The Battle of Agnadello was the one of the more significant battles of the War of the League of Cambrai, and one of the major battles of the Italian Wars. The League of Cambrai was a league against Venice formed in 1508 under the leadership of Pope Julius II. It included, besides the Pope, Louis XII of France, Emperor Maximilian I, and Ferdinand of Aragon. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). ... Events February 2 - Battle of Diu took place near Diu, India. ... Location within Italy Piazza della Scala Milan (Italian: Milano; Milanese dialect: Milán) is the main city in northern Italy, and is located in the plains of Lombardy, the most populated and developed of Italian regions. ... Bergamo is a town in Italy, in Lombardy, about 40km northeast of Milan. ... The Republic of Venice was a city-state in Venetia in Northeastern Italy, based around the city of Venice. ... Louis XII Louis XII the Father of the People (French: Louis XII le Père du Peuple) (June 27, 1462 - January 1, 1515) was King of France from 1498-January 1, 1515. ... Bartolomeo dAlviano (1455-1515) was an eminent Venetian general and captain who distinguished himself in the defence of the republic against the Emperor Maximilian. ... Nicolo di Pitigliano was a Venetian Captain-General who, together with his cousin Alviano, commanded the Republics armies against the League of Cambrai. ... The League of Cambrai was a league against Venice formed in 1508 under the leadership of Pope Julius II. It included, besides the Pope, Louis XII of France, Emperor Maximilian I, and Ferdinand of Aragon. ... The Battle of Ravenna, fought on April 11, 1512, by forces of the Holy League and France, was a major battle of the Italian Wars. ... The Battle of Novara was a battle of the Italian Wars fought on June 6, 1513, next to Novara, in Northen Italy. ... Battle of the Spurs or Battle of Guinegate August 16 1513. ... The Battle of La Motta, which took place on October 7, 1513 between the Republic of Venice and Spain, was a significant battle of the War of the League of Cambrai. ... The Battle of Marignano, in the phase of the Italian Wars (1494–1559) that is called the War of the Holy League, was a victory for French forces that took place on 13 and 14 September 1515, at a location, today called Melegnano, 16 km south east of Milan. ... The League of Cambrai was a league against Venice formed in 1508 under the leadership of Pope Julius II. It included, besides the Pope, Louis XII of France, Emperor Maximilian I, and Ferdinand of Aragon. ... The Italian Wars were a series of wars from 1494 to 1559 for control over the States of Italy, mainly involving France and Spain, but also involving most other European states, and the imprisonment for several months of Pope Clement VII. They started with the plotting of Ludovico Sforza of...

On April 15, 1509, a French army under the command of Louis XII left Milan and invaded Venetian territory. To oppose its advance, Venice had massed a mercenary army near Bergamo, jointly commanded by the Orsini cousins, Bartolomeo d'Alviano and Nicolo di Pitigliano. The Orsini had orders to avoid a direct confrontation with the advancing French, and spent the next several weeks engaging in light skirmishing. April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... Events February 2 - Battle of Diu took place near Diu, India. ... Louis XII Louis XII the Father of the People (French: Louis XII le Père du Peuple) (June 27, 1462 - January 1, 1515) was King of France from 1498-January 1, 1515. ... Location within Italy Piazza della Scala Milan (Italian: Milano; Milanese dialect: Milán) is the main city in northern Italy, and is located in the plains of Lombardy, the most populated and developed of Italian regions. ... The Republic of Venice was a city-state in Venetia in Northeastern Italy, based around the city of Venice. ... A mercenary is a soldier who fights, or engages in warfare primarily for private gain, usually with little regard for ideological, national or political considerations. ... The Orsini family was a powerful noble family in medieval and renaissance Rome, supplying three popes and many other leaders, and fighting with their rivals, the Colonna family, for influence. ... Bartolomeo dAlviano (1455-1515) was an eminent Venetian general and captain who distinguished himself in the defence of the republic against the Emperor Maximilian. ... Nicolo di Pitigliano was a Venetian Captain-General who, together with his cousin Alviano, commanded the Republics armies against the League of Cambrai. ...

By May 9, however, Louis had crossed the Adda River at Cassano. Alviano and Pitigliano, encamped around the town of Treviglio, disagreed on how to deal with Louis, since Alviano wanted to attack the French in defiance of his orders; they finally decided to move south towards the Po River in search of better positions. May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (130th in leap years). ... Adda (anc. ... Treviglio is a town in the province of Bergamo, in Lombardy, Italy. ... Po redirects here, for alternate uses see Po (disambiguation). ...

On May 14, as the Venetian army moved south, Alviano was confronted by a French detachement under the Seigneur de Chaumont, who had masses his troops around the village of Agnadello. Alviano positioned his forces, numbering around eight thousand, on a ridge overlooking some vineyards. De Chaumont attempted to attack, first with cavalry and then with Swiss pikemen, but the French, forced to march up a hillside crossed with irrigation ditches, which were soon filled with mud from the pouring rain, were unable to breach the Venetian lines. May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). ... A pike is a pole weapon once used extensively by infantry principally as a counter-measure against cavalry assaults. ...

Pitigliano had been moving ahead of Alviano, and was several miles away when the French began their attack. In reply to Alviano's request for help, he sent a note suggesting that a pitched battle should be avoided, and continued his march south.

Meanwhile, Louis, with the remainder of the French army, had reached Agnadello. The French now surrounded Alviano on three sides and proceeded to destroy his forces over the next three hours. The Venetian cavalry collapsed and fled, and Alviano himself was wounded and captured. Of his command, more than four thousand were killed.

Although Pitigliano had avoided engaging the French directly, news of the battle reached him by that evening, and the majority of his forces had deserted by morning. Faced with the continued advance of the French army, he hurriedly retreated towards Treviso and Venice. Louis then proceeded to occupy the remainder of Lombardy. Treviso is a town (population 83,598 as of 1991) in the Veneto region of Italy. ... Location within Italy Venice (Italian Venezia), the city of canals, is the capital of the region of Veneto and of the province of Venice, 45°26′ N 12°19′ E, population 271,663 (census estimate 2004-01-01). ...

References

• Norwich, John Julius (1989). A History of Venice. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-72197-5.

External links

The Battle of Agnadello