A History of Italy

A chronological history of the Italian peninsula from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the present

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  • 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 […]

  • 196 – Giovanni of the Black Bands part 1: birth of a legend

    In this episode, we reunite with an old friend of the show — Caterina Sforza, the indomitable “Tigress of Forlì.” From her, we follow the turbulent and violent early life of her son, Giovanni de’ Medici, known as Il Gran Diavolo — the Great Devil — a man whose passions, battles, and excesses would shape the future of both […]

  • 195 – Italian Wars 12 – The sack of Rome (again) and the end of the Sforza (1526 – 1530)

    In this episode, we pick up with Emperor Charles V consolidating his power over Italy after the Battle of Pavia (1525), where the French king Francis I was captured. The uneasy Italian states, including Pope Clement VII (Giulio de’ Medici), soon realized they had traded one master for another and formed the League of Cognac (1526) — an anti-imperial alliance including France, Venice, Florence, […]

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