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| width =
| partof = the [[Italian War of 1494–1498|First Italian War]]
| image =
| image_size = 300px
| alt =
| caption = ''Bataille de Fornoue, 6 juillet 1495'' (oil on canvas by [[Éloi Firmin Féron]], 1837) depicts king [[Charles VIII of France|Charles VIII]] on the left and [[Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard|Bayard]] on the right.
| date = 6 July 1495
| place = [[Fornovo di Taro|Fornovo]], [[Emilia-Romagna|Emilia]], [[Italy]]
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|map_label=Fornovo di Taro
| result = French victory{{sfn|Mallett|Hale|1984|p=56}}
| combatant1 =
| combatant2 = [[League of Venice]]:<br />
| commander1 =
| commander2 =
| strength1 = 10,000–11,000 men{{sfn|Tucker|2010|p=361}}{{sfn|Nolan|2006|p=303}}{{efn|"The French army of 10,000–11,000 men came down the valley of the Taro towards Parma. Gonzaga had about 20,000 troops...".{{sfn|Mallett|Shaw|2012|p=31}}}}
| strength2 = 20,
| casualties1 = *
* 200 wounded{{sfn|Dupuy|1993|p=462}}{{sfn|Tucker|2010|p=361}}
| casualties2 = * 3,
| units2 = [[Stradioti]]
|campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Italian War of 1494–1498}}
{{Campaignbox Italian Wars}}
}}
The '''Battle of Fornovo''' took place 30 km (19 miles) southwest of the city of [[Parma]] on 6 July 1495. It was fought as [[Charles VIII of France|King Charles VIII]] of [[Kingdom of France|France]] left [[Kingdom of Naples|Naples]] upon hearing the news of the grand coalition assembled against him. Despite the numerical advantage of their opponents, the French
==Antecedents==
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To have his hands free in Italy, Charles made various pacts with his neighbours, so they would not interfere. [[Henry VII of England]] was given cash,{{sfn|Palmer|1994|p=19}} [[Ferdinand II of Aragon]] was given [[Roussillon]] and [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Maximillian]] was given [[Artois]] and [[Franche-Comté]]. This handing out of territory could be regarded as a total lack of foresight on Charles' behalf but he was willing to take such steps to establish his Neapolitan base for his crusade.
==Campaign==
Charles VIII was on good terms with the two powers in northern Italy, [[Duchy of Milan|Milan]] and [[Republic of Venice|Venice]], and both had encouraged his claim over the [[Kingdom of Naples]]. Thus he assumed he would have their support when he moved against [[Alfonso II of Naples]], especially as the rival claimant was [[Ferdinand II of Aragon]], [[King of Spain]]. At the end of August 1494, in a lightning campaign, he used France's powerful modern army, reinforced by a large contingent of [[Swiss mercenaries]], to sweep through Italy, his mobile field artillery train smashing into dust the tall towers of Italy's medieval castles. He was granted free passage through Milan, but was vigorously opposed by [[Florence]], [[Pope Alexander VI]], and [[Naples]].
