Sir John Hawkwood: Story of a Condottiere

By John Temple-Leader and Giuseppe Marcotti

Translated by Leader Scott

Published by T. Fisher Unwin (London) in 1889

This account of the life and career of John Hawkwood, and the role of mercenaries in Italian warfare during the fourteenth century, is still considered a valuable and highly-readable work.  This work is divided into forty-four chapters, which we have republished in PDF format.  Readers should also consult a new book by William Caffero: John Hawkwood: An English Mercenary in Fourteenth-Century Italy, published by John Hopkins University Press. Click here for more information on this book.

Preface

Chapter 1: The Hawkwood Family - First Engagements in France

Chapter 2: The English in Piedmont - The Conte Verde - The Death of Count Lando

Chapter 3: Entry into Tuscany - Against Florence with the Pisans

Chapter 4: Florence Menaced - Hawkwood faithful to the Pisans

Chapter 5: The Defeat at Cascina - The Doge of Pisa - The Wandering Englishmen

Chapter 6: The Organism of Mercenary Companies

Chapter 7: The Perugian War - The English beaten by the Germans

Chapter 8: A Hawkwood, A Visconti, and a Hapsburg in the Company of St. George

Chapter 9: The Defence of Borgoforte - Defeat at Arezzo - Victory at Cascina

Chapter 10: Campaign in Lombardy for and against Bernabo Visconti

Chapter 11: A battle regained: Correspondence with Gregory XI

Chapter 12: The exhortation of Saint Catherine - The Holy Company

Chapter 13: Two Millions and half in Three Months

Chapter 14: A Cardinal as hostage - Hawkwood as Landed Proprietor

Chapter 15: The slaughter at Faenza - Hostility with Bologna - Occupations in time of truce

Chapter 16: The Tower of Cotignole - Double Play

Chapter 17: The slaughter of Cesena - Hawkwood against the Church

Chapter 18: Marriage to Donnina Visconti - In the Romagna against the Bretons

Chapter 19: Hawkwood as a Mediator for Peace - Grosseto liberated - Winter Quarters

Chapter 20: Serving Two Masters

Chapter 21: A Father-in-law badly treated by his son-in-law

Chapter 22: The Company of the two brothers-in-law - Hawkwood fighting for his possessions - A revolution prevented

Chapter 23: Against the Company of St. George - The Contest with Astorre Manfredi

Chapter 24: Hawkwood sells his possessions in Romagna and has Florence at his feet

Chapter 25: Hawkwood maintains order and checks the Company of St. George - Enters the pay of the Pope

Chapter 26: Deeds and Affairs of Hawkwood in the Kingdom of Naples

Chapter 27: The Catastrophe of Bernabo Visconti

Chapter 28: War between the Carraras of Padua and the Scaligers of Verona

Chapter 29: The Battle of Castagnaro

Chapter 30: Liquidation of Property - The English in the service of the Pope

Chapter 31: Carlo Visconti and the the Pope's Englishmen under Hawkwood's orders

Chapter 32: The Neapolitan Enterprise

Chapter 33: War in time of Peace

Chapter 34: First Operations against Gian Galeazzo

Chapter 35: The march to the banks of the Adda

Chapter 36: The Retreat across the Adige

Chapter 37: The War in Tuscany

Chapter 38: Marriages of Janet and Catherine Hawkwood

Chapter 39: Monument to the Living Hawkwood

Chapter 40: The Castle of Montecchio

Chapter 41: Death and Funeral Obsequies

Chapter 42: The Monument in Santa Maria del Fiore

Chapter 43: Hereditary Liquidations

Chapter 44: Hawkwood's descendants - The Two Roses

 

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