Battle of Pavia
Part of the Italian War of 1521
Part of The Pavia Tapestry by Bernard van Orley (c. The Italian War of 1521–26, sometimes known as the Four Years' War, was a part of the Italian Wars. Bernard van Orley (Brussels between 1487 and 1491 &ndash Brussels 6 January 1541) also called Barend van Orley, Bernaert van Orley or Barend van 1531).
Date February 24, 1525 Location Pavia, Italy Result Decisive Spanish/Imperial victory
Belligerents
France	Empire of Charles V *, Duchy of Milan[1]
Commanders
Francis I of France #	Charles de Lannoy, Antonio de Leyva, Georg Frundsberg
Strength
17,000 infantry 6,500 cavalry 53 guns[2]	19,000 infantry 4,000 cavalry 17 guns[2]

The Battle of Pavia, fought on the morning of February 24, 1525, was the decisive engagement of the Italian War of 1521. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Pavia (pronounced Pavìa,) the ancient Ticinum, is a town and Comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Early Modern France is the Early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century (or from the French Renaissance Charles V (24 February 1500 &ndash 21 September 1558 was The Duchy of Milan was a state in northern Italy from 1394 to 1797 Francis I (September 12 1494 &ndash March 31 1547 was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547 Surrender is when Soldiers, nations or other combatants stop fighting and become Prisoners of war, either as Charles de Lannoy (c 1487 &ndash 23 September 1527) was a Soldier and statesman from the Low Countries in service of the Habsburg Antonio de Leyva Duke of Terranova (1480 &ndash 1536 was a Spanish general during the Italian Wars. Georg von Frundsberg ( September 24, 1473 &ndash August 20 1528) was a South German knight and Landsknecht leader Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the The Italian War of 1521–26, sometimes known as the Four Years' War, was a part of the Italian Wars. A Habsburg army^[3] under the nominal command of Charles de Lannoy (and working in conjunction with the garrison of Pavia, commanded by Antonio de Leyva) attacked the French army under the personal command of Francis I of France in the great hunting preserve of Mirabello outside the city walls. Charles de Lannoy (c 1487 &ndash 23 September 1527) was a Soldier and statesman from the Low Countries in service of the Habsburg Garrison (various spellings (from the French garnison, itself from the verb garnir, "to equip" is the collective term for a body of Troops Pavia (pronounced Pavìa,) the ancient Ticinum, is a town and Comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south Antonio de Leyva Duke of Terranova (1480 &ndash 1536 was a Spanish general during the Italian Wars. Francis I (September 12 1494 &ndash March 31 1547 was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547 In the four-hour battle, the French army was split and defeated in detail. The French suffered massive casualties, including many of the chief nobles of France; Francis himself, captured by the Spanish troops, was imprisoned by Charles V and forced to sign the humiliating Treaty of Madrid, surrendering significant territory to his captor. Charles V (24 February 1500 &ndash 21 September 1558 was The Italian War of 1521–26, sometimes known as the Four Years' War, was a part of the Italian Wars.

Prelude

For more details on this topic, see Italian campaign of 1524-1525. The Italian campaign of 1524–25 was the final significant action of the Italian War of 1521–26.

The French, in possession of Lombardy at the start of the Italian War of 1521, had been forced to abandon it after their defeat at the Battle of Bicocca in 1522. Lombardy (Lombardia Latin: Langobardia, Western Lombard: Lumbardìa, Eastern Lombard: Lombardia) is one of the The Italian War of 1521–26, sometimes known as the Four Years' War, was a part of the Italian Wars. The Battle of Bicocca, sometimes known as the Battle of La Bicocca, was fought on April 27, 1522, during the Italian War of 1521–26. Determined to regain it, Francis ordered an invasion of the region in late 1523, under the command of Guillaume Gouffier, Seigneur de Bonnivet; but Bonnivet was defeated by Imperial troops at the Battle of the Sesia and forced to withdraw to France. Guillaume Gouffier seigneur de Bonnivet (c 1488 – February 24, 1525) was a French soldier The Battle of the Sesia ( April 30, 1524) was a battle in the Italian War of 1521 fought near the Sesia River that saw the Habsburg

