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So by the middle of May, 1176, this little force, worn out but unopposed, arrived safely at the town on Como, still loyal to the Emperor.

He had been wintering at his base at Pavia; when he heard that his reinforcements had arrived, he raced off to Como, with about 450 knights, careflilly skirting round the dangerous neighborhood of Milan. His plan was to bring the whole army back to Pavia, where it was to be joined by all the forces of the still—loyal Ghibbeline towns of Lombardy before he began any serious operations against the Guelf Lombard league. Unfortunately for him, Milan lay directly between Como and Pavia: a straight linę drawn between the two would pass right through the great Guelf stronghold, so he was compelled to march around it; and he had to decide whether his semi-circular route should pass a short or a long distance from the hostile city. He chose a short route which passed through Cairate, Legnano, and Abbatiegrasso, passing at one point only 20 miles from Milan. His army marched with proper prccautions, "in ranks and squadrons and right form of war," with a body of 300 horsemen scouting away ahead of the main body. Friedrich had taken the militia of Como along with him, the only infantry in his army, but it seems they stayed with the baggage, for they took no part in the battle. His reinforcement from Germany consisted of men of the same breed as those who had fought for Pop Leo IX against Robert Guiscard's Normans at Civitate in 1058, but now, nearly 120 years later, they had mastered the essential medieval art of fighting on horseback and were terribly formidable warriors, big, heavy men splendidly mounted and armed.

Figurc 76. Fighting on foot with very large, one-handed swords, c. 1260.

The Milanese had heard rumours that reinforcements for the Emperor were to come over the AIps, but they didn't believe them until they had hard news that they had indeed turned up in Como; so thev were late in assem-bling their allies. However, by the 17th May, the contingents of the near-er Guelf towns had come in; the levies from south of the Po had not arrived, but in spite of that, the army of the league outnumbered the Emperor's. Milan itself could put about 2000 horsemen into the field, and the allies probably mustered many morę. The infantry levies of Brescia and Viterbo were left in Milan to guard the city while those of Milan itself joined the field army and formed the main body of its infantry. They marched out under the banners of their "Gates," divisions of the city, which in London we would have called "Wards." These banners were mounted upon a ceremonia! wheeled car, called a Carroccio, which consisted of a heavy four-wheeled cart upon which was mounted a tali flągstaff from which , upon gaff-like short spars sticking out at an angle