Battle of Ravenne (1512)

During wars of the Rinascimento for the prevalence in Italy, the French, confronted with a counter-offensive of the Holy-League, beat with allied artillery of the duke of Ferrare the Spanish troops on April 11th, 1512 at the time of the battles of Ravenne . But Gaston de Foix dies however during this battle and Jacques II of Chabannes, his successor, does not have his talents of general. Threatened in north, the French must fold up themselves towards Piedmont.

Context

Anxious of progress of Louis XII, the pope Jules II proclamation his will to drive out them of Italy. February 24th, 1510, it raises the excommunication of Venice and the papal troops help the Venetian ones to reconquer the ground yielded to the French.

In May 1511, Louis XII takes Bologna and convenes a council in Pisa intended to relieve the pope. Jules II counteracts by his bubble Sacrosanctæ, by excommunicating the members of the council of Pisa. Then on October 5th, 1511, it forms the Sainte League with Spain, the République of Venice, England and the cantons Swiss against France.

At the beginning of 1512, the united armies take again Brescia and go on Bologna. But the French troops, ordered by Gaston de Foix, manage to make raise the head office of Bologna, and oblige the troops of the Holy League to evacuate Brescia.

The event

April 11th, 1512, in direction of Forlì, the French and the troops of the Sainte League guided by Raimond de Cardona are found face to face on the shore of the river Ronco, almost with the confluence with the Montone. It follows the combat of Ravenne , whose cypress points out the site.

With the battle take to share the most famous knights and adventurers of the time, graft others Bayard and Gaston de Foix-Nemours on the French side and Romanello de Forlì, then very known to be one of the winners of the challenge of Barletta. The French, guided by Gaston de Foix-Nemours, receive the decisive assistance of the artillery of Este , which, at that time, under the direction of the duke Alphonse Ier d' Este was among most effective of Europe.

He tells himself that while the duke of Ferrare pointed his guns, some of its subordinates said to him that while drawing in this moment, they would have struck indistinctly as well the Spanish enemies as the French allies; Alphonse d' Este would have answered: “ Draw without fear to mislead you, they are all our enemies ”.

Emblematic sentence of the distrust which circulated in Europe at the beginning of the 16th century. It was precisely the duke of Este which, with diplomacy, prevented the French from plundering Ravenne.

Consequences

In spite of their victory, the French, following the serious losses, must withdraw Lombardy with the approach of a hostile Swiss army, by leaving the duke of Ferrare in great difficulty. The Spanish and pontifical troops have time to be seized again and the 18.000 Swiss soldiers arrive to Lombardy. In June 1512, the French completely evacuated Lombardy and Maximilien Sforza is placed on the ducal throne in Milan.

As of the event, the French victory with Ravenne was compared with a defeat. Large officers, like the Viscount of Lautrec, had been killed or seriously wounded during the combat. Three days after the battle, Bayard wrote with his uncle, bishop of Grenoble:

“ Sir, if the king gained battles, I swear you that the poor gentilhommes lost it well; because, as we gave hunting, Mr. de Nemours found some people of foot who joined, and wanted to give inside; but the nice prince was so badly accompanied, that it was killed there, of which all déplaisances and mournings which were ever made was similar only that one démené and that one demene still in our camp; because it seems that we lost the battle . ”

Sources of time

the Honest Servant, History of the nice lord Bayard , edition in modern orthography, Balland, 1967, chap. 43, pp. 329-348.

François Guichardin, Storia d' Italia , 1537-1540.

References.

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