Charles de Lannoy now launched an invasion of Provence under the command of Fernando d'Avalos, Marquess of Pescara, and Charles III, Duke of Bourbon (who had recently betrayed Francis and allied himself with the Emperor). Provence ( Provençal Occitan: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm is a region of southeastern France Fernando Francesco d'Ávalos, Marquess of Pescara, (1489 &ndash December 1525 was an Italian Condottiero. Charles III of Bourbon-Montpensier Eighth Duke of Bourbon ( February 17 1490 &ndash May 6, 1527 in Rome) was Count of Montpensier While initially successful, the Imperial offensive lost valuable time during the Siege of Marseille and was forced to withdraw back to Italy by the arrival of Francis and the main French army at Avignon. The Siege of Marseille (August–September 1524 was conducted by an Imperial army under Charles de Bourbon (who had recently betrayed Francis I) and Avignon (/aviɲɔ̃/ in French) ( Provençal: Avinhon in classical norm or Avignoun in Mistralian norm is a commune

In mid-October 1524, Francis himself crossed the Alps and advanced on Milan at the head of an army numbering more than 40,000. Bourbon and d'Avalos, their troops not yet recovered from the campaign in Provence, were in no position to offer serious resistance. ^[4] The French army moved in several columns, brushing aside Imperial attempts to hold its advance, but failed to bring the main body of Imperial troops to battle. Nevertheless, Charles de Lannoy, who had concentrated some 16,000 men to resist the 33,000 French troops closing on Milan, decided that the city could not be defended and withdrew to Lodi on October 26. Charles de Lannoy (c 1487 &ndash 23 September 1527) was a Soldier and statesman from the Low Countries in service of the Habsburg Lodi ( pronounced) is a town in Lombardy, Italy, on the right bank of the River Adda. Events 740 - An Earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing much damage and death ^[5] Having entered Milan and installed Louis II de la Trémoille as the governor, Francis (at the urging of Bonnivet and against the advice of his other senior commanders, who favored a more vigorous pursuit of the retreating Lannoy) advanced on Pavia, where Antonio de Leyva remained with a sizable Imperial garrison. Louis II de la Trémoille or La Trimouille ( September 29 1460 – 1525 was a late medieval/early renaissance French general Pavia (pronounced Pavìa,) the ancient Ticinum, is a town and Comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south Antonio de Leyva Duke of Terranova (1480 &ndash 1536 was a Spanish general during the Italian Wars. ^[6]

The French advance into Lombardy and the Pavia campaign of 1524–25. French movements are indicated in blue and Imperial movements in red.

The main mass of French troops arrived at Pavia in the last days of October. By November 2, Montmorency had crossed the Ticino River and invested the city from the south, completing its encirclement. Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 The River Ticino (Tessin Latin: Ticinus) is a Tributary of the Po. Inside were about 9,000 men, mainly mercenaries whom Antonio de Leyva was able to pay only by melting the church plate. ^[7] A period of skirmishing and artillery bombardments followed, and several breaches had been made in the walls by mid-November. On November 21, Francis attempted an assault on the city through two of the breaches, but was beaten back with heavy casualties; hampered by rainy weather and a lack of gunpowder, the French decided to wait for the defenders to starve. Events 164 BC - Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family restores the Temple in Jerusalem. ^[8]

