Customer Reviews

The Art of War in Italy, 1494-1529.

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On a whim, I ordered "The Art of War in Italy, 1494-1529," by F. L. Taylor, reprinted by Forgotten Books. Initialy thinking of simply having it on my shelf for a reference, I find it a fascinating and enjoyable read.

Taylor offers details along with overview of this formative, 35-year period. For example, on the battle of Bicocca, Taylor mentions: "The front of the Imperial Army which was protected by a sunken road, consisted of four ranks of arquebusiers, mainly Spanish, with German pikemen massed immediately behind them, The arquebusiers were instructed by Pescara to hold their fire until the advancing Swiss were at close range; then, when he gave the signal, each rank was to shoot in turn and to reload in a kneeling posture in order to leave a clear field of fire for the ranks behind." And: "Giovanni de' Medici, who undertook this task with a mixed force of cavary and arqubusiers, found his movements hampered by the slowness of his unmounted troops. Hitherto such a difficulty had been overcome on special occasions by mouting infantry on the crupper behind light cavalry. Taught by his experience at Bicocca, Giovani now began to mount a proportion of arquebusiers on horses of little value and to mix them with his cavalry; when they came into action they dismounted and fought as footsoldiers." Plus this: "...there came the modern view of war as a means to a political end. Commanders look beyond victory to the fruits of victory. They fight not for glory but for the possession of Italy."

The book was originally published by Cambridge Press in 1921 and apparently its copyright elapsed, hence, Forgotten Press reviving it. It's only 228 pages long with larger-than-average type, written in an engaging style.

I purchased this book as a research tool for my two novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--covering the Italian Wars, the Second Inquisition and, especially, the Conquest of Mexico.

Spanish mercenaries were prominent in the shifting alliances and wars that characterized renaissance Italy. The Spaniards were regarded as "the best" and it is no accident that many of these same mercenaries found their way to the Americas to fight against the natives. Cortez, himself, valued his "Italian" fighters above all others because they were the only troops that had formal military training.

The story is as confusing as were the events themselves. French, Germans, Swiss, Spaniards, Italians and other nationalities locked together in seemingly pointless conflicts. He who paid the most, got the most troops and usually won. Frequently bloodshed wasn't even necessary. It was sometimes more of a chess match than a killing ground. Still, there was plenty of killing. Aristocrats were oftentimes ransomed whereas peasants faced execution. Woodcuts of the period often show dozens of defeated soldiers hanging from available trees.

Anyway, I found the book useful and informative and I'd recommend it for those interested in Renaissance warfare and the Spanish conquest of the Americas.

Ron Braithwaite, author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico