Description
Book SynopsisCaferro has mined more than twenty archives in Britain and Italy, creating an authoritative portrait of Hawkwood as an extraordinary military leader, if not always an admirable human being.
Trade ReviewThis is much more than a biography in the ordinary sense of the word... An excellent contribution to our understanding of both the mercenary phenomenon and the history of Italy in the late fourteenth century. Speculum Engaging book... Caferro has made sense of the life of a mercenary captain, who during his career influenced diplomacy, altered finances, and changed lives in fourteenth-century Italy. -- Duane Osheim Renaissance Quarterly A model of clear writing and an authoritative treatment of the military and political situation in Italy from the 1360s. -- John E. Law History It is... so well written and provides such a gripping account of John Hawkwood and his milieu that it will surely gain a wide audience among general readers as well. -- David S. Bachrach Historian The depth of Caferro's archival research has established him as Hawkwood's preeminent biographer. -- Dane Swango Comitatus Meets a real need... well researched and clearly presented, an important work for everyone interested in fourteenth-century Italy and medieval war. -- John Larner English Historical Review Superb biography... Sterling piece of work. -- Niccolo Capponi Journal of Military History A useful read for anyone interested in Renaissance Italy, the evolution of the practice of war, and even the interrelationship of art and society. NYMAS Review
Table of ContentsList of Figures and Maps
Preface
Hawkwood Chronology
Introduction
1. John Hawkwood in Perspective
Part I
2. Essex Lad, King's Soldier, and Member of the White Company, 1323–1363
3. Italy and the Profession of Arms
Part II
4. The Fox and the Lion
5. John Hawkwood of Pisa and Milan, 1365–1372
6. In the Service of God and Mammon, 1372–1375
Part III
7. John Hawkwood and the War of Eight Saints, 1375–1377
8. Love and Diplomacy, 1377–1379
9. At Home in the Romagna, 1379–1381
10. Neapolitan Soldier and Tuscan Lord, 1381–1384
Part IV
11. The Deal with the Devil, the Birth of a Son, and a Victory at Castagnaro, 1385–1387
12. At the Center of the Storm
13. The War against Milan, 1390–1392
14. Two Weddings, a Funeral, and a Disputed Legacy, 1392–1394–1412
Conclusion
Appendixes
Notes
References
Index
