Free Companies

[Nulgath 911]

A phenomenon of this era was the establishment and political significance of many mercenary companies who in lieu of centralised armies were employed by various states to fight their wars. I will use this thread to gather information on these Free companies as well as the most famous condottieri. This is quite the undertaking so I welcome any suggestions or information you find.

Free Companies:
Navaresse Company
Great Company
Company of the Hat (Compagnia del Cappalletto)
Company of the Star (Compagnia della Stella)

[Nulgath 911]

The First Free Company is the Navarrese Company, instrumental in the conquest of Durazzo by Louis d'Évreux and then an important player in Greek politics until the Ottoman Conquest.

Navarrese Company


First available to the kingdom of Naples under Louis of Évreux in 1375 and should spawn near the city of Durazzo as historically they retake it in 1376.

In 1378 the Knights of St John should have the opportunity to hire them as they are invited south to help the Hospitallers conquer the Principality of Achaea. They are under the command of Juan de Urtubia.


Commanders


Louis d'Évreux


- Coat of Arms

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Born the Count of Beaumont-le-Roger in Normandy, he was the youngest son of Philip III of Navarre and Joan II of Navarre.

He acquited himself well in the Hundred Years War, siding with the English following the Battle of Poitiers and ravaged French controlled Normandy.

In 1365, he marries Joanna, Duchess of Durazzo, in 1368 the city is captured by the Albanian warlord Karl Thopia. Both Louis and his wife begin planning the reconquest of not only Durazzo but the Angevin kingdom of Albania in its entirety, in this endeavour they have the support of Louis' brother Charles II the Bad King of Navarre as well as Charles V King of France.

Having fought previously with the Navarrese Company in France he hires them in 1372 and thousands of recruits from Navarre begin to swell it's ranks.
After taking the city of Durazzo in midsummer 1376 Louis dies shortly after leaving behind his wife and no legitimate issue, however his illegitimate son, Carlos de Beaumont, who would be the founder of the House of Beaumont who would come to play a significant role in Navarrese internal politics.

Juan de Urtubia

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Navarrese royal squire who was one of the four original captains of the Navarrese Company which went to Albania with Louis d' Évreux. He led the largest sub-company at fifty men.


No record of him until 1378 when he is in the employ of Nerio I Acciaioli. He is then employed by the Hospitallers to wrest control of Achaea from the Catalan Grand Company . He invades Boeotia in the spring of 1379 and the city of Thebes, the capital of the Duchy of Athens and principal city of Boeotia falls to him shortly after. He also conquered Livadeia in 1381 before he died.
His actions in Morea brought an end to the period of Catalan dominance

Events
1375

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

My King, the displaced Duke of Durazzo, Louis d' Évreux and his mercenary Navarrese Company have come to seek support in their reconquest of Albania.


The turmoil of the Sicilian Vespers and successful Romancounteroffensives had seen the Angevin Kingdom of Albania had been reduced tothe area surrounding Durazzo by the mid 14th century before being captured byKarl Thopia in 1368.


In return for 15,000 florins Louis d'Evreux will acknowledge your suzerainty and govern his Albanianterritories in your name. However if we do not lend our support he will seek to reestablish Albania as a independent kingdom.


Born in 1341, Louis was the youngest son of King Philip III ofNavarre and Joan II of Navarre. By virtue of his Capetian ancestry and Joanbeing the only issue of Louis X, the couple had a very strong negotiating position during the end of the Capetian dynasty, resulting in their coronation as rulers of Navarre as well as various territories in France. Louis' secondmarriage was to Joanna of Durazzo in 1365, making him Duke of Durazzo in rightof his wife.


Louis took part in the Hundred Years War, siding with the English after the Battle of Poitiers as the French held his brother captive, it was here as he ravaged Normandy and Gascony that he first came into contact with the Navarrese Company, employing them to bring chaos to the French countryside.


Under Louis the Navarrese Company placed an emphasis on the technical aspects of warfare recruiting many engineers into their ranks. After successfully taking the city of Durazzo the Navarrese company would be drawn south coming into conflict with the various despots of Morea and Achaea, and under famous leaders such as Juan de Urtubia would displace the Catalan Great Company and even be granted imperial titles to govern Achaea.

1378

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Grand Master, the famed Navarrese noble Juan de Urtubia and his mercenary Navarrese Company have arrived in Greece.


Having previously been employed by the Duke of Durazzo, he is now requesting 10,000 florins in exchange for his troops. If paid he and his soldiers will join your state as a mercenary captain. However, if you decline he will be employed by your enemies and fight against you.


