Battle of Cadore facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Cadore
Part of the War of the League of Cambrai
Sketch made by Rubens from a copy of a painting by Titian depicting the battle
Date 2 March 1508 Location Cadore, northern Veneto, present-day Italy Result Venetian victory
Belligerents
Republic of Venice	Holy Roman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Bartolomeo d'Alviano Pandolfo IV Malatesta Carlo IV Malatesta  † Rinieri della Sassetta Camillo Orsini Pietro del Monte Babone Naldi Gianconte Brandolini	Sixt von Trautson  † Johannes Sprengli  † Trips Vailer von Felkircher  † Glauscop von Felkircher  †
Strength
3,300 infantry 100 stradioti cavalry 100 heavy cavalry 300 light cavalry 400 mounted crossbowmen 4 falconets	4,000–6,000 infantry 8 artillery pieces
Casualties and losses
Low, including 4 knights	1,822 killed 500 captured 8 artillery pieces captured

The Battle of Cadore, also called the Battle of Rio Secco, was an important fight in 1508. It happened near Pieve di Cadore in northern Italy. This battle was part of the War of the League of Cambrai, which was a bigger conflict called the Italian Wars.

In this battle, the army of the Venetian Republic, led by Bartolomeo d'Alviano, fought against the forces of the Holy Roman Empire. The Holy Roman Empire was led by Sixt von Trautson. The Venetians won a big victory. This win stopped the Holy Roman Empire from taking over Cadore. It also allowed Venice to get back its lost lands and even invade some of the Empire's territory. This event eventually led to the creation of the League of Cambrai, a group of countries that teamed up against Venice.

Why the Battle Happened

Maximilian I's Plan

In 1507, Louis XII of France had taken control of much of northern Italy. This made Maximilian I of Habsburg, the Holy Roman Emperor, worried. He was concerned about France's growing power so close to his lands.

Maximilian called a meeting of princes and electors in Constance in April 1507. This meeting was called a diet. He told them he was worried about France's power in Italy. He convinced them to help pay for an invasion of Italy. Maximilian wanted to go to Rome to be crowned Emperor. He said he would protect the Church and keep the holy city free.

Louis XII of France said he had no plans to take over the Empire. He stayed in Genoa without an army to show he was peaceful. But the diet still gave Maximilian I a large army. He received eight thousand knights and twenty-two thousand foot soldiers for six months.

Empire Gets Ready

The Holy Roman Empire's armies started moving towards the borders of Cadore and Friuli in January 1508. Bartolomeo d'Alviano, the Venetian commander, checked his castles. He made sure places like Botestagno and Chiusaforte were strong. He also ordered ditches and walls to be built in other areas.

On January 24, 1508, an imperial messenger arrived in Verona. He asked for lodging for 8,500 horses. Emperor Maximilian planned to stay there for three days before going to Rome. The mayor of Verona told Venice about this request. Venice said Maximilian could pass through their land if he did so "quietly and peacefully."

However, the Venetians thought Maximilian's request was just an excuse to invade. So, they made their defenses stronger. They sent soldiers to Rovereto and moved women and children out of the town. They also asked France for help. Soon, it became clear the Empire planned to attack. More and more soldiers gathered near Trento. They started taking goods from nearby valleys.

Empire Invades Cadore

On February 4, Pietro Gixi, the captain of Cadore, learned that German knights and foot soldiers were near Bruneck. But they could not attack right away. Heavy snow blocked the mountain passes.

Then, on the night of February 20-21, German foot soldiers invaded and looted Ampezzo. They also started attacking the castle of Botestagno. The next day, 4,000 German foot soldiers came down from Passo Tre Croci. They had special grips on their shoes to walk on ice and snow. They quickly took over all of Cadore. This included the castle of Pieve di Cadore, which Pietro Gixi surrendered on February 23.

By the next day, only sixty Venetian soldiers were left. They were led by Bortolo Malfato. They tried to stop the Empire's advance at Chiusa di Venas. But they had to retreat after a four-hour battle. They moved back to Pieve and then to the castle of Gardona.

