Among the most dramatic problems faced on the Italian peninsula in the fourteenth century were the raids of marauding mercenary companies. These companies, known locally as Companies of Adventure and more generally as Free Companies, were private armies, composed of professional soldiers and adventurers from throughout Europe. They sold their services to the highest bidder in times of war, and staged ruinous raids in times of peace. The city of Siena, visually opulent and wedged between Florence and the lands of the pope--two frequent employers of mercenaries--was an especial target....
Among the most dramatic problems faced on the Italian peninsula in the fourteenth century were the raids of marauding mercenary companies. These co...
Purity Lost investigates the porous nature of social, political, and religious boundaries prevalent in the eastern Mediterranean--from the Black Sea to Egypt--during the Middle Ages. In this intriguing study, Steven A. Epstein finds that people consistently defied, overlooked, or transcended restrictions designed to preserve racial and cultural purity in order to establish relationships with those different from themselves.
These mixed relationships--among people who did not share language, creed, or skin color--undermined the pervasive claims of purity. They forced people...
Purity Lost investigates the porous nature of social, political, and religious boundaries prevalent in the eastern Mediterranean--from the ...
