Leader of Men

Leader of Men

Book 4 in the Sir John Hawkwood Series

By

Griff Hosker

Published by Sword Books Ltd 2022

Copyright ©Griff Hosker First Edition

The author has asserted their moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.

All Rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

Cover by Design for Writers

Dedication

Dedicated to Major Richard Saphore a true officer and a gentleman and someone I would like to think of as a friend. Thank you for all the research you have done for me. You have helped me tremendously and I do appreciate all that you do for me.

Real People Used in The Book

Sir John Hawkwood - Captain of the White Company

King Edward Plantagenet

Prince Edward of Wales and Duke of Cornwall- his son (The Black Prince)

Arnaud de Cervole - Mercenary Captain

King John II of France

Crown Prince Charles, the Dauphin of France

Pope Urban Vth

Phillip the Bold - Duke of Burgundy

Queen Joan (Joanna)I - Queen of Naples, and Countess of Provence and Forcalquier

John II - Marquis of Montferrat

Amadeus - Count of Savoy, known as the Green Count

Bernabò Visconti - Lord of Milan

Ambrogio Visconti - his son and leader of the Company of Ambrogio

Galeazzo Visconti - Duke of Milan and brother of Bernabò

Pellario Griffo - Chamberlain of Pisa

Luca di Totti de’Firidolfi da Panzano - Florentine warrior

Ranuccio Farnese - Florentine leader

Andrew de Belmonte - an English adventurer

Heinrich Paer - German Mercenary leader

Malatesta Malatesta - Florentine general

Galeotto Malatesta - brother of Malatesta Malatesta

Giovanni Agnello - Merchant and doge of Pisa

Enrico Montforte - Florentine Mercenary

Ricceri Grimaldi - Genoese mercenary

Albert Sterz - one-time captain of the White Company

Annechin Baumgarten - Leader of the Star Company

Cardinal Gil Álvarez Carrillo de Albornoz - Papal envoy

Prologue

Montferrat 1361

The town square we were using to recruit more lances for the company was packed, for it was market day. William, who was responsible for the day-to-day running of The White Company, had a clerk to assist him these days but he still ensured that every contract that was signed was also signed by him. The young man I had found in France all those years ago was now as valuable to me as my captains, Robin, Martin, Giovanni and Eoin. I simply could not do without him. In theory, I could have let my captains scrutinise the new men who wished to join what was becoming the most successful mercenary company in Northern Italy but I had learned that I was the best judge of men. I had developed an ability to see whom I could not trust. Albert Sterz and Arnaud de Cervole had both been leaders and warriors with whom I had served. Neither were the kinds of men I would choose to serve with me.

These recruiting days followed a pattern. The leaders of each company came with me and spent the day as both guards and observers. They had become bored and were sparring with each other. We were a professional company and not a moment in the day was wasted. We trained every day as often as we could. We had almost recovered all the Montferrat land taken by the Count of Savoy and that was down to our discipline. Of course, the Duke was just one of the men who sought to control this part of Italy. The Visconti brothers, Bernabò and Galeazzo controlled Milan and Pavia and it was they who were the real enemies of Montferrat for they had used Savoy to attack the tiny region.

Michael who, along with Dai, acted as my squire, brought me a fresh pitcher of wine. Considering that it was spring it was still too hot for Englishmen born in the colder north. The line of men wishing to join us was a long one. I spied many Englishmen amongst them. They were mainly archers but there were some billmen. Uniquely English, they could be trained to fight with halberds. There were others who were foreigners: Swabians, Flemish, Spanish and even some Portuguese. Each brought a particular skill and I had learned that a balanced company was the best. The main parts would be my English archers and English men at arms. I had fought alongside such men at my first battles: Crécy and Poitiers, and I was English. I now chose to fight abroad and for money but that was because I had been used and undervalued by the Plantagenet rulers of England. My men fought in lances made up of a man at arms, squire, archer, heavy infantryman and either a crossbowman or hand gunner. I was not convinced about these men who fought with the newest weapon on the battlefield but I kept an open mind. Most of the men who were lined up were in such groups. The squire would stand with the two horses that the man at arms owned and the archer, heavy infantryman and second missile man would stand behind. There were some who came in pairs and even singly. My captains and my friends, Giovanni d’Azzo and Sir Eoin would organise them into new lances. I was above such things for I was captain of the White Company.