When Venice heard the news, they ordered Bartolomeo d'Alviano to go to Bassano del Grappa. He was told to plan how to get Cadore back. Another Venetian commander, Andrea Loredan, sent 4,000 foot soldiers to Carnia. They hoped to help the castle of Botestagno. But on February 27, the Empire's cannons, led by Maximilian himself, forced the castle to surrender after six days.

March to Pieve

On February 27, Alviano reached Belluno. He met with Giorgio Corner, and they decided to attack to get Cadore back. Losing Cadore was a big danger for Venice. If the Germans attacked Friuli, Venice would have to move soldiers from other areas. This would weaken their defenses and risk losing more land.

From Belluno, Alviano set out with about 3,000 men. He headed towards the castle of Gardona. The next day, he reached the crossroads of Muda. From here, there were two ways to reach Pieve di Cadore.

The first way was shorter and easier. It followed the Piave River valley to Perarolo. There was a bridge to cross the Boite River. From there, they could go straight to Pieve. This path was less steep but narrow. It was easy for the enemy to spot them and set up an ambush.

The second way was to go through the Val di Zoldo and then down into Cadore. This road was harder. It was long, steep, and went to high places where there was more snow. But it helped them avoid being seen by the enemy. Alviano chose this second, harder path.

Alviano sent messages to Savorgnan, telling him the plan. The attack would start on the morning of March 2. Alviano's troops would march to Forno di Zoldo, then cross the Cibiana Pass. They would go down to Venas and then move towards Pieve. At the same time, Savorgnan's men would go from Forni di Sopra to the Mauria Pass. They would then go down to Lorenzago, capture Treponti, and go up the Val d'Ansiei. Their goal was to reach Passo Tre Croci and Misurina Pass. Once Val d'Ansiei was safe, Savorgnan's men would go down to Domegge. They would attack Pieve from the east. This plan would cut off all ways for the Germans to get supplies or escape.

On the same day, some Germans went towards Domegge. But Venetian light cavalry, called stradioti, stopped them. The Germans had to go back to Pieve. There, they built defenses with wooden fences and shelters.

Battle of the Rio Secco

On February 29, Alviano reached the Val di Zoldo. His army was very tired from the long march. A storm hit, stopping them from moving forward. They had to clear as much snow as possible. In the evening, troops from the Malatesta family joined the army.

On March 1, the army started moving again. They crossed the Cibiana Pass and the Boite River. By the end of the day, they reached Venas, three miles from Pieve. They left some soldiers there to block any enemy escape.

Alviano gave strict orders to his soldiers. Commanders had to keep their men close to their flags. No one was allowed to retreat. Anyone who ran away would be treated as an enemy. He promised rewards to those who killed deserters. He also said no one could take prisoners or loot until the battle was over. Anyone who disobeyed would be hanged. For the stradioti, he promised a ducat for each enemy head. If they won, they would get money for life and full payment for any lost horses.

Pietro dal Monte led the foot soldiers. Giacomo Secco led the cavalry. Franco dal Borgo led the crossbowmen. Repossi Busicchio led the stradioti.

The front part of the army had 400 foot soldiers led by Pietro del Monte. Another 200 to 300 foot soldiers were under Rinieri della Sassetta. Bortolo Malfato led 54 foot soldiers. They were set up in the plain between Nogaré and Monte Zucco. The right side of the army had 400 foot soldiers under Carlino Naldi and 200 under Babone Naldi. The left side had 600 foot soldiers under Lattanzio da Bergamo.

To the left of the foot soldiers were about 100 heavy knights and 300 cavalrymen led by Giacomo Secco. About 70-100 mounted crossbowmen under Franco dal Borgo would attack the right side of the enemy foot soldiers. Other crossbowmen would attack the left side. In front of the enemy's right side were 100 stradioti foot soldiers led by Repossi Busicchio. Next to him were men from Count Ruggero Zofa. Behind them were 200 stradioti crossbowmen. The cannons would be on the right side of the Venetian army. About 1,400 reserve men were also ready. These included soldiers led by Alviano and Pandolfo IV Malatesta.

