The rise and fall of Italy’s warriors-for-hire - Stephanie Honchell Smith

Translator: Ezra Misael Kumanau Reviewer: Reno Kanti Riananda

At dawn on July 29th, 1364, John Hawkwood—

Dini hari tanggal 29 Juli 1364, John Hawkwood—

an English soldier turned contract mercenary—

seorang tentara Inggris yang menjadi tentara bayaran—

led a surprise attack against an army of sleeping Florentine mercenaries.

memimpin serangan mendadak pada tentara bayaran Fiorentina yang terlelap.

The enemy commander quickly awoke and gathered his men

Panglima musuh segera terjaga dan mengumpulkan pasukannya

to launch a counterattack.

untuk menyerang balik.

But as soon as the defending army was ready to fight,

Namun, begitu pasukan bertahan sudah siap berperang,

Hawkwood’s fighters simply turned and walked away.

pasukan Hawkwood berbalik dan pergi begitu saja.

This wasn't an act of cowardice.

Ini bukanlah tindakan pengecut.

These mercenaries, known as condottieri,

Tentara bayaran ini, yang dikenal sebagai condottieri,

had simply done just enough fighting to fulfill their contracts.

berperang secukupnya demi memenuhi kontrak mereka.

And for Italy’s condottieri, war wasn’t about glory or conquest:

Bagi condottieri Italia, perang bukanlah tentang kejayaan atau penaklukan:

it was purely about getting paid.

perang adalah murni sumber penghasilan.

For much of the 14th and 15th centuries, the condottieri dominated Italian warfare,

Sepanjang abad ke-14 dan 15, condottieri mendominasi peperangan Italia,

profiting from— and encouraging— the region’s intense political rivalries.

mengambil untung dari—dan juga mendorong— persaingan politik intens daerah tersebut.

The most powerful of these regions were ruled either by wealthy representatives

Daerah-daerah terkuat dikuasai oleh orang-orang kaya

of the Catholic Church

perwakilan Gereja Katolik

or merchants who’d grown rich from international trade.

atau pedagang yang menjadi kaya karena perdagangan internasional.

These rulers competed for power and prestige

Para penguasa ini bersaing demi kekuasaan dan martabat

by working to attract the most talented artists and thinkers to their courts,

dengan menarik seniman dan pemikir paling berbakat ke pemerintahan mereka,

leading to a cultural explosion now known as the Italian Renaissance.

membuat ledakan budaya yang sekarang dikenal sebagai Renaisans Italia.

But local rivalries also played out in military conflicts,

Namun, persaingan lokal juga terjadi dalam bentuk konflik militer,

fought almost entirely by the condottieri.

yang dijalankan hampir seluruhnya oleh condottieri.

Many of these elite mercenaries were veterans of the Hundred Years’ War,

Kebanyakan tentara bayaran elite ini adalah veteran Perang Seratus Tahun,

hailing from France and England.

yang berasal dari Prancis dan Inggris.

When that war reached a temporary truce in 1360,

Ketika perang tersebut mengalami gencatan senjata sementara di 1360,

some soldiers began pillaging France in search of fortune.

beberapa prajurit mulai menjarah Prancis untuk mencari harta kekayaan.

And the riches they found in Catholic churches

Dan warga kaya yang mereka temui di Gereja Katolik

drew their raiding parties to the center of the Church’s operations: Italy.

menggiring pasukan penjarah mereka ke pusat operasi Gereja: Italia.

But here, savvy ruling merchants saw these bandits’ arrival

Namun, pedagang penguasa yang cerdas melihat kedatangan bandit-bandit ini

as a golden opportunity.

sebagai kesempatan emas.

By hiring the soldiers as mercenaries,

Dengan menyewa prajurit sebagai tentara bayaran,

they could control the violence and gain an experienced army

mereka bisa mengendalikan kekerasan dan memperoleh pasukan berpengalaman

without the cost of outfitting and training locals.

tanpa mengeluarkan biaya perlengkapan dan pelatihan warga lokal.

The mercenaries liked this deal as well, as it offered regular income

Para tentara bayaran juga menyukai ini, karena mereka mendapat pemasukan rutin

and the ability to play these rulers off each other for their own benefit.

dan kemampuan untuk mempermainkan para penguasa ini demi keuntungan sendiri.

Of course, these soldiers had to be kept on a tight leash.

Tentu, para prajurit ini harus dikekang dengan ketat.

Rulers forced them to sign elaborate contracts, or condotta,

Para penguasa memaksa mereka menyetujui kontrak rumit, atau condotta,

a word that became synonymous with the mercenaries themselves.

sebuah kata yang menjadi sama artinya dengan para tentara bayaran itu.

