Stratioti The Stratioti or Stradioti ( Italian : " Stradioti " or " Stradiotti " ; Greek : Στρατιώτες , " Stratiotes " ; were mercenary units from the Balkans recruited mainly by states of southern and central Europe from the 15th until the middle of the 18th century . Name . The Greek term " stratiotis / - ai " ( στρατιώτης / - αι ) was in use since classical antiquity with the sense of " soldier " ( e . g . Herodotus 4 , 134 , Xenophon , Cyrus An . 7 , ch . 1 , 4 etc . ) The same word was used continuously in the Roman and Byzantine period . The Italian term " stradioti " could therefore be a loan from the Greek word " stratiotai " ( Greek : στρατιώται ) , i . e . " soldiers " Alternatively , it derives from the Italian word " strada " ( ' street ' ) , meaning ' wayfarer ' . The Albanian stradioti of Venice were also called " capelletti " ( sing . " capelletto " ) because of the small red caps they wore . History . The stradioti were recruited in Albania , Greece , Dalmatia , Serbia and later Cyprus . Most modern historians have indicated that the Stratioti were mostly Albanians . According to a study by a Greek author , around 80 % of the listed names attributed to the stradioti were of Albanian origin while most of the remaining ones , especially those of officers , were of Greek origin ; a small minority were of South Slavic origin . Among their leaders there were also members of some old Byzantine Greek noble families such as the Palaiologi and Comneni . On various medieval sources Stradioti are mentioned either as Greeks or Albanians . This mainly happened because the bulk of stradioti rank and file were of Albanian origin from regions of Greece , but by the middle of the 16th century there is evidence that many of them had been Hellenized and in some occasions even Italianized . Hellenization was possibly underway prior to service abroad , since stradioti of Albanian origin had settled in Greek lands for two generations before their emigration to Italy . Moreover , since many served under Greek commanders and together with the Greek stradioti , this process continued . Another factor in this assimilative process was the stradioti ' s and their families ' active involvement and affiliation with the Greek Orthodox or Uniate Church communities in the places they lived in Italy . Stratioti in European countries . Italy . The Venetians first used stratioti in their campaigns against the Ottomans and , from c . 1475 , as frontier troops in Friuli . Starting from that period , they began to almost entirely replace the Venetian light cavalry in the army of the Republic of Venice . Apart from the Albanian stradioti , Greek and Italian ones were also deployed in the Battle of Fornovo . The mercenaries were recruited from the Balkans , mainly Christians but also some Muslims . In 1511 , a group of stradioti petitioned for the construction of the Greek community ' s Eastern Catholic Church in Venice , the San Giorgio dei Greci , and the Scuola dei Greci ( Confraternity of the Greeks ) , in a neighborhood where a Greek community still resides . Stradiots as part of the Italian allied army at Fornovo ( 2 , 200 men - at - arms , " more than 2 , 000 " light horse , and 8 , 000 foot ) in 1495 . The stradiots were for the most part Albanians and from the provinces near Greece , who had been brought into Italy by the Venetians , and retaining the same name they had in their country , are called stradiots . " Impressed by the unorthodox tactics of the stratioti , other European powers quickly began to hire mercenaries from the same region . France . France under Louis XII recruited some 2 , 000 stradioti in 1497 , two years after the battle of Fornovo . Among the French they were known as " estradiots " and " argoulets " . The term " argoulet " is believed to come either from the Greek city of Argos , where many of argoulets come from ( Pappas ) , or from the arcus ( bow ) and the arquebuse . For some authors argoulets and estradiots are synonymous but for others there are certain differences between them . G . Daniel , citing M . de Montgommeri , says that argoulets and estradiots have the same armoury except that the former wear a helmet . According to others " estradiots " were Albanian horsemen and " argoulets " were Greeks , while Croatians were called " Cravates " . The argoulets were armed with a sword , a mace ( metal club ) and a short arquebuse . They continued to exist under Charles IX and are noted at the battle of Dreux ( 1562 ) . They were disbanded around 1600 . The English chronicle writer Edward Hall described the " Stradiotes " at the battle of the Spurs in 1513 . They were equipped with short stirrups , small spears , beaver hats , and Turkish swords . The term " " carabins " " was also used in France as well as in Spain denoting cavalry and infantry units similar to estradiots and argoulets ( Daniel G . ) ( Bonaparte N . ) . Units of Carabins seem to exist at least till the early 18th century . Corps of light infantry mercenaries were periodically reqruited from the Balkans or Italy mainly during the 15th to 17th centuries . In 1587 , the Duchy of Lorraine recruited 500 Albanian cavalrymen , while from 1588 to 1591 five Albanian light cavalry captains were also recruited . Spain . Stratioti were first employed by Spain in their Italian expedition ( see Italian Wars ) . Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba ( " Gran Capitan " ) was sent by King Ferdinand II of Aragon ( " the Catholic " ) to support the kingtom of Naples against the French invasion . In Calabria Gonzalo had two hundred " " estradiotes Griegos , elite cavalry " " . Units of estradiotes served also in the Guard of King Ferdinand and , along with the " Alabarderos " , are considered the beginnings of the Spanish Royal Guard . England . In 1514 , Henry VIII of England , employed units of Albanian and Greek stradioti during the battles with the Kingdom of Scotland . In the 1540s , Duke Edward Seymour of Somerset used Albanian stradioti in his campaign against Scotland . An account of the presence of stratioti in Britain is given by Nikandros Noukios of Corfu . In about 1545 Noukios followed as a non - combatant the English invasion of Scotland where the English forces included Greeks from Argos under the leadership of Thomas of Argos whose " Courage , and prudence , and experience of wars " was lauded by the Corfiot traveller . Thomas was sent by Henry VIII to Boulogne in 1546 , as commander of a battalion of 550 Greeks and was injured in the battle . The King expressed his appreciation to Thomas for his leadership in Boulogne and rewarded him with a good sum of money . Holy Roman Empire . In the middle of the 18th century , Albanian stratioti were employed by Empress Maria Theresa during the War of the Austrian Succession against Prussian and French troops . Tactics . The " stratioti " were pioneers of light cavalry tactics during this era . In the early 16th century heavy cavalry in the European armies was principally remodeled after Albanian stradioti of the Venetian army , Hungarian hussars and German mercenary cavalry units ( " Schwarzreitern " ) . They employed hit - and - run tactics , ambush es , feigned retreats and other complex maneuvers . In some ways , these tactics echoed those of the Ottoman sipahi s and akinci . They had some notable successes also against French heavy cavalry during the Italian Wars . They were known for cutting off the heads of dead or captured enemies , and according to Commines they were paid by their leaders one ducat per head . Equipment . The stradioti used javelins , as well as sword s , mace s , crossbow s and dagger s . They traditionally dressed in a mixture of Ottoman , Byzantine and European garb : the armor was initially a simply mail hauberk , but became heavier as years passed . As mercenaries , the stradioti received wages only as long as their military services were needed .