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

Prevodilac: Jovana Babic Lektor: Milenka Okuka

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

Ranom zorom 29. jula 1364. godine, Džon Hokvud -

an English soldier turned contract mercenary—

bivši engleski vojnik koji je postao plaćenik -

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

predvodio je napad na usnulu vojsku firentinskih plaćenika.

The enemy commander quickly awoke and gathered his men

Neprijateljski komandant se ubrzo probudio, okupio svoje ljude

to launch a counterattack.

i krenuo u protivnapad.

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

Ali čim je neprijateljska vojska bila spremna za borbu,

Hawkwood’s fighters simply turned and walked away.

Hokvudovi borci su se samo okrenuli i odšetali.

This wasn't an act of cowardice.

Nije se radilo o kukavičkom činu.

These mercenaries, known as condottieri,

Ovi plaćenici, poznati kao kondotijeri,

had simply done just enough fighting to fulfill their contracts.

borili su se samo onoliko koliko im je bilo dovoljno da ispune ugovor.

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

Što se tiče italijanskih kondotijera, svrha rata nije bila u slavi i osvajanju,

it was purely about getting paid.

već samo u plati.

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

Dobrim delom 14. i 15. veka kondotijeri su dominirali italijanskim ratištima,

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

zarađujući na intenzivnim regionalnim političkim rivalstvima i podstičući ih.

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

Najmoćnijim regionima su vladali bogati predstavnici

of the Catholic Church

katoličke crkve

or merchants who’d grown rich from international trade.

ili trgovci koji su se obogatili internacionalnom trgovinom.

These rulers competed for power and prestige

Vladari su se nadmetali za moć i prestiž

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

tako što su privlačili najtalentovanije umetnike i mislioce u svoje dvorove,

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

što je rezultiralo kulturološkom eksplozijom poznatom kao renesansa.

But local rivalries also played out in military conflicts,

Lokalna rivalstva su se takođe odigravala kroz vojne konflikte

fought almost entirely by the condottieri.

u kojima su se gotovo isključivo borili kondotijeri.

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

Mnogi od ovih elitnih plaćenika su bili veterani Stogodišnjeg rata

hailing from France and England.

poreklom iz Francuske i Engleske.

When that war reached a temporary truce in 1360,

Kada je 1360. uspostavljeno privremeno primirje,

some soldiers began pillaging France in search of fortune.

neki od vojnika su počeli da haraju Francuskom u potrazi za bogatstvom.

And the riches they found in Catholic churches

Bogatstvo koje su pronašli u katoličkim crkvama

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

je dovelo ove grupe pljačkaša u centar crkvenih aktivnosti, u Italiju.

But here, savvy ruling merchants saw these bandits’ arrival

Ovde su lukavi vladajući trgovci videli dolazak bandita

as a golden opportunity.

kao izuzetnu priliku.

By hiring the soldiers as mercenaries,

Zapošljavanjem ovih vojnika kao plaćenika,

they could control the violence and gain an experienced army

oni bi sticali kontrolu nad nasiljem i dobili iskusnu vojsku

without the cost of outfitting and training locals.

bez dodatnog troška za opremanje i treniranje lokalnog naroda.

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

I plaćenicima se svideo ovaj dogovor jer im je obezbedio redovnu platu

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

i mogućnost da okrenu vladare jedne protiv drugih u sopstvenu korist.

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

Naravno, ovi vojnici su bili pod strogom kontrolom.

Rulers forced them to sign elaborate contracts, or condotta,

Vladari su ih primoravali da potpišu detaljne ugovore ili kondote,

a word that became synonymous with the mercenaries themselves.

što je reč koja je postala sinonim za same plaćenike.

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

Podela prihoda, distribucija plena, ugovor o zabrani konkurencije -

it was all spelled out clearly,

sve je bilo detaljno ispisano

making war merely another dimension of business.

i to je učinilo rat samo još jednim aspektom poslovanja.

Contracts specified the number of men a commander would provide,

Ugovorima je bilo određeno koliko bi ljudi komandant obezbedio,

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

zbog čega je broj vojnika varirao od nekoliko stotina do nekoliko hiljada.

Individual soldiers regularly moved between armies

Pojedinci su redovno menjali vojske

in search of higher payments.

u potrazi za boljom platom.

And when their contracts expired,

Kada bi im istekli ugovori,

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

komandanti kondotijera bi postali slobodni bez očekivanja da ostanu lojalni.

When John Hawkwood launched his surprise attack

Kada je Džon Hokvud predvodio svoj tajni napad

against the Florentine condottieri,

na firentinske kondotijere,

he was working for Pisa.

radio je za Pizu.

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

Kasnije se borio za Firencu i za brojne druge neprijatelje Pize.

But regardless of who was contracting them,

Međutim, bez obzira na to ko ih je unajmio,

the condottieri fought primarily for themselves.

kondotijeru su se prevashodno borili za sebe.

Their extensive military experience allowed them to avoid

Njihovo obimno vojno iskustvo im je omogućilo da izbegnu

taking unnecessary risks in the heat of battle.

bespotrebne opasnosti u srcu bitke.

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

Pored toga, iako smrtonosne, njihove bitke su retko vodile u dominantne pobede

or defeats.

ili poraze.

Condottieri commanders wanted battles to be inconclusive—

Komandanti kondotijera su želeli da bitke budu nerešene -

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

naposletku, ako bi mir bio uspostavljen, oni bi ostali bez posla.

So even when one side did win,

Čak iako bi jedna strana pobedila,

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

neprijateljski vojnici bi bili zarobljeni, a potom pušteni da se bore u novim bitkama

But there was nothing merciful about these decisions.

Ove odluke nisu donošene iz sažaljenja.

Contracts could just as easily turn them into ruthless killers,

Ugovori su ih takođe mogli pretvoriti u ubice bez milosti,

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

kao što se desilo 1377. kada je Hakvud predvodio masakr u izgladnelom gradu

who’d tried to revolt against the local government.

koji se pobunio protiv lokalne vlade.

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

Vremenom, strane kondotijere su polako zamenili domaći Italijani.

For young men from humble origins,

Za mladiće skromnog porekla,

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

posao plaćenika je bio primamljivija opcija od poljoprivrede i crkve.

And this new generation of condottieri leveraged their military power

Ova nova generacija kondotijera je pretvarala svoju vojnu moć

into political influence,

u politički uticaj,

in some cases even founding ruling dynasties.

ponekad čak i osnivajući vladajuće dinastije.

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

Na kraju, uprkos dvovekovnoj dominaciji nad italijanskim ratištima,

the condottieri only truly excelled at engaging in just enough

kondotijeri su zapravo jedino bili dobri u borbama na blizinu, i to tačno onoliko

close-range combat to fulfill their contracts.

koliko bi bilo dovoljno da se ispune njihovi ugovori.

Over time, they became outclassed by the gunpowder weaponry

Vremenom su prevaziđeni uz pomoć oružja na barut

of France and Spain’s large standing armies,

koje je koristila velika francuska i španska stajaća vojska,

as well as the naval might of the Ottomans.

kao i pomorske snage Otomanskog carstva.

By the mid 16th century,

Do sredine 16. veka,

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

državne vojske su uvele Evropu u novu eru ratovanja

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

i okončale kondotijerske prljave ratne igre.