Slitherine

From Bicocca to Naples the Bande Nere was assumed to be one of the best units in Italy (certainly by the authors in pay of Cosimo Medici, but honestly also by contemporaries). There is no way to represent them in ToT. At its best time the Bande Nere had a strength of 6000, and it kept going as a coherent unit even after Giovanni Medic was killed. Only the total destruction of the leagues army after the siege of Naples saw them disbanded.

I think what should be added is the option to field a small elite force of mainly arquebus armed infantry (and some cavalry) when in alliance with the Papacy.

While they had heavily armoured knights in their ranks, they rarely seem to have joined a pitched battle. So I propose to add a "Bande Nere" as Papal option to the Italian states with
a) superior heavily armed Gensdarmes, light lance (0-4)
b) superior mounted arquebusiers, light horse armoured/unarmoured carbine (0-6)
c) Arquebusier companies (superior/average armoured/unarmoured medium/light infantry (6-8)

The cavalry could be an alternative option, so you either field them as Gensdarmes or Arquebusiers. The infantry gave pretty good accounts in combat on several occaions, so I am not sure wether a stand of heavy weapons should not be added, not unlike the colunela but without pikes - with the current ruleset, its probably better just to trust on the elite-status.

Any comments?

Sources: Maurice Arfaioli: The black bands of Giovanni (a book that ironically only covers the actions of the Bande Nere AFTER Giovannies dead).

I was going to organize them for my ToT army. I like your concept.

Yes and GC compulsory before the death of Giovanni, forbitten after

Alas Giovanni was rarely (not until the campaign of 26/27 in command of the army, so he cannot be the C-in-C. Nor has he given us an indication that he WAS a GC, probably due to a lack of opporunity before his death.
We could introduce this as a special rule (GC as sub-commander) or simply make him FC when used as part of an Allied contingent.

Would it help if I put this up in tablet-form, like the Burgundian Ordonannce?