On 22 February 1495 Charles VIII and his chief commander, [[Louis II de La Trémoille]], entered Naples almost without opposition. The speed and violence of the campaign left the Italians stunned. Realization struck them, especially the Venetians and the new Duke of Milan, [[Ludovico Sforza]], that unless Charles was stopped Italy would soon just be another province of France. The Italian states rallied and on March 31 in Venice, the [[League of Venice|Holy League]] was proclaimed. The signatories were the Republic of Venice, the Duke of Milan, the Pope, the monarchs of Castile and Aragon, the King of England and the Holy Roman Emperor
==Retreat==
▲On 22 February 1495 Charles VIII and his chief commander, [[Louis II de La Trémoille]], entered Naples almost without opposition. The speed and violence of the campaign left the Italians stunned. Realization struck them, especially the Venetians and the new Duke of Milan, [[Ludovico Sforza]], that unless Charles was stopped Italy would soon just be another province of France. The Italian states rallied and on March 31 in Venice, the [[League of Venice|Holy League]] was proclaimed. The signatories were the Republic of Venice, the Duke of Milan, the Pope, the monarchs of Castile and Aragon, the King of England and the Holy Roman Emperor. The League engaged a veteran Condottiero, [[Francesco II of Gonzaga]], [[Duke of Mantua]] to gather an army and expel the French from Italy. Upon hearing the news of the coalition assembled against him, Charles VIII left behind a garrisoning force in Naples and marched north with the remainder of his army, his artillery train and the considerable booty seized in the campaign thus far in order to join a smaller army under [[Louis II, Duke of Orléans]] in Piedmont in north-western Italy. While in Naples, the French army had been swept by an outbreak of syphilis and as the army moved north, it spread throughout Italy, where it became known as the "French Disease".
The League engaged a veteran condottiero, [[Francesco II of Gonzaga]], [[Duke of Mantua]] to gather an army and expel the French from Italy. Upon hearing the news of the coalition assembled against him, Charles VIII left behind a garrisoning force in Naples and marched north with the remainder of his army, his artillery train and the considerable booty seized in the campaign thus far in order to join a smaller army under [[Louis II, Duke of Orléans]] in Piedmont in north-western Italy.
==Battle==▼
[[File:Fornovo-battle-Vaticano.jpg|thumb|The Battle of Fornovo in [[the Gallery of Maps]] ([[Vatican Museums]])]]
On 27 June the Venetians and their allies established camp near [[Fornovo di Taro]] ({{Coord|44|41|N|10|06|E}}), some 30 km southwest of [[Parma]], to wait for the French. They would not have to wait long, but the [[Venetian Senate]] was not unanimous on fighting the French. Some members wanted to attack the rear guard of the French to try to seize their loot, while others cautioned that Italy was risking too much in this battle as this was just one French army and others could potentially be called upon.
On July 4, [[Ercole I d'Este|Ercole d'Este]], [[Duke of
Two days later, on July 6, Charles decided to offer battle because the French were short of provisions. South of Milan, the path of his army of some 10,000 French and Swiss was blocked by 20,000 Venetians and Mantuans under Gonzaga.{{sfn|Nolan|2006|p=303}} Melchiorre Trevisan promised the League soldiers the spoils of battle if they were victorious, igniting their combat ardor. Francesco Gonzaga divided his forces into nine lines. His battle plan was to distract the first and middle groups of the French with two lines while outflanking the rear. Once the French groups were disorganized, the rest of the Italian troops would attack. The League's overall goal was the complete destruction of the French army.{{efn|Malipiero mentions the League's failure to stop the French from reaching Asti.{{sfn|Malipiero|1843|p=353}}{{sfn|Luzio|Renier|1890|p=219}}}}{{sfn|Santosuosso|1994|p=232}}▼
▲==Battle==
