10 Swashbuckling Mercenaries Who Ravaged Medieval Europe The late medieval period was a chaotic time in history. England and France were engaged in the Hundred Years’ War, and Italian city-states were fighting one another for supremacy in the peninsula. In the absence of permanent standing armies, combatants relied on mercenary companies to do the fighting for them. The temporary peace brought about by the Treaty of Bretigny in 1360 unleashed thousands of unemployed men-at-arms looking to pillage to sustain themselves. Many coalesced around charismatic and intrepid leaders into what became known as “free companies.” In Italy, they were known as condottieri. This word is derived from