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Italy. Having subdued Naples’ ally, Florence, Charles took Naples itself in 1495. At this point the other Italian powers, including the pope and Duke Ludovico, turned against him and drove him out of the peninsula. colonna, cardinal Giovanni Colonna. Made a cardinal in 1480, Giovanni plotted with Charles VIII against Alexander VI. colonna A powerful family in medieval and Renaissance Rome, notorious for their long feud with the Orsini family. The Colonna family produced one pope, Martin V (ruled 1417–31), but were later excommunicated and their estates confiscated by Alexander VI. The feud between the families was ended by papal bull in 1511. commodus Lucius Aurelius Commodus Antoninus (161–193), Roman emperor (180–93). The son of Marcus Aurelius, Com- modus rejected his father’s stoic asceticism, giving himself over to pleasure and amusement while allowing a series of favourites to run the empire. Boastful about his physique, he regularly took part in naked gladiatorial combat. Eventually a conspiracy against him led to his being strangled by the wrestler Narcissus. conio, alberigo da Alberigo da Barbiano (c.1348–1409) was originally from the Romagna but later became Count of Conio, a small town in the hills above the Italian Riviera. He was the first mercenary commander to insist that his army (the Company of St George) be made up exclusively of Italians, a development that led to a reduction in the use of foreign mercen- aries. Alberigo fought for Milan against Florence, dying in battle in 1409. cyrus (c.576–529 bc) Founder of the Persian empire, which he extended to include much of central and south-west Asia. darius Last king of Persia (336–331 bc), Darius was repeatedly defeated in battle by Alexander the Great and finally deposed and murdered by one of his provincial governors. david(c. (c.1012–972 bc) The Thesecond second King Israel (after Saul, david 1012–972 bc) King of of Israel (after Saul, his father-in-law). Famous forlegendary his legendary the Philistine his father). Famous for his defeatdefeat of theofPhilistine giant ­giant Goliath, usingaonly sling and stones. AsDavid king, David built Goliath, using only slingaand stones. As king, built up an up an empire, capturing Jerusalem, he made his capital, as empire, capturing Jerusalem, whichwhich he made his capital, as well well as areas of modern Jordan and Syria. as areas of modern Jordan and Syria. epaminondas (418–362 bc) Theban statesman and military