A Navarrese royal squire who was one of the four original captainsof the Navarrese Company, Juan led a large portion of the company south to Greece at the behest of Nerio I Acciaioli and the Hospitallers. His crowning achievement was the conquest of Thebes in 1379, which brought about the fall of the Catalan Great Company in Greece.


The Navarrese Company would remain a power in Greece as they shifted allegiances between the various temporal lords whilst building their own territories. This would come to an end with the Ottoman conquest of Greece in 1456.

[MIKE GOLF]

Very informative. I just ordered the Osprey book on the Condotterie, so that should go nicely with this thread.

[Nulgath 911]

The next Free Company is the German Great Company, one of the most notorious mercenary companies of the period, and responsible for many atrocities which permanently blackened the reputations of merceneries in Italy during the second half of the 14th century. It is of little surprise when their founder, Werner von Urslingen, had a motto of 'Enemy of God, Enemy of Piety, Enemy of Pity'.

First available to Venice in 1358, and then Milan in 1363.

Commander:
Konrad von Landau

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Swabian count and mercenary. The counts of Landau formed a highly respected lineage in Swabia and were closely related to the House of Württemberg. Konrad von Landau started his military career within the retinue of Werner von Urslingen in 1348. As for many other soldiers of fortune of his generation, the wars of Naples served as his training ground. He remained asubcommander within the Great Company. By 1354, he nevertheless was promoted to the position of a second-in-command of the company alongside Fra Moriale. After his partner was executed in August 1354 in Rome, Landau remained for the nine years until his death the captain-general of the Great Company.
Although the majority of his followers were German, there were also substantial Italian, French, Spanish, and Hungarian elements in his company. Landau joined forces at various times with another German captain,Haneken Bongard.
At the height of its fame, Landau’s company consisted of several thousand men, chiefly armored cavalry. Landau gained a great reputation as amercenary commander. The Italians called him “il conte Lando.” His most remarkable achievement was to form a lasting organization out of men of different origins and with ever-changing interests. The structure of the company itself was corporate. Decisions were made by common consent: the booty was divided, and contracts were signed not only by the captain-general but also by several hundred subcommanders. There was little continuity in the contingents. Most of their members were the brothers, nephews, friends, and local followers of the Swabian counts. Prominent German condottieri of the fourteenth century such as the Counts Lutz and Eberhard von Landau, Hartmannvon Wartstein, and Konrad von Aichelberg were either relatives of Landau or had started their own careers as military commanders after serving in his retinue.
The Great Company fought under many banners and very often changed allegiance. The biggest profits were made with successful terror campaigns in central Italy. Although much feared, the Great Company was not unbeatable. On25 July 1358 the Company was defeated in a humiliating way by the army of Florence in Val di Lamone. Landau was wounded and as a consequence he retreated for some months from the Italian scene to his home in Swabia. There he investedsome of his war profits. This setback, however, was only temporary. In 1359 Landau once again tried to invade southern Italy and was again opposed by a Florentine army at Campo delle Mosche. Thereafter he chose to stay in northern Italy in the service of the Visconti. While fighting for Milan, he faced the English White Company, which by that time was more advanced with regard to combat tactics and formations. Landau was killed on 22 June 1363. He very likely died a wealthy man. His coat of arms is still visible in the church of San Giorgetto in Verona.

Events:
1358

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

My Lord, the infamous condottiere Konrad von Landau and the Great Company he leads have arrived at the gates of our capital.

His men are known for extorting large amounts of money Italian states. He is now requesting 15,000 florins in exchange for his protection. If paid he and some of his soldiers will join your state as a mercenary captain. However, if he will not be paid his armies will fight against your state and ravage your lands!

Konrad has spent the last twenty years fighting in various conflicts all over the Italian peninsula, and has spent the last ten years working his way to the helm of the Great Company, amassing a huge fortune in ransoms.

Konrad was born the eldest son of Count Eberardo III in the ancient Swabian village of Burg Landau in Wurttemberg and inherited the title of Count of Landau.

At the height of its fame, Landau’s company consisted of several thousand men, chiefly armored cavalry. Although the majority of his followers were German, there were also substantial Italian, French, Spanish, and Hungarian elements in his company. Landau gained a great reputation as a mercenary commander. The Italians called him “il conte Lando.”

His most remarkable achievement was to form a lasting organization out of men of different origins and with ever-changing interests. The structure of the company itself was corporate. Decisions were made by common consent: the booty was divided, and contracts were signed not only by the captain-general but also by several hundred subcommanders.

