Historical Overview Section
The Italian city-states were a political phenomenon of small independent states mostly in the central and northern Italian peninsula between the 10th and 15th centuries. Many of these towns were survivors of earlier Etruscan and Roman towns which had existed within the Roman Empire but by the 11th century, many cities, including Venice, Milan, Florence, Genoa, Pisa, Siena, Lucca, Cremona and many others, had become large trading metropolises, able to conquer independence from their formal sovereigns.
The first Italian city-states appeared in northern Italy as a result of a struggle to gain independence from the German Holy Roman Empire. The Lombard League was an alliance formed around 1167, which at its apex included most of the cities of northern Italy including, among others, Milan, Piacenza, Cremona, Mantua, Crema, Bergamo, Brescia, Bologna, Padua, Treviso, Vicenza, Venice, Verona, Lodi, Reggio Emilia and Parma, though its membership changed through time. Other city-states were associated to these "commune" cities, like Genoa, Turin and, in the Adriatic, Ragusa.
In central Italy there were the city-states of Florence, Pisa, Lucca, Siena and Ancona, while south of Rome and the Papal States there were the city-states of Salerno, Amalfi, Bari, Naples and Trani which in 1130 were united in the newly-created Norman Kingdom of Sicily.
Around 1100, Genoa and Venice emerged as independent Maritime republics. For Genoa — nominally — the Holy Roman Emperor was overlord and the Bishop of Genoa was president of the city; however, actual power was wielded by a number of consuls annually elected by popular assembly. Pisa and Amalfi also emerged as maritime republics: trade, shipbuilding and banking helped support their powerful navies in the Mediterranean in those medieval centuries.
The states are most famous in wargaming terms for the Carroccio, a four-wheeled war altar mounting a large vexillum standard, usually drawn by oxen. They were often rectangular platforms on which the standard of the city and an altar were erected; priests held services on the altar before the battle and the trumpeters beside them encouraged the city's fighters to the fray. In battle the Carroccio was surrounded by the bravest warriors in the army as the carroccio guard (rather a waste of your handful of good troops if as in FoG, the Carroccio is the baggage - so maybe best to model these guys on the baggage base rather than expend a whole unit on defending the baggage). It served both as a rallying-point and as the palladium of the city's honour; its capture by the enemy was regarded as an irretrievable defeat and humiliation.
Using the army in ADLG
- Drilled Medium Knights, non impetuous are rather good in theme
- Papal is the option to choose
- A Sicilan ally will get you some Almughavars
- Medium Spearmen should not be discounted for exploiting gaps and occupying terrain
- The LH are only so-so so you may want to split the two of them and leave them lurking
- Will the Kn really go over spears in period? They are Elite, and Armoured so they can slog it out but again they may be better exploiting and filling gaps
Useful Links
User-contributed links about this army. Add links in this format:
- Tagmata.it nicely painted army
- Revier of a DBA army for this same list
- Painted Mirliton figures on the Vexilia site
- Luke Ueda-Sarsons page on this army
- Army of Siena again from Tagmata.it
Army Lists
Sample army lists for this army
Normandy 2023
1 Papal Spearman Included General Ordinary
1 Crazy Wagon
2 Medium Impact Knights
==
4 Elite Impetuous Knights Included Competent General
1 LH Javelin
1 LF Bow
==
2 Crazy Wagons
4 Impetuous Elite Knights
4 Spear mediocre
3 LF Arbaleste
181 Commmunal Italian (Leray-Meyer, 25mm - Britcon 2019)
Brilliant
2 Crossbow Pavise
4 Medium Elite Impact Knights
2 LH Crossbow
1 Medium Spearman
==
Ordinary
3 Communal Spear Hvy Sp
1 1 Mixed Sp/Xbow
1 Levy
==
Ally - Brilliant
2 HUngarian LH Bow
3 Impact Medium Knight Elite
1 Halberdier
1 Crossbowman
3rd place at the 2019 Worlds
Brilliant
2 Italian Knights Medium knight impact Elite
2 Mounted Crossbowmen Light cavalry crossbow ------
