Sir John Hawkwood (born c. 1320, died 1394) was an
English mercenary or
condottiere who was active in 14th century
Italy. The French chronicler
Jean Froissart knew him as
Jean Haccoude and the Italian statesman,
Niccolò Machiavelli, as
Giovanni Acuto. Hawkwood served first the
Pope and then various factions in Italy for over 30 years, amassing a fortune in land and gold.