197 - Giovanni of the Black Bands part II - The invincible very naughty boy
A History of Italy11 Marras 2025

197 - Giovanni of the Black Bands part II - The invincible very naughty boy

Episode Summary

Picking up where we left off, Giovanni de’ Medici, son of Caterina Sforza and known to history as Giovanni of the Black Bands, continues his meteoric rise through the bloody and chaotic world of Renaissance warfare. Backed by a Medici pope and driven by his fierce loyalty to his men, Giovanni’s legend as a mercenary commander — and his troubles with the powerful Medici family — only grow.

Host Mike Corradi unpacks the dangerous charisma, discipline, and contradictions of this larger-than-life condottiero: a man both feared and admired, ruthless yet loyal, reckless yet revered. From duels and executions to daring river crossings and political intrigue, this episode captures Giovanni at the height of his brutal glory.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode
  • From Soldier to Legend – How Giovanni built the feared and disciplined Black Bands, and the tough standards that made them famous.
  • Mercenary Life in Renaissance Italy – The realities of the “condotta” contract system, pay, discipline, and the fine line between soldiers and extortionists.
  • A Code of Blood and Brotherhood – Giovanni’s uncompromising justice, personal duels, and brutal loyalty to his men.
  • Exile and Recklessness – The duel with Camillo d’Appiano, murders in Florence, and yet another banishment for the restless Medici captain.
  • Back to War – Giovanni’s return to papal service, his victories in the Marche, and the death of Pope Leo X — when his men finally took the name The Black Bands.
  • The Battle of Vaprio (1521) – A daring river crossing, a sleeping French commander, and a crucial victory that spared Milan from destruction.
  • Family and Bloodlines Again – Giovanni’s rescue of his stepsister Bianca Riario, echoing his mother Caterina’s courage.
  • A New Companion – The arrival of Pietro Aretino, the scandalous writer and provocateur, whose influence on Giovanni we’ll soon discover.

Key Figures
  • Giovanni de’ Medici “of the Black Bands” – The fearless condottiero whose name became a legend.
  • Pope Leo X (Giovanni de’ Medici) – The Medici pope whose death marked a turning point for Giovanni’s army.
  • Maria Salviati – Giovanni’s long-suffering wife, holding the family together in his absence.
  • Prospero Colonna – The respected general under whom Giovanni fought, and a link to the fall of Cesare Borgia.
  • Bianca Riario – Giovanni’s stepsister and loyal supporter, mirroring their mother’s fierce independence.
  • Pietro Aretino – The notorious writer and satirist soon to become Giovanni’s newest and most scandalous ally.

Highlights & Insights
  • The discipline and image of the Black Bands as a symbol of military professionalism.
  • Giovanni’s ruthless moral code: loyalty rewarded, betrayal punished — often fatally.
  • The economic and moral contradictions of the condottieri trade.
  • How personal honour and vendetta shaped early 16th-century warfare.
  • The seeds of change as firearms began to replace the medieval knight.

Closing Thought

As Giovanni’s fame and ferocity spread across Italy, his world teeters between the medieval and the modern — where mercenary loyalty, family honour, and the politics of popes collide.

But with the arrival of a new friend — and bad influence — in Pietro Aretino, Giovanni’s story is about to take an even darker and more dangerous...

Jaksot(295)

Autumn 2024 update - episode, sketches, Italian schools and politics

Autumn 2024 update - episode, sketches, Italian schools and politics

Just a quick update to apologise for a publishing delay and tell you a little about our sketches, the Italian school system and the current political situation in Italy

4 Joulu 20247min

181 - Cesare Borgia flying high (1501 - 1502)

181 - Cesare Borgia flying high (1501 - 1502)

After doing his part for the French in the second Italian War Cesare Borgia heads back to Rome to concur with his father pope Alexander VI. They take care of some internal business with the Colonna, Orsini and Savelli and Cesare takes some time to kill some bulls and impregnate a few women.Then Cesare heads back to expand his duchy of Romagna aiming for Camerino and Urbino of the Montefeltro, while his captains, particularly Vitelozzo Vitelli and Giampsolo Baglioni.As Cesare rises higher, those around him, even the allies, start to worry.