2 Mixed Units ½ Heavy spearmen ½ Crossbowmen ------
1 Halberdiers Heavy swordsmen 2HW ------
==
Ordinary
2 Mixed Units ½ Heavy spearmen ½ Crossbowmen
4 Communal Militia Heavy spearmen
==
Brilliant Feudal German Ally
2 Knights from religious order Medium knight impact Elite
2 Halberdiers Heavy swordsmen 2HW ------
1 Low Country Pikemen Pikemen Mediocre
2 Crossbowmen Crossbowmen ----
Fortified Camp
V2
Brilliant
2 Italian Knights Medium knight impact
2 Mounted Crossbowmen Light cavalry crossbow
2 Mixed Units ½ Heavy spearmen ½ Crossbowmen
2 Communal Militia Heavy spearmen
==
Ordinary
2 Communal Crossbowmen Light infantry crossbow ------
2 Communal Militia Heavy spearmen ------
1 Halberdiers Heavy swordsmen 2HW ------
1 Papal Guardsmen Heavy spearmen armour Elite
==
Brilliant Sicilian Norman Ally
2 Feudal Knights Medium knight impetuous ------
1 Saracens Light infantry bow ------
1 Aragonese Lancers Light cavalry impact ------
4 Almughavars Medium swordsmen impact Elite
Fortified Camp
200 AP from The 2018 Worlds
Brilliant
2 Italian Knights before 1150 Heavy cavalry impact Elite
6 Feudal Knights before 1150 Heavy cavalry impetuous ------
1 Light Infantry bowmen Light infantry bow ------
==
Ordinary
Quantity Troop description Troop type
4 Communal Militia Heavy spearmen
2 Communal crossbowmen Light infantry crossbow
==
Brilliant Allied
4 Feudal Knights before 1150 Heavy cavalry impetuous Elite
1 Norman Spearmen Heavy spearmen ------
1 Light Cavalry Javelin Light cavalry javelin ----
1 Light Infantry Javelin Light infantry javelin ----
1 Bowmen Bowmen ----
Brilliant
3 Italian Knights from 1150 (2-6) Medium knight impact Elite
1 Mtd Crossbowmen from 1200(0-2) Light cavalry crossbow ------
1 Light Infantry bowmen (0-2) Light infantry bow ------
1 Communal Crossbowmen (2-4) Light infantry crossbow ------
2 Communal Militia + Pavise (4-12) Heavy spearmen pavise ----
1 Communal mixed unit from 1200 ½ Heavy spearmen ½ Crossbowmen ----
1 Halberdiers (0-2) Heavy swordsmen 2HW ----
==
Ordinary
2 Communal Militia + Pavise Heavy spearmen pavise
1 Communal Militia Medium spearmen
1 Communal Mixed Unit ½ Heavy spearmen ½ Crossbowmen
1 Halberdiers Heavy swordsmen 2HW
1 Light Infantry bowmen Light infantry bow
1 Communal Crossbowmen + Pavise Crossbowmen pavise
==
Ordinary Included
1 Italian Knights from 1150* (inc Gen) Medium knight impact Elite
2 Italian Knights from 1150 Medium knight impact Elite
1 Mounted crossbowmen Light cavalry crossbow ----
200AP from Dogs of War 2017
4 HI Spear Pavise
1 HI 2HCW
1 Papal Guard
--
1 Mixed XB/Sp
4 HI Spear
2 LI XBow
1 Competent General
--
4 Medium Impact Elite KN
2 Sp/Xbow infantry
1 LH Xbow
1 Competent General
200 AP from Dogs of Ware 2017 Hubert Bretagne
1 XBow
1 LH XBow
1 Halberdier
2 Spear
Impact Elite Kn
Competent General
--
1 Papal Guard including General
1 LF Xbow
2 Mixed Sp/XBow
1 Impact Elite KN
2 Spear
--
1 LH XBow
1 Kn Elite
1 Brilliant General
1 Halberdier
2 Spear
1 LI
1 Xbow
2 Medium Spears
2017 Dogs of War Game 3
3 Knights including Ordinary General
2 Mediocre Spears
1 MCv Xbow
--
Allied Sicilians
4 Almughavars, full far
2 Medium Kn Impetuous
--
4 Mixed Sp/XBow
1 Papal Guard
2 Horde
2 Mediocre Spear
Ordinary General
200AP from the 2016 Worlds - Duthill
2 LI Bow
1 LMI XB pavise
3 MI spear
2 Levy
1 HI Spear
3 ½ spear ½ XB
2 HI 2HW
1 LC XB
1 MKN Impact Elite
///
1 MKN Impact Elite
2 MKN Impetuous Elite
///
3 MKN Impact Elite
1 LC XB
300AP
Sicilian Ally Brilliant Allied
Qty Troop description Troop type Quality Cost
4 Feudal Knights Medium knight impetuous Elite 12
2 Saracen Archer Light infantry bow ------ 4
2 Aragonese lancer Light cavalry impact ------ 6
4 Almughavars Medium swordsmen impact Elite 10
////////
Competent
Qty Troop description Troop type Quality
3 Italian Knights Medium knight impact Elite
1 Mounted Crossbowmen Light cavalry crossbow ------
////////
Ally Ordinairy
Qty Troop description Troop type Quality
4 Communal Militia Medium spearmen ------
3 Levy Levy ------
2 Light infantry Bow Light infantry bow ----
2 Communal Militia Heavy spearmen Mediocre
//////////
Ally Competent
Qty Troop description Troop type Quality
6 Crossbowmen