In this episode, we trace the final chapters in the life of Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, the last great condottiero of Renaissance Italy, and his unlikely, enduring friendship with the scandalous writer Pietro Aretino. From political satire in Rome to blood-soaked battlefields in Lombardy and Umbria, this story intertwines art, warfare, ambition, and the sweeping changes that transformed European conflict forever.

• Early life in Arezzo, his refusal of his father’s name, and his rise as a sharp-tongued writer and showman in the papal court of Leo X.
• The “talking statues” of Rome—especially Pasquino—and how Aretino’s biting pasquinades shaped political discourse.
• His alignment with Giulio de’ Medici (future Pope Clement VII), flight after the election of Hadrian VI, and continued clashes with papal officials.
• The scandal of the erotic engravings of Giulio Romano, ensuing arrests, and Aretino’s provocative “lustful sonnets.”
• His stabbing in Rome, survival, and eventual wanderings through Mantua and finally Venice, where he spent the last decades of his colourful life.
• His literary legacy, including La Cortigiana and the Ragionamenti, with their unfiltered depictions of sex, society, and the hypocrisy of his age.

• Giovanni’s campaigns under various Italian powers and his growing reputation as a fearless and impulsive commander.
• His service to Pope Leo X and later Hadrian VI, including action against the Baglioni in Umbria and the dramatic siege at Passignano.
• Giovanni’s early brushes with imperial interest—and his surprising decision to instead enter French service under Francis I.
• The Battle of Bicocca (1522): a turning point in military history marking the decline of heavy cavalry and mercenary companies in the face of firearms and artillery.
• Giovanni’s wounding at Pavia and the involvement of two remarkable physicians: Berengario da Carpi and Abraham of Mantua.
• His turbulent finances, reckless habits, and the selling of Aulla, which ended his dream of carving out a hereditary domain.
• Increasing tensions caused by his Black Bands as they created chaos across Tuscany and Emilia.

• The formation of the anti-imperial League of Cognac (1526): Italy and France united against Charles V.
• Giovanni’s renewed service—accompanied once more by Aretino—and widespread hopes that he might become the Italian hero capable of unifying the peninsula.
• Frustration with Duke Francesco della Rovere’s hesitant leadership and obstacles created by Italian rivalries, especially the Este of Ferrara.
• Giovanni’s last victory at Governolo near Mantua.
• His mortal wounding from a hidden sniper’s shot—ironically not from the artillery that was reshaping warfare—and the dramatic amputation performed by Dr. Abraham.
• Giovanni’s final days, the legendary accounts of his stoicism, and his death at just 28 years old.

• The consequences of Giovanni’s death: the failure of the League of Cognac to stop the imperial advance and the catastrophic Sack of Rome in 1527.
• The continuation of the Black Bands under Pier Maria de’ Rossi—and Maria Salviati’s refusal to let young Cosimo join them as a mascot.
• Giovanni’s relocation from Mantua to Florence and his enduring presence in the city’s memory.
• A glimpse of his statue near the Uffizi, standing guard toward the Arno—a symbolic link to his son, Cosimo I, future Grand Duke of Tuscany.

Picking up where we left off, Giovanni de’ Medici, son of Caterina Sforza and known to history as Giovanni of the Black Bands, continues his meteoric rise through the bloody and chaotic world of Renaissance warfare. Backed by a Medici pope and driven by his fierce loyalty to his men, Giovanni’s legend as a mercenary commander — and his troubles with the powerful Medici family — only grow.

Host Mike Corradi unpacks the dangerous charisma, discipline, and contradictions of this larger-than-life condottiero: a man both feared and admired, ruthless yet loyal, reckless yet revered. From duels and executions to daring river crossings and political intrigue, this episode captures Giovanni at the height of his brutal glory.

• From Soldier to Legend – How Giovanni built the feared and disciplined Black Bands, and the tough standards that made them famous.
• Mercenary Life in Renaissance Italy – The realities of the “condotta” contract system, pay, discipline, and the fine line between soldiers and extortionists.
• A Code of Blood and Brotherhood – Giovanni’s uncompromising justice, personal duels, and brutal loyalty to his men.
• Exile and Recklessness – The duel with Camillo d’Appiano, murders in Florence, and yet another banishment for the restless Medici captain.
• Back to War – Giovanni’s return to papal service, his victories in the Marche, and the death of Pope Leo X — when his men finally took the name The Black Bands.
• The Battle of Vaprio (1521) – A daring river crossing, a sleeping French commander, and a crucial victory that spared Milan from destruction.
• Family and Bloodlines Again – Giovanni’s rescue of his stepsister Bianca Riario, echoing his mother Caterina’s courage.
• A New Companion – The arrival of Pietro Aretino, the scandalous writer and provocateur, whose influence on Giovanni we’ll soon discover.

• Giovanni de’ Medici “of the Black Bands” – The fearless condottiero whose name became a legend.
• Pope Leo X (Giovanni de’ Medici) – The Medici pope whose death marked a turning point for Giovanni’s army.
• Maria Salviati – Giovanni’s long-suffering wife, holding the family together in his absence.
• Prospero Colonna – The respected general under whom Giovanni fought, and a link to the fall of Cesare Borgia.
• Bianca Riario – Giovanni’s stepsister and loyal supporter, mirroring their mother’s fierce independence.
• Pietro Aretino – The notorious writer and satirist soon to become Giovanni’s newest and most scandalous ally.

• The discipline and image of the Black Bands as a symbol of military professionalism.
• Giovanni’s ruthless moral code: loyalty rewarded, betrayal punished — often fatally.
• The economic and moral contradictions of the condottieri trade.
• How personal honour and vendetta shaped early 16th-century warfare.
• The seeds of change as firearms began to replace the medieval knight.

As Giovanni’s fame and ferocity spread across Italy, his world teeters between the medieval and the modern — where mercenary loyalty, family honour, and the politics of popes collide.

But with the arrival of a new friend — and bad influence — in Pietro Aretino, Giovanni’s story is about to take an even darker and more dangerous...

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