It was a good morning. A young English man at arms, Andrew de Belmonte turned up with his squire, three archers and a billman. I was already willing to sign him up even before he spoke. He was a handsome young man and I wondered why he was not a knight. Robin and Sir Eoin nodded their approval and William happily gave him a contract to sign. As soon as it was signed, I said, I am curious sir, why you are not a knight for you seem to have every attribute you might need except for a title.

He smiled, I am the youngest brother of three and our manor is a poor one. The most impressive thing about it is the name. I chose the life of a sword for hire but I have hopes that I may earn my spurs while I am here. I was brought up to believe that chivalry and honour are the most important things in life.

For all that I said I was surprised you were not a knight. I confess that here titles mean nothing, at least not to me and my men. Perform well on the battlefield and you will earn more than any English knight would.

He seemed surprised, Do we not all earn the same?

William shook his head, There is a basic fee that we pay to all men but performance on the field can earn more.

Thank you, then I will try to earn it. Taking his pile of coins, he and his men left. The laughter as they left told me that they got on. That was not always true of lances.

The next Englishman, John Dobson, was also a good choice but as he turned to leave he leaned in and said, You know that there is a rumour that the man called Andrew de Belmonte whom you just signed is a bastard of the English royal family? I had learned that most mercenaries do not gossip and I guessed there might be some truth in the rumour. It would make sense if some royal prince had ploughed a lady’s furrow that he might be brought up differently. It was interesting but that was all. I had earned a title but it was largely irrelevant. I wanted men who could fight. Andrew would soon learn to forget his chivalric ideals.

There were two more who signed up after the Englishmen. Both were Hungarians and I knew how doughty they were. I was quite happy for them to join. One, Lazlo Kaepernick looked to be a potential leader. I had many Hungarians under my command and having a leader of the same nationality often helped with communication. The next man was a huge German who swaggered up and he looked as though he thought this was a mere formality. He was wrong. He had with him a squire who was almost as big. He carried the two-handed sword favoured by Swabians and Germans. Karl von Sturmz, where do I sign?

I did not like him from the moment he spoke. I had endured enough of arrogant Germans and I was tempted to dismiss him out of hand. William looked first at me and then back at the German. Have you any horses?

He snorted with derision, Why should I need a horse? With this sword I can hew down any rider who comes close to me.

He was right, of course, and we did have men at arms who fought on foot. I glanced over at my captains who, hearing the loud voice had stopped their sparring and were now looking over at me. Robin was an archer but I trusted his judgement more than any other man. He gave a slow and clear shake of the head.

I looked up at the German and smiled, Thank you for your offer but we have no need of you at this time.

He turned to look at me as though I was the village idiot who had asked the most ridiculous of questions, You know who I am? I am the butcher of Nissa and any Captain of Condottiere would be lucky to have me! Most would make me a captain.

I smiled, Then you should have no trouble finding another to take you on.

William said, dismissively, Next.

The German backhanded William hard across the face and the man who was responsible for my money was hurled to the ground. When I had been younger, I had been handy with my fists. I knew how to brawl. As I stood to face and punish this arrogant German, I knew I had to win. The German wore plate and I had on a perpunto tunic. Although padded it would only soften a blow while his plate would stop my blows from hurting him. He was bigger than I was and, taking the initiative, I punched hard at his chin. When I struck the blow I almost launched myself at him and used my weight to make the greatest impact. I had been right not to hire him. A good warrior has a sixth sense about danger but the German was looking gleefully at William when the blow struck. A tooth flew from his mouth and he reeled as blood spurted from his mouth. He was angry and that never helped. Regaining his balance he pulled back his right hand and I knew exactly what he intended. He would return the blow and smack me hard in the face. I ducked to my left and his hand hit my right shoulder. It hurt. My left hand struck him hard on the side of his head, close to his ear. It was not a blow that he had expected. I had used it before and knew that it not only made his ears ring but also disorientated him.

Just behind the German, I saw his squire’s hand go to his sword. If he drew the weapon then this would be a bloodbath. I hooked my leg around the German knight’s leg and pushed as he swung a flailing fist at the space I had just occupied. As he fell, I saw Dai with his dagger at the German’s squire’s throat, Keep your sword sheathed, eh?