1363

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

My Lord, the infamous condottiere Konrad von Landau and the Great Company he leads have arrived at the gates of our capital.
His men are known for extorting large amounts of money Italianstates. He is now requesting 15,000 florins in exchange for his protection. Ifpaid he and some of his soldiers will join your state as a mercenary captain.However, if he will not be paid his armies will fight against your state andravage your lands!

Konrad has spent over twenty years fighting in variousconflicts all over the Italian peninsula, and has been in command of the GreatCompany for nine years. After a crushing defeat in 1359, Konrad has beenrebuilding its forces.

Konrad was born the eldest son of Count Eberardo III in the ancientSwabian village of Burg Landau in Wurttemberg and inherited the title of Countof Landau.

At the height of its fame, Landau’s company consisted of severalthousand men, chiefly armoured cavalry. Although the majority of his followerswere German, there were also substantial Italian, French, Spanish, andHungarian elements in his company. Landau gained a great reputation as amercenary commander. The Italians called him “il conte Lando.”

His most remarkable achievement was to form a lasting organizationout of men of different origins and with ever-changing interests. The structureof the company itself was corporate. Decisions were made by common consent: thebooty was divided, and contracts were signed not only by the captain-generalbut also by several hundred subcommanders.

[Wallachian]

Very well done mate! Keep it coming

Now, here is an example of the code used for John Hawkwood

There are two big blocks of code. One for each faction that he spawns for. In this case there is a block for Florence and one for Milan.

Then within each of the two big blocks there are 2 smaller blocks with the two options:
- whether you pay and the condottiere joins your faction - in this case he only has a couple of units
- whether you don't pay and he appears as an enemy army - in this case he has a full stack

There are a few things that need changing:

I_TurnNumber - the turn when the merc should spawn, calculated as 2 turns per year from 1345
the faction
the name of the mercenary commander
the age of the mercenary commander at the time of spawning

x 43, y 196 - these are the coordinates on the map where the army spawns

Here is a list of good coordinates for most factions which can be used

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Anyways here are the places close to capitals (indicated if not) where u can spawn armies:


hungary= 160, 267
croatia= 120, 203
bosnia= 144, 205
ragusa= 147, 177
serbia= 196, 157
bulgaria= 263, 179
wallachia= 251, 219
moldova= 266, 263
tatars= 348, 258 Oleski, so they dont need to walk too much
byzantium= 307, 144
kantakouzenos = 280, 153
athens= 231, 81
rhodes= 303, 45
ottoman= 314, 126 Bursa, can change to Constantinople or Adrianople after conquest.
aydin= 298, 73
karaman= 373, 79
venice= 66, 234 Colonial factions could have 2 possible spawn points depending on the theatre of war. Fighting with Balkan factions or turks Venice could spawn armies in Peloponesus (202, 58) or Negroponte (235, 90)
genoa= 18, 212 Same as Venice, but colonial forces could be spawned in Chios (269, 89)
naples = 90, 143 Same as above, colonial forces spawn in Albania (172, 145) or Peloponesus (198, 81), Achaia was de facto Angevin vassal.
milan= 24, 230
florence= 43, 196
trinacria = 100, 81
austria= 129, 278
switzerland= 12, 270
papal_states =62, 165
timurids = 392, 72

Highlighted in green are the units that will spawn as part of these events. To figure out what the names of the units are you need to look in Tsardoms folder in the Data folder in the file called export_descr_unit

you will see something like this for each unit - the type is the name of the unit which needs to be replaced in the script below

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

;HUNGARY INFANTRY




type Hungarian Peasants
dictionary Hungarian_Peasants ; Hungarian Peasants, peasant, rural levy
category infantry
class light
voice_type Light
accent East_European
banner faction main_infantry
banner holy crusade
soldier hungarian_peasants, 60, 0, 1.05, 0.6
officer hungarian_officer
mount_effect horse +2, camel +2
attributes sea_faring, hide_improved_forest, can_withdraw, is_peasant, peasant, free_upkeep_unit, mercenary_unit
formation 1.8, 1.4, 3.6, 2.8, 5, square

Here is the whole script for John Hawkwood as an example.

