Condottieri (singular condottiero) were
mercenary leaders employed by Italian city-states and seignories from the late Middle Ages until the mid-17th century.
Niccolò Machiavelli listed the "most noted" of the condottieri remembered in his day:
The most noticed among the latter were
Carmagnola, Francesco Sforza, Niccolò Piccinino the pupil of Braccio, Agnolo della Pergola, Lorenzo di Micheletto Attendolo, il Tartaglia, Giacopaccio, Cecolini da Perugia, Niccolò da Tolentino, Guido Torello, Antonia dal Ponte ad Era, and many others. (
History of Florence, I,vii])
Ruggiero da Flor (c. 1268–1305), was a condottiere active in Aragonese Sicily, Italy, and the Byzantine Empire. He was the commander of the Great Catalan Company and held the title Count of Malta.
Ruggiero da Lauria (c. 1245–1305), admiral in Aragonese service, who was the commander of the fleet of the Crown of Aragon during the War of the
Sicilian Vespers.
Malatesta da Verucchio (1212–1312), founder of the Malatesta dynasty, master of Rimini in 1295. Father of Giovanni Malatesta (d. 1304) who killed his wife
Francesca da Rimini, who had taken his handsome brother Piero for a lover, earning them all places in
Dante's Inferno.
Castruccio Castracani (1281–1328), Lord of
Lucca, when exiled from Lucca in 1300, fought in
Flanders but was welcomed back to Lucca, once it was in the hands of
Uguccione della Faggiuola, Lord of Pisa, a fellow soldier of fortune. In 1315 he and his followers took part in the
Battle of Montecatini against the Florentine
Guelfs, and the following year he was acclaimed Lord of Lucca. Soon he was in possession of
Pistoia, which put him in confrontation once more with Florence, whose forces he overcame at
Altopascio in 1325. However, at Rome in 1328 for the coronation of the Emperor
Ludwig IV, of Bavaria who made him Imperial Vicar General for Lucca and Pistoia, he died under obscure circumstances—perhaps of
malaria—just as he was considering a further attack upon Florence.
Uguccione della Faggiuola (c. 1250 –1319) was a condottiero, and Ghibelline magistrate of Pisa, Lucca and Forlì (from 1297).
Fourteenth century
Walter VI of Brienne (c. 1304–1356), Duke of Athens, a French adventurer, was in command in Florence in 1325 as the representative of the Duke of Calabria, eldest son of the King of Naples, to whom the commune of Florence had turned for protection after their severe defeat at Altopascio, at the hands of Castruccio Castracani
John Hawkwood, Giovanni Acuto (c. 1320–1394), arrived in Italy c. 1360, hardened in the
Hundred Years' War in France, at the head of the
White Company served
Pisa against Florence, then the
Visconti in Milan, then,
Gregory XI, and ended his career serving Florence. He was appointed Capitano del popolo, being paid 130,000 golden
ducats, married an illegitimate daughter of
Bernabò Visconti, duke of Milan. Retired to a villa near Florence, 1378. The city did him a magnificent funeral, still remembered by a fresco monument in The cathedral, Florence.
Facino Cane (c. 1360–1412) began in the service of
Gian Galeazzo Visconti, in his struggles against
Mantua. After Visconti's death in 1402 he adventured throughout northern Italy, gained a Byzantine princess for a bride – who brought his lands to
Filippo Maria Visconti after the adventurer's demise.
Braccio da Montone (1368–1384) rival to Muzio 'Sforza', bitter rivals who died within weeks of one another in 1424, leaving their sons to carry on their feud. Braccio was master of Perugia in 1416 and briefly controlled the city of Rome. He was killed laying siege to Aquila on behalf of Ladislas, king of Naples.
Muzio Attendolo (1369–1424), called Sforza ("Strong"). Condottiere from the Romagna serving the
Angevin kings of
Naples; the most successful dynast of the condottieri after receiving from
Joan II of Naples the title of grand connétable (Grand Constable in English?).
Erasmo da Narni (1370–1443), better known as "Gattamelata", the butcher's boy from Narni immortalized in
Donatello's mounted sculpture (1447) the first equestrian bronze since Antiquity. He began with
Montone, served Pope and Florence equally, served Venice in 1434 in the battles with the Visconti of Milan, then became dictator of
Padua in 1437.
Niccolò Piccinino (1380–1444), known as "Tiny Nick", was in arms at the age of 13. In 1424, at the death of his commander, he took charge of the company of mercenaries and sold his services to Florence, then to Milan in 1426. His rapacious ambition made his employer, the duke of Milan, uneasy, who decided instead to hire Francesco Sforza, the personal enemy of Piccinino. The growing rivalry between the two eventually led to a showdown in 1443. Defeated, Piccinino died next year.
Francesco Bussone da Carmagnola (1390–1432), better known as "Count of Carmagnola", fought for Filippo Maria Visconti of Milan, before taking orders from the republics of Florence and of Venice. Suspected of treasonous actions, he was executed in 1432.
Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta (1417–1468), lord of Rimini, a capable condottiere in the family tradition, was hired by the Venetians against the Turks (unsuccessfully), 1465, and was patron of
Leone Battista Alberti, whose Tempio Malatestiano at Rimini is one of the first entirely classical buildings of the
Renaissance.
Bartolomeo Colleoni (c. 1400–1475), immortalized in
Andrea del Verrocchio's equestrian bronze, at Campo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice. He began under Braccio da Montone and then under Muzio Sforza. He switched sides between Milan and Venice, before settling his fortunes on Venice, where he was general for many years. A great patron of artists.
Onorata Rodiani (1403–1452), was a "semi-legendary" Italian painter and condottiere.
