Black Bands
| Black Bands | |
|---|---|
Giovanni de' Medici |
The Black Bands (
the Sesia in 1523. A pay dispute led to it transferring its allegiance to Francis I of France; it took part in the Battle of Pavia under the command of Richard de la Pole
(d. 1525), known as the "White Rose". In addition to the Italian units, German mercenaries in service of Francis I were called the "German black bands".
At the start of the
Odet de Foix, Vicomte de Lautrec. It retreated from the siege with the remainder of the French army—crippled by the plague
—and surrendered to the Imperial forces in late 1528, disbanding shortly afterwards.
References
- Arfaioli, Maurizio. The Black Bands of Giovanni: Infantry and Diplomacy During the Italian Wars (1526–1528). Pisa: Pisa University Press, Edizioni Plus, 2005. ISBN 88-8492-231-3.
- Hackett, Francis. Francis the First. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Doran & Co., 1937.
- Konstam, Angus. Pavia 1525: The Climax of the Italian Wars. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 1996. ISBN 1-85532-504-7.
- Taylor, Frederick Lewis. The Art of War in Italy, 1494–1529. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1973. ISBN 0-8371-5025-6.
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