Italy
Battle of Novara (Ariotta)
The French invasion of Milan, 1513 By the time this treaty with Venice was concluded, Louis XII, King of France (1498–1515), was rid of one of his most determined opponents. Julius II died during the night of 20 February 1513. The new pope was Giovanni de’ Medici, who took the title Leo X. Much younger than Julius, he was not…
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ITALY AND THE RESTORATION
Ferdinand IV of Naples In September 1814 Napoleon’s opponents gathered in Vienna to restore the Europe with which their enemy had so compulsively tampered. Although their work was interrupted by the bogeyman’s return and the Battle of Waterloo, they completed their task quickly and without acrimony. They had set out…
Tancred of Hauteville
Tancred of Hauteville, an 11th century crusader, by Jenny Dolfen 1: Norman miles, Hauteville family 2: Robert ‘le Guiscard’ d’Hauteville 3: Swabian miles, papal army 4: Lombard miles, Benevento After the defeat of the rebellion, many of the knights who had traveled to Italy were once again adrift. Some returned…
Africa Colonial Wars 1919–1939 Part II
Franco’s demands had been modest compared to those made by Mussolini, for whom the French surrender was a heaven-sent opportunity to implement his long-term plans for a vast Italian empire in Africa. In 1940 he asked the Germans for Corsica, Tunisia, Djibuti and naval bases at Toulon, Ajaccio and Mers-el-Kebir…
The Mahdist Challenge to the Italians, 1890-94
Although the Mahdi died in June 1885 the fight was continued by his successor, the Khalifa. Between 1885 and 1896, when the reconquest of the Sudan was undertaken by the Anglo-Egyptians. The Mahdists fought the Italians for the first time at Agordat on 27 June 1890. About 1,000 warriors raided…
The Battle for Rome September 1943
Carla Capponi, an attractive, petite, fair-haired University of Rome student employed as a secretary, lived with her mother, Maria Tamburri,* in a large apartment that overlooked Trajan’s Column. She dressed elegantly, never leaving home without gloves. A Florentine, Carla Capponi was descended from nobility on her father’s side. Her great…
The Duce’s Dolphins I
Italian Submarine “CAGNI” When Benito Mussolini went to war against the Western Allies, he had at his disposal the world’s greatest submarine fleet in terms of tonnage. Only the Soviet Navy possessed a slight numerical edge. He was able to field 172 mostly modern, undersea warships, enough to simultaneously fulfill…