In early December, a Spanish force commanded by Hugo de Moncada landed near Genoa, intending to interfere in a conflict between pro-Valois and pro-Habsburg factions in the city. Genoa ( Genova, ˈdʒɛːnova in Italian; Zena in Genoese and Ligurian; Genua in Latin and archaically in English Francis dispatched a larger force under the Marquis of Saluzzo to intercept them. Confronted by the more numerous French and left without naval support by the arrival of a pro-Valois fleet commanded by Andrea Doria, the Spanish troops surrendered. Andrea Doria or D'Oria ( 30 November 1466 &ndash 25 November 1560) was a Genoese ''condottiere'' and Admiral ^[9] Francis then signed a secret agreement with Pope Clement VII, who pledged not to assist Charles in exchange for Francis's assistance with the conquest of Naples. For the Antipope (1378&ndash1394 see Antipope Clement VII. Pope Clement VII ( May 26, 1478 &ndash September Against the advice of his senior commanders, Francis detached a portion of his forces under the Duke of Albany and sent them south to aid the Pope. John Stewart Duke of Albany (1481 or 1484 &ndash 2 July 1536 in Mirfleur France was Regent of the Kingdom of Scotland, Duke of Albany ^[10] Lannoy attempted to intercept the expedition near Fiorenzuola, but suffered heavy casualties and was forced to return to Lodi by the intervention of the infamous Black Bands of Giovanni de' Medici, Italian mercenaries which had just entered French service. Fiorenzuola d'Arda is a city in Italy in the Province of Piacenza, of the Emilia-Romagna region This article is about the Italian mercenary company for the German mercenary company see Black Band (landsknechts. Giovanni de' Medici, also known as Giovanni dalle Bande Nere ( April 5, 1498 - November 30, 1526) was an Italian Condottiero Medici then returned to Pavia with a supply train of gunpowder and shot gathered by the Duke of Ferrara; but the French position was simultaneously weakened by the departure of nearly 5,000 Grisons Swiss mercenaries, who returned to their cantons in order to defend them against marauding landsknechts. List of Dukes of Ferrara and of Modena In 1452 the Italian family of Este, Lords of Ferrara, were created Dukes of Modena and Graubünden or Grisons ( German:, gʁaʊˈbyndən Italian: Grigioni; Romansh: Grischun) is the largest and easternmost Swiss mercenaries were soldiers notable for their service in foreign armies especially the armies of the Kings of France, throughout the Early Modern period of European A canton is an Administrative division of a country eg a region or state Landsknechts (singular Landsknecht, German plural Landsknechte, sometimes also in English publications were European most often German, Mercenary ^[11]

In January 1525, Lannoy was reinforced by the arrival of Georg Frundsberg with 15,000 fresh landsknechts and renewed the offensive. Georg von Frundsberg ( September 24, 1473 &ndash August 20 1528) was a South German knight and Landsknecht leader Landsknechts (singular Landsknecht, German plural Landsknechte, sometimes also in English publications were European most often German, Mercenary D'Avalos captured the French outpost at Sant'Angelo, cutting the lines of communication between Pavia and Milan, while a separate column of landsknechts advanced on Belgiojoso and, despite being briefly pushed back by a raid led by Medici and Bonnivet, occupied the town. ^[12] By February 2, Lannoy was only a few miles from Pavia. Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Francis had encamped the majority of his forces in the great walled park of Mirabello outside the city walls, placing them between Leyva's garrison and the approaching relief army. ^[13] Skirmishing and sallies by the garrison continued through the month of February. Medici was seriously wounded and withdrew to Piacenza to recuperate, forcing Francis to recall much of the Milan garrison to offset the departure of the Black Band; but the fighting had little overall effect. Piacenza ( Placentia in Latin and old-fashioned English, Piasëinsa in the local dialect of Emiliano-Romagnolo) is a On February 21, the Imperial commanders, running low on supplies and mistakenly believing that the French forces were more numerous than their own, decided to launch an attack on Mirabello Castle in order to save face and demoralize the French sufficiently to ensure a safe withdrawal. Events 362 - Athanasius returns to Alexandria. 1245 - Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland ^[14]

Battle

The Battle of Pavia by an unknown Flemish artist (oil on panel, 16th century). The terms Fleming and Flemings ( Vlaming and Vlamingen in Dutch) denote respectively a person and people and the Flemings or

The times given here are taken from Konstam's reconstruction of the battle.

