 Complete the following phrase:  When the era of the Condottieri came to a close on Italian soil, military commanders like Ottavio Piccolomini and Raimondo Montecuccoli placed their soldiers at the disposal of the Austrian Emperor, in a war of religion that devastated Germany and caused the loss of 30 of its people, perhaps the greatest tragedy ever endured by Germany. Italian forces fought valiantly albeit on the losing side at the 