This can be found in campaign_script file from D:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Medieval II Total War\mods\Tsardoms-2.0\data\world\maps\campaign\imperial_campaign

what you could do is have a crack at modifying this script

you could even test it out yourself. just make a copy of the campaign_script as a backup and then have a crack at modifying the one in your file and just have the event occuring in turn 1 so that you can test it easy

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

;;White Company




;;florence_hawkwood


monitor_event FactionTurnStart FactionType florence
and I_TurnNumber = 60


if I_LocalFaction florence
historic_event HAWKWOOD_MERCENARIES_OFFER true factions { florence, } ;


while I_EventCounter HAWKWOOD_MERCENARIES_OFFER_accepted = 0 ;;; while-loop to pause the script until a decision is made
and I_EventCounter HAWKWOOD_MERCENARIES_OFFER_declined = 0
end_while


if I_EventCounter HAWKWOOD_MERCENARIES_OFFER_accepted = 1 ; if the player accepts
spawn_army
faction florence
character Giovanni Acuto, named character, age 50, x 43, y 196, label Giovanni_Acuto1, portrait Giovanni_Acuto ; need to choose where to spawn the army
traits Biography_Giovanni_Acuto 1, Ethnic_English 1, Mercenary_Leader 1, Condottiere_Leader 1, Intelligent 2, BattleDread 2, StrategyDread 3, EthnoDetermined 1, HaleAndHearty 6
unitGerman Knights exp 3 armour 1 weapon_lvl 0
end
create_unit Giovanni_Acuto1, English Men at Arms, num 3, exp 2, arm 1, wep 0
create_unit Giovanni_Acuto1, English Longbowmen, num 3, exp 3, arm 0, wep 0
create_unit Giovanni_Acuto1, Pisan Archers, num 2, exp 3, arm 0, wep 0
console_command add_money florence, -15000 ;
terminate_monitor
end_if
if I_EventCounter HAWKWOOD_MERCENARIES_OFFER_declined = 1 ; if the player declines
historic_event HE_TRAITOR_CONDOTTA_COMPANY factions { florence, }
spawn_army
faction slave, sub_faction milan
character Giovanni Acuto, named character, age 50, x 43, y 196, label Giovanni_Acuto1, portrait Giovanni_Acuto
traits Biography_Giovanni_Acuto 1, Ethnic_English 1, Mercenary_Leader 1, Condottiere_Leader 1, Intelligent 2, BattleDread 2, StrategyDread 3, EthnoDetermined 1, HaleAndHearty 6

unit German Knights exp 4 armour 1 weapon_lvl 0
unit German Knights exp 1 armour 1 weapon_lvl 0
unit Condottieri Heavy Cavalry exp 3 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit Italian Lesser Knights exp 3 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit Mounted Sergeants exp 2 armour 1 weapon_lvl 0
unit Mounted Sergeants exp 2 armour 1 weapon_lvl 0
unit English Men at Arms exp 2 armour 1 weapon_lvl 0
unit English Men at Arms exp 1 armour 1 weapon_lvl 0
unit English Men at Arms exp 2 armour 1 weapon_lvl 0
unit English Men at Arms exp 3 armour 1 weapon_lvl 0
unit Guastatori Marauders exp 2 armour 1 weapon_lvl 0
unit Guastatori Marauders exp 1 armour 1 weapon_lvl 0
unit Hungarian Mercenary Spearmen exp 3 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit Hungarian Mercenary Spearmen exp 1 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit English Longbowmen exp 4 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit English Longbowmen exp 2 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit English Longbowmen exp 3 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit English Longbowmen exp 2 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit Pisan Archers exp 2 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
end
end_if
end_if
terminate_monitor
end_monitor


;;milan_hawkwood


monitor_event FactionTurnStart FactionType milan
and I_TurnNumber = 46


if I_LocalFaction milan
historic_event HAWKWOOD_MERCENARIES_OFFER true factions { milan, } ;


while I_EventCounter HAWKWOOD_MERCENARIES_OFFER_accepted = 0 ;;; while-loop to pause the script until a decision is made
and I_EventCounter HAWKWOOD_MERCENARIES_OFFER_declined = 0
end_while