19 Marras 202415min

180 - The Challenge of Barletta (1503)

180 - The Challenge of Barletta (1503)

We first follow the life of the military captain Ettore Fieramosca (Hector Proudfly) and his troubled love story with Ginvenra da Monreale which ended tragically after the intervention of Cesare Borgia.We then move to the lead up and action to one of the most famous duels in Italian history, the Challenge of Barletta (La Disfida di Barletta) in which 13 Italian knights faced off against 13 French knights lead by Guy De La Motte to defend the honour of Italian arms.The duel would resound throughout Italian history reaching through the Italian Risorgimento to the Fascist era.The Italians:Francesco SalamoneMarco CorollarioRiccio Da Parma Gugliemo albamonte Mariano marcio AbignenteGiovanni Capoccio da Giovanni BrancaleoneLudocivo AbenavoloEttore GiovenaleGiovanni Bartolomeo Fanfulla Romanello da ForlìEttore Gioveneale de pazzisThe French:Charles de torguesMarc De FrigneGirout de ForsesClaude Grajan D'asteMartellin de lambrisPierre de liayeJacques de la fontaineEliot de barautJean De LandesSacet de saceetFrancois de piseJacques de GuignesNaute de la Faise

5 Marras 202416min

179 - Italian Wars 9: The Fall of Naples and France vs Spain

179 - Italian Wars 9: The Fall of Naples and France vs Spain

Naples once again falls to the French of king Luis XII, but once again they can't hold on to it for long as the delicate agreement with the Spanish of Queen Isabella and king Ferdinand quickly melts away and the legendary general Gonzalo De Cordoba manages to win the kingdom of Naples for his sovereigns with great victories at Cerignola and on the Garigliano river among others.We also see a little involvement of our old pal Cesare Borgia and hear about a tragic love triangle he was involved in with a woman called Ginevra da Monreale and a man who will resound through Italian history and literature called Hector Proudfly, Ettore Fieramosca.

22 Loka 202421min

178 New triumphs for Cesare and Naples under three (again) 1500 - 1501

178 New triumphs for Cesare and Naples under three (again) 1500 - 1501

We follow Cesare Borgia as he continues his conquest ousting Giovanni Sforza from Pesaro, Pandolfo Malatesta from Rimini and Astorre Manfredi from Faenza. We are also introduced to one of his most important generals, Vitelozzo Vitelli and his vengeful hatred for the Republic of Florence who executed his brother.Finally, France and Spain reach a secret pact for the division of the kingdom of Naples.https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Province_1454.jpg

8 Loka 202416min

177 - Italian Wars 8 - Il Moro back in Milan… for a bit (1500 - 1508)

177 - Italian Wars 8 - Il Moro back in Milan… for a bit (1500 - 1508)

With the French hold on Milan looking weak, Ludovico il Moro sees his chance to take his duchy back, but only manages for a while before he is defeated at the Battle of Novara, made prisoner and taken to France where he will spend the rest of his days in captivity.

24 Syys 202417min

176 - Cesare the conqueror (1499 - 1500)

176 - Cesare the conqueror (1499 - 1500)

As we set the scene for the start of Cesare Borgia's military campaign, we start to observe the ominous signs of what is to come in Rome with the arbitrary accusation and confiscations of the Roman nobility. Then we go exploring to see what we intend with the term "Romagna" and trace it back to Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, the Byzantines and Julius Cesar's famous "The die is cast" speech, pronounced in Rimini after crossing the Rubicon river which we will also do to visit with the Malatesta of Rimini before Cesare comes to face of with Caterina Sforza to start his conquest. See link to Romagna explanation:https://emilia-o-romagna.netlify.app

10 Syys 202419min

175 - The Italian Wars 7 - Milan under threat (1499)

175 - The Italian Wars 7 - Milan under threat (1499)

King Louis XII prepares to descend upon Milan to stake his claim to the duchy. Before he sees out he needs to make deals with England, The Swiss and the Italian powers, Savoy and Ve3nice.Meanwhile, duke Ludovico il Moro is also preparing and doing a really bad job of it. The results will show.

27 Elo 202416min

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