The La Compagnia della Stella (''Company (or Fellowship) of the Star'') was the name of two separate

companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...

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 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 W ...

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 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 H ...

who followed him when he left it after its mauling at the

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 comman ...

. 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 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 fro ...

who were engaged in hostilities with

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 o ...

. The Star Company comprised about 5,000 cavalry and 1,000 infantrymen, while that of Perugia consisted of some 10,000. Fighting took place over five months in Umbria, Tuscany and Lazio, with the main battle taking place in San Mariano, near Corciano, where the Sterz forces were comprehensively defeated by the White Company in 1365. They were then hired by Perugia, but disbanded after Sterz had been accused of treachery by the Perugians and beheaded in the town.

Compagnia della Stella of Astorre Manfredi

The second company of the name was formed in Soragna in June 1379 by

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 ...

, who recruited adventurers mainly from Emilia-Romagna, initially having a complement of about 600 lancers and 2,000 infantry. The company tried to attack Bologna and Rimini, but was then was hired by

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 an ...

of Milan and the Venetians during the

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 alli ...

between Venice and Genoa. In August 1379, on the orders of Visconti, they attacked Genoa and looted several villages of the city, including

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 t ...

. However, their most important battle took place on September 24 of that year when 400 lancers and 3,000 infantry under Manfredi were defeated by the Genoese near the Bisagno valley. Most of Manfredi's mercenaries were captured, with the exception of Manfredi himself, who was saved by a farmer to whom he promised a reward of 10,000 ducats. Many of the captured mercenaries were subsequently executed by the local people.

References

* Based on a translation of the equivalent article on Italian Wikipedia

Bibliography

* E. Ricotti - ''Storia delle compagnie di ventura in Italia'' - ed. Giuseppe Pompa, Torino, 1847. * A. Sorbelli - ''Corpus chronicorum bononiensium'', vol.3 - Città di Castello, Lapi, 1939. * M. Mallet - ''Signori e mercenari - La guerra nell'Italia del Rinascimento'' - Il Mulino, Bologna, 1983. {{Mercenary companies Mercenary units and formations of the Middle Ages 14th-century condottieri 1364 establishments in Europe 1379 establishments in Europe 14th-century establishments in Italy