The League army took position on the right side of the Taro river and the French decided to keep to the left bank. Charles organized his army in battle groups. The first section consisted of about 2,500 men and was led by Marshal Gie and [[Gian Giacomo Trivulzio]].{{sfn|Nicolle|2005|p=52}} The second and largest section, led by Englebert of Cleves and Antoine de Bessey, consisted of 3000 infantry, 300 dismounted archers and 200 crossbowman.{{sfn|Nicolle|2005|p=52}} The final section, about 1,750 men, was led by Jean de Foix. There was in addition a large infantry force of spearmen. The French artillery was arranged in front of the first line, as well as on the side of the Taro, protecting the second line.{{sfn|Oman|1987|p=111}} The League's right wing was commanded by Count Caiazzo with 400 Milanes men-at-arms and 2000 infantry, with 180 Bolognese men-at-arms in reserve.{{sfn|Nicolle|2005|pp=56–57}} The central division consisted of 492 men-at-arms and 600 mounted crossbowmen under the command of Francesco Gonzaga, while keeping a large contingent of cavalry in reserve.{{sfn|Nicolle|2005|p=57}} The left wing, commanded by Fortebraccio di Montone, had 352 Venetian men-at-arms supported by cavalry.{{sfn|Nicolle|2005|p=57}} Also in the center were 4,000 Venetian foot and 1,000 Mantuan infantry, with a contingent of 600 [[Stradioti]] on the French left flank.{{sfn|Nicolle|2005|p=57}}
After the battle, Charles then marched on into Lombardy and returned to France.{{sfn|Tucker|2010|p=361}}
▲Melchiorre Trevisan promised the League soldiers the spoils of battle if they were victorious, igniting their combat ardor. Francesco Gonzaga divided his forces into nine lines. His battle plan was to distract the first and middle groups of the French with two lines while outflanking the rear. Once the French groups were disorganized, the rest of the Italian troops would attack. The League's overall goal was the complete destruction of the French army.{{sfn|Santosuosso|1994|p=232}}
==Result==
▲Instead of the usual feckless and nearly bloodless affair then common in Italian condottieri warfare, the French opened with an artillery bombardment, intending to kill as many of their opponents as possible.{{sfn|Nolan|2006|p=303-304}} Then they charged with their heavy cavalry, destroying and scattering the disordered Italian ranks in just minutes.{{sfn|Nolan|2006|p=304}} The fight was perhaps more memorable for the ineffectiveness of artillery on either side, other than the psychological effect achieved by the French guns.{{efn|The French guns stopped firing due to the rain making the powder wet.{{sfn|Santosuosso|1994|p=236}}}} Of the 100 French and 3,500 Italian dead, one eyewitness estimated that fewer than 10 men were killed by cannon fire.{{sfn|Nolan|2006|p=304}} After the battle, Charles then marched on into Lombardy and returned to France.{{sfn|Tucker|2010|p=361}}
Both parties strove to present themselves as the victors in the battle.{{sfn|Mallett|Shaw|2012|p=31}} The battle was reported in Venice as a victory, and was recorded and celebrated as such, which included the capture of Mathieu de Bourbon.{{sfn|Santosuosso|1994|pp=248–249}} Regardless of the self-proclamations of victory by League commanders, [[Domenico Malipiero]] recognized that the League failed to stop the French from reaching Asti.{{sfn|Luzio|Renier|1890|p=219}} [[Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua|Francesco Gonzaga]] claimed victory and the ordered the portrait of the ''[[Madonna della Vittoria]]'',{{sfn|Kuiper|2009|p=114}} while the Italian historian [[Francesco Guicciardini]]'s judgement was to award the palm of victory to the French.{{efn|If officially Italians celebrated the Battle of Fornovo as a victory – to the surprise of the French – privately,
many were not so sure. [[Francesco Guicciardini|Guicciardini’s]] verdict was that ‘general consent awarded the palm to the French’{{sfn|Mallett|Shaw|2012|p=31}}}}{{sfn|Mallett|Shaw|2012|p=31}} Privately, Gonzaga confessed to his wife that the battle was a near run thing and that if the French had turned on them, the League's forces would have been destroyed.{{sfn|Nicolle|2005|p=83}} A week later, Bernardino Fortebraccio spoke to the Venetian senate, stating the League's army could have defeated the French if their troops would have stayed in the battle and left the baggage train alone.{{sfn|Nicolle|2005|p=84}}
==Consequences==
Charles left Italy abandoning all his conquests. He attempted in the next few years to rebuild his army, but was hampered by the serious debts incurred by the previous one, and he never succeeded in recouping anything substantive. He died two-and-a-half years after his retreat, of an accident, striking his head while passing through a doorway, he succumbed to a sudden coma several hours later.
