The Company of Death (Called Societas de la Morth by Galvano Fiamma in his work Chronicon maius (ed. Ceruti, p. 718). See also ) is the name historically used for two related bands of warriors entrusted to guarantee the cohesiveness and efficiency in battle of both the Milanese and Lombard League's militias through their bond by oath to the defence of the Milanese Carroccio, the wagon on which the standard of the Lombard allies stood.
They fought in the Battle of Legnano (29 May 1176) against the imperial army of Frederick I Barbarossa, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, in his 5th Italian Campaign, and were determinant in his decisive defeat.
The two corps who formed the Company of Death were the Company of the Carroccio, an infantry unit of 300 men, and the Knights of Death, a cavalry unit of 900 men, commanded according to tradition by Alberto da Giussano. One historical study argues that Alberto da Giussano and the Knights of Death never existed.
The Chronicles
According to a legend reported for the first time by the 14th century chronicler Galvano Fiamma, who wrote 150 years after the battle of Legnano, the Knights of the Death were formed by 900 knights. It owed its name to the oath that its members made, which included fighting until their last breath without ever lowering their arms. According to Galvano Fiamma, the Knights of the Death defended the Carroccio to the extreme and then carried out, in the final stages of the battle of Legnano, a charge against Frederick Barbarossa's imperial army.
From an excerpt from the Chronica Galvanica by Galvano Fiamma we can read:
While, on another excerpt of the same work, this time on the battle of Legnano, we can read that:
The mention of the "battle wagons" is very probably an anachronism, they were employed, without any success, years before the Battle of Legnano of 1176 took place, by a Mastro Guitelmo a milanese Guild-master and magistrate in a previous battle fought in the lands between Rho and Legnano in 1160 AD.Giovanni Codagnello, Annales Placentini Guelfi (till 1235 AD) ed. O. Holder-Hegger in Monumenta Germaniae Historica (MGH), SS rerum Germanicarum in usum scholarum, XXXIII, Hannoverae et Lipsiae, 1901. . It is possible that the chronicler was mixing facts as their effective use at Legnano isn't mentioned elsewhere, it may also be a rhetorical device intended by him to recreate the appearance of the traditional trinitarian model of a "Holy Venture".
The reports of Fiamma should be taken, however, with the benefit of the doubt since in his writings there are inaccuracies, errors and legendary facts.
The Company of Death The Company of the Carroccio The Company of the Carroccio was an infantry unit of 300 men, all of them young volunteers (forming a societas) and Milanese, sworn by oath to die in defence of the Milanese Carroccio. They fought as phalanx in a Sheltron formation around their "Sacred wagon", armed with a large shield and a lanzalonga."Long lance", a short pike or long spike of around 3-4.5 metres.
The Knights of Death
The Knights of Death is the name of a temporary military association of medieval knights (a temporary societas), not historically documented, which according to tradition was organized and equipped by a leader known as Alberto da Giussano. It had a great importance during the Battle of Legnano (29 May 1176) where it defended the Carroccio of the Lombard League against the imperial army of Frederick I Barbarossa.
The company was assembled in haste, depriving the Lombard infantry of the valuable support of enough heavy cavalry, "horse" were recruited by Alberto da Giussano around Brescia, and in other eastern areas of Lombardy that had contributed less in infantry and trails to the League. The knights would not be understood in the medieval and romantic sense, but as mere "mounted on horseback" or also "light cavalry".A Lombard light cavalryman of the period would have been equipped with a helm, a light armour, a small wooden shield, a couple of javelins, a sword and a knife. They were very probably particularly cruel and fierce "professional, or semi-professional, fighters", apt at wreaking havoc in the enemy ranks.
According to Milanese chronicler Galvano Fiamma it was composed of 900 men at arms but other sources and modern scholars reduce that number to 300 or, more probably, 500. According to tradition they wore a sort of dark suit (black and gray, cut vertically) connected at the sides, to cover the armour, with probably the symbol of the skull on the traditional small pointed wooden shields.
Historical studies done over time have shown that Alberto da Giussano and the Knights of Death never existed.
Commemorations Figures playing Alberto da Giussano and members of the Knights of Death participate in the historic parade of the Palio di Legnano. Later, these figures, at the city stadium, before the horse race, repropose the position that, according to legend, was made by Alberto da Giussano and the Knights of Death in the final stages of the battle of Legnano.
See also Alberto da Giussano Battle of Legnano Lombard League Church of the Compagnia della morte
Notes
References
Bibliography
Chronicon Vincentii Canonici Pragensis in Monumenta historica Boemiae by Fr. Gelasius Dobner (1764)
I. R. Dieterich, "Die Taktik in den Lombardenkriegen der Staufer", Marburg, 1892
Alberto Peruffo, Alberto da Giussano tra realtà e mito Federico A. Rossi Di Marignano: "Federico Barbarossa e Beatrice di Borgogna. Re e regina d'Italia", Mondadori, 2009,
External links Company of Death (book), published by Legano Sword of War (film), 2009, at IMDB