French med. and early modern civic militias

[bigdummy]

What is the meaning of the constant "sol. bon." stuff?

Also am I the only one that thinks it's pretty bloody significant that Piermarco has found evidence of what appear to be fencing guilds in Bologna in the 12th and 13th Centuries?

BD

[bigdummy]

This may have some relevance on the whole lombard league connection, and the Bolognese fighting guilds, though these guys seem to mostly come from Brescia. Apparently some elite units of cavalry and infantry formed out of the civic militias, to defend the Carroccio.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_of_Death

Informed of the Emperor's coming, the Milanese (authorities) commanded to prepare the weapons to resist him. And a company ("societas") is made of nine hundred chosen men, fighting on great horses, who swear that no one would have fled from the battlefield for fear of death and they would not allow anyone to betray the Municipality of Milan, and also they swore that they would have taken every day to the battlefield to fight against the Emperor. At that point, the Municipality chose the weapons and the banner, and a ring was given in hand to each one of these men and they were recruited as knights in the pay of the City, so that if anyone had fled he would rightly have been killed. Head of this company was Alberto da Giussano, who carried the banner of the City. Then came another company made of chosen soldiers on foot, for the custody of the Carroccio, and all of them swore they would rather die than flee from the battlefield. And three hundred battle wagons ("vessels") are manufactured and for each one there were six horses covered (by armour), dragging the vehicle. In every wagon there were ten men moving sickles to cut grass meadows, to cut hostiles as sailors move the oars: it was a terrible equipment against the enemies. (Galvano Fiamma, Chronica Galvanica cap. 291 f. 81v).

Possible period artwork depicting Carroccio





Relevant to the partly translated excerpts from the Bolognese records, the above references cavalry (the cavalcado?), and shields, as well as elite infantry.

BD

[bigdummy]

A little insight into urban conflict in Medieval Bologna.

This is a pretty intense period depiction of warfare between the Guelph and Ghibeline militia in Bologna in 1369



Source is the Croniche of Giovanni Sercambi of Lucca, circa 1400


BD

[Thearos]

Just caught my eye— C14th and 15th Toulouse had its own troops, fought against English troops and took forts back from them; the Tolousain militias had to be reined in by royal intervention. I know of one monograph on Toulouse, by R. Schneider, but that starts in 1463.