France has always had ambitions for the kingdoms of Italy. Grandson of Valentine Visconti, Duchess of Milan, King Louis XII thus legitimized his annexation of the Duchy of Milan in 1499 and that of Naples in 1501, by his ancestry. This is why Pope Julius II broke his alliance with the king and created the Holy League (Spain, Holy Empire, England and Venice) in 1511 to drive Louis XII out of the territories. Also, on the death of the latter, the coming to the throne of France of a young 20-year-old monarch was well received by the League, underestimating that he had the same views as his late father-in-law. the king.
September 13-14, 1515
Characters
François 1 st
Charles IV, Duke of Alençon
Bartholomew of Alviano
Jacques de Genouillac said Seneschal of Armagnac
Chevalier Pierre de Terrail, Lord of Bayard, known as Chevalier Bayard
Charles III of Bourbon
Maximilian of Habsburg
Louis II of La Trémoille
Jacques de Chabannes, Marquis of La Palice
Pope Leo X
Mathieu Schiner, Cardinal Sion
Maximilian Sforza
Procedure
It is therefore full of temerity that the young François 1 st crosses the Alps via the Col de l'Argentière. Impassable by cannons, this passage is cleared in particular with the help of explosives. The sudden arrival of the King of France in Italy surprises the allies of the Duchy of Milan Maximilian Sforza who are the Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg, the Swiss confederates - mercenaries in the pay of the Holy Roman Empire - Cardinal Sion, who supports the Swiss , and Pope Leo X. And if François 1 st thinks he can negotiate without fighting – did he not pay Swiss pikemen (infantry) to leave without fighting – on the morning of September 13 the soldiers of the Alliance threw themselves on the French. The confrontation takes place in Marignan, in the Po plain. The French army consists of around 30-40,000 men (including the knights Bayard, La Palice, the Seneschal of Armagnac, Louis II de La Trémoille, Charles III de Bourbon and the Duke of Alençon) half of whom are lansquenets (mercenaries, very often German, in the pay of the highest bidder), against 20,000 Swiss reputed to be invincible. If the first day ends in the most total confusion, the second day sees the advantage turn on the side of the young monarch thanks to the intervention of the Venetians, led by their warlord Barthélemy d'Alviano, who support the French . This confrontation marks the first victory of François 1 er . The artillery, in this battle, was used excessively for two days by the French, which took the Confederates by surprise, who lost 8,000 men.
Consequences
The victory of Marignan led to the signing of the concordat of Bologna in 1516, which named François 1 er "Eldest son of the Church" and recognizes in particular the French authority, on Rome, as for the nomination of the men of Church on its territory. By signing the Perpetual Peace of Friborg (1516), Switzerland undertakes in particular to abandon the Duchy of Milan, never to enter into conflict with France again. In addition, the Battle of Marignan marked a new military strategy thanks to the sustained use of artillery, bringing the art of war into modernity. It is also the first decisive victory of the monarch and the halo of glory. The story goes that he was knighted in Marignan even by the illustrious knight Bayard... A legend invented late in life, no doubt to hide the French defeat at Pavia which took place ten years later (1525). Be that as it may, the Battle of Marignan gave France all its political importance at the international level, confirming in particular the legitimacy of the King of France over the possession of Lombardy.