if I_EventCounter HAWKWOOD_MERCENARIES_OFFER_accepted = 1 ; if the player accepts
spawn_army
faction milan
character Giovanni Acuto, named character, age 43, x 24, y 230, label Giovanni_Acuto2, portrait Giovanni_Acuto ; need to choose where to spawn the army
traits Biography_Giovanni_Acuto 1, Ethnic_English 1, Mercenary_Leader 1, Condottiere_Leader 1, Intelligent 2, BattleDread 2, StrategyDread 3, EthnoDetermined 1, HaleAndHearty 6
unit German Knights exp 3 armour 1 weapon_lvl 0
end
create_unit Giovanni_Acuto2, English Men at Arms, num 3, exp 2, arm 1, wep 0
create_unit Giovanni_Acuto2, English Longbowmen, num 3, exp 3, arm 0, wep 0
create_unit Giovanni_Acuto2, Pisan Archers, num 2, exp 3, arm 0, wep 0
console_command add_money milan, -15000 ;
terminate_monitor
end_if
if I_EventCounter HAWKWOOD_MERCENARIES_OFFER_declined = 1 ; if the player declines
historic_event HE_TRAITOR_CONDOTTA_COMPANY factions { milan, }
spawn_army
faction slave, sub_faction milan
character Giovanni Acuto, named character, age 43, x 24, y 230, label Giovanni_Acuto2, portrait Giovanni_Acuto;
traits Biography_Giovanni_Acuto 1, Ethnic_English 1, Mercenary_Leader 1, Condottiere_Leader 1, Intelligent 2, BattleDread 2, StrategyDread 3, EthnoDetermined 1, HaleAndHearty 6
unit German Knights exp 4 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit German Knights exp 1 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit Condottieri Heavy Cavalry exp 3 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit Italian Lesser Knights exp 3 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit Mounted Sergeants exp 2 armour 1 weapon_lvl 0
unit Mounted Sergeants exp 2 armour 1 weapon_lvl 0
unit English Men at Arms exp 2 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit English Men at Arms exp 1 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit English Men at Arms exp 2 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit English Men at Arms exp 3 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit Guastatori Marauders exp 2 armour 1 weapon_lvl 0
unit Guastatori Marauders exp 1 armour 1 weapon_lvl 0
unit Hungarian Mercenary Spearmen exp 3 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit Hungarian Mercenary Spearmen exp 1 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit English Longbowmen exp 4 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit English Longbowmen exp 2 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit English Longbowmen exp 3 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit English Longbowmen exp 2 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
unit Pisan Archers exp 2 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
end
end_if
end_if
if not I_LocalFaction milan
and not I_LocalFaction florence
spawn_army
faction milan
character Giovanni Acuto, named character, age 43, x 24, y 230, label Giovanni_Acuto2, portrait Giovanni_Acuto ; need to choose where to spawn the army
traits Biography_Giovanni_Acuto 1, Ethnic_English 1, Mercenary_Leader 1, Condottiere_Leader 1, Intelligent 2, BattleDread 2, StrategyDread 3, EthnoDetermined 1, HaleAndHearty 6
unit German Knights exp 3 armour 1 weapon_lvl 0
end
create_unit Giovanni_Acuto2, English Men at Arms, num 3, exp 2, arm 1, wep 0
create_unit Giovanni_Acuto2, English Longbowmen, num 3, exp 3, arm 0, wep 0
create_unit Giovanni_Acuto2, Pisan Archers, num 2, exp 3, arm 0, wep 0
end_if
terminate_monitor
end_monitor

Generic event image to be used for all Condottieri events:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

- Reference https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartolomeo_d%27Alviano

Boldrino da Pasquale
- Reference https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boldrino_da_Panicale

Niccolo di Pitigliano

• Reference https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol..._di_Pitigliano
• Character image https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol...Pitigliano.jpg
• Added for 1345 and 1448 campaign
• Age in 1448 is 6
• Naples 1463 - age 21
• Florence 1473 - age 31
• Venice 1495 - age 53
• if the player is neither Naples, Florence or Venice then he should spawn as a rebel general in 1463 in Romagna

Event text if the player is Milan or Venice

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

My Lord, Niccolo di Pitigliano and his mercenary company has arrived has arrived at the gates of our capital. This man is descended from the great family of Orsini, however he has chosen the life of a mercenary captain than the comfortable life of a ruler.

Historically, Niccolo di Pitigliano was born in Pitigliano, in the Maremma, the son of Aldobrandino Paioletti ll, Count of Pitigliano and his wife Bartolomea. He was the descendant of a Romano Orsini, Count of Nola, who had acquired the Signoria of the tiny Tuscan city state of Pitigliano in 1293 by marrying Anastasia de Montfort, heiress of the Aldobrandeschi Lords of the city. His parents both came from different branches of the Orsini clan. Equipped with the reputation that comes from a famous name, the connections and dynastic links with many of the ruling families of Italy, and with their own private fief as a base, both Niccolo Paioletti, and his father Aldobrandino Paioletti made careers as mercenaries taking Condotte with Florence, Siena, the Pope, and the Kingdom of Naples at various times.


