Papers by Matteo Ronchi
Nuova Antologia Militare, 5, 17 (Feb. 2024), pp. 533-556, 2024
Starting from the mid-15th century, artillery played an increasingly decisive
role in Italian and... more Starting from the mid-15th century, artillery played an increasingly decisive
role in Italian and European warfare. The advent of heavy bombards and
field artillery had an impact not only on military tactics, but also on the way warfare
was organized: due to the enormous amount of material and specialized human
resources necessary for the manufacture and fielding of these weapons, states
became the only political actors able to invest in this industry. In the duchy of
Milan, the production of heavy artillery was carried out by the ducal engineers of
the officium munitionum et laboreriorum, which had total control of this manufacturing
sector. Portable firearms and light artillery were, however, different beasts.
Although the officium munitionum was also responsible of the casting of spingarde,
bombardelle and schioppetti, the “private citizens” of the duchy could have
access – legally or clandestinely – to the same weapons too. Starting from a letter
narrating the purchases and clandestine production of firearms by the Genoese
rebels in the summer of 1476 and from information found in the correspondence
of the ducal engineers, this contribution aims to study the production techniques,
diffusion and trade of portable firearms in the Sforza dominion, highlighting their
economic and institutional consequences, as well as showing the lively exchanges
of technical culture and practical knowledge between the Duchy of Milan and the
world beyond the Alps in the second half of the Fifteenth century.
Studi di Storia Medioevale e di Diplomatica - Nuova Serie, 5 (novembre 2021), pp. 257-284, 2021
Link: https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/SSMD/article/view/16137
Abstract
[ITA]
Sebbene il feno... more Link: https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/SSMD/article/view/16137
Abstract
[ITA]
Sebbene il fenomeno degli assoldamenti di truppe svizzere compiuti dagli Stati europei nella seconda metà del Quattrocento sia noto alla storiografia – anche in virtù delle sue implicazioni politico-diplomatiche – poco è stato scritto a proposito delle compagnie svizzere operanti in Italia sullo scorcio del Quattrocento. In questa sede è stato possibile, attraverso il Registro degli assoldamenti a truppe tedesche – conservato presso l’Archivio di Stato di Milano – studiare da vicino le compagnie elvetiche assoldate da Ludovico il Moro, facendone emergere con concretezza la dimensione militare e organizzativa: il ruolo dei capitani, la gerarchia e le diverse figure che componevano il corpo ufficiali, lo spirito di corpo tipico delle compagnie elvetiche e la loro relazione con il potere ducale relativamente alla consegna delle paghe e alla negoziazione delle condotte. Il Registro ha consentito anche di indagare la dimensione umana di queste compagnie, fornendo informazioni circa la provenienza geografica e l’origine familiare di molti capitani: si è riusciti persino a identificare alcuni di loro. Infine, attraverso il Registro si sono potuti esaminare i metodi impiegati dall’amministrazione ducale per tenere sotto controllo le compagnie elvetiche al soldo del Moro, assai preziose in un momento politicamente turbolento come quello degli ultimi anni del Quattrocento.
[ENG]
Although the phenomenon of the hiring of Swiss troops conducted by European states in the second half of the Fifteenth century is very well known to modern historiography – also owing to its political and diplomatic implications – not much has been written about the Swiss companies operating in Italy at the end of the century. In this paper, the attentive study of the Registro degli Assoldamenti a truppe tedesche, 1495-1499 – conserved in the State Archive of Milan – resulted in a close-up analysis of the Swiss companies hired by Ludovico Maria Sforza, pointing out their military and organisational aspects: the role of the captains, the hierarchy and the different figures of the officers, the esprit de corps typical of these companies and their relations with the ducal administration with respect to the payments and the negotiation of the condotte. Moreover, the Registro enabled us to investigate the human dimension of these companies, giving us information about the geographical and family origin of many captains, several of which have been identified. Finally, through the Registro, light has been shed on the methods used by the duchy to keep Swiss companies under control, especially in such turbulent times as the end of the Fifteenth century.
Master Thesis by Matteo Ronchi
This is the dissertation I wrote for my Master's degree in Historical Studies. This work focus on... more This is the dissertation I wrote for my Master's degree in Historical Studies. This work focus on the phenomenon of the hire of Swiss and German mercenary companies during the last years of the duchy of Ludovico Maria Sforza, duke of Milan: this matter has been studied through the "Registro degli Assoldamenti a truppe tedesche", n. 202 - conserved in the fonds Registri delle Missive Ducali (1447-1538) in the Archivio di Stato di Milano - which contains 17 contracts of condotta, 14 concessions of pensions and 3 missives about military and financial matters. While the first chapter of this dissertation offers a broad historical background, the second and the third chapters respectively go deep into the study of Swiss-Milanese political relations and the structure, the organization and the social aspects typical of these companies. A particular attention has been paid to the individual figures of the Swiss and German captains at the head of the companies hired by Ludovico Sforza: their provenance, their social extraction and their level of literacy are some of the themes that have been investigated.
