Battle of Arbedo

The battles of Arbedo took place the June 30th 1422 close to the village éponyme with the Tessin between the troops of the duke of Milan, Philippe Marie Visconti, directed by Francesco Bussone, called the Carmagnola , and the troops uranaises, their allies nidwaldiens, lucernois and zougois. It was a Milanese victory and a temporary crushing argument to the expansion of Switzerland in the south of the Alps, Milan recovering the valleys of Tessin then to the hands of the Suisse.

Situation

During all the beginning of XVe century, the cantons Swiss S, in particular Uri, tried to take possession of the southern slope of the Saint-Gotthard.

In 1403, the Léventine became a possession uranaise; several campaigns carried out between 1407 and 1418 allowed Uranais and Obwaldiens to control the valley of Ossola, the Val Maggia and the valley Verzasca.

In 1419, they repurchase Bellinzone. The duke of Milan, which wished to recover these territories, launched a counter-offensive in 1422.

Engagements

As of the month of April 1422, the Milanese troops, under the direction of Francesco Bussone seized Bellinzone, of Blenio, the Riviera and the Léventine to the mount Piottino.

Uri and its allies, Nidwald, Lucerne and Zoug, raise an army of 2.500 soldiers and try to recover Bellinzone. The seat of the city is unfruitful and these troops must be withdrawn near Arbedo while waiting for the reinforcements of Schwytz, Glaris and Zurich.

The confederated troops, while waiting for these reinforcements, delivered to plundering Mesolcina; the Milaneses benefitted from it to gather an army of 16.000 men which attacked in the small hour of the June 30th the Swiss camp.

Superior of number, the troops of Bussone initially push back the Swiss ones against the mount Arbino, but the latter, supported by the plunderers returned to help them, bored the Milanese lines, crossed the Moesa and beat a retreat.

The awaited reinforcements arrived too late, and several hundreds of death were counted in each camp

Consequences

Following this defeat, all the Swiss possessions downstream from the mount Piottino fell to the hands from the duchy from Milan. The capitulat of 1426 restores certain exemptions from customs duties, but Confédérés will remain deeply divided on the Italian policy to lead until the end of the Guerres of Italy.

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