Condottiere 1300–1500: Infamous medieval mercenaries (Warrior, 115)

It's a cool little book, but this is the first of this particular series I have purchased and there are a few things to know.1. My bad for not paying closer attention to the page count listed, but when I paid $14 for a book on amazon, (which is presumably even higher in an actual store,) I expected it to be more than a 1/4 thick. It is not. This book is on the small side both in thickness and dimensionally. It is hard to imagine a person holding this book in a museum gift shop, then flipping it over to check out the price, and do anything but let out a snort of laughter. I'm frankly shocked they are trying to charge any more than $9.99 for this book (at the absolute most.)2. It is described as "lavishly illustrated." This might be true when compared to a 2nd grade classroom. The classroom probably has more artwork in it though, but the quality is very likely not as good as the book's. To me, the phrase "lavishly illustrated" would mean some kind of full color artwork on every other page or so, maybe every third page. This book has a section with a small handful of colored illustrations in the middle. Most of the other "lavishly illustrated" pages are actually photographs of statues, tombs and some contemporary artwork, all of which is presented in black and white, not color. Sorry to get hung up on the pictures, I know it is not supposed to be about that, but it sort of pissed me off how misleading the description was. Also, I was looking for some pictures to use as costume references, so I may be a bit more worked up about this particular point than is totally necessary.3. The author admits to not being able to provide a lot of info because of the book's length during the introduction. At best, this is an interesting and informative outline of the condottiere and their role in Italian warfare during the late middle ages. For a library or school classroom, probably a really cool book to have, but if you are trying to do any real research on the condottiere, look elsewhere. Especially for the price they're asking.

Starting in the 14th Century, the petty warring states of Italy began to recruit mercenaries from all over western and central Europe to fight their wars for them. These men were the condottiere, and after several generations of living off the wealth of Italy, they came to be the most well armed, and also some of the most dangerous, of the many mercenary bands of late medieval-Renaissance era Europe. Such was their reputation for their violence, lust, and decadence that whenever they prepared to take up residence in or near a city, the inhabitants sent all their young women as far away as they could.In many ways, the condottiere represented a high point of late medieval warfare, wearing the finest gothic armor and fighting with swords and lances. They also employed footmen to wield staff weapons, longbows, and various primitive firearms. The finer details of their appearance and armament, as well as their daily life, experience of battle, medical treatment (or more often, lack thereof), and their straightforward battle tactics are all expertly examined by the author David Murphy.The color plates are by the experienced Osprey artist Graham Turner, and are nicely done indeed. They expertly portray the condottiere at various stages of his career, including recruitment and battle. The appearance of individual condottiere at the beginning and end of this period are also illustrated, along with battle tactics, medical treatment, English condottiere on the march, a mercenary suiting up before a battle, and Niccolo de Tolentino, a famous Florentine condottiere leader, goading his men on at the Battle of San Romano in 1432.Other useful details of the book include the black-and-white illustrations and photographs throughout, a short chronology, and a handy glossary at the back. Overall, this book serves as a fine source on the men who were indeed the most 'Infamous Medieval Mercenaries'.

When you purchase a book from Osprey Publishing, you never know what you are going to get. At their worst, they are incredibly dull not withstanding all the earnest hard work that some poor enthusiast put into them. But when they are good, an Osprey book can be a little gem. David Murphy's "Condotierre" is one of the reasons why I still continue to purchase Osprey books. Murphy is a talented writer who knows his subject. Condotierre life from enlistment to the end of career is richly spelled out. Graham Turner's illustrations are first rate and do a great job of envoking the time period. I judge the success of any Osprey title by how much it inspires me to read more on the topic. Having finished this book, I ordered a new copy of Machiavelli's "The Prince". Highly recommended.

Short, but informative. Has a lot of the stuff that would be more difficult to find through primary source research. Kind of wish I could be a Condottiere now.

I was looking for a book to provide an introduction to Later Italian Medieval warfare. This one fits the bill ideally. Informative, well laid out and well illustrated. Sold at a good price and quickly delivered.

Excellent, very well written

Sucht man Literatur zur Geschichte des Söldnerwesens im Mittelalter oder der Frühen Neuzeit stößt man auf umfangreiche Monographien. Kurze Einführungen, die einen schnellen Einblick in die Thematik ermöglichen, sind schwer zu finden. Das von David Murphy verfasste Buch ist ein solche. In Condottiere behandelt der Autor die Entstehung und Entwicklung des Söldnerwesen im Italien des Spätmittelalters, wobei der Autor auf knapp 60 Seiten Anwerbung, Bewaffnung, Bezahlung, Lagerleben und Kampfweise beleuchtet. Als informative Literatur zum Einstieg in die Thematik hervorragend geeignet.