Battle of Pavia

:This article is about the battle in 1525. For the battle of Pavia fought by Charlemagne, see Battle of Pavia (773)

Context

The Battle of Pavia was a continuation of "The Italian Wars" which began in 1494. Renaissance Italy was divided into several rival states, hostage to European powers, principally France and Spain. Swiss mercenaries held the balance between two great civilizations, that of the

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south and that of the north. (A relic of this historic position is the continuation of the Pope's

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Swiss guard down to this day.)

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Francis I, King of France, in alliance with Venetians, had achieved a great victory over Swiss

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mercenaries in the Battle of Marignano, near Milan, on Sept. 13-14, 1515. This "romantic" battle

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excited "all Europe", representing the last stand of the old chivalry against the newfangled

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cannon.

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In 1525, Pope Clement VII became alarmed at the control of Naples and Lombardy by Emperor Charles V.

Related Topics:
Pope Clement VII - Emperor Charles V

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So the Pope formed an alliance with the victor at Marignano, Francis I, who returned over

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the Alps with a new army of 26,000 French, Italian, Swiss, and German. The campaign began

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brilliantly with the capture of Milan and Francis' triumphal entry. Marching on to Pavia

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(20 miles south of Milan), Francis dawdled in laying siege to the city. The Habsburg

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Emperor retaliated by sending a 23,000-man Habsburg army under Fernando Francisco de Avalos,

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Marchese di Pescara, to support the 6,000-man garrison in lifting the siege.

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