Duke Cosimo I, the Medici Navy and the Italian Wars (c.1544–1563)

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Do Duke Cosimo’s galleys, fortresses, and the crusading Order of Santo Stefano illuminate political, religious, and naval actions in the early modern Mediterranean world? This book firstly centers around Cosimo’s involvement in the last two decades of the Habsburg-Valois Italian Wars (1494-1559) with a special emphasis on the conflict’s naval dimensions and political episodes. Secondly, it deepens our understanding of Mediterranean galley warfare in terms of deployment, combat, administration, entrepreneurial and knowledge-exchange networks, and crusading. Finally, this account of the later Italian Wars and their reverberations into 1560s examines the interaction between warfare, politics, crusading, and sovereignty during this period.
Copyright Year:
2026
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978-90-04-74791-3
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08 Dec 2025
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ISBN:
978-90-04-74790-6
Publication:
18 Dec 2025
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Front Matter
Preliminary Material
Copyright page
Dedication Page
Acknowledgements
List of Maps
Introduction
A Note on Geographic Terminology and Political Conceptualization
Part 1 From the Peace of Crépy to the Siena Uprising (c.1544–1552)
Chapter 1 Medici Florence and the Outbreak of the Later Italian Wars (c.1544–1552)
Chapter 2 Cosimo’s Political Cosmos: the Duke’s Personal Dimensions of the Italian Wars (c.1544–1552)
Chapter 3 Building Cosimo’s Navy (c.1547–1552)
Chapter 4 Cosimo’s Navy and Coastal Fortifications in Action (c.1549–1552)
Part 2 The War of Siena (c.1553–1555)
Prologue to Chapters 5–7
Chapter 5 Cosimo Considers His Role in the Conflict (1553)
Chapter 6 Personal, Political and Military Dimensions of the War of Siena (1554)
Chapter 7 The Enduring War for Siena’s Coast (1555)
Part 3 Cosimo’s Quest for Sovereignty and His Navy amidst the Waning Italian Wars (c.1556–1559)
Prologue to Chapters 8–10
Chapter 8 Negotiating Lordship over Siena (October 1555–October 1557)
Chapter 9 Cosimo and Philip II’s Siena Agreement (c. May 1557–June 1558)
Chapter 10 Cosimo’s War at Sea amidst Elusive Peace and Negotiations (c. January 1556–December 1559)
Epilogue to Chapters 8–10
Part 4 Cutting the Gordian Knot: the Order of Santo Stefano and the Aftermath of the Italian Wars (1559–1563)
Chapter 11 Crusaders: Cosimo’s Fleet in Philip II’s Djerba Campaign (c. April 1559–November 1560)
Chapter 12 The Lupa ’s ‘Crusade’: a Florentine ‘Voyage against the Infidel’ (c. June 1559–January 1561)
Chapter 13 An Opportune Moment amidst Losses: Founding of the Order of Santo Stefano (c. July 1560–May 1562)
Chapter 14 Santo Stefano’s Role in Establishing Cosimo’s Status (c. January 1562–July 1563)
Chapter 15 Santo Stefano’s Disastrous Debut: the Resurrected Lupa’s Unfortunate Destiny (c. May–November 1563)
Conclusion: the Order of Santo Stefano in Cosimo’s Time into the Seventeenth Century (c.1563–1600)
Back Matter
Bibliography
Index
Andrew J. Tzavaras, D.Phil. (2021), University of Oxford, is Assistant Professor of History at High Point University. He has published a book chapter as well as a journal article: “Two Perceptions of Süleyman’s ‘Magnificent’ Navy during the Later Italian Wars" in War & Society (Vol. 42, issue 2, 2023).
Acknowledgements
List of Maps

Introduction

A Note on Geographic Terminology and Political Conceptualization

PART 1: From the Peace of Crépy to the Siena Uprising (c.1544–1552)



1 Medici Florence and the Outbreak of the Later Italian Wars (c.1544–1552)

/ 2 Cosimo’s Political Cosmos: the Duke’s Personal Dimensions of the Italian Wars (c.1544–1552)

3 Building Cosimo’s Navy (c.1547–1552)

4 Cosimo’s Navy and Coastal Fortifications in Action (c.1549–1552)

PART 2: The War of Siena (c.1553–1555)



Prologue to Chapters 5–7

5 Cosimo Considers His Role in the Conflict (1553)

6 Personal, Political and Military Dimensions of the War of Siena (1554)

7 The Enduring War for Siena’s Coast (1555)

PART 3: Cosimo’s Quest for Sovereignty and His Navy Amidst the Waning Italian Wars (c.1556–1559)



Prologue to Chapters 8–10

8 Negotiating Lordship over Siena (October 1555–October 1557)

9 Cosimo and Philip II’s Siena Agreement (c. May 1557–June 1558)

10 Cosimo’s War at Sea Amidst Elusive Peace and Negotiations (c. January 1556–December 1559)

Epilogue to Chapters 8–10

PART 4: Cutting the Gordian Knot: the Order of Santo Stefano and the Aftermath of the Italian Wars (1559–1563)



11 Crusaders: Cosimo’s Fleet in Philip II’s Djerba Campaign (c. April 1559–November 1560)

12 The Lupa’s ‘Crusade’: a Florentine ‘Voyage against the Infidel’ (c. June 1559–January 1561)

13 An Opportune Moment Amidst Losses: Founding of the Order of Santo Stefano (c. July 1560–May 1562)

14 Santo Stefano’s Role in Establishing Cosimo’s Status (c. January 1562–July 1563)

15 Santo Stefano’s Disastrous Debut: the Resurrected Lupa’s Unfortunate Destiny (c. May–November 1563)

Conclusion: the Order of Santo Stefano in Cosimo’s Time into the Seventeenth Century (c.1563–1600)

Bibliography
Index
This work is written for scholars and post-graduate students with an interest in the political and military history of the renaissance / early modern period. It draws a great deal of material from the Florentine archives and Italian sources.
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