Battle of Agnadel
War of the League of Cambrai · Agnadel, near Milan (Lombardy, Italy)
Summary
On 14 May 1509, the Republic of Venice was defeated at Agnadel, near Milan, by the League of Cambrai coalition. A Venetian detachment of about 8,000 men under Bartolomeo d'Alviano faced the French vanguard of Charles d'Amboise, then the main army of Louis XII. In three hours the Venetian force was destroyed: 4,000 dead, Alviano wounded and captured, while Pitigliano, farther south, did not intervene.
Historical context
The League of Cambrai was formed on 10 December 1508 by Pope Julius II against the Republic of Venice during the Italian Wars. On 15 April 1509 Louis XII's French army left Milan and entered Venetian territory. Venice raised a mercenary army commanded by the Orsini cousins, Alviano and Pitigliano, initially ordered to avoid pitched battle.
Tactics
On 9 May Louis XII crossed the Adda at Cassano with about 30,000 men, including 6,000 Swiss and 2,000 horsemen. On 14 May Alviano engaged the French vanguard at Agnadel on a hill overlooking a vineyard. Charles d'Amboise replied with a cavalry charge and an assault by Swiss pikemen, slowed by a drainage ditch and rain. Louis XII's arrival encircled Alviano; French artillery firing from the brush thinned Venetian ranks before the men-at-arms charged.
Consequences
The victory opened Lombardy to the French and placed Venice in immediate danger. Pitigliano, informed too late, saw half his troops desert and withdrew toward Treviso. Julius II then reversed alliances and formed the Holy League against Louis XII with Venice and Spain.