Mercenary companies and the decline of Siena

by William Caferro

Among the most dramatic problems faced on the Italian peninsula in the fourteenth century were the raids of marauding mercenary companies. These companies, known locally as Companies of Adventure and more generally as "free companies," were private armies, composed of professional soldiers and adventurers from throughout Europe. They sold their services to the highest bidder in times of war and staged ruinous raids in times of peace. The city of Siena, visually opulent and wedged between Florence and the lands of the pope - two frequent employers of mercenaries - was a particular...

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