Movements in the dark

On the evening of February 23, Lannoy's imperial troops, which had been encamped outside the east wall of the park, began their march north along the walls. Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable At the same time, the Imperial artillery began a bombardment of the French siege lines—which had become routine during the extended siege—in order to conceal Lannoy's movement. ^[15] Meanwhile, Imperial engineers quickly worked to create a breach in the park walls, at the Porta Pescarina near the village of San Genesio, through which the Imperial army could enter. ^[16] By 5:00 in the morning, some 3,000 arquebusiers under the command of Alfonso d'Avalos had entered the park and were rapidly advancing on Mirabello Castle, where they believed the French headquarters to be; simultaneously, Imperial light cavalry spread out from the breach into the park, intending to intercept any French movements. The Arquebus (sometimes spelled harquebus, harkbus or hackbut; from Dutch haakbus, meaning "hook gun" is Alfonso d'Avalos d'Aquino Marchese di Pescara e del Vasto ( 1502 - March 31 1546) was an Italian Condottiero Light cavalry refers to lightly-armed and armored troops mounted on Horses, as opposed to Heavy cavalry, where the riders (and sometimes the horses are heavily armored ^[17]

Meanwhile, a detachment of French cavalry under Charles Tiercelin encountered the Imperial cavalry and began a series of skirmishes with them. A mass of Swiss pikemen under Robert de la Marck, Seigneur de la Flourance moved up to assist them, overrunning a battery of Spanish artillery that had been dragged into the park. Robert Fleuranges III de la Marck (1491-1537 Marshal of France and Historian, was the son of Robert II de la Marck; duke of Bouillon, ^[18] They missed De Vasto's arquebusiers—who had, by 6:30, emerged from the woods near the castle and swiftly overrun it—and blundered into 6,000 of Georg Frundsberg's landsknechts. Georg von Frundsberg ( September 24, 1473 &ndash August 20 1528) was a South German knight and Landsknecht leader By 7:00, a full-scale infantry battle had developed not far from the original breach. ^[19]

Francis attacks

A third mass of troops—the Spanish and Imperial heavy cavalry under Lannoy himself, as well as d'Avalos' Spanish infantry—had meanwhile been moving through the woods to the west, closer to where Francis was encamped. The French did not realize the magnitude of the Imperial attack for some time; but, by about 7:20, d'Avalos's advance had been spotted by a battery of French artillery, which commenced firing at the Spanish lines. This alerted Francis, who launched a charge against Lannoy's outnumbered cavalry with the entire force of French gendarmes, scattering the Spanish by 7:40. A gendarme was a heavy Cavalryman of noble birth primarily serving in the French army from the Late Medieval to the Early Modern ^[20]

Francis's precipitious advance, however, had not only masked the fire of the French artillery, but also pulled him away from the mass of French infantry, commanded by Richard de la Pole, and by Francois de Lorraine, who led the Black Band of renegade Landsknecht pikemen (not to be confused with the Italian mercenary company of arquebusiers by the same name), which was 4,000 to 5,000 men strong. Richard de la Pole (died February 24, 1525 in Pavia, Duchy of Milan) was a pretender to the English crown. Francois de Lorraine (1506-1525 was the Lord of Lambesc, and a commander in the French army under Francis I of France. This article is about the Landsknecht mercenary regiment for the Italian mercenary company see Black Bands. D'Avalos, left in command of the Spanish forces after Lannoy had followed the retreating cavalry, formed his men up at the edge of the woods and sent messengers to Bourbon, Frundsberg, and De Vasto requesting assistance. ^[21]

Frundsberg had meanwhile mauled the heavily outnumbered Swiss infantry opposing him; Tiercelin and Flourance were unable to hold their troops together, and the French foot began to flee the field.

