Hey Folks, I've been on a Netflix historical drama kick lately (Tudors & Borgias). I realize that these shows a chock full of made up stuff but usually there's some parallel event or rumor that inspires the plot of the TV shows.
I'm particularly curious about S2E03 of the Borgias where the French army is ready to siege Rome as revenge for a deception in Naples. They are deterred by newly installed ceramic (fake) cannons on the city walls so the army leaves to plunder other parts of Italy on their way back to France. Thus the farce saves the city from being pillaged.
Is there any basis in truth for this? From what I've read online, there are historical differences in these events. It seems in reality that the Pope had retreated to another castle before the French arrived (in the show he is shown to stay in the Vatican, and forces the cardinals to as well). But what about this story of fake cannons? Why did the French in reality never pillage Rome?
Now, I'm guessing this is entirely made up as the amount of historical differences in the show makes it almost entirely fictional on many accounts, but I'm wondering if there was ever such a farce documented from other battles of the era.
absolutely. in the american civil war and other conflicts there are accounts of what are called 'quaker guns' which are fake artillery pieces meant to deter enemy attack. in addition the preparation for the invasion of normandy included an entire army of inflated false equipment to draw enemy troops towards south europe. war is a game of perceptions just as much bullets, and if an area seems too costly to take, or too well defended to plunder easily, many generals would rather avoid set and entrenched defenses than waste the lives of their men needlessly.
i cannot speak to the actual conflict mentioned by you, but fake artillery absolutely existed, and was used as a deterrent in the cases i stated above.