The Italian city-state of Siena had the misfortune of being too rich and on the main highway to Florence, a road much traveled by the infamous thirteenth-century marauders known as """"Companies of Adventure"""". Composed of professional soldiers and adventurers from throughout Europe, these companies sold their services to the highest bidder in times of war, and staged ruinous raids in times of peace. In this groundbreaking volume, William Caferro explores the companies' social, economic, and administrative impact in the fourteenth century, from the arrival of Werner of Urslingen and the Great Company in 1342 until the fall of the Sienese republic in 1399.During this time, Caferro explains, Siena endured some thirty-seven raids, characterized by arson, pillage, and looting in the countryside and extortion of enormous bribes from the city government. Caferro shows that the raids constituted a persistent and significant drain on both the human and financial resources of Siena. The stresses caused by the mercenaries were greatly exacerbated by plague and famine, which | Mercenary Companies and the Decline of Siena by William Caferro, Hardcover | Indigo Chapters