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Odd Details About Famous Historical Events Nobody Talks About

Khalid Elhassan August 24, 2019 30 min

2. Renaissance Italy Was Terrorized by an English Mercenary

Sir John Hawkwood’s funerary monument. Wikimedia

Englishman Sir John Hawkwood (1320 – 1394) was Europe’s greatest 14^th century mercenary. A soldier of fortune, Hawkwood played a significant role in Italy’s wars and politics, switching sides on numerous occasions between competing states and factions. He began his career in France during the Hundred Years War, and was knighted by King Edward III for exemplary service. However, that war was temporarily interrupted by a peace treaty in 1360, so Hawkwood left France for greener pastures in Italy at the head of a company of freebooters. Upon arrival in Italy, he joined an English mercenary unit known as the White Company. Hawkwood rose through its ranks, and in 1364, was elected captain-general. He put his stamp on the White Company by adopting the English longbow, and tactics successfully used in France.

Hawkwood also instilled strict discipline, and lightened his men’s armor and equipment, which made them famous for the rapidity of their marches. The reforms transformed the White Company into an elite and highly sought-after unit. The mercenary outfit served the Pope, but was stiffed on payment. So when the Pope sent him to put down a rebellion in Citta di Castello, Hawkwood captured and kept the city for himself. Strapped for cash, the Pope invested Hawkwood with the city to settle the debt. During the 1370s, Hawkwood repeatedly switched sides between the Pope and his rival, the Duke of Milan, whose daughter Hawkwood married in 1377. In 1378, after quarreling with his father-in-law, Hawkwood switched to Milan’s rival, the city of Florence, and was appointed its captain-general. He finally decided to sell his Italian properties and retire to England to spend his last years, but died in 1394 before he could do so.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.