Endgame

Battle of Pavia by Juan de Orea.

By 8:00, a mass of Imperial pikemen and arquebusiers descended on the French cavalry from all sides. Lacking room to maneuver by the surrounding woods, the French gendarmes were surrounded and systematically killed. A gendarme was a heavy Cavalryman of noble birth primarily serving in the French army from the Late Medieval to the Early Modern Suffolk and Lorraine, advancing to assist Francis, were met by Frundsberg's arriving landsknechts; the French infantry was broken and routed, Richard de la Pole and Lorraine both having been killed. In a particularly bitter contest between Imperial and renegade Landsknechts, the Black Band was surrounded by Frundsberg's pikemen and exterminated where it stood. The French king fought on as his horse was killed from under him by Cesare Hercolani, an Italian Condottiere. Cesare Hercolani (1499 - 1534 was an Italian condottiere, or mercenary leader Condottieri (singular condottiero, rarely condottiero) were Mercenary leaders employed by the Italian City-states from the Late Middle ^{[22] [23]}; surrounded by spanish arquebusiers, he was taken prisoner and escorted from the field. ^[24] The exact nature of Francis's surrender—in particular, who exactly had taken him prisoner—is uncertain, with a variety of candidates ranging from Alonso Pita da Veiga, Juan de Urbieta and Diego Dávila^[25] to Lannoy himself being put forward by various historians. Alonso Pita da Veiga, born in Ferrol in 15th century Galicia, Spain, was the most remarkable young officer of the Spanish Tercios

Meanwhile, Antonio de Leyva had sortied with the garrison, overrunning the 3,000 Swiss under Montmorency that had been manning the siege lines. The remnants of the Swiss–both Montmorency's and Flourance's—tried to flee across the river, suffering massive casualties as they did. ^[26] The French rearguard, under the Duke of Alençon, had taken no part in the battle; when the Duke realized what had occurred in the park, he quickly began to retreat towards Milan. By 9:00 in the morning, the battle was over.

Aftermath

The French defeat was decisive. Aside from Francis, a number of leading French nobles—including Montmorency and Flourance—had been captured; an even greater number—among them Bonnivet, Le Tremoille, La Palice, Suffolk, and Lorraine—had been killed in the fighting. Francis was taken to the fortress of Pizzighettone, where he penned his famous letter to Louise of Savoy, his mother:

Soon afterwards, he finally learned that the Duke of Albany had lost the larger part of his army to attrition and desertion, and had returned to France without ever having reached Naples. ^[28] The broken remnants of the French forces, aside from a small garrison left to hold the Castel Sforzesco in Milan, retreated across the Alps under the nominal command of Charles IV of Alençon, reaching Lyon by March. Castello Sforzesco ( English: Sforza Castle is a castle in Milan, Italy that now houses several of the city's museum and art gallery collections Charles IV of Alençon (1489 Alençon &ndash1525 Lyon) was the son of René of Alençon and Margaret of Vaudémont. ||-||} Lyon, also known as Lyons in English is a city in east-central France. ^[29]

Notes

References

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• Hackett, Francis. Francis the First. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran & Co. , 1937.
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• Knecht, Robert J. Renaissance Warrior and Patron: The Reign of Francis I. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994. ISBN 0-521-57885-X.
• Konstam, Angus. Pavia 1525: The Climax of the Italian Wars. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 1996. ISBN 1-85532-504-7.
• Oman, Charles. Sir Charles William Chadwick Oman ( January 12 1860 &ndash June 23 1946) was a British military historian of the early A History of the Art of War in the Sixteenth Century. London: Methuen & Co. , 1937.
• Phillips, Charles and Alan Axelrod. Encyclopedia of Wars. Volume 2. New York: Facts on File, 2005. ISBN 0-8160-2851-6.
• Taylor, Frederick Lewis. The Art of War in Italy, 1494–1529. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1973. ISBN 0-8371-5025-6.