Friday, April 3, 2015

Pietro Farnese - Captain General of the Papal and Florentine Armies

Another one of the Black Tree Design Late-HYW foot knights. This time painted up as the 14th C. Italian condottiere Pietro Farnese.
In 1345 he was appointed commander of a communal army which besieged the fortified city Castiglion Fiorentino.
He participated in the Papal wars of the times and eventually became Captain General of the Papal Army in 1355. In 1362, he was appointed Captain General of the Florentine Army in a war against Pisa. Pietro was a successful commander in both armies, but eventually died of the plague in 1363.
The Farnese family became very powerful in the years after Pietro, surviving until the 18th Century when no further males heirs remained.

10 comments:

  1. Excellent work, Dean - pity about Pietro, but death by pestilence is one of the occupational hazards of the 14th century, I suppose!

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    1. Thanks, Evan. Dying of old age was a rarity back then. Regards, Dean

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  2. Another super job Dean. I imagine disease was a bigger killer than all the wars they fought in!

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    1. Thanks, Simon! Surely the plague got its fair share of victims, but I sometimes wonder how many were poisoned by rivals or other enemies too. Regards, Dean

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  3. Fabulous once again! The yellow and blue of his heraldry work together great while the red of his scabbard makes for a nice contrast.

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    1. Thanks again for your great comments. Regards, Dean

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  4. Outstanding work! The sky blue heraldry upon the yellow tunic is handsome, indeed!

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    1. Thanks, Jonathan! I think he's supposed to have a red "label" across the top of the arms as his dad was still alive most of his career,. But I didn't want to mask the fleur de lis :) Best, Dean

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