88
1500–1700
1
HABSBURG VICTORY
This painting illustrates a key moment in the battle: the
encirclement of the French cavalry by the Imperial mixed forces of arquebusiers,
Landsknechts, and cavalry. It is copied from a tapestry cycle presented to Emperor
Charles V in 1531, celebrating his rst military victory.
US_088-089_Pavia.indd 88 06/04/2018 16:04
89
PAVIA
◼
1525
In the late Middle Ages, northern and central
Italy were battlegrounds of warring city-states.
After decades of ghting, Florence, Milan, and Venice
emerged dominant, agreeing to a peace treaty in
1454. The treaty held until 1494, when France, which
had a claim to certain Italian territories, invaded Italy,
beginning a series of conicts in which various
European powers fought over the country. The decisive battle came in October
1524, when, having marched into Lombardy and occupied Milan, Francis I of
France laid siege to the city of Pavia, which was controlled by forces loyal to
the Habsburg Empire of Charles V.
Pavia’s defenders held out through the winter. During this time imperial
reinforcements arrived and took up positions opposite the French, who
began building fortications that threatened to encircle them. In order to
prevent this, and after weeks of skirmishing, imperial forces led by Fernandino
Francesco d’Avalos, Marquis of Pescara, marched under cover of darkness for
several miles north to ford the stream, and then back toward the exposed
French left ank. Francis I responded with a cavalry charge, but his horsemen
obscured his cannon, which failed to strike the enemy. Francis also left his
infantry unsupported, fatally exposing them to the oncoming Habsburg attack,
while his cavalry suered heavy losses to Pescara’s arquebusiers. The French
army was virtually annihilated, and a large part of the French nobility was
slaughtered. Francis I was captured and held in Spain for a year, where he
eventually signed a treaty with Charles V, giving up all French claims to Italy.
European armies of the late Middle Ages
swelled their ranks with mercenaries. At the
battle of Pavia, Francis I enrolled a battalion
of Swiss mercenary pikeman, who were valued
for their discipline and skill. The rivals to the
Swiss in professional soldiering were the German
Landsknechts, who fought for anyone who
paid them and also favored the pike. At Pavia,
there were Landsknechts on both sides: the South
German military leader Georg von Frundsberg led
a battalion of Imperial Landsknechts to victory
against the renegade Black Band Landsknechts,
who fought for the French.
4Experts in the use of the pike and two-handed
sword, Landsknecht soldiers were also known for
wearing amboyant costumes.
EUROPEAN MERCENARIES
Pavia
1525
◼
NORTHERN ITALY
◼
EMPIRE OF CHARLES V VS. KINGDOM OF FRANCE
FIRST HABSBURG–VALOIS WAR
US_088-089_Pavia.indd 89 06/04/2018 16:04
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.