Editing Condottiero (section)

===Background===
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2018}}
{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| width             = 210
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| image1            = Visconti, Luchino (12.. 1349).jpg
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| caption1          = [[Luchino Visconti (died 1349)|Luchino Visconti]] defeated the ''Company of Saint George'' of [[Werner von Urslingen]] at the [[Battle of Parabiago]] in [[Lombardy]] in 1339.
| image2            = Albericodabarbiano.jpg
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = [[Alberico da Barbiano]], a mercenary alongside [[John Hawkwood]], founded his own (all Italian) {{lang|it|condotta}}, the ''Company of St. George'', and reached acclaim by defeating the [[Breton people|Breton]] company of anti-pope [[Clement VII]] at {{ill|Battle of Marino|fr|Bataille de Marino|lt=Marino}} in 1379, as well as fostering notable other condottiere such as [[Facino Cane]] and [[Braccio da Montone]].
}}

In the 13th and 14th centuries, the Italian [[city-state]]s of [[Republic of Venice|Venice]], [[Republic of Florence|Florence]], and [[republic of Genoa|Genoa]] were very rich from their trade with the [[Levant]], yet possessed woefully small armies. In the event that foreign powers and envious neighbours attacked, the ruling nobles hired foreign mercenaries to fight for them. The military-service terms and conditions were stipulated in a {{lang|it|condotta}} (contract) between the city-state and the soldiers (officer and enlisted man), thus, the "contracted" leader, the mercenary captain commanding, was titled the "Condottiere".

From the eleventh to the thirteenth century, European soldiers led by professional officers fought against the [[Muslims]] in [[crusades|the Crusades]] (1095–1291). These crusading officers provided large-scale warfare combat experience in the Holy Land. At the Crusades' conclusion, the first {{lang|it|masnada}} (bands of roving soldiers; {{plural form}}: {{lang|it|masnade}}) appeared in Italy. Given the profession, some {{lang|it|masnade}} were less mercenaries than bandits and desperate men. These {{lang|it|masnade}} were not Italian, but (mostly) [[Flemings]], from the [[Duchy of Brabant]] (hence, {{lang|it|Brabanzoni}}), and from [[Aragon]]. The latter were Spanish soldiers who had followed King [[Peter III of Aragon]] in the [[War of the Sicilian Vespers]] in Italy in October 1282, and, post-war, remained there, seeking military employment. By 1333 other mercenaries had arrived in Italy to fight with [[John of Bohemia]] as the {{lang|it|Compagnia della Colomba}} (Company of the Dove) in [[Perugia]]'s war against [[Arezzo]]. The first well-organised mercenaries in Italy were the Ventura Companies of [[Werner von Urslingen|Duke Werner von Urslingen]] and [[Konrad von Landau|Count Konrad von Landau]]. Werner's company differed from other mercenary companies because its code of military justice imposed discipline and an equal division of the contract's income. The Ventura Company increased in number until becoming the fearsome "[[The Great Company (German)|Great Company]]" of some 3,000 {{lang|it|barbute}} (each {{lang|it|barbuta}} comprised a knight and a sergeant).