century. The first evidence is on October 5, 1075, when Ariprando Visconti and his son Ottone ("Ariprandus Vicecomes", "Otto Vicecomes filius Ariprandi") attended and signed together some legal documents in Milan. Ariprando Visconti's family is believed to have pre-existed in Milan and obtained the title of viscount, which became hereditary throughout the male descent. In the years following 1075, Ottone Visconti is shown in the proximity of the Salian dynasty's sovereigns, Henry IV and his son Conrad. His ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of Campo Delle Mosche
The Battle of Campo delle Mosche (Battle of the Field of the Flies) took place on 23 July 1359 in the district of Pontedera in the state of Pisa, Italy between the forces of Florence and those of the mercenary Great Company. It resulted in a victory for the Florentine forces. Starting Operations In 1359 Florence reacted to extortion threats by the Great Company under Konrad von Landau Konrad Wirtinger von Landau (died 22 April 1363), known in Italy as Conte Lando, was a German military adventurer and condottiero who was active in north and central Italy. He was born the eldest son of Count Eberardo III in the ancient Swabian vil ... by assembling an army, with the help of Padua, Milan, Ferrara, and Naples, to oppose them. The Great Company had 500 cavalry and 1,000 Hungarian foot soldiers whilst the Florentine forces under the command of Pandolfo Malatesta numbered 3,000 cavalry, 500 Hungarians, and 2,500 archers. Battle The Company troops established themselves in a defended p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pandolfo II Malatesta
Pandolfo II Malatesta (1325 – January 1373) was an Italian condottiero. The son of Malatesta II Malatesta, he fought under Werner von Urslingen and Gil de Albornoz. Later served Galeazzo II Visconti of Milan, but raised the jealousy of Bernabò Visconti and fled to the Marche. Later held a condotta for Florence against Pisa and fought against John Hawkwood Sir John Hawkwood ( 1323 – 17 March 1394) was an English soldier who served as a mercenary leader or '' condottiero'' in Italy. As his name was difficult to pronounce for non-English-speaking contemporaries, there are many variations of it i .... He died in Pesaro. References *P. J. Jones. ''The Malatesta of Rimini and the Papal State.'' Cambridge University Press, 2005 1325 births 1373 deaths Pandolfo 2 Malatesta, Pandolfo 2 {{Italy-mil-bio-stub ... [...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] |
Camerino
Camerino is a town in the province of Macerata, Marche, central-eastern Italy. It is located in the Apennines bordering Umbria, between the valleys of the rivers Potenza and Chienti, about from Ancona. Camerino is home to the University of Camerino, founded in the Middle Ages. History Camerino occupies the site of the ancient Camerinum, the inhabitants of which (Camertes Umbri or Umbrii-Camertii) became allies of the Romans in 310 BC or 309 BC (at the time of the attack on the Etruscans in the Ciminian Forest). On the other hand, the Katspriot referred to in the history of the year 295 BC are probably the inhabitants of Clusium. Later it appears as a dependent autonomous community with the , an "equal" treaty with Rome (Mommsen, ''Römisches Staatsrecht'', iii. 664). Two cohorts of fought with distinction under Gaius Marius against the Cimbri. It was much affected by the conspiracy of Catiline, and is frequently mentioned in the Civil Wars; under the empire it was a municipi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fabriano
Fabriano is a town and ''comune'' of Province of Ancona, Ancona province in the Italy, Italian region of the Marche, at Above mean sea level, above sea level. It lies in the Esino valley upstream and southwest of Jesi; and east-northeast of Fossato di Vico and east of Gubbio (both in Umbria). Its location on the main highway and rail line from Umbria to the Adriatic make it a mid-sized regional center in the Apennine Mountains, Apennines. Fabriano is the headquarters of the giant appliance maker Indesit (partly owned by Whirlpool Corporation, Whirlpool). Fabriano, with Roma, Parma, Torino and Carrara, is an Italian Creative Cities Network, creative city (UNESCO). The town is in the category ''Folk Arts'' (for the Fabriano's handmade paper production). History Fabriano appears to have been founded in the early Middle Ages by the inhabitants of a small Roman town south at Attiggio (Latin ''Attidium''), of which some slight remains and inscriptions are extant. Fabriano itself wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rimini
Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminus'') and Ausa (ancient ''Aprusa''). It is one of the most notable seaside resorts in Europe with revenue from both internal and international tourism forming a significant portion of the city's economy. It is also near San Marino, a small nation within Italy. The first bathing establishment opened in 1843. Rimini is an art city with ancient Roman and Renaissance monuments, and is also the birthplace of the film director Federico Fellini. The city was founded by the Romans in 268 BC. Throughout Roman times, Rimini was a key communications link between the north and south of the peninsula. On its soil, Roman emperors erected monuments such as the Arch of Augustus and the Tiberius Bridge to mark the beginning and the end of the Decumanus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Republic Of Florence
The Republic of Florence, officially the Florentine Republic ( it, Repubblica Fiorentina, , or ), was a medieval and early modern state that was centered on the Italian city of Florence in Tuscany. The republic originated in 1115, when the Florentine people rebelled against the Margraviate of Tuscany upon the death of Matilda of Tuscany, who controlled vast territories that included Florence. The Florentines formed a commune in her successors' place. The republic was ruled by a council known as the Signoria of Florence. The signoria was chosen by the (titular ruler of the city), who was elected every two months by Florentine guild members. During the Republic's history, Florence was an important cultural, economic, political and artistic force in Europe. Its coin, the florin, became a world monetary standard. During the Republican period, Florence was also the birthplace of the Renaissance, which is considered a fervent period of European cultural, artistic, political and e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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