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)

6th Anniversary episode - Best of the sketches

6th Anniversary episode - Best of the sketches

To celebrate our 6th anniversary on 3rd January, we look back on some of the most memorable sketches that have accompanied the regular episodes. From the first appearance of the Great Turnip, through the fish, frog, falcon fly king, strange trade corporations in Florence, agreeing on baguette battles to a conversation with the supreme being himself. Follow us on a rather silly journey down memory lane.

3 Tammi 202445min

Interview on the Aldo Moro Affair with Simon Gaul, Author of "White Suicide"

Interview on the Aldo Moro Affair with Simon Gaul, Author of "White Suicide"

We spoke to Travel book author, adventurer and novelist Simon Gaul about his new book "White Suicide" which covers a dark period of Italian history in which Christian Democrat Party leader Aldo Moro was kidnapped and assassinated just as he was about to sign a historical deal which would have allowed the Italian communist party a seat at the table of Italian government.The kidnapping and murder were claimed by the far left Red Brigades, but strong suspicions remain to this day about the involvement of members of the infamous P2 Masonic lodge, members of the Italian political establishment and even the CIA.In his novel on the affair, Simon brings together highly in-depth research with an intelligent fictional reconstruction of aspects we do not know to this day... and may never know.

19 Joulu 202343min

163 - The rise and Fall of Gerolamo Savonarola

163 - The rise and Fall of Gerolamo Savonarola

We follow the life of mystic, prophet and monk, Gerolamo Savonarola, who came to have a great moral influence over Florence, particularly after the expulsion of the Medici. His increasing fiery denunciation of the immorality of the Florentines and then the church and pope Alexander VI made him more and more enemies, ready to pounce on him the moment his popularity waned.

12 Joulu 202324min

162 - The Italian wars 2- opening hostilities and the Medici get kicked out

162 - The Italian wars 2- opening hostilities and the Medici get kicked out

Charles VIII of France starts to head into Italy, beginning with the lands of Savoy where a 2-year-old duke leaves things to his mum to deal with the expensive guest who also asks her for a loan.Meanwhile, the Neapolitans try to go on the offensive by attacking locations along the Tuscan and Ligurian coast to no avail.Charles then meets with Ludovico il Moro, then the real duke of Milan Gian Galeazzo Sforza, who then dies a week after the meeting, saying goodbye to his dogs and horses at his deathbed.Then it is to Florence, where the son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, Piero, after sitting on the fence for a while, rolls over and gives Charles more than necessary and hets kicked out of Florence for it.Charles, however, fares no better with the new Florentine government and after a confusing argument about horns and bells, he makes his way to Rome with reduced results from the negotiation.

28 Marras 202323min

161 - The Italian wars 1: setting up and setting off

161 - The Italian wars 1: setting up and setting off

We look at the background to the expedition by King Charles VIII of France into Italy to claim the throne of Naples. This takes us to explore the situation i Milan, with Duke Gian Galeazzo Sforza and his uncle Ludovico il Moro, then to Naples, where king Alphonse II has just succeeded his father Ferrante. We see the diplomatic and military preparation that once again sees the Italian powers, Milan, Venice, Florence, the Papal States and Naples have to decide which side to line up on, with the novelty of the most powerful army in Europe heading into the peninsula.This is the start of the Italian Wars, the conflict that really took Europe into the Modern Age.

14 Marras 202316min

Recap 07 - Episodes 139 to 160

Recap 07 - Episodes 139 to 160

Before charging into the modern age, we take our usual look back on past episodes for a recap. In this case we look at the middle to late 15th century as the "big five" Naples, Milan, Venice, Florence and the Papal States struggle for dominance in a complicated balance, without forgetting interesting minor players, such as Savoy, Urbino and Trentino.

26 Loka 202328min

Special: 9th October 1963 - Vajont, a man-made natural disaster

Special: 9th October 1963 - Vajont, a man-made natural disaster

We go back to a quiet mountain valley of north-eastern Italy where the peace was forever broken by one of the country's most ambitious architerctural and engineering projects that ended in one of the worst disasters in the history of Italy in the 20th century.This is the story of how progress and profit was put before thousands of human lives, this is the story of Vajont, a story that must be remenered,

10 Loka 202334min

Quick annoucement - demolition work in progress

Quick annoucement - demolition work in progress

Just a few seconds to let you knwo that we are almost ready to get back on track, but we need for the surroundings to go back so some minimal for of tranquility

3 Loka 20231min

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