Historical Incidents of Italian Mercenaries

In 1448, the Duke of Milan signed an eight-month contract. It stated that the company would provide 700 riflemen, 500 infantry, and that regular monthly payments of 6,000 forints (an internationally recognized coin at the time, and today's unit of currency in Hungary) had to be made. In addition, 40 gold coins were needed to equip each gun rider. The Condottieri differed from other foreign mercenary bands in that they had good military discipline. Since they operated in a fixed area for a long time and needed the support of the locals, they prohibited any disturbing behavior and maintained a good reputation.

At that time, Milan was the largest producer of armor in Europe, and the armor produced was known as the Milanese style. Most of the armor worn by mercenaries at the time was marked as being made by the Missaglia family - a large part of the workshops that dotted the streets of Milan were owned by the family.

The first mass-produced cavalry armor was made here in 1420, and today it's a sought-after collector's item, while in the mid-15th century mercenaries introduced new types of equipment around the world, giving a boost to industry and stimulating technological progress.