A History of Italy

Episode Overview
Having toured Spanish Sardinia and turbulent Sicily, we now complete our circuit of southern Italy by turning to the Kingdom of Naples.
Once secured for Spain by the legendary Gonzalo de Córdoba, Naples became one of the crown jewels of the Spanish Empire — wealthy, strategic, and politically delicate.
In this episode, we follow the kingdom from consolidation under Spanish rule through internal tensions, shifting viceroys, the Battle of Ravenna, and finally to the dramatic French siege of Naples in 1528 — a moment when the city came dangerously close to slipping from Spanish control.
Naples Under Spanish Rule
By 1505, Spanish control of Naples was nearly complete.
The city of Naples received special privileges compared to the rest of the kingdom:
Tax exemptions
Legal protections
Lower fixed prices on staple goods
All royal offices centralized in the capital

This preferential treatment helped Naples grow into one of the largest cities in Europe — rivaling Venice and Paris in population and prestige.
Social Balance and Political Tensions
A delicate equilibrium existed between:
The nobility
Merchants and professionals
The popular classes
Unlike Sicily, Naples allowed limited representation of non-noble groups.
Spanish governors requested repeated donatives (extraordinary tax grants), creating periodic friction.

Gonzalo de Córdoba and the Transition of Power
Gonzalo de Córdoba, the “Great Captain,” secured the kingdom but was recalled to Spain amid suspicions he harbored royal ambitions.
His successor, Juan of Aragon, Count of Ribagorza, briefly held the position.
From 1509 to 1522, real influence lay with Ramon de Cardona, who oversaw:
The transition from Ferdinand of Aragon to Charles V
Continued management of noble rivalries
Spanish dominance during key phases of the Italian Wars

The Battle of Ravenna (1512)
De Cardona commanded Spanish forces against the French under Gaston de Foix.
Though defeated, the French victory was short-lived due to Foix’s death on the battlefield.
Naples remained securely Spanish.

Charles V, Pavia, and Rising...

Episode Overview
Having raced through the early 1500s following the Italian Wars, the Medici popes, Leonardo da Vinci, and the creation of the Medici duchy in Florence, it’s time to slow down and look at the parts of Italy we’ve left slightly out of focus.
In this episode, we take a tour of the Italian peninsula’s two great islands — Sardinia and Sicily — and the Kingdom of Naples’ wider Mediterranean context. Though often treated as peripheral, these territories were central to Spanish power in Italy and deeply affected by war, rebellion, piracy, and imperial ambition.

A Geographic Reset: Italy Beyond the Mainland
Italy consists of the mainland “boot” and two major islands: Sardinia (to the west) and Sicily (to the southwest).
Both islands are today among Italy’s 20 administrative regions, along with many smaller islands such as Capri, Elba, and Stromboli.
Unlike many mainland states, these islands experienced a very different political and social evolution under Spanish rule.


Sardinia Under Spanish Control
By the early 1400s, Sardinia was firmly under Aragonese—and later Spanish—control, remaining so until 1720.
The island was governed by a viceroy, often drawn from powerful local feudal families.
Two families, the Carroz and Cubello, dominated nearly half of the island’s feudal income.

Power, Cities, and Administration
Unlike mainland Italy, Sardinian cities never achieved full autonomy.
Urban centers such as Cagliari, Sassari, Alghero, Iglesias, and Oristano developed influential merchant and professional classes.
Only Cagliari and Sassari possessed formal statutes, inherited from earlier Pisan and Genoese influence.

Stability and Growth
Ferdinand and Isabella restored parliamentary assemblies and introduced a lottery-based electoral system that allowed limited participation by non-nobles.
Sardinia enjoyed a period of relative peace and modest economic growth.
Charles V visited only briefly, leaving governance largely to the viceroy.

A Quiet Role in the Italian Wars
Sardinia was mostly spared the violence of the Italian Wars, with one brief French occupation of Sassari in 1527.
The island served primarily as a strategic logistical hub between Spain and Italy.


Sicily: A More Volatile Island
Sicily had a larger population than Sardinia but remained under tight noble control.

To celebrate the 200th anniversary episode, which coincided with the 8th anniversary, we decided to hear from you, dear constant listener to create a special episode to celebrate this great milestone with many more hopefully to come.
As well as greetings, we'll hear about:
Sieges vs Battles
Moving Michelangelo artwork
An influential writer at the court of pope Leo X
The legend of the heart of bricks hidden among the alleyways of Venice
A warning from the lovely town of Carpi
The story of the unsung police hero Salvatore and his role in the notorious 1984 train bombing by the Sicilian Mafia and far-right terrorist organisations
Enjoy!

Episode Summary
With Giovanni dalle Bande Nere gone, we return to Florence to witness the dramatic collapse of the centuries-old Florentine Republic and the emergence of Medici princely rule. Against the backdrop of the Sack of Rome, religious extremism, political infighting, and imperial intervention, this episode follows Florence’s final republican experiment and introduces one of its most controversial rulers: Alessandro de’ Medici, the first Duke of Florence.
Key Topics Covered
The Aftermath of the Sack of Rome (1527)
Pope Clement VII’s humiliation after the Sack of Rome by mutinous imperial landsknechts and the blow to Medici prestige.
The pope’s political failures, including his looming clash with Henry VIII and the broader collapse of Medici papal authority.
Florence’s growing disillusionment with Medici “informal rule” and the sense that the moment for change had arrived.

The Republican Revival in Florence
Early unrest during the passage of imperial troops and the damage to Michelangelo’s David.
The fall of Cardinal Silvio Passerini’s authority after the Sack of Rome.
The decisive confrontation involving Clarice de’ Medici and Filippo Strozzi that triggered the Medici flight from the city.
The rise of a new republican government under Gonfalonier Niccolò Capponi.
Factional divisions among the anti-Medici forces, from aristocratic moderates to radical, Savonarola-inspired religious extremists.
The extraordinary moment when Jesus Christ was proclaimed King of Florence in February 1529.

Siege, Resistance, and the End of the Republic
The Treaty of Barcelona (1529) between Clement VII and Charles V, sealing Florence’s fate.
The imperial siege of Florence and Michelangelo’s role—brief and reluctant—in strengthening the city’s defenses.
Internal betrayal and wavering leadership under Malatesta Baglioni.
Florentine defiance through ritual and sport: frozen-Arno games, Carnival football in Santa Croce, and cannon fire aimed at celebration.
Capitulation in August 1530 after famine and plague, and Clement VII’s intervention to prevent a sack.
The definitive death of the Florentine Republic.

The Rise of Alessandro de’ Medici
Alessandro’s appointment as Gonfalonier for life and later Duke of Florence, with authority imposed by imperial decree rather than civic choice.
Competing theories about his parentage and his nickname il Moro.
The...

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.
Key Topics Covered
Pietro Aretino: Scandal, Satire & Survival
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 dalle Bande Nere: Rise, Glory, and Decline of the Condottieri
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 League of Cognac & Giovanni’s Final Campaign
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.

Aftermath & Legacy
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.

Why This Story...