- Text Correction
In the original publication (Sant 2026), there were two factual inaccuracies in the main text concerning the circumstances of Guidarello Guidarelli’s death and the composition of the army commanded by Cesare Borgia at Viana. The corrections are detailed below. These amendments do not affect the argument or conclusions of the article.
The case of Guidarello Guidarelli likewise illustrates the challenges Cesare faced in maintaining discipline within his Italian military following. Guidarelli’s later idealised and heroic tomb in Ravenna obscures a less martial death: as documented by Augusto Campana, Guidarello was treacherously killed at Imola by a certain Virgilio Romano following a quarrel, after which Cesare had the murderer beheaded. The episode occurred while Guidarello was serving Cesare among the commanders assembled for the siege of Faenza (Campana 1930, pp. 17–21).
According to Jerónimo de Zurita, when King John appointed Cesare captain-general of the army assembled to besiege the fortress of Viana, the force under his command comprised 200 light lances, 130 men-at-arms, and more than 5000 infantry, together with two cannon, two demi-culverins, and other field artillery (Zurita 2005, bk. VII, chap. LI).
- References
With this correction, the order of some references has been adjusted accordingly. The author state that the scientific conclusions are unaffected. This correction was approved by the Academic Editor. The original publication has also been updated.
References
- Campana, Augusto. 1930. Perché fu ucciso Guidarello. Felix Ravenna: Bollettino storico romagnolo edito da un gruppo di studiosi Nuova Serie. 1: 17–21. [Google Scholar]
- Sant, Jordan. 2026. Machiavelli and the Profession of Arms: Cesare Borgia as a Mercenary Prince. Histories 6: 41. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Scilit]
- Zurita, Jerónimo. 2005. Historia del rey Don Fernando el Católico: De las empresas, y ligas de Italia. Electronic edition by José Javier Iso (coordinator), Pilar Rivero, and Julián Pelegrín. Zaragoza: Institución Fernando el Católico. Available online: https://ifc.dpz.es/publicaciones/ver/id/2423 (accessed on 27 September 2026).
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