Richard Ramsey’s Service to Florence and Pisa in the 1300s
Richard Ramsey, an English mercenary, navigated shifting alliances in 14th-century Italy, serving Florence, Pisa, and more under Giovanni Acuto.
Richard Ramsey/Richard Romsey/Riccardo Inglese (Riccardo di Ramuse, Riccardo Ramisus, Ramisei), Englishman.
Death: 1390 ca.
| Year, Month | State, Mercenary Company | Opponent | Command | Area of Activity | Actions Undertaken and Other Salient Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1364 | |||||
| … | Pisa | Florence | Tuscany | He serves in the White Company of Albrecht Sterz (Alberto Sterz) for the Pisans against the Florentines. | |
| May | Tuscany | He follows Sterz when the German condottiero leaves the service of the Pisans to form the Company of the Star. | |||
| July | Florence | Pisa | Tuscany | He continues to support Sterz when the latter makes an agreement with the Florentines against the Pisans. | |
| Sept. | Tuscany | At San Miniato. His contract has expired. He offers to return to the pay of Florence. | |||
| 1370 | |||||
| Jan. | Florence | Milan | Tuscany | He is hired by the Florentines along with Lutz Von Landau (Lucio Lando), Everardo, and Konrad Von Weitingen (Corrado Lando) to counter the militias of John Hawkwood. | |
| 1372 | |||||
| Sept. | Church | Milan | Emilia | He serves in the company of Hawkwood with Giovanni Breccia, Guglielmo Bosone, and Guglielmo Cogno. He fights the Visconti forces. | |
| 1375 | |||||
| June-Sept. | Mercenary Company | Florence, Pisa, Siena, Lucca | Emilia, Tuscany | At the end of a one-year truce between papal forces and the Visconti, he reaches Ferrara. He supports Hawkwood in forming a company ready to raid in Tuscany. Other English captains in the company include Giovanni Breccia, Giovanni Tornabene, William Gold, and Philip Puer. Through threats, they collect large ransoms from the Florentines, Pisans, Sienese, and Lucchese. In July, after an agreement with the Pisans, he is at Calci. With John Foy, Robert Seaver, and William Tilly, he is tasked with distributing to the soldiers 40,000 ducats provided by the Florentines as the first part of the imposed ransom. | |
| Nov. | Tuscany | With Tornabene, he pressures the Sienese to settle their debts to them. | |||
| Dec. | Church | Perugia, Florence | Umbria | He supports John Hawkwood in his unsuccessful attempt to free the citadel of Perugia from the siege by inhabitants rebelling against the Papal States. | |
| 1379 | |||||
| Apr. | Mercenary Company | Church | Marche | Urged by Antipope Clement VII, he heads to the Marche with Giovanni degli Ubaldini and Hawkwood. After receiving some ransoms from areas controlled by the papal forces of Urban VI, he continues his march. | |
| May | Mercenary Company | Siena | Tuscany | He joins Hawkwood and Lucio Lando to threaten Siena, demanding repayment of sums owed to him by the Papal States for his service during the War of the Eight Saints. | |
| 1380 | |||||
| Mar. | Florence | Mercenary Company | 109 lances | Tuscany | Under Hawkwood’s orders, he confronts the Company of St. George led by Alberico da Barbiano. |
| May | Orvieto | Antipope | Umbria | In the Todi area with the Company of St. George under da Barbiano. | |
| … | Naples | Durazzo | Campania | Approached by Rinaldo Orsini, he enters the service of Queen Joanna of Anjou of Naples against claimant Charles of Durazzo. | |
| 1381 | |||||
| Feb. | Florence | Mercenary Company | Tuscany | He supports Hawkwood in opposing the Company of St. George commanded by Alberico da Barbiano and the Company of the Hook led by Villanuccio da Villafranca. | |
| Apr. | Florence | 112 lances and 54 archers | He is rehired by the Florentines on Hawkwood’s recommendation. He commands 112 lances and 54 archers. He is granted an annual salary of 1,614 florins. | ||
| 1382 | |||||
| … | Tuscany | He marries an Englishwoman named Isabel in Florence. With the commune’s permission, he acquires some land in the countryside. | |||
| … | Perugia | Exiles | Umbria | Hired by the Perugians for twelve days with Boldrino da Panicale to fight the exiles. His contract is renewed after the period ends. | |
| Nov.-Dec. | Church | Anjou | Lazio and Campania | He opposes the supporters of the Angevins alongside John Hawkwood. | |
| 1383 | |||||
| Jan. | Mercenary Company | Perugia, Siena, Florence | Umbria and Tuscany | Leaving Lazio, he raids the Perugian territory with Hawkwood and Giovanni degli Ubaldini. After receiving 15,000 florins from Perugia, he moves into Val di Chiana, occupying Fabbrica, attacking Buonconvento, and devastating Val d’Arbia up to San Lazzaro and Toiano. When Siena is aided by Florence, he separates from the other two leaders, leaves Fabbrica (garrisoned by his men), and moves into the Aretino region. The mercenaries receive 7,000 florins from Siena. | |
| … | Mercenary Company | Lucca | Tuscany | Urged by Hawkwood, he threatens Lucca with Giovanni Serra. The commune promptly placates him with a ransom payment. | |