Divisions of payment, distribution of plunder, non-compete agreements—

Pembagian keuntungan, distribusi jarahan, perjanjian tidak bersaing—

it was all spelled out clearly,

semuanya dijelaskan gamblang,

making war merely another dimension of business.

membuat perang hanya menjadi sebuah wujud bisnis.

Contracts specified the number of men a commander would provide,

Kontrak menjelaskan jumlah pasukan yang disediakan oleh panglima,

and the resulting armies ranged from a few hundred to several thousand.

dan pasukan yang terbentuk bisa berjumlah ratusan hingga ribuan orang.

Individual soldiers regularly moved between armies

Para tentara juga sering berpindah pasukan secara individu

in search of higher payments.

demi pendapatan lebih tinggi.

And when their contracts expired,

Dan ketika kontrak mereka habis,

condottieri commanders became free agents with no expectation of ongoing loyalty.

panglima condottieri menjadi agen bebas yang tidak terikat kesetiaan.

When John Hawkwood launched his surprise attack

Ketika John Hawkwood meluncurkan serangan kejutannya

against the Florentine condottieri,

melawan condottieri Fiorentina,

he was working for Pisa.

dia sedang bekerja untuk Pisa.

Later, he would fight for Florence and many of Pisa’s other enemies.

Kemudian, dia berperang untuk Fiorentina dan banyak musuh Pisa lainnya.

But regardless of who was contracting them,

Namun, terlepas dari siapa yang mengontrak mereka,

the condottieri fought primarily for themselves.

condottieri berperang demi diri mereka sendiri.

Their extensive military experience allowed them to avoid

Pengalaman militer mereka yang luas membantu mereka menghindari

taking unnecessary risks in the heat of battle.

risiko-risiko tak berguna di tengah panasnya medan perang.

And— while still deadly— their clashes rarely led to crushing victories

Dan—sekalipun tetap mematikan—pertikaian mereka jarang berakhir dengan kemenangan

or defeats.

atau kekalahan telak.

Condottieri commanders wanted battles to be inconclusive—

Panglima condottieri menginginkan akhir perang yang menggantung—

after all, if they established peace, they’d put themselves out of business.

lagi pula, jika mereka menciptakan kedamaian, mereka akan kehilangan bisnis.

So even when one side did win,

Jadi, ketika ada satu pihak yang menang,

enemy combatants were typically held hostage and released to fight another day.

prajurit musuh biasanya akan disandera, lalu dilepaskan agar bisa berperang lagi.

But there was nothing merciful about these decisions.

Namun, keputusan ini sama sekali tidak didasari belas kasih.

Contracts could just as easily turn them into ruthless killers,

Kontrak bisa dengan mudah membuat mereka menjadi pembunuh berdarah dingin,

as in 1377, when Hawkwood led the massacre of a famine-stricken town

seperti di 1377, ketika Hawkwood memimpin pembantaian kota yang dilanda kelaparan,

who’d tried to revolt against the local government.

yang mencoba memberontak melawan pemerintah lokal.

Over time, foreign condottieri were increasingly replaced by native Italians.

Seiring waktu, condottieri asing terus digantikan oleh warga Italia asli.

For young men from humble origins,

Bagi para pria muda sederhana,

war-for-profit offered an attractive alternative to farming or the church.

berperang-demi-untung lebih menarik dibanding bertani atau bekerja di gereja.

And this new generation of condottieri leveraged their military power

Dan generasi condottieri baru ini memanfaatkan kekuatan militer mereka

into political influence,

menjadi pengaruh politik,

in some cases even founding ruling dynasties.

di beberapa kasus bahkan mendirikan dinasti penguasa.

However, despite cornering the market on Italian warfare for nearly two centuries,

Namun, meski berhasil memonopoli pasar peperangan Italia selama hampir dua abad,

the condottieri only truly excelled at engaging in just enough

para condottieri hanya ahli berperang sekadarnya

close-range combat to fulfill their contracts.

dalam pertempuran jarak dekat demi memenuhi kontrak.

Over time, they became outclassed by the gunpowder weaponry

Seiring waktu, mereka dikalahkan oleh persenjataan api

of France and Spain’s large standing armies,

milik pasukan besar Prancis dan Spanyol,

as well as the naval might of the Ottomans.

dan juga kekuatan angkatan laut Utsmaniyah.

By the mid 16th century,

Di pertengahan abad ke-16,

these state-sponsored militaries forced all of Europe into a new era of warfare,

militer yang disponsori negara ini membawa seluruh Eropa ke era peperangan baru,

putting an end to the condottieri’s conniving war games.

mengakhiri permainan perang licik condottieri.