Osprey Men-at-Arms 376 : Italian Medieval Armies 1000-1300

These three centuries saw Italy emerge from the Dark Ages as a distinct and separate entity within medieval Europe - though still a fragmented one. Northern Italy threw off the domination of the German ("Holy Roman") Emperors, and the increasingly independent cities raised "communal" armies according to entirely new military systems, which proved themselves capable of defeating outside invaders. In central Italy the Papacy developed into a military power in its own right. In the south Byzantine and Islamic power gave way before that of the new Norman states. Several cities became important centres of arms and armour production; far-flung trading contacts led to naval domination and the rise of Genoese and Venetian colonies around the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Arms and armour used in Italy therefore incorporated many and varied outside influences, and distinctively Italian military systems were exported far and wide. Text by David Nicolle with illustrations by Angus McBride.

Contents

• The 'Communal' Armies of Urban Northern Italy
  Resisting Magyar Attack
  Throwing off German Domination
  Recruiting French Mercenaries
• The 'Feudal' Armies of Rural Italy
• Trade and Naval Domination
• The 'Crossbow Revolution'
• Italy and the Crusades - The Military Power of the Papacy
• The Normans in the South - Outside Influences
• The Development of the Italian Arms Industry