| Apr. | Mercenary Company | Siena | Tuscany | He raids Siena’s territory with Hawkwood. Only Tancredi da Modigliana confronts the mercenaries with few forces. | |
| June | Vico, Antipope | Siena | Tuscany and Lazio | Receiving 15,000 florins from Prefect Giovanni di Vico and Antipope Clement VII, he fights against Siena. He defeats Guido d’Asciano and Niccolò Malatesta between San Lorenzo Nuovo and Lake Bolsena. | |
| July | Mercenary Company | Spoleto | Umbria and Tuscany | Abandoning the Angevin cause, he advances against Spoleto targeting Rinaldo Orsini. After receiving 200 florins from Orsini (another 1,000 for his company), he moves to Tuscany. He camps near Cortona and, with Hawkwood and Ubaldini, forms the Company of the Rose. Lucca becomes suspicious of the company’s intentions. | |
| Aug. | Mercenary Company | Perugia, Siena | Umbria and Tuscany | He plagues Perugia. The city negotiates, and Richard Ramsey commits to not attacking its territory for two and a half years. Granted free passage, he moves towards Todi and then Marciano della Chiana, plundering supplies, grains, and livestock. He proceeds to Cortona and Montepulciano to enter the Maremma. He enters Fabbrica and reaches Torrenieri; Siena imposes a ransom on the company’s captains. | |
| Sept. | Umbria and Tuscany | He retreats to the territory of Spoleto. | |||
| Nov. | Rimini | Ravenna | Romagna | Serving Galeotto Malatesta, lord of Rimini, he devastates Ravenna’s territory. By month’s end, he rejoins Hawkwood. Reported in Assisi, he swears an alliance with John Hawkwood and Giovanni degli Ubaldini at the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli. | |
| Dec. | Mercenary Company | Siena, Città di Castello | Tuscany and Umbria | Once again plaguing Siena with Hawkwood and Ubaldini. Despite a ransom on his head, an agreement is reached: Siena pays 8,000 florins (5,000 officially and 3,000 secretly) and grants territorial concessions. Threatening Lucca, he leaves Tuscany, joins Giovanni Tedesco da Pietramala (600 cavalry and 3,000 infantry), and devastates Città di Castello’s territory for about twenty days, causing severe damage. His base is in Selci and Lama. | |
| 1384 | |||||
| Jan. | Church | Antipope | Campania | Reported in Città di Castello’s territory with Hawkwood and Ubaldini. He supports Hawkwood in confronting Antipope Clement VII‘s forces and the Angevins serving Pope Urban VI. | |
| May | Mercenary Company | Siena, Pisa, Lucca | Tuscany and Umbria | With Hawkwood and Giovanni degli Ubaldini (Company of the Rose), he camps near Cortona, threatening all Tuscan communes. Siena grants them 7,000 florins, provisions, and passage rights; Pisa pays 9,000 florins, and Lucca 4,000. Richard Ramsey demands 2,080 florins from Lucca, a debt owed by Alderigo Castracani from a disputed promissory note in Città di Castello years earlier. He obtains this, plus another 2,000 florins for his company, 40 florins for himself, and 20 for his corporal John Thelkeld. He then devastates Perugia’s territory. | |
| June | Perugia | Exiles | Umbria | Stationed at Mantignana. Hired for fifteen days with Boldrino da Panicale to subdue the Michelotti, aided by Boldrino da Panicale. Achieves little success attempting to reclaim islands on Lake Trasimeno. | |
| Aug. | Tuscany | Offers his services to Florence to counter Enguerrand de Coucy‘s advance. | |||
| Oct. | Tuscany | His wife stays at Hawkwood’s castle of Montecchio Vesponi. She attempts to join him, but Florentine authorities deny passage due to Enguerrand de Coucy’s presence in Tuscany. | |||
| Nov. | Mercenary Company | Siena | Tuscany and Umbria | Passing through Anghiari and Borgo San Sepolcro (Sansepolcro), he extorts Siena. Reaching La Fratta (Umbertide), he finally heads to Apulia with Giovanni degli Ubaldini. | |
| 1385 | |||||
| Jan.-Feb. | Mercenary Company | Bologna | Emilia and Romagna | Leaving Lombardy with Guido da Correggio, Giovanni Ordelaffi, and Giovanni degli Ubaldini, he arrives in Bologna’s territory. At San Prospero, he defeats the commune’s forces. In the following days, he passes through Barbiano and Zagonara. | |
| Mar. | Romagna and Marche | Besieged in Barbiano, he escapes by night towards Forlì; locals confront him. Richard Ramsey heads to the mountains above Bertinoro, then descends to Cesena, seizing 300 cattle and many prisoners. He retreats to Montefeltro. | |||
| July | Perugia | Umbria | Stationed in Perugia’s territory; works diligently with Hawkwood and Giovanni degli Ubaldini to leave the area. Hired by Perugia, he is granted an annual provision of 150 florins. | ||
| 1388 | |||||
| June | Tuscany | Joins the companies of John Beltoft and John Hawkwood in Cortona’s countryside. | |||
| 1390 | He dies. |
Sources
- Con Giovanni Serra “Latronum duces in Etruria.” BEVERINI
- Con Guglielmo Cogno “Both likely members of the rank and file of the original company (la “Compagnia Bianca”), emerged.. as soldiers of notable skill.” CAFERRO
Featured image: wikimedia
