White Company The White Company ( Italian : " Compagnia Bianca del Falco " ) was a 14th - century Italian mercenary Company of Adventure ( It : " compagnia di ventura " ) , led from its arrival in Italy in 1361 to 1365 by the German Albert Sterz and later by the Englishman John Hawkwood . Although the White Company is the name by which it is popularly known , it was initially called the Great Company of English and Germans and would later often be referred to as the English Company ( It : " Compagnia degli Inglesi " , L : " Societas Angliciis " ) . Origins of the name . No medieval source explains the company ' s name . The traditional view is that it is a reference to the brightly polished armour of the men - at - arms . However , William Caferro has suggested that it was because the Company originally wore white surcoat s . This view might be supported by the fact that mercenaries led by Arnaud de Cervole in France at this time were known as " bandes blanches " Make up of the company . Despite it being commonly referred to as the English Company , personnel were drawn from a wide range of nationalities , reflecting the international nature of Italian mercenary warfare in the 14th . century , including at various times Germans , Italians and Hungarians . The numbers of men in the Company varied over the years . In 1361 , it is recorded as having 3 , 500 cavalry and 2 , 000 infantry . At its lowest ebb in 1388 , it had a mere 250 men . The company was organised in lances of three men ; a man - at - arms , a squire and a page . Of these , only the man - at - arms and squire were armed . These lances were organised into contingents , each under a corporal , who was often an independent sub - contractor . This structure gave the Company a certain democratic element and it is thought that John Hawkwood first gained command of the Company in 1365 by election . The company contained numbers of infantry , particularly English longbowmen . These could be mounted on horses as were the 600 involved in the Battle of Castagnaro in 1387 . In addition to its military structure , the Company had an administrative staff , usually Italian , of chancellors and notaries who managed the legal and contractual aspects of the Companies relationship with employers , and a treasurer to handle its financial affairs . The White Company ' s treasurer was an Englishman , William Thornton . Tactics . The White Company is credited with introducing to Italy the practice of dismounting men - at - arms in battle , a practice already commonplace in the battles of the Hundred Years ' War in France . Contemporary witnesses record that the Company fought dismounted and in close order , advancing with two men - at - arms holding the same lance at a slow pace while shouting loud battle cries . The longbowmen apparently drew up behind . This is not to suggest that they abandoned mounted combat altogether . The Battle of Castagnaro was won by a cavalry charge . Battles . The White Company was involved in the following battles The Company was also involved in a large number of skirmishes , sieges and attacks on towns . Less honourable was their participation in the Massacre at Cesena in 1377 , when several thousand civilians were killed . Popular culture . The White Company is the title of a novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle which is very loosely based on the historical company . In fact , the main focus of the action is in Spain and the White Company led by Bertrand de Guesclin to Spain in 1366 was also an inspiration .