Condottieri are known for extorting large amounts of money from Italian states. He is requesting xxx florins in exchange for his protection. If paid he and some of his soldiers will join your state as a mercenary captain. However, if he will not be paid his armies will fight against your state and ravage your lands!

Event text if the player is not Naples, Florence or Venice
- should only appear for Italian factions (Genoa, Ferrara, Milan)

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

My Lord, the famed Italian condottiere Niccolo di Pitigliano and his mercenary company has arrived with his armies in Romagna. He is a ruthless commander and his armies should be defeated to avoid the rampaging of his troops.

Francesco II Gonzaga

• Reference https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France...uess_of_Mantua
• Display image https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France...II_Gonzaga.jpg
• Added for 1345 and for 1448 campaign
• Venice 1489 - age 23
• Milan 1502 - age 36 (actually it was for France but it can be for Milan)
• if the player is neither Venice nor Milan he should spawn outside of Mantua in 1489

Event text if the player is Milan or Venice

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

My Lord, Francesco II Gonzaga has arrived at the gates of our capital. This man is descended from a great family and is heir to the Marquisate of Mantua, however he has chosen the life of a mercenary captain than the comfortable life of a ruler.

Historically Francesco was born in Mantua, the son of Marquess Federico I Gonzaga. He had a career as a condottiero acting as Venice's commander from 1489 to 1498. He was the commander-in-chief of the army of the Italian league in the battle of Fornovo, under the tutorage of his more experienced uncle Ridolfo Gonzaga: even though Francesco was unable to stop Charles VIII and his army from returning to France, he claimed Fornovo as a victory. Francesco was described as "short, pop-eyed, snub-nosed and exceptionally brave, and was regarded as the finest knight in Italy".


Condottieri are known for extorting large amounts of money from Italian states. He is requesting xxx florins in exchange for his protection. If paid he and some of his soldiers will join your state as a mercenary captain. However, if he will not be paid his armies will fight against your state and ravage your lands!

Event text if the player is not Milan or Venice
- should only appear for Italian factions (Genoa, Florence, Ferrara, Naples)

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

My Lord, the famed Italian condottiere Francesco II Gonzaga and his mercenary company has arrived with his armies outside of Mantua. He is a ruthless commander and his armies should be defeated to avoid the rampaging of his troops.

Guglielmo Montferrato

• Reference https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willia..._of_Montferrat https://www.marchesimonferrato.it/2017/02/01/guglielmo-viii/
• Character image https://www.marchesimonferrato.it/wp-content/uploads/guglielmo_ottavo_iw025002501.jpg
• Added for 1345 and for 1448 campaign
• Milan - 1455 - turn 14 (for 1448 campaign), turn 220 (for 1345 camapign) - age 35
• coordinates x 24, y 230
• if the player is not Milan than he should just spawn as a full rebel stack next to Asti
• since this merc appears fairly early on for 1448 campaign we should probably have a fairly low cost (prob not more than 5k). so he can have 1 general bg, 1 condottieri heavy cav and 1 pike

Event text if player is Milan

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

My Lord, Guglielmo of Montferrat-Paleologus has arrived at the gates of our capital. This man is descended from two great families and is heir to the Marquisate of Montferrat, however he has chosen the life of a mercenary captain than the comfortable life of a ruler.

Historically, he was the second son of Marquis John Jacob, and inherited the Marquisate after the death of his elder brother John IV. He obtained, by Emperor Frederick III, the territories lost to Savoy from 1435. William served as condottiero for Francesco I Sforza of Milan and was later the tutor of the latter's son, Galeazzo Maria. When the latter was assassinated, William acted as moderator in the Duchy of Milan.

Condottieri are known for extorting large amounts of money from Italian states. He is requesting 5,000 florins in exchange for his protection. If paid he and some of his soldiers will join your state as a mercenary captain. However, if he will not be paid his armies will fight against your state and ravage your lands!

Event text if the player is not Milan
- should only appear for Italian factions (Venice, Genoa, Florence, Ferrara, Naples)

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

My Lord, the famed Italian condottiere Guglielmo of Montferrat-Paleologus and his mercenary company has arrived with his armies outside of Asti. He is a ruthless commander and his armies should be defeated to avoid the rampaging of his troops.

This man is descended from two great families and is heir to the Marquisate of Montferrat, however he has chosen the life of a mercenary captain than the comfortable life of a ruler.

