Conflict: Italian Wars of Francis I
Combatants: French vs. Swiss
Location: Italy
Outcome: French victory
As with his predecessor, Francis I of France set his eyes upon Italian provinces. While successfully bribing 10,000 Swiss into departing Italy, a force of 15,000 still remained. Near Milan, these loyal Swiss attacked Francis' entrenched army. A battle ensued on September 13th with fierce attacks and counter-attacks stretching throughout the day. On the following morning, a Venetian relief army forced the Swiss to withdraw. The Swiss had lost about 6,000 men to the 5,000 of the French. Francis seized Milan and Switzerland agreed to a negotiated peace.
Points of Interest:
Francis I led a cavalry charge at Marignano himself.
The victory at Marignano was attributed, in part, to the French use of canon and arquebuses against Swiss halberds and pikes.
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Sources:
Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).
Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.
Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.
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