Battle of Agnadello facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Agnadello |
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| Part of the War of the League of Cambrai | |||||||||
 Battle of Agnadel, 14th May 1509, painting by Pierre-Jules Jollivet |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Kingdom of France |
 Republic of Venice |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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 Bartolomeo d'Alviano (POW) |
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| Strength | |||||||||
| 30,000 | 15,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 500 | 10,000+ | ||||||||
The Battle of Agnadello, also known as Vailà, was a very important battle. It happened during the War of the League of Cambrai, which was part of the larger Italian Wars. This battle took place in 1509 and was a big win for the French army.
Why the Battle Happened
On April 15, 1509, the French army, led by King Louis XII, marched out of Milan. They entered the lands belonging to the Republic of Venice. Venice had gathered an army of mercenaries (soldiers who fight for money). This army was near Bergamo and was led by two cousins, Bartolomeo d'Alviano and Niccolò di Pitigliano.
The Venetian leaders were told to avoid a big fight with the French. So, for several weeks, they only had small fights and avoided a direct battle.
By May 9, King Louis had crossed the Adda River. Alviano and Pitigliano were camped near the town of Treviglio. They couldn't agree on what to do about the French. Alviano wanted to attack, even though his orders said not to. In the end, they decided to move their army south towards the Po River to find better ground.
The Battle Begins
On May 14, as the Venetian army moved south, the part of Alviano's army at the very back was attacked. This group was led by Piero del Monte and Saccoccio da Spoleto. A French group, led by Gian Giacomo Trivulzio, attacked them near the village of Agnadello.
Alviano, who was a few miles away, quickly rushed back. He placed his forces, about eight thousand soldiers, on a hill overlooking some vineyards. The French tried to attack, first with their horse soldiers (cavalry) and then with Swiss pikemen (soldiers with long spears). But the French had a hard time. They had to march uphill through muddy irrigation ditches because it was raining heavily. They could not break through the Venetian lines.
Pitigliano, the other Venetian commander, was ahead of Alviano's group. He was several miles away when the French attack started. Alviano asked him for help. But Pitigliano sent a message back saying they should avoid a big battle. He then kept moving his army south.
French Victory
Meanwhile, King Louis XII arrived at Agnadello with the rest of the French army. The French surrounded Alviano's forces from three sides. For the next three hours, they fought and defeated the Venetians.
The Venetian cavalry tried to charge the middle of the French army. They wanted to help their foot soldiers. At first, they did well. But soon, the Venetian cavalry was outnumbered and surrounded. When Alviano himself was hurt and captured, his army fell apart. The remaining horse soldiers ran away from the battlefield.
More than four thousand of Alviano's soldiers were killed. This included his commanders Spoleto and del Monte. The French also captured 30 cannons.
Even though Pitigliano had avoided fighting the French directly, he heard about the battle that evening. By the next morning, most of his soldiers had left. They had deserted. With the French army still advancing, Pitigliano quickly retreated towards Treviso and Venice. King Louis then took control of the rest of Lombardy.
The famous writer Machiavelli mentioned this battle in his book The Prince. He wrote that in just one day, the Venetians "lost what it had taken them eight hundred years' exertion to conquer." This shows how big the loss was for Venice.
Aftermath
The Battle of Agnadello had a huge impact on Venice. Before the battle, Venice's government bonds (a way for the government to borrow money) were worth a lot. After the defeat, their value dropped sharply. This shows how much the battle affected Venice's money and power.
