In the chronicles of both history and fiction, there are soldiers who fight for ideals and others who fight for coin. The Golden Company of A Song of Ice and Fire and the Condottieri of Renaissance Italy represent the pinnacle of the latter category: elite mercenary forces whose discipline, reputation, and ambition make them indispensable—and dangerous—to the lords and cities who hire them. But beneath the surface, the two forces offer fascinating contrasts in culture, loyalty, and the consequences of fighting for gold rather than a crown.
Foundations in Exile and Opportunity
The Golden Company was forged in exile, a creation of Ser Aegor Rivers (Bittersteel) to reunite the disillusioned remnants of House Blackfyre’s failed rebellion. Their origin was deeply personal, born from a desire to keep alive the dream of placing a Blackfyre claimant on the Iron Throne. However, over time, they transformed from a tool of revenge into a professional army, bound not by shared heritage but by contracts and coin.
by Marc Simonetti
The Condottieri, in contrast, arose during the politically fragmented era of Renaissance Italy. With no unified Italian state, city-states like Venice, Florence, and Milan relied on professional armies to wage wars against their neighbors. While some Condottieri, like Francesco Sforza, came from noble backgrounds, others rose from humble origins, becoming larger-than-life figures through cunning, bravery, and ruthlessness.
Where the Golden Company was a brotherhood of exiles with a single origin story, bound by stark tradition and one ultimate goal, the Condottieri were a diverse patchwork, brought together by ambition and the promise of wealth.
Discipline and Reputation
The Golden Company prides itself on its discipline, distinguishing itself from the unruly, often treacherous free companies that populate the Disputed Lands of Essos. Their camps are orderly and well-placed, their officers display opulence yet also keep a rigirous attitude to financial organization. And their symbol—a line of gilded skulls atop pikes signals an ode to their storied leadership (you die as a leader, they boil your skull, gild it and shove it on a spike they then carry into battle. It’s pretty metal.) They are known to fulfill their contracts without fail, and breaking an oath is considered unthinkable.
The Condottieri were similarly famed for their professionalism, but their reputation for loyalty was far shakier. Some Condottieri, like the infamous Cesare Borgia, turned against their employers when the tides of war shifted, and entire armies would sometimes switch sides for a better offer. The Golden Company’s oath-bound culture—“Our word is as good as gold”—stands in stark contrast to this mercenary pragmatism.
However, both groups understood the power of branding. Just as the Golden Company flaunts its gold-armored officers and legendary pikes, the Condottieri cultivated fearsome reputations to secure contracts. Leaders like John Hawkwood (Giovanni Acuto), an Englishman in Italian service, terrified adversaries through calculated brutality, much as the Golden Company’s sack of Qohor ensured no one doubted their resolve.
Symbols of Wealth and Power
Both the Golden Company and the Condottieri reveled in their material success. In the Golden Company, wealth is literally worn on the body, with soldiers donning jeweled swords, silks, and golden arm rings marking their years of service. Similarly, the Condottieri were known for their ostentatious displays of wealth, using their earnings to fund lavish lifestyles or, in some cases, to establish themselves as rulers. Francesco Sforza, for example, transitioned from a mercenary leader to the Duke of Milan, leveraging his fortune and reputation into political power. It is one thing to be a man of means, it is another to be a man of means with thousands of swords devoted to you.
Yet where the Condottieri often sought personal advancement, members of the Golden Company carried the collective identity of being Westerosi exiles. Even as the company grew to include soldiers from a dozen lands, its core identity remained tied to its Blackfyre roots, with many of its members boasting names like Cole, Mudd, or Strong—evoking the lost glory of Westeros rather than a purely personal legacy. Whether the heritages these men claimed had any merit to them was difficult to confirm, of course.
Politics and Loyalty
The Condottieri thrived in a politically chaotic environment, where shifting alliances and fragile states ensured a constant demand for their services. This instability, however, bred mistrust. Employers often feared the very armies they hired, knowing the Condottieri might betray them or turn conquerors themselves. Cesare Borgia’s reliance on mercenaries famously ended in disaster when they abandoned him, cementing Machiavelli’s disdain for such forces in The Prince.
The Golden Company, despite its status as sellswords, carries a different kind of loyalty. While their contracts govern their immediate allegiance, their Blackfyre origins add a layer of shared history and purpose. Even in the absence of a Blackfyre claimant, the company remains tied to the idea of returning to Westeros. Not as conquerors for hire, but as sons reclaiming their birthright. All this professionalism and trustworthiness makes ’em, you guessed it, beyond expensive.
The Price of War
Both the Golden Company and the Condottieri reflect the dual-edged sword of mercenary warfare. They are invaluable assets, able to tip the scales in any conflict, but their loyalty is fleeting, tied to the gold they are paid. The Golden Company’s reputation for honor makes them an exception, but even they have turned away from lost causes—most notably refusing to fight for Daemon II Blackfyre during the Second Blackfyre Rebellion (though they were never formally in contract), and the last contract they terminated before invading Westeros.
For the Condottieri, their lack of a deeper loyalty often led to long-term instability. Wars waged by mercenaries rarely brought lasting peace; instead, they prolonged cycles of conflict, enriching the soldiers but leaving the cities they fought for vulnerable. Similarly, the Golden Company’s involvement in Essos’ Disputed Lands has perpetuated endless strife, with their services prolonging conflicts between Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh.
Conclusion: Legends of Gold and Glory
The Golden Company and the Condottieri signify the allure and danger of mercenary forces. Both represent the pinnacle of professional soldiery in their respective worlds, combining discipline with ruthlessness and ambition. Yet their legacies are shaped as much by their flaws as by their strengths.
For the Golden Company, their loyalty to their contracts—and to their Blackfyre origins—sets them apart from the opportunistic Condottieri. But the Condottieri, for all their betrayals, achieved something the Golden Company can only dream of: carving out personal kingdoms and lasting legacies in the midst of chaos.
In the end, both the Golden Company and the Condottieri remind us that while gold may buy armies, it never, ever, guarantees loyalty—or victory.
I’ll end on a quote of the aforementioned Machiavelli:
“Mercenary and auxiliary arms are useless and dangerous; and if one keeps his state founded on mercenary arms, one will never be firm or secure; for they are disunited, ambitious, without discipline, unfaithful; bold among friends, among enemies cowardly; no fear of God, no faith with men; ruin is postponed only as long as attack is postponed; and in peace you are despoiled by them, in war by the enemy.” -Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, 1513
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