Condottieri (singular condottiero) were
mercenary leaders employed by Italian city-states and seignories from the late Middle Ages until the mid-17th century.
Niccolò Machiavelli listed the "most noted" of the condottieri remembered in his day:
The most noticed among the latter were
Carmagnola, Francesco Sforza, Niccolò Piccinino the pupil of Braccio, Agnolo della Pergola, Lorenzo di Micheletto Attendolo, il Tartaglia, Giacopaccio, Cecolini da Perugia, Niccolò da Tolentino, Guido Torello, Antonia dal Ponte ad Era, and many others. (
History of Florence, I,vii])
Ruggiero da Flor (c. 1268–1305), was a condottiere active in Aragonese Sicily, Italy, and the Byzantine Empire. He was the commander of the Great Catalan Company and held the title Count of Malta.
Ruggiero da Lauria (c. 1245–1305), admiral in Aragonese service, who was the commander of the fleet of the Crown of Aragon during the War of the
Sicilian Vespers.
Malatesta da Verucchio (1212–1312), founder of the Malatesta dynasty, master of Rimini in 1295. Father of Giovanni Malatesta (d. 1304) who killed his wife
Francesca da Rimini, who had taken his handsome brother Piero for a lover, earning them all places in
Dante's Inferno.
Castruccio Castracani (1281–1328), Lord of
Lucca, when exiled from Lucca in 1300, fought in
Flanders but was welcomed back to Lucca, once it was in the hands of
Uguccione della Faggiuola, Lord of Pisa, a fellow soldier of fortune. In 1315 he and his followers took part in the
Battle of Montecatini against the Florentine
Guelfs, and the following year he was acclaimed Lord of Lucca. Soon he was in possession of
Pistoia, which put him in confrontation once more with Florence, whose forces he overcame at
Altopascio in 1325. However, at Rome in 1328 for the coronation of the Emperor
Ludwig IV, of Bavaria who made him Imperial Vicar General for Lucca and Pistoia, he died under obscure circumstances—perhaps of
malaria—just as he was considering a further attack upon Florence.
Uguccione della Faggiuola (c. 1250 –1319) was a condottiero, and Ghibelline magistrate of Pisa, Lucca and Forlì (from 1297).
Fourteenth century
Walter VI of Brienne (c. 1304–1356), Duke of Athens, a French adventurer, was in command in Florence in 1325 as the representative of the Duke of Calabria, eldest son of the King of Naples, to whom the commune of Florence had turned for protection after their severe defeat at Altopascio, at the hands of Castruccio Castracani
John Hawkwood, Giovanni Acuto (c. 1320–1394), arrived in Italy c. 1360, hardened in the
Hundred Years' War in France, at the head of the
White Company served
Pisa against Florence, then the
Visconti in Milan, then,
Gregory XI, and ended his career serving Florence. He was appointed Capitano del popolo, being paid 130,000 golden
ducats, married an illegitimate daughter of
Bernabò Visconti, duke of Milan. Retired to a villa near Florence, 1378. The city did him a magnificent funeral, still remembered by a fresco monument in The cathedral, Florence.
Facino Cane (c. 1360–1412) began in the service of
Gian Galeazzo Visconti, in his struggles against
Mantua. After Visconti's death in 1402 he adventured throughout northern Italy, gained a Byzantine princess for a bride – who brought his lands to
Filippo Maria Visconti after the adventurer's demise.
Braccio da Montone (1368–1384) rival to Muzio 'Sforza', bitter rivals who died within weeks of one another in 1424, leaving their sons to carry on their feud. Braccio was master of Perugia in 1416 and briefly controlled the city of Rome. He was killed laying siege to Aquila on behalf of Ladislas, king of Naples.
Muzio Attendolo (1369–1424), called Sforza ("Strong"). Condottiere from the Romagna serving the
Angevin kings of
Naples; the most successful dynast of the condottieri after receiving from
Joan II of Naples the title of grand connétable (Grand Constable in English?).
Erasmo da Narni (1370–1443), better known as "Gattamelata", the butcher's boy from Narni immortalized in
Donatello's mounted sculpture (1447) the first equestrian bronze since Antiquity. He began with
Montone, served Pope and Florence equally, served Venice in 1434 in the battles with the Visconti of Milan, then became dictator of
Padua in 1437.
Niccolò Piccinino (1380–1444), known as "Tiny Nick", was in arms at the age of 13. In 1424, at the death of his commander, he took charge of the company of mercenaries and sold his services to Florence, then to Milan in 1426. His rapacious ambition made his employer, the duke of Milan, uneasy, who decided instead to hire Francesco Sforza, the personal enemy of Piccinino. The growing rivalry between the two eventually led to a showdown in 1443. Defeated, Piccinino died next year.
Francesco Bussone da Carmagnola (1390–1432), better known as "Count of Carmagnola", fought for Filippo Maria Visconti of Milan, before taking orders from the republics of Florence and of Venice. Suspected of treasonous actions, he was executed in 1432.
Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta (1417–1468), lord of Rimini, a capable condottiere in the family tradition, was hired by the Venetians against the Turks (unsuccessfully), 1465, and was patron of
Leone Battista Alberti, whose Tempio Malatestiano at Rimini is one of the first entirely classical buildings of the
Renaissance.
Bartolomeo Colleoni (c. 1400–1475), immortalized in
Andrea del Verrocchio's equestrian bronze, at Campo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice. He began under Braccio da Montone and then under Muzio Sforza. He switched sides between Milan and Venice, before settling his fortunes on Venice, where he was general for many years. A great patron of artists.
Onorata Rodiani (1403–1452), was a "semi-legendary" Italian painter and condottiere.