Historically, he was the second son of Marquis John Jacob, and inherited the Marquisate after the death of his elder brother John IV. He obtained, by Emperor Frederick III, the territories lost to Savoy from 1435. William served as condottiero for Francesco I Sforza of Milan and was later the tutor of the latter's son, Galeazzo Maria. When the latter was assassinated, William acted as moderator in the Duchy of Milan.

Scaramuccia da Forli

• Reference https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaramuccia_da_Forl%C3%AC
• Added for 1345 and 1448 campaigns
• For the 1345 campaign - Venice - 1438 - turn 93 - age 25. If the player is not Venice he should just spawn for the AI controlled Venice near Bergamo. If Venice is dead he should appear as a rebel general in the same place
• For the 1448 campaign we can spawn him as a general for AI controlled Venice in 1449 age 36 near Bergamo. If Venice is dead he should appear as a rebel general in the same place

Event text for 1345 campaign (if player is Venice)

Scaramuccia da Forli (1438)

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My Lord, the famed Italian condottiere Scaramuccia da Forli and his mercenary has arrived at the gates of our capital.

Scaramuccia is a native of Forli, Romagna. The first reference to Scaramuccia was in 1433 as connestabile (commanding officer) of one of the gates of the city of Forli in Emilia Romagna. He was a member of the party which was fighting against the Ordelaffi, and when they regained control of the city he was banished. In 1438, during the war between the Republic of Venice and the Duchy of Milan, he intervened successfully to raise the siege of Brescia by Niccolo Piccinino, general to Filippo Maria Visconti, the Duke of Milan. Subsequently, he defended Brescia with 29 Bergamaschi soldiers. In the following years Scaramuccia remained loyal to the Serenissima, and in the summer of 1446 he fought against the Visconti's army at the head of 400 infantry. His commander was the famous Micheletto Attendolo. He successfully relieved the city of Cremona, which was being besieged by Francesco Piccinino and Luigi dal Verme.

Condottieri are known for extorting large amounts of money from Italian states. He is requesting xxx florins in exchange for his protection. If paid he and some of his soldiers will join your state as a mercenary captain. However, if he will not be paid his armies will fight against your state and ravage your lands!

Event text for 1448 campaign or for the 1345 campaign if the player is not Venice
- should only appear for Italian factions (Milan, Genoa, Florence, Ferrara, Naples)

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My Lord, the famed Italian condottiere Scaramuccia da Forli and his mercenary company has arrived with his armies outside of Bergamo. He is a ruthless commander and his armies should be defeated to avoid the rampaging of his troops.

[Wallachian]

Also, ideally the names of the commanders are Italianised or suitable to the factions using them. For example, John Hawkwood is named Giovanni Acuto. And Konrad von Landau was known as Conte Lando.

[MIKE GOLF]

I am not sure yet whether the guy below is the same one who actually runs the company, his bio trait didn't mention it. If he is then another leader may be better suited from a game play perspective in case this guy dies before 1376 or whenever he is supposed to spawn with his merc band.

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This ancillary is not in the game, but something I am toying with as far as the effects. There is not enough room to put the entire history of the company so after he spawns in the game he write his own additional history.

[eyelurker]

Is these Navarese company already exist in the current patch? Because from what i read they are the one that will attack and cause the decline of Duchy of Athens.

And i used to seen Florence wandering around in Corinth in my other playthough although i haven't seen Florence in my Athens yet but still this mercenaries worries me in my Athens playthrough.

[Wallachian]

Nope they are not. We are gathering research here for these companies in the hope that we will get some help from the community

[Nulgath 911]

I am not sure yet whether the guy below is the same one who actually runs the company, his bio trait didn't mention it. If he is then another leader may be better suited from a game play perspective in case this guy dies before 1376 or whenever he is supposed to spawn with his merc band.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

This ancillary is not in the game, but something I am toying with as far as the effects. There is not enough room to put the entire history of the company so after he spawns in the game he write his own additional history.

You're right, Louis d'Evreux is not one of the four captains of the Navaresse Company in 1375, however he is responsible for their presence in the region and I thought it would be a nice dilemma for the player as Naples or Albania, also at this point the Navaresse Company are not autonomous so I thought having him as leader would represent that better than with Juan de Urtubia. In the second spawn I have Juan de Urtubia as commander to represent their independence of command.

[MIKE GOLF]

So you are thinking that this company will spawn once with Louis d'Evreux, serve for a time and then disappear from the game? Then it will respawn a few years later under Juan de Urtubia with a new stack. That could work if there were enough unit slots available to set up merc units that could be disbanded because of a unit attribute similar the Army of the Dead in TATW where the general and his units are killed off after they fight three battles. I do not think that Tsardoms could do because they are already at 494 units in the edu. All this to say that it may be easier to use Juan de Urtubia and have the company appear once and after that they stay attached to whichever faction bought their service. I am still not sure if the Louis de Durazzo above is Louis d'Evreux or not yet. I hope I haven't confused things here too much.