The German lay on the ground, winded by the fall. I made no attempt to help him to his feet and Dai kept the squire occupied. There were many men watching the German as he attempted to stand and they laughed at his attempts. He had plate armour and he had been hurt, both made him grow angrier and when he finally made his feet he roared and ran at me like an enraged bull. I spun around and hit him hard on the other side of the head as he passed. He turned and looked for me. I walked up to him and before he could do anything I hit him on both ears so hard that blood came from them. I pulled back my fist and ended the fight with a punch to the unprotected face. The blow hurt my fist for it broke his nose which began to pour blood as he fell back, unconscious. The Montferratians who were interested bystanders all cheered at the outcome.

Rubbing my bruised knuckles I said to the squire, Take your master and quit this town. The next time that I see him I will use a sword and not my fists.

The squire nodded and headed for a tired-looking sumpter that carried the rest of their gear. The poor animal would struggle to carry the German and his mail. No one made any attempt to help the squire as he struggled to load the knight onto the sumpter’s back. The jeering crowds did not make it any easier.

As they disappeared, I turned and saw that William had recovered enough to sit at the table once more. My captains were grinning and I smiled as I said to the waiting would-be recruits, Does anyone else wish to challenge my right to choose my own men?

The ones waiting to sign all shook their heads and one English man at arms said, No, my lord, I came here to serve Sir John Hawkwood the hero of Poitiers and you have confirmed that the White Company is the one for my lance!

I sat and drank some of the wine, Good, then all is well.

Chapter 1

In our campaigns thus far we had hurt not only Amadeus, the Green Count of Savoy but also Count Luchino Novello Visconti and his cousins Bernabò and Galeazzo. The rulers of Milan would wish to have revenge. The Lord of Milan, Bernabò Visconti was, some said, the most powerful man in Italy. So far I had not had to take him on and I was not sure if I was ready to yet. However, with the new men attracted by our last victory over them, it was time to end this war. I wanted winter to train the new men properly and to find another paymaster away from Milan. Montferrat was not the richest part of Italy and I wanted to defeat the Count of Savoy and have him pay us off. Once we had reclaimed the land he had taken from the Marquis of Montferrat then the balance of power would shift. I gathered my captains in the hall we used at the manor loaned to us by the Marquis. The estate was as large as a county in England and we were not only safe there but well fed.

We now have a force that should be able to defeat the Savoyards. William, the map.

William was my crutch. He paid my armies and made money for me. He also organised my intelligence in the form of maps and spies he paid. When merchants took goods from us to sell they also undertook to tell us of the lands through which they passed. William was clever and it was a good system. He laid out the map he had drawn of this part of Italy. He had a neat hand. I think he could have earned a good living copying books. I was just glad that he had chosen to serve me. His sister was the mother of my two boys and she lived in Bordeaux with the man at arms who had once served me. There was no animosity for we were all practical people.

I jabbed a finger at Nissa. The Count values this part of his land greatly. It is his major port and gives him access to the east and its attendant trade. I wish to make him fear that we intend to attack it by marching to Saviliagno.

My captains all looked at the place that William had circled in red ink. Giovanni nodded and said, Almost sixty miles. Three days?

I shook my head, Two for I will mount archers. We have six hundred English archers and we have that number of horses. While we ride there then I will have you, Giovanni, lead the rest of the lances and the men on foot along the Po Valley and then the Orco to wait close to Lanzo, north-west of Torino. You will do so secretly. It is Montferrat land but you will need to ensure no spies observe your progress. We will join you there.

Sir Eoin asked, You are so confident that we will win at Saviliagno?

Have you seen any who can stand in our way? We had won every battle in which we had fought. I am not arrogant enough to believe that there are no warriors out there who can beat us but if there are then they are not from Savoy or Torino. We use speed and surprise to take Saviliagno and that will make the Green Count come south to protect his port for he will expect us to head there. We will march north and with your men approaching from the east, we will have Amadeus between our nutcrackers. The Green Count was the nickname for the ruler of Savoy.

But Sir John, it is winter.

