See also:

• CONDOTTIERE (plural, condottieri)

CONDOTTIERE (plural, condottieri)  , an See also:

• ITALIAN

Italian See also:

• TERM

term, derived ultimately from Latin conducere, meaning either " to conduct " or " to hire," for the See also:

• LEADER, BENJAMIN WILLIAMS (1831– )

leader of the See also:

• MERCENARY (Lat. mercenarius, from merces, reward, gain)

mercenary military companies, often several thousand strong, which used to be hired out to carry on the See also:

• WARS

wars of the Italian states . The word is often ex-tended so as to include the soldiers as well as the leader of a See also:

• COMPANY

company . The condottieri played a very important See also:

• PART

part in Italian See also:

• HISTORY

history from the See also:

• MIDDLE

middle of the 13th to the middle of the 15th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century . The See also:

• SPECIAL

special See also:

• POLITICAL

political and military circumstances of See also:

• MEDIEVAL

medieval See also:

• ITALY
• ITALY (Italia)

Italy, and in particular the wars of the Guelphs and Ghibellines, brought it about that the condottieri and their leaders played a-more conspicuous and important part in history than the " See also:

• FREE

Free Companies " elsewhere . Amongst these circumstances the See also:

• ABSENCE (Lat. absentia)

absence of a numerous feudal See also:

• CAVALRY (Fr. cavalerie, Ger. Kavallerie or Reiterei, derived ultimately from late Lat. caballus, horse)

cavalry, the relative luxury of See also:

• CITY (through Fr. cite, from Lat. civitas)

city See also:

• LIFE

life, and the incapacity of city See also:

• MILITIA (Fr. milice, Ger. Miliz, from Lat. miles, soldier, militia, military service)

militia for wars of aggression were the most prominent . From this it resulted that See also:

• WAR
• WAR (O. Eng. werre, Fr. guerre, of Teutonic origin; cf. O.H.G. werran, to confound)

war was not merely the See also:

• TRADE (O. Eng. trod, footstep, from tredan, to tread; in M. Eng. the forms teed, trod and trade appear, the last in the sense of a beaten track)
• TRADE, BOARD OF

trade of the See also:

• CONDOTTIERE (plural, condottieri)

condottiere, but also his See also:

• MONOPOLY (Gr. govomeXla or govoircaXwv, exclusive sale, from govds, alone, and irwXeiv, to sell)

monopoly, and he was thus able to obtain whatever terms he asked, whether See also:

• MONEY

money payments or political concessions . These companies were recruited from wandering mercenary bands and individuals of all nations, and from the ranks of the many armies of middle See also:

• EUROPE

Europe which from See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time to time overran Italy . See also:

• MONTREAL

Montreal d'Albarno, a See also:

• GENTLEMAN (from Lat. gentilis, " belonging to a race or gens," and " man "; Fr. gentilhomme, Span. gentil hombre, Ital. gentil huomo, in its original and strict signification, a term denoting a man of good family, the Lat. generosus (its invariable transl

gentleman of See also:

• PROVENCE (Provincia, Proenza)

Provence, was the first to give them a definite See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form . A severe discipline and an elaborate organization were introduced within the company itself, while in their relations to' the See also:

• PEOPLE

people' the most barbaric See also:

• LICENCE (through the French from Lat. licentia, licere, to be lawful)

licence was permitted . ' Montreal himself was put to See also:

• DEATH

death at See also:

• ROME
• ROME (Roma)

Rome by See also:

• RIENZI, COLA DI (c. 1313–1354)

Rienzi, and See also:

• CONRAD (d. 955)
• CONRAD, JOSEPH (1856– )
• CONRAD, or KONRAD (M. H. Ger. Kuonrdl, i.e. " keen in counsel," Lat. Conradus, It. Corrado, cf. the A.S. Ccenred)

Conrad Lando succeeded to the command . The See also:

• GRAND

Grand Company, as it was called, soon numbered about 7000 cavalry and 1500 select See also:

• INFANTRY

infantry, and was for some years the terror of Italy . They seem to have been Germans chiefly .

On the conclusion (136o) of the See also:

• PEACE
• PEACE, BREACH OF THE

peace of Bretigny between See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England and See also:

• FRANCE
• FRANCE, ANATOLE (1844– )

France, See also:

• SIR

Sir See also:

• JOHN
• JOHN (1167–1216)
• JOHN (1290-c. 1320)
• JOHN (1296-1346)
• JOHN (1371–1419)
• JOHN (1468-1532)
• JOHN (1801-1873)
• JOHN (Heb. llni')
• JOHN (ZAPOLYA) (1487-1540)
• JOHN, 4TH MARQUESS OF TWEEDDALE (c. 1695-1762)
• JOHN, DON (1545-1578)
• JOHN, DON (1629–1679)
• JOHN, GOSPEL OF ST
• JOHN, or HAYS (1513–1571)
• JOHN, THE APOSTLE
• JOHN, THE EPISTLES OF

John See also:

• HAWKWOOD, SIR JOHN (d. 1394)

Hawkwood (q.v.) led an See also:

• ARMY
• ARMY (from Fr. armee, Lat. armata)

army of See also:

• ENGLISH

English mercenaries, called the See also:

• WHITE
• WHITE, ANDREW DICKSON (1832– )
• WHITE, GILBERT (1720–1793)
• WHITE, HENRY KIRKE (1785-1806)
• WHITE, HUGH LAWSON (1773-1840)
• WHITE, JOSEPH BLANCO (1775-1841)
• WHITE, RICHARD GRANT (1822-1885)
• WHITE, ROBERT (1645-1704)
• WHITE, SIR GEORGE STUART (1835– )
• WHITE, SIR THOMAS (1492-1567)
• WHITE, SIR WILLIAM ARTHUR (1824--1891)
• WHITE, SIR WILLIAM HENRY (1845– )
• WHITE, THOMAS (1628-1698)
• WHITE, THOMAS (c. 1550-1624)

White Company, into Italy, which took a prominent part in the conftised wars of the next See also:

• THIRTY

thirty years . Towards the end of the century the Italians began to organize armies of the same description . " This ended the reign of the purely mercenary company, and began that of the semi-See also:

• NATIONAL

national mercenary army which endured in Europe till replaced by the national See also:

• STANDING

standing army See also:

• SYSTEM

system . The first company of importance raised on the new basis was that of St See also:

• GEORGE
• GEORGE, 8TH MARQUESS OF TWEEDDALE (1787-1876)
• GEORGE, HENRY (1839—1897)
• GEORGE, LAKE
• GEORGE, SAINT (d. 303)

George, originated by Alberigo, See also:

• COUNT (Lat. comes, gen. comitis, Fr. comte, Ital. conte, Span. conde)

count of Barbiano, many of whose subordinates and pupils conquered principalities for themselves . Shortly after, the organization of these mercenary armies was carried to the highest perfection by See also:

• SFORZA
• SFORZA, CATERINA (1463-1509)

Sforza Attendolo, condottiere in the service of See also:

• NAPLES
• NAPLES (Ital. Napoli, and Lat. Neapolis)
• NAPLES, KINGDOM OF

Naples, who had been a See also:

• PEASANT (O. Fr. paysant, Mod. paysan; Lat. pagensis, belonging to the pagus or country; cf. " pagan ")

peasant of the Romagna, and by his See also:

• RIVAL

rival Brancaccio di Montone in the service of See also:

• FLORENCE
• FLORENCE (Ital. Firenze, Lat. Florentia)

Florence . The army and the renown of Sforza were inherited by his son See also:

• FRANCESCO
• FRANCESCO, 210

Francesco Sforza, who eventually became See also:

• DUKE (corresponding to Fr. duc, Ital. duca, Ger. Herzog)

duke of See also:

• MILAN
• MILAN (Ital. Milano, Ger. Mailand, anc. Mediolanum, q.v.)

Milan (1450) . Less fortunate was another See also:

• GREAT

great condottiere, See also:

• CARMAGNOLA
• CARMAGNOLA, FRANCESCO BUSSONE, COUNT OF (1390-1432)

Carmagnola, who first served one of the See also:

• VISCONTI

Visconti, and then conducted the wars of See also:

• VENICE
• VENICE (continued)
• VENICE (Venezia)

Venice against his former masters, but at last awoke the suspicion of the Venetian See also:

• OLIGARCHY (Gr. oXiyot, few, apxil, rule)

oligarchy, and was put to death before the See also:

• PALACE (Lat. Palatium, the name given by Augustus to his residence on the Palatine Hill)

palace of St See also:

• MARK
• MARK, CARL (1858– )
• MARK, GOSPEL OF ST
• MARK, ST

Mark (1432) . Towards the end of the 15th century, when the large cities had gradually swallowed up the small states, and Italy itself was See also:

• DRAWN

drawn into the See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general current of See also:

• EUROPEAN

European politics, and became the battlefield of powerful armies—See also:

• FRENCH
• FRENCH, DANIEL CHESTER (1850– )
• FRENCH, NICHOLAS (1604-1678)

French, See also:

• SPANISH

Spanish and See also:

• GERMAN
• GERMAN, DUTCH AND SCANDINAVIAN

German—the condottieri, who in the end proved quite unequal to the See also:

• GENDARMERIE

gendarmerie of France and the improved troops of the Italian states, disappeared . The soldiers of the condottieri were almost entirely heavy armoured cavalry (men-at-arms) . They had, at any See also:

• RATE

rate before 1400, nothing in See also:

• COMMON

common with the people among whom they fought, and their disorderly conduct and rapacity seem often to have exceeded that of other medieval armies . They were always ready to See also:

• CHANGE (derived through the Fr. from the Late Lat. cambium, cambiare, to barter; the ultimate derivation is probably from the root which appears in the Gr. «a urmu', to bend)

change sides at the prospect of higher pay . They were connected with each other by the See also:

• INTEREST

interest of a common profession, and by the possibility that the enemy of to-See also:

• DAY (O. Eng. dreg, Ger. Tag; according to the New English Dictionary, " in no way related to the Lat. dies")
• DAY, JOHN (1574-1640?)
• DAY, THOMAS (1748-1789)

day might be the friend and See also:

• FELLOW

fellow-soldier of to-morrow .

Further, a prisoner was always more valuable than a dead enemy . In consequence of all this their battles were often as bloodless as they were theatrical . Splendidly equipped armies were known to fight for See also:

• HOURS, CANONICAL

hours with hardly the loss of a See also:

• MAN
• MAN, ISLE OF (anc. Mona)

man (Zagonara, 1423; Molinella, 1467) .