If there is a banner that this company used that might be better then using a coat of arms of the leader which would in reality get changed often enough. I have not found a banner for this company but I have found one or two for some other companies.

[Wallachian]

Haha yeah you made that way too complicated They will be exactly the same as the other merc scripts, like John Hawkwood. The player gets a message whether they want to pay money to recruit the company and if not they spawn as a rebel army.

This can happen in two ways. Once with Louis d'Evreux in 1375 if the player is Naples and then with Juan de Urtubia in 1378 if the player is Hospitaller (and perhaps Roman). We might have them spawn as straight up rebel stacks if the player is neither faction but they own Durazzo or Athens. In that case one rebel stack will appear in Durazzo in 1375 and then another rebel stack in Athens in 1378.

And Louis of Durazzo is a different person to Louis d'Evreux. There is no relation between the two.

[Nulgath 911]

So you are thinking that this company will spawn once with Louis d'Evreux, serve for a time and then disappear from the game? Then it will respawn a few years later under Juan de Urtubia with a new stack. That could work if there were enough unit slots available to set up merc units that could be disbanded because of a unit attribute similar the Army of the Dead in TATW where the general and his units are killed off after they fight three battles. I do not think that Tsardoms could do because they are already at 494 units in the edu. All this to say that it may be easier to use Juan de Urtubia and have the company appear once and after that they stay attached to whichever faction bought their service. I am still not sure if the Louis de Durazzo above is Louis d'Evreux or not yet. I hope I haven't confused things here too much.

If there is a banner that this company used that might be better then using a coat of arms of the leader which would in reality get changed often enough. I have not found a banner for this company but I have found one or two for some other companies.

Ah that feature would've been perfect, it's still historically accurate for Juan de Urtubia to command them in Durazzo so not the end of the world. Can Louis d'Evreux still be an emergent hero for Naples?

His name is quite confusing as he is referred quite interchangeably as Louis d'Evreux, of Navarre and also de Durrazzo, and there are multiple Louis' in the same age, even a Louis d'Evreux who only died a few decades before he was born. I've been unable to locate a banner for the company, hence the coat of arms but I will continue to look, a possible compromise would be the flag of of Navarre in this period.

[Nulgath 911]

Haha yeah you made that way too complicated They will be exactly the same as the other merc scripts, like John Hawkwood. The player gets a message whether they want to pay money to recruit the company and if not they spawn as a rebel army.

This can happen in two ways. Once with Louis d'Evreux in 1375 if the player is Naples and then with Juan de Urtubia in 1378 if the player is Hospitaller (and perhaps Roman). We might have them spawn as straight up rebel stacks if the player is neither faction but they own Durazzo or Athens. In that case one rebel stack will appear in Durazzo in 1375 and then another rebel stack in Athens in 1378.

And Louis of Durazzo is a different person to Louis d'Evreux. There is no relation between the two.

I let my imagination run wild lol. Also, not sure how I got my wires crossed but yes, Louis of Navarre and Durazzo isn't referred to as d'Evreux, my mistake.

[VINC.XXIII]

Ah that feature would've been perfect, it's still historically accurate for Juan de Urtubia to command them in Durazzo so not the end of the world. Can Louis d'Evreux still be an emergent hero for Naples?

His name is quite confusing as he is referred quite interchangeably as Louis d'Evreux, of Navarre and also de Durrazzo, and there are multiple Louis' in the same age, even a Louis d'Evreux who only died a few decades before he was born. I've been unable to locate a banner for the company, hence the coat of arms but I will continue to look, a possible compromise would be the flag of of Navarre in this period.

A bit late...

-Naples has already Ladislaus the Magnanimous as major emergent character("hero" if you will), I'm not sure either about the banners they used*, Louis of Evreux/Navarre(+1376) didn't even fought actually, he died as soon as he arrived.

*but I assume they naturally used Navarre-Evreux banners+ those of mercenary captains sub-mentionned in the following article: Tercellet de Hanneucourt, Guiot d'Arcy, Mathieu/Mahiot de Coquerel("50 soldiers")...etc, they're 15 captains, a good proportion were from Northern France, either Normandy or actual Picardy. Navarese troops and french ones later merged under Urtubia and Coquerel command.

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