About
A 26-foot fresco honors a mercenary who attacked Florence in Florence's great Duomo.
A British interloper is memorialized in the Italian sanctuary of the Duomo, in Florence. The inscription under the huge fresco reads (translated), “John Hawkwood, British knight, most prudent leader of his age, and most expert in the art of war”. In 1364, he led some 10,000 men and 3000 horses and surrounded the walls of Florence for a month-long siege during which they burned surrounding farmlands and homes. Finally, his men were paid a fortune to leave. In July of that year he set out again against Florence but suffered his first major defeat. This was the beginning of a path that led to him becoming the hero of Florence.
