197 - Giovanni of the Black Bands part II - The invincible very naughty boy

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...

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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

160 - Federico Da Montefeltro and bits getting cut off

160 - Federico Da Montefeltro and bits getting cut off

We linger yet another episode in the Middle Ages to take a look at the Duchy of Urbino and in particular the "condottiero" Federico da Montefeltro, he of th eodd shped nose. There is also a murder mystery surrounding the death of his predessssor and some macbre pasrts with intimate bit being detatched.

12 Syys 202324min

Summer announcement - listen even if you haven't cought up

Summer announcement - listen even if you haven't cought up

Just a quick annoucement to update on goings on in the AHoI family life as well as plans for the near future

26 Heinä 20237min

159 - Life, death and sex in the middle ages

159 - Life, death and sex in the middle ages

We take a look at what life was like in the middle ages for the average Giuseppe and Lucrezia, from birth to death, sickness, medicine, work, free time, travel and sex and all the naughtiness connected to it.

13 Kesä 202336min

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