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The First & Second Italian Wars, 1494–1504: Fearless Knights, Ruthless Princes & the Coming of Gunpowder Armies Kindle Edition

by Julian Romane (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 42 ratings
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A historical analysis of the course of military operations and political machinations in Italy at the turn of the sixteenth century.

The First and Second Italian Wars begins with the French conquest of much of Italy. But the French hold collapsed. The second French invasion gained Northern Italy. This time, the French allied with the Pope’s son, Cesare Borgia. Cesare managed to double deal too many people; his efforts ended in disaster. The French agreement with the Spanish allowed them to retake Naples only to be defeated at the Garigliano by the famous general, Gonzalo de Cordoba.

These wars were not just another series of medieval fights. These battles were different from what had gone before: the French utilized a new method of artillery transport; the Spanish commander formulated a new system of military unit organization, and Cesare Borgia sought different systems of raising troops and forming states. And all the powers managed to spend vast amounts of money the likes of which no one had imagined before. This was the emergence of the so-called Military Revolution.

Praise for The First and Second Italian Wars 1494–1504

“An amazing account of medieval warfare between two of Europe’s principle nations.” —Books Monthly (UK)

“This is a fascinating, detailed look at these crucial wars, placing the military campaigns in their political context—the world that inspired the writings of Machiavelli, and you can see where he got his inspiration from!” —History of War
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  1. Print length
    374 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Pen & Sword Military
  5. Publication date
    August 30, 2020
  6. File size
    20263 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Julian Patrick Romane has a BA from Beloit College Wisconsin and an MA from the University of Colorado. He has been fascinated with ancient/early medieval military history for half a century. He has published articles in several journals and is the editor and/or' translator of several books on historical and political subjects. His first monograph, _Byzantium Triumphant_, was published by Pen & Sword in 2015\. He lives in Illinois, USA.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08JH7RQ97
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword Military (August 30, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 30, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 20263 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 374 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 42 ratings

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Julian Romane

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
42 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

There are 0 reviews and 17 ratings from the United States

Top reviews from other countries

GRIC
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent military history book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 13, 2020
Verified Purchase
This book describes in some detail the First and Second Italian wars. The campaigns of Charles VIII and later of Louis XII of France to seize the northern Duchy of Milan from Ludovico (the moor) Sforza and the Kingdom of Naples from King Ferrante. A struggle between the French monarchy and the Spanish monarch Fernand of Aragon. The central figures and characters of the struggle being Pope Alexander (Borgia) and his son Ceaser Borgia.

These wars saw the start of what is often described as a military revolution. The decline of the traditional medieval army based on heavy cavalry in the form of the armoured knight and the rise of professional armies and the development of infantry tactics of the pike and shot. These wars saw the devastating use of new and effective field artillery and the shatteringly effect of cannon on outdated castles and other fortifications.

The main text is followed by 7 very useful and interesting appendices setting out the background to the wars and the developments in warfare. At the end of the book I was in some doubt as to wether or not the reader would benefit from reversing the normal order and reading the appendices before the main text.

The maps and plan of the Battle of Fornovo are useless. Unless you have a excellent knowledge of the geography of Italy the locations and manoeuvres described in the book are best understood with the aid of apple or google maps.

In conclusion, the book is very readable and I would highly recommend it to those with an interest in the history of warfare.
6 people found this helpful
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n rutherford
5.0 out of 5 stars A super read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 11, 2020
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A super read of the early part of the wars. Gives a very good over view of the different sides, the complex politics of Italy at the time, but in a way that is easy to understand. Explains why Italy was subject to these wars, good over view of the complex politics of Italy at the time. Well worth a read and good value for money.
2 people found this helpful
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Kadeshuk
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb example of how history should be written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2022
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A very good read, for starters, covering the first ten years of the Italian Wars. It describes the main characters and actions very well, and makes it easy to follow the narrative. Recommended!
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A Reader
2.0 out of 5 stars Wading through treacle.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 30, 2022
Verified Purchase
I very rarely give up on a book before the end, but, by the time I had struggled through to page 192 I found the prospect of another 50-odd pages just too much. I'm afraid I found the author's style extremely heavy going, my problem I suppose, as the book gets some very good reviews. It does at least have an index, which is more than can be said for the latest Helion publications on the same subject. If you have an interest in this period of history, I'd recommend Mallet and Shaw's book, which is excellent.
One person found this helpful
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Neil Hayes
2.0 out of 5 stars Wanted to like this book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
How do you make characters like Cesare Borgia, Bayard the Chevalier seem long dead and boring? You’ll have to ask the author of this book which totally disappointed.

There is actually very little attempt to characterise in this book which equates to a long list of sieges and battles with little attempt to tell what could be a great story.

I have an MA in History and read books on medieval history for light entertainment but this book was drier than a night in the Sahara.

There are some great history books out there. This isn’t one of them.
4 people found this helpful
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