Stradioti! The forgotten light cavalry mercenaries from the Balkans who served the mighty Republic of Venice during Ottoman-Venetian Wars with distinction and became popular all over Europe, influencing European cavalry tactics of the modern era. Who were they? I explain...
Stradioti originated in the Balkans and continued the Byzantine light cavalry mercenary traditions. The bulk of them was ethnically Albanian, but there were also many of Greek and Slavic origin. As the Ottomans conquered Balkans they began serving Venice and other foreign armies.
First serving Venice in the First Ottoman-Venetian War (1463-1479), Venice started employing them regularly as frontiersmen in Friuli, the borderland through which Ottomans conducted raids. They soon completely replaced the Venetian light cavalry! Their tactics were unorthodox!
Stradioti were very versatile units that could be used in several ways, particularly praised for raiding deep into enemy territory, scouting or even launching successive attacks and retreats! They were the Venetian equivalent to the Turkish akιncι light cavalry.
Venetian chronist Marin Sanudo: "They commit robberies… they are unrivalled in raids, plunders of places…; and they do not take captives, but cut off the head, and are used to being rewarded by the captain with one ducat for each. They are frugal
in diet and thrifty in needs."
One of the reasons why the Venetians employed them was that they were cheaper than Western mercenaries and came as refugees with their families, settled on Venetian lands in Terrafirma. They preferred honors and privileges over pay and Venetians gave them a lot of honorary titles
As their fame grew, stradioti would seek other employers, sometimes even rivals of Venice and would serve all over Europe. They were also often criticized for being undisciplined, attributed to a considerable number of pardoned murderers in their rank, as well as ethnic rivalries
The Italians were fascinated by the outlandish appearance of the stradiots. Contemporary Luigi da Porto: "truly strange in aspect, and wear peculiar clothes and are armed with curious weapons" Their clothes were a mix of Oriental and Western military garb, sewn in specific way.
Their weapons were light lances, sabres, iron maces and a specific type of dagger. Sometimes they had a bow. They carried a shield and very little armor a cap (which would be called the "Albanian hat") or a helmet was worn on the head. They sacrificed protection for mobility!
They fought in the Italian wars and participated in the very first battle of Fornovo in 1495 where they successfully ambushed a French baggage train but were criticized by their Venetians masters for focusing on looting instead of continuing to fight. They stole 180000 ducats!
They would prove themselves in Italian Wars in next battles as they disrupted the infantries with their swift attacks and retreats. With their success, they began influencing cavalry warfare in the early modern era. They served as mercenaries until the middle of the 18th century.
My main sources was: "Stradioti, Cappelletti, Compagnie or Milizie Greche: ‘Greek’ Mounted and Foot Mercenary Companies in the Venetian State (Fifteenth to Eighteenth Centuries)" by Stathis Birtachas in A Military History of the Mediterranean Sea.
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