Battle of Cérignole

The battles of Cérignole is held the April 28th 1503 and opposes French armies and Spanish. It takes place close to Cérignole, small town Italian in the Comté of Apulie (Royaume of Naples). The battle fits in the third war of Italy (1500 - 1504) and shows the victory of the Spaniards.

Context

The king of France Louis XII inherited the rights of the Valois on the Royaume of Naples and estimates to have rights on the Duché of Milan, his grandmother being Visconti.

In April 1499, Venetian and French signs the Traité of Blois and conquers the duchy of Milan. Louis XII leaves the city at the end of one month, leaving Trivulzio, noble Milanese rejoined in France, the head of the duchy. In March 1500, Ludovic Sforza known as More , benefitting from the departure of Louis XII, takes again his capital. Louis of Trémoille and Georges d' Amboise are charged to recover the duchy and capture Ludovic Sforza the April 10th 1500 with Novare.

In 1500, Louis XII and Ferdinand the catholic sign the Traité Grenade and share the Kingdom of Naples: the Pouilles and the Calabria for Spain, Naples, Ploughing and the the Abruzzi for France. In spite of the treaty, the occupation by the French of certain disputed territories involves a conflict with Spain since 1502.

Involved forces

The French Army

Louis of Armagnac-Nemours, count de Pardiac and of Own way, duke of Nemours, and is with the head of 9.500 men and 26 parts of Artillerie. It is organized like a medieval army, with a broad importance attached to the heavy cavalry and an important troop of Mercenaire S, primarily Suisse S.

Armagnac orders the avant-garde, made up of two battles of 1.000 heavy riders. Behind the 3.000 Piquier S are placed Swiss, like 3.000 Gascon infantrymen . The 26 pieces of artillery are placed in front of the Infanterie. Lastly, with the rear-guard the light Cavalerie has patience.

The Spanish army

The Spanish forces are ordered by Gonzalve de Cordoue, called the Gran Capitán at the time of its preceding countryside of Italy. The essence of the army is formed by the infantry, is composed of arquebusiers, arbalériers and piquiers. The cavalry is of moinde importance that of the enemy and artillery, of 13 parts seulemlent, is placed on a Tertre.

Two groups of 500 arquebusiers form the first line, cut off behind a ditch and a slope made up for the occasion. Behind, in the center, is a force of 2.500 German piquiers , framed of two troops of approximately 2.000 infantrymen and principal rafters, and, with the back of these troops, two battles of 400 riders, ordered by Prospero Colonna and Pedro de Mendoza. On the hill, with artillery, Fabrizio Colonna and Pedro de Pas order a light cavalry of 850 men.

The battle

The battle lasts hardly an hour. The Gran Capitán , knowing the taste of the French for the load of the heavy cavalry, decides to attract them towards its troops cut off behind from the pits and the fences. The Spanish cavalry simulates a load but beats a retreat quickly, incentive the French cavalry to launch out to its continuation.

The French fall into the trap and precipitate towards the enemy until arriving at range of shooting of the arquebuses and artillery. The French cavalry tries to circumvent the obstacle of the ditch and the slope by the left but are grapeshots during the movement. Armagnac falls under the enemy shootings.

The remainder of the French Army enters in action and, although the Spanish artillery is brutally destroyed by the explosion of the reserve of ammunition, the infantrymen are decimated by the shootings of arquebus. The Spanish arquebusiers do not finish being threatened by the projection of the French infantrymen and must withdraw themselves, to leave the free field to the German piquiers, who end up pushing back their Swiss and Gascon attackers.

The Gran Capitán gives the order of the final attack to the whole of its troops. Its light cavalry puts in escape the French cavalry and joint at the other units to submerge what it remains of the French infantry, which ends up going.

Consequences

Cérignole belongs to the series of French defeats - Seminara, Cérignole, Garigliano - which led to the loss of Naples and the expulsion of the French of this part of Italy.

Although this battle is not of a great importance in the field of the military strategy nor in its political consequences, it characterizes a turning in the organization of the armies and the control of the war. It is about the first battle during which the arquebusiers hold an important role and the organization adopted by Gonzalve de Cordoue prepares the creation of the famous Tercio S of the Spanish army.

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