Bachelor Thesis by Matteo Ronchi
Undergraduate research for the First Level Degree in History. This work is about the relations be... more Undergraduate research for the First Level Degree in History. This work is about the relations between John Hawkwood and Bernabò Visconti, and more generally about some aspects of Hawkwood's life and career in Italy.
Conferences and workshops by Matteo Ronchi
Wykłady inauguracyjne • Inaugural lectures • Інавгураційні лекції 9.45-11.30 • sala 103• room 103... more Wykłady inauguracyjne • Inaugural lectures • Інавгураційні лекції 9.45-11.30 • sala 103• room 103 • online Wojciech Iwańczak Czy święci pomagali wygrać bitwy? Halina Parafianowicz Uniwersytet w Białymstoku "To end all wars"-czy o to walczyli Amerykanie w Great War i co z tego wynikło?
by Giovanni Contel, Apprendistato Storico, Giovanni Collamati, Claudia Bischetti, Andrea Raffaele Aquino, Filippo Vaccaro, Alessandra Bartolomei Romagnoli, Edward Loss, Fabrizio Ansani, Giulia Zornetta, Elisabetta Scarton, Stefano Bernardinello, Leo Donnarumma, Nicolò Maggio, Alessandro Gaudiero, Arturo Mariano Iannace, Francesco Battaglini, Florian Messner, Federica Fiorini, Tomasz Pełech, Olga Pelech, Francesco Borghero, Francesco Bozzi, Simone Picchianti, Jacopo Sassera, Zeno Castelli, Matteo Ronchi, Jacopo De Pasquale, and Marco Vito "La guerra nel Medioevo. Organizzarla, raccontarla, viverla", Sapienza Università di Roma, 9-13 g... more "La guerra nel Medioevo. Organizzarla, raccontarla, viverla", Sapienza Università di Roma, 9-13 gennaio 2023. V edizione del workshop internazionale per dottorandi e giovani ricercatori organizzato dai dottorandi e dottori di ricerca in Storia Medievale del Dottorato in STORIA, ANTROPOLOGIA, RELIGIONI, Dipartimento di Storia Antropologia Religioni Arte Spettacolo di Sapienza Università di Roma.
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Papers by Matteo Ronchi
role in Italian and European warfare. The advent of heavy bombards and
field artillery had an impact not only on military tactics, but also on the way warfare
was organized: due to the enormous amount of material and specialized human
resources necessary for the manufacture and fielding of these weapons, states
became the only political actors able to invest in this industry. In the duchy of
Milan, the production of heavy artillery was carried out by the ducal engineers of
the officium munitionum et laboreriorum, which had total control of this manufacturing
sector. Portable firearms and light artillery were, however, different beasts.
Although the officium munitionum was also responsible of the casting of spingarde,
bombardelle and schioppetti, the “private citizens” of the duchy could have
access – legally or clandestinely – to the same weapons too. Starting from a letter
narrating the purchases and clandestine production of firearms by the Genoese
rebels in the summer of 1476 and from information found in the correspondence
of the ducal engineers, this contribution aims to study the production techniques,
diffusion and trade of portable firearms in the Sforza dominion, highlighting their
economic and institutional consequences, as well as showing the lively exchanges
of technical culture and practical knowledge between the Duchy of Milan and the
world beyond the Alps in the second half of the Fifteenth century.
Abstract
[ITA]
Sebbene il fenomeno degli assoldamenti di truppe svizzere compiuti dagli Stati europei nella seconda metà del Quattrocento sia noto alla storiografia – anche in virtù delle sue implicazioni politico-diplomatiche – poco è stato scritto a proposito delle compagnie svizzere operanti in Italia sullo scorcio del Quattrocento. In questa sede è stato possibile, attraverso il Registro degli assoldamenti a truppe tedesche – conservato presso l’Archivio di Stato di Milano – studiare da vicino le compagnie elvetiche assoldate da Ludovico il Moro, facendone emergere con concretezza la dimensione militare e organizzativa: il ruolo dei capitani, la gerarchia e le diverse figure che componevano il corpo ufficiali, lo spirito di corpo tipico delle compagnie elvetiche e la loro relazione con il potere ducale relativamente alla consegna delle paghe e alla negoziazione delle condotte. Il Registro ha consentito anche di indagare la dimensione umana di queste compagnie, fornendo informazioni circa la provenienza geografica e l’origine familiare di molti capitani: si è riusciti persino a identificare alcuni di loro. Infine, attraverso il Registro si sono potuti esaminare i metodi impiegati dall’amministrazione ducale per tenere sotto controllo le compagnie elvetiche al soldo del Moro, assai preziose in un momento politicamente turbolento come quello degli ultimi anni del Quattrocento.
