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>The Papal States had an army and navy of their own since the 800s; but when the Ottomans launched a full-scale invasion of Italy in 1571, Pope Pius V realized his defensive forces would not suffice. In desperation he petitioned several maritime principalities, whose armies were staffed mainly by the condottieri (mercenaries). He didn't expect much--the condottieri were notoriously greedy and exploitative.
>But something miraculous happened; instead of the handful of ships and men he expected, Pius V's forces were joined by over 200 ships, 40,000 sailors, and 28,000 soldiers from all over Italy. These mercenaries, many of whom were enemies, agreed to fight for Mother Church--despite being badly outnumbered and with no guarantee of success or pay. Among these were several thousand Milanese condotti who were experienced pirate-hunters, and as such had perfected the art of lightning-quick boarding actions. These bad boys spread terror and chaos through the Ottoman squadrons at Lepanto, and helped turn the tide of that famous battle.
>From then until the disbandment of the Papal Navy some four centuries later, the forces of the Papal States included at least one battalion of marines. Though small compared to the armies of other nations, this force came to be feared and respected throughout the Mediterranean, and famously never lost an engagement until the fall of Ostia in 1870.
Are there other amazing examples of unexpected altruism in the military sense?
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>>3076470
Rome's intricate web of alliances tended to bail them out of any situation they couldn't handle themselves. During the Republican era, Rome's strength wasn't that they were necessarily better fighters, but rather the sheer number of men that they could deploy, and the speed with which they could deploy them. However, this is not very "unexpected" as it was a carefully maintained web of alliances that made this possible.
A better example would be assistance of Russia to the United States during the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln was able to work out a deal with the Czar that the Russian navy would defend northern ports while the American navy was busy blockading the south. There was a real fear that Britain would take advantage of the civil war to raid north harbors, and the Russian navy presence helped make sure that this didn't occur. During this period, the Russian navy also performed general anti-piracy work that US navy would normally perform. Both Russian and the United States weren't very fond of Britain at the time, so it was very much a "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" sort of deal.
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>>3076470
I don't know the numbers, but during the War of 1812, Andrew Jackson had to hastily assemble a force to protect New Orleans. There were regular military types, but the folklore makes it sound like the force was this motley crew of soldiers, pirates, Indians, free blacks, and others who volunteered to repel the British.
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We are part of the same normiebook group
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>>3076470
sorry to derail but I'm fascinated by the image. what's the name of the type of firearm that he's using?
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>>3076671
Arquebus.
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>>3076671
I think it's what is called a "Handrohr" in German, literally translated a "Handpipe".
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>>3076671
The caption reads : "Coulevrinier à main" (Hand-culverinier, or Hand-gunner)
>>3076678
I wouldn't call it an arquebus, because it doesn't have a lock.
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>>3076519
That's fascinating. Thank you for sharing. Not exactly altruistic but definitely a noteworthy instance of allies in unexpected places.
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