202 



A HISTORY OF CAVALRY. 



[period II. 



companions into Italy after the peace of Bretigny, and 

 after a tine was appointed commander-in-chief of all 

 the armies of Pope Urban V. 



Hawkwood is remarkable from the fact that he is con- 

 sidered to have been the first real general of modern 

 times, and this serves to prove that the system of mer- 

 cenary bands of professional soldiers, who devoted their 

 whole lives to the art of war, had a great influence in 

 bringing about a revival in the scientific principles of 

 conducting battles and campaigns. The Italian historians 

 all speak with admiration of his skilful tactics in battle, 

 his stratagems, and his well-conducted retreats. Before 

 this period the historians do not seem to have understood 

 either tactics or strategy, and the accounts of battles 

 give little details save of individual combats.^ 



Hawkwood is noted not only as the greatest but as the 

 last of the foreign condottieri or captains of mercenary 

 bands. Alberic di Barbiano about this time in 1379 in- 

 stituted the system of employing native mercenary troops, 

 a system which soon superseded the employment of 

 foreigners. His company of St. George was the school 

 of a succession of great generals, who improved the art 

 of war to a great extent, and formed the rudiments 

 of that science which afterwards was developed and 

 perfected under Turenne, Frederick, and Napoleon. 



We cannot leave the consideration of these mercenaries, 

 who for so long exercised so great an influence upon the 

 wars of Europe, without a slight reference to their 

 custom of fighting. As the armies on both sides were 

 composed of hirelings, who had little or no interest in 

 the result of the wars, and whose sympathy was often 

 greater towards each other than with the employers 

 whose cause they were paid to defend, it can readily be 

 imagined that the fighting was always half-hearted, and 

 often but a mere pretence. 



The consequence was that at no period of the world's 

 history have wars been conducted with so little personal 

 danger to the soldier. Decisive battles, said to have 

 been warmly contested, are recorded in Italian history, 



» Hallam, i. 472. 