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Charles proved to be the last of the elder branch of the [[House of Valois]], and upon his death at Amboise the throne passed to a cousin, the Duc d'Orléans, who reigned as King [[Louis XII of France]], who would try to make good his clearer claim to the [[Duchy of Milan]].
However, for Italy the consequences were catastrophic.{{efn|In his work, ''La prima parte dell'historie del suo tempo'', Giovio claimed that Italian soldiers were despised following the Leagues' defeat at Fornovo.{{sfn|Santosuosso|1994|p=221}}}} Europe knew now, from Charles' expedition, of an enormously rich land, divided into easily conquerable principalities, and defended only by mercenary armies that refused to fight with the slightest disadvantage. Italy was to be the scene of a dispute between the main continental powers, with the result that the Italians were left with only a secondary role in their own destiny. Only [[Republic of Venice|Venice]], [[Republic of Genoa|Genoa]], the [[Papal States]], [[Duchy of Savoy|Savoy]], and [[Grand Duchy of Tuscany|Tuscany]] would survive as independent nations after the end of the Italian Wars, losing however their original power and stability.
==See also==
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==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
*
*
*{{cite book |title=The 100 Most Influential Painters & Sculptors of the Renaissance |editor-first=Kathleen |editor-last=Kuiper |publisher=Britannica Educational Publishing |year=2009 }}
*{{cite journal |title=Francesco Gonzaga alla Battaglia di Fornovo (1495) Secondo I Documenti Mantovani |first1=Alessandro |last1=Luzio |first2=Rodolfo |last2=Renier |journal=Archivio Storico Italiano Serie V |volume=6 |year=1890 |issue=179 |pages=205–246 |publisher=Casa Editrice Leo S. Olschki s.r.l. |language=Italian }}
* {{cite book |first1=Michael |last1=Mallett |first2=Christine |last2=Shaw |series=Modern Wars in Perspective |title=The Italian Wars 1494–1559 |publisher=Pearson |location=Harlow |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-582-05758-6}}▼
*
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*{{cite book |first=Domenico |last=Malipiero |authorlink=Domenico Malipiero |title=Annali veneti dall'anno 1457 al 1500 |publisher=Firenze |year=1843 |language=Italian}}
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*{{cite book |last=Ritchie |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Ritchie (historian) |year=2004 |title=Historical Atlas of The Renaissance |publisher=Thalamus Publishing |isbn=978-0-8160-5731-3 }}
* {{cite book |editor-first1=Georgios |editor-last1=Theotokis |editor-first2=Aysel |editor-last2=Yıldız |series=History of Warfare (118) |title=A Military History of the Mediterranean Sea: Aspects of War, Diplomacy, and Military Elites |year=2018 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden/Boston |edition=e-book |isbn=978-90-04-36204-8}}▼
*{{cite journal |title=Anatomy of Defeat in Renaissance Italy: The Battle of Fornovo in 1495 |first=Antonio |last=Santosuosso |journal=The International History Review |volume=16, No. 2 (May) |year=1994 |issue=2 |publisher=Taylor & Francis, Ltd. |pages=221–250 |doi=10.1080/07075332.1994.9640674 }}
* {{cite book |last=Tucker |first=Spencer C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h5_tSnygvbIC&q=spencer+tucker+battle+of+muret&pg=PA269 |title=A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East |volume=I |year=2010 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-85109-672-5}}▼
*{{The Papacy and the Levant|volume=2}}
*{{cite book |series=Cambridge library collection. European History |title=The Art of War in Italy 1494–1529: Prince Consort Prize Essay 1920 |url=https://archive.org/details/artofwarinitaly100taylrich |via=Archive Foundation |first=Frederick Lewis |last=Taylor |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1921 |oclc=967401725}}
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{{refend}}
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[[Category:Battles of the Italian Wars|Fornovo 1495]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Republic of Venice|Fornovo 1495]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Duchy of Ferrara|Fornovo]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Italian War of 1494–1495]]
[[Category:Charles VIII of France]]
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