The Battle of Pavia was fought on the early morning of the 24th of February 1525.
Spanish-Imperial army under the 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 outside the city walls of Mirabello. In this battle the Imperial army managed to split in half thus creating confusion thus overwhelming the French army.
In this battle the French suffered massive fatalities which included many of its chief noblemen including the King himself who was imprisoned. He was made to sign the Treaty of Madrid which King surrendering considerable territories to the Imperialist. The outcome of the battle paved the Spanish Habsburg dominance in Italy. Page 503 Whilst the French army of Francis I was besieging Pavia, the Imperialist forces pushed forward their attack, taking in their advantage some important desertions amongst the Swiss mercenaries hired by French. This attack took place after a complicated night manoeuvre that allowed the Imperialists to breach the wall of the ducal hunting park that served as the French camp. The Imperial forces entered the park and deployed into battle order whilst the Imperialist forces in Pavia also ventured forth from the town, complicating the French embarrassing situation. Francis was caught by surprise hence forced to commit his forces into un-coordinated attacks on a number of fronts. The Imperialist forces took also advantage of the terrain and cover of the park to protect their infantry, especially those armed with firearms. The woods permitted the arquebusiers and those armed with muskets to attack while minimizing casualties. At the end this scheme proved them right and defeated the French army. French Army consisted of; Commander: King François I, Infantry: 17 000 men, Cavalry: 6 100 men (1 000 Gendarmes), Artillery: 53 guns. …show more content…
Imperial army consisted of;
Commander: Duke of Pescara, Infantry: 19 000 men, (Spanish Troops: 5000 men), Cavalry: 4000 men, Artillery: 17 guns.
In 28th October, 1524, King Francis I of France and his large army started besieging the town of Pavia. The town was defended by an Imperialist garrison under the command of Don Antonio de Leyva. Their plan was to secure the town before embarking on the campaign to re conquer Naples.
Having received the much-wanted reinforcements which included 6,000 Swiss mercenaries from the Grisons, 2,000 from the Valais, plus the support of Giovanni dei Medici also known as Giovanni dalle Bande Nere".
Francis rapidly ordered a third of his force south commanded by John Stuart, duke of Albany to march toward Rome with his intention of retaking Naples.
Francis I took this decision when he reached a diplomatic attainment signing a treaty with the Pope, who had abandoned the Imperialist cause. He had high hopes that Florence and Venice would join the alliance. Another factor determining his decision was that the invasion of southern France led by Charles Bourbon, constable of France, who had joined the Imperialists after a quarrel with Francis, had been unsuccessful and his army was forced to make a hasty retreat across the Alps. The initial attempt to carry the attack to the town of Pavia by storm failed constraining Francis to undertake a more calculated siege, a slow and steady siege moving his batteries forward. Due to heavy rain, the French engineers
Spanish-Imperial army under the 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 outside the city walls of Mirabello. In this battle the Imperial army managed to split in half thus creating confusion thus overwhelming the French army.
In this battle the French suffered massive fatalities which included many of its chief noblemen including the King himself who was imprisoned. He was made to sign the Treaty of Madrid which King surrendering considerable territories to the Imperialist. The outcome of the battle paved the Spanish Habsburg dominance in Italy. Page 503 Whilst the French army of Francis I was besieging Pavia, the Imperialist forces pushed forward their attack, taking in their advantage some important desertions amongst the Swiss mercenaries hired by French. This attack took place after a complicated night manoeuvre that allowed the Imperialists to breach the wall of the ducal hunting park that served as the French camp. The Imperial forces entered the park and deployed into battle order whilst the Imperialist forces in Pavia also ventured forth from the town, complicating the French embarrassing situation. Francis was caught by surprise hence forced to commit his forces into un-coordinated attacks on a number of fronts. The Imperialist forces took also advantage of the terrain and cover of the park to protect their infantry, especially those armed with firearms. The woods permitted the arquebusiers and those armed with muskets to attack while minimizing casualties. At the end this scheme proved them right and defeated the French army. French Army consisted of; Commander: King François I, Infantry: 17 000 men, Cavalry: 6 100 men (1 000 Gendarmes), Artillery: 53 guns. …show more content…
Imperial army consisted of;
Commander: Duke of Pescara, Infantry: 19 000 men, (Spanish Troops: 5000 men), Cavalry: 4000 men, Artillery: 17 guns.
In 28th October, 1524, King Francis I of France and his large army started besieging the town of Pavia. The town was defended by an Imperialist garrison under the command of Don Antonio de Leyva. Their plan was to secure the town before embarking on the campaign to re conquer Naples.
Having received the much-wanted reinforcements which included 6,000 Swiss mercenaries from the Grisons, 2,000 from the Valais, plus the support of Giovanni dei Medici also known as Giovanni dalle Bande Nere".
Francis rapidly ordered a third of his force south commanded by John Stuart, duke of Albany to march toward Rome with his intention of retaking Naples.
Francis I took this decision when he reached a diplomatic attainment signing a treaty with the Pope, who had abandoned the Imperialist cause. He had high hopes that Florence and Venice would join the alliance. Another factor determining his decision was that the invasion of southern France led by Charles Bourbon, constable of France, who had joined the Imperialists after a quarrel with Francis, had been unsuccessful and his army was forced to make a hasty retreat across the Alps. The initial attempt to carry the attack to the town of Pavia by storm failed constraining Francis to undertake a more calculated siege, a slow and steady siege moving his batteries forward. Due to heavy rain, the French engineers