From Venas, the Venetians continued towards Valle. They reached it around 10 AM on March 2. D'Alviano sent a group of stradioti ahead. But they did not follow orders. They set fire to some houses in Tai where German soldiers were staying. This started the battle earlier than planned.

The battle lasted less than an hour. It took place near the snowy banks of the Rio Secco. The white snow was stained with blood. About four thousand German foot soldiers knew they might be surrounded. They formed a square, with their supplies and women in the middle. They quickly marched against the Venetians. They wanted to break through the lines and escape.

Alviano, riding a horse in the middle of his army, ordered his wings to attack. These wings were made of crossbowmen, cavalry, and stradioti. They attacked the enemy's sides to slow them down. This gave Alviano time to get his army ready. Some of his cavalry had not yet arrived.

Rinieri della Sassetta, with some cavalry, Busicchio's stradioti, and Franco dal Borgo's crossbowmen, attacked the enemy's cannons from three sides. They managed to capture them. On the right, Naldi and Gambara's foot soldiers, helped by crossbowmen and cannons, kept the Germans' left side busy.

During the fighting, the German commander Sixt von Trautson fought a duel with Rinieri della Sassetta. Rinieri carried the Venetian flag. Trautson wounded Rinieri in the face. Rinieri fought back, hitting Trautson in the neck with his spear. Trautson fell from his horse and died.

When their commander died, the German foot soldiers lost their drive. At that moment, d'Alviano attacked with his foot soldiers. The Venetians broke through the German square. Most of the German foot soldiers were killed near the Rio Secco, even though they begged for mercy.

Two hours after the battle ended, Savorgnan's men arrived in Pieve. They had secured Treponti, Val d'Ansiei, and the mountain passes. The Venetians lost very few men. Only four heavy horsemen, sixteen horses, and a small number of foot soldiers died. The Germans lost 1,688 men killed. Another 500 surrendered and were captured. They were later released after paying a fee. The Venetians also captured eight of the enemy's cannons.

The Germans who escaped tried to rejoin their main army. They spread out and crossed the mountain passes. But about a hundred of them were killed by the stradioti in Val di Zoldo. Others drowned in the Piave River. Some froze to death in the cold.

Attack on Pieve Castle

The only Germans left were about seventy men guarding the castle of Pieve. It was on a rocky hill. On the morning of March 3, d'Alviano had four small cannons, called falconets, brought to a hill in front of the castle. He started shooting, but the small cannons did not do much damage.

Alviano thought these cannons would not be enough to break down the castle. He sent a messenger to Venice to ask for bigger cannons. In the meantime, he tried to get the soldiers in the castle to surrender. He promised their lives would be spared. The Germans said they would surrender the castle in three days. They might have hoped for help from their friends.

Around 1 PM on March 4, the Venetians were tired of waiting and running out of food. They decided to attack the castle from two sides. Alviano and Pietro dal Monte would attack the front, which had two outer defenses called ravelins. Pandolfo and Carlo Malatesta, Lattanzio da Bergamo, and others would attack the rear.

Alviano also placed a group of hand gunners on a small hill. Their job was to shoot at enemies who came out of the castle walls. This would help the Venetian foot soldiers advance.

The Germans fought bravely. They caused some losses to the attackers. Carlo IV Malatesta was hit by a stone that broke his helmet. But some Venetian foot soldiers, including Cola Moro and others, managed to climb the walls of one of the ravelins. They killed the guards and lowered the drawbridge. At that point, Alviano entered with ten knights and foot soldiers.

The door of the second ravelin was reinforced with wood and earth by the enemies. The Venetians broke it open with an axe and a pickaxe. Costantino Paleologo and Sertorio da Collalto were among the first to enter. The door to the main tower was then broken open and burned. The Germans inside kept throwing stones from openings in the walls. When the door was forced open, the remaining Germans surrendered. The attack had lasted three hours. The