I know, Giovanni, and there is snow on the mountains but there is always snow on the mountains and so far there is no sign of it falling on the plain. We move quickly and, hopefully, create surprise. We ride to war and if nature upsets my plans then we fall back and wait for the spring. This way we have a chance to end this war before winter. Would you not rather spend the winter behind these walls instead of worrying if the Milanese and Savoyards are planning an attack? We defeat the Savoyards and then worry about the Milanese after winter.

I knew that it was a bold plan and that was why it might succeed for no one would expect it. We would be flirting with Torino and the Visconti family but as I had already bloodied their noses, I hoped that they would still be reeling from their last defeat at our hands. I gave my men a week to prepare. We could have left the next day but I wanted nothing to mar our chances of victory.

My captains and I were all rich men and that meant we had the best plate and mail that could be bought. Most of the lances who had served with us since we had been in Burgundy were also well off. I suppose some could have retired back to England but we were successful and the money we took was relatively easy to come by and they used it to make them better warriors. The Marquis paid me and I paid my men but once we won, and we usually did, then we not only took the spoils of war from the battlefield but also the money we were usually paid to leave their land. The result was that the plate armour we wore over our polished mail was the best and we kept it highly polished to reinforce our name, The White Company. Dai was still my squire but the plate he wore was the equal of any knight’s. I had offered to knight him but he seemed happy, for the moment, to remain as a squire. He was eminently practical for he earned a fortune and he kept all that he earned. Michael, the youth we had rescued, would be the one who fetched and carried. He was the one who helped me to dress. Having two of them to watch my back was no bad thing. Michael could learn from Dai and when Dai moved on I had a ready replacement.

My archers wore good sallet helmets and their padded jacks were studded with metal. Many of them had short mail hauberks beneath the jacks. Often my archers were forced to fight with hand weapons. The mail gave them a better chance of survival. Uniquely amongst the other mercenary companies, they were all mounted. It was not just a case of getting to a battle quickly. Although we had yet to lose, I knew that we could and the archers would be more likely to stay as long as the horsemen if they had their own means of escape. I had seen many routs where those on foot fled before they could be ridden down. The one arm in which we did not excel was the gunpowder soldiers. Many armies had not only handguns but also long tubes, often called cannons. From what I had seen they were noisy and inaccurate. Even more important was that they could be easily outranged by my longbows. We had a few of what many called the devil’s weapons but we had fewer than most other companies.

The land through which we passed had changed hands so many times over the years that the practical people who lived there had learned to smile at the mounted, mailed column that passed through. We had been paid well by the Marquis and so we paid for our food. William was not with us. He did not need to endure the rigours of campaign and battle. He had trained two clerks who accompanied us. They had the purses of coins to pay for our food and, where necessary, our board and when we collected treasure they kept the accounts. We were one company and we all shared both the dangers and the profits. The two men were there to ensure that all was seen as legal and above board. The land was generally fertile. The looming mountains ahead were less so but it was where the rulers of this land had built their strongholds since the time of the Romans. Once we were within twenty miles of Saviliagno then we would be seen and I hoped that the sight of just fifteen hundred mounted men would encourage whoever commanded the town to come from behind their walls to attack us. They would not see my mounted archers for who mounted longbowmen? My archers were my secret weapon for none could stand against them. I had been an archer and I knew the power of their arms and their bows. I knew that if we used this trick too often then my enemies would get wise but for the moment it might just force a battle. I could not afford for the Savoyards to sit behind their walls and wait for them to surrender. My plan demanded a battle.

As we closed to within what I hoped would be battle distance, I waved forward my senior captains. We would ride and talk. All of us were cloaked and that hid the shining armour beneath. Our banners and standards were furled. I was attempting to fool the Savoyards. There were many roaming companies in this part of the world. I did not want them to know it was me until they were committed to a fight.

Robin and Martin, if they come forth then hold your men as a second line. I cannot be sure what formation they will adopt but as we know they have many Genoese crossbowmen with pavise then we can assume they will bring those. I just do not know if they will use them on their flanks or their whole line. The Genoese crossbowmen were mercenaries like us. They had pavesiers who carried their large shields for them and they were skilled men. Whenever we fought them then they were the first target for my archers.

Sir Eoin said, It is more likely that they will use them on their flanks. If they do not then they negate somewhat, their efficacy.