A Devil of a Man (12) - A Handsome Knight

Having successfully completed the contract with the Marquis of Montferrat by routing the Visconti's army at the battle of Canturino in April 1363, the reputation of Albert Strez and the company of mercenaries that he led was sky-high, there was a great demand for their services and offers of employment poured in.

Although Sterz was the titular captain-general of the band, the White Company's leadership was essentially English as fifteen of the seventeen corporals assisting the German had English names. This would soon prove significant.

The Italians knew what they were getting: battle-hardened military men, fierce in combat, able to sustain extreme weather and clever tacticians on the field. But that was the plus side. Cruelty, violence towards women, undiscipline and criminal undertakings were also very much in evidence.

Yet, as they relied on the foreigners' assistance, were not in a position to dictate rules of etiquette.

Among those needing a helping hand were the Venetians.

Walter Leslie who had been with the White Company in Avignon, had decided to work for Venice. 

He tries to hire 300 Englishmen to send to Candia, in Greece, to quell the latest uprising in that colony, but falls short of that number and manages to get 110, despite the Venetian offering free passage via Cyprus to the Holy Land on their fleet.

So, on a sunny and warm late-summer day, Sterz rides at the head of a substantial force towards Pisa, the highest bidders for their services.

This city shared the river Arno with their neighbours, Florence.

They were in a favourable position as, being downstream, they had an outlet to the sea and, in peacetime, allowed Florence to navigate their boats to their port and the open sea. For a fee, of course.

The problem was that supremacy for the maritime trade was also hotly disputed by Venice and Genoa and the latter had recently walloped Pisa, causing a big hole in Pisa's coffers. Consequently, the Pisans had felt duty bound to raise Florence's import duty and this got up their neighbour's nose who already had a local militia under the command of Pandolfo II Malatesta to deal with such occurrences.

Albert Sterz had fun and games with the Florentines who didn't seem inclined to make a move, preferring instead to clear the countryside of goods and to remove citizens to safety.

He raided territories north and south of Florence and captured the town of Figline which he used as the base to conduct further attacks.

Someone else who had a different kind of fun was a young, handsome, English corporal called Andrew Belmont whose good looks had attracted the attention of the local females, young and old.

A married lady named Mona Tancia developed a crush on the dashing youth and they began an affair that became the talk of the town.

It was evident that the relationship was consensual as the two lovebirds did not try to hide their love.

Nevertheless, it set tongues wagging.

The villagers could not help wondering how the situation had come about and there was a great deal of speculation about her domestic arrangements and her husband's reaction.

Gathered round a fruit seller's stall stood a group of women ostensibly examining the goods on display. Among them, two ladies elegantly dressed were obviously a cut above the rest

They had not come to the market for shopping but for gossiping about the latest scandal.

“How has Guido taken it?”,  Mona Giulia asked Mona Lisa.

“He is a very tolerant man,” her friend replied with an enigmatic smile, “and he's figo (cool) about what his wife does with her figa (pussy).”

A couple of girls who had been intently listening to those exchanges and appreciated the play on words, burst out laughing.

“Do you think it was one of the young knight's arrows that pierced her heart?”

“No. I believe the appeal was the length of his lance,” added Mona Lisa cattily.

She wanted to give the impression that she was above such sordidness but secretly wished that she too could swiven with the handsome cavalier.

***

Given the transient nature of a mercenary occupation, it was not easy to guess how long the unorthodox relationship of Mona Tancia della Foresta and Andrew Belmont would last and it was equally difficult to forecast unexpected changes that were looming on the horizon.

© Luigi Pagano 2024