[ENG]
Although the phenomenon of the hiring of Swiss troops conducted by European states in the second half of the Fifteenth century is very well known to modern historiography – also owing to its political and diplomatic implications – not much has been written about the Swiss companies operating in Italy at the end of the century. In this paper, the attentive study of the Registro degli Assoldamenti a truppe tedesche, 1495-1499 – conserved in the State Archive of Milan – resulted in a close-up analysis of the Swiss companies hired by Ludovico Maria Sforza, pointing out their military and organisational aspects: the role of the captains, the hierarchy and the different figures of the officers, the esprit de corps typical of these companies and their relations with the ducal administration with respect to the payments and the negotiation of the condotte. Moreover, the Registro enabled us to investigate the human dimension of these companies, giving us information about the geographical and family origin of many captains, several of which have been identified. Finally, through the Registro, light has been shed on the methods used by the duchy to keep Swiss companies under control, especially in such turbulent times as the end of the Fifteenth century.
Master Thesis by Matteo Ronchi
Bachelor Thesis by Matteo Ronchi
Conferences and workshops by Matteo Ronchi
role in Italian and European warfare. The advent of heavy bombards and
field artillery had an impact not only on military tactics, but also on the way warfare
was organized: due to the enormous amount of material and specialized human
resources necessary for the manufacture and fielding of these weapons, states
became the only political actors able to invest in this industry. In the duchy of
Milan, the production of heavy artillery was carried out by the ducal engineers of
the officium munitionum et laboreriorum, which had total control of this manufacturing
sector. Portable firearms and light artillery were, however, different beasts.
Although the officium munitionum was also responsible of the casting of spingarde,
bombardelle and schioppetti, the “private citizens” of the duchy could have
access – legally or clandestinely – to the same weapons too. Starting from a letter
narrating the purchases and clandestine production of firearms by the Genoese
rebels in the summer of 1476 and from information found in the correspondence
of the ducal engineers, this contribution aims to study the production techniques,
diffusion and trade of portable firearms in the Sforza dominion, highlighting their
economic and institutional consequences, as well as showing the lively exchanges
of technical culture and practical knowledge between the Duchy of Milan and the
world beyond the Alps in the second half of the Fifteenth century.
Abstract
[ITA]
Sebbene il fenomeno degli assoldamenti di truppe svizzere compiuti dagli Stati europei nella seconda metà del Quattrocento sia noto alla storiografia – anche in virtù delle sue implicazioni politico-diplomatiche – poco è stato scritto a proposito delle compagnie svizzere operanti in Italia sullo scorcio del Quattrocento. In questa sede è stato possibile, attraverso il Registro degli assoldamenti a truppe tedesche – conservato presso l’Archivio di Stato di Milano – studiare da vicino le compagnie elvetiche assoldate da Ludovico il Moro, facendone emergere con concretezza la dimensione militare e organizzativa: il ruolo dei capitani, la gerarchia e le diverse figure che componevano il corpo ufficiali, lo spirito di corpo tipico delle compagnie elvetiche e la loro relazione con il potere ducale relativamente alla consegna delle paghe e alla negoziazione delle condotte. Il Registro ha consentito anche di indagare la dimensione umana di queste compagnie, fornendo informazioni circa la provenienza geografica e l’origine familiare di molti capitani: si è riusciti persino a identificare alcuni di loro. Infine, attraverso il Registro si sono potuti esaminare i metodi impiegati dall’amministrazione ducale per tenere sotto controllo le compagnie elvetiche al soldo del Moro, assai preziose in un momento politicamente turbolento come quello degli ultimi anni del Quattrocento.
[ENG]
Although the phenomenon of the hiring of Swiss troops conducted by European states in the second half of the Fifteenth century is very well known to modern historiography – also owing to its political and diplomatic implications – not much has been written about the Swiss companies operating in Italy at the end of the century. In this paper, the attentive study of the Registro degli Assoldamenti a truppe tedesche, 1495-1499 – conserved in the State Archive of Milan – resulted in a close-up analysis of the Swiss companies hired by Ludovico Maria Sforza, pointing out their military and organisational aspects: the role of the captains, the hierarchy and the different figures of the officers, the esprit de corps typical of these companies and their relations with the ducal administration with respect to the payments and the negotiation of the condotte. Moreover, the Registro enabled us to investigate the human dimension of these companies, giving us information about the geographical and family origin of many captains, several of which have been identified. Finally, through the Registro, light has been shed on the methods used by the duchy to keep Swiss companies under control, especially in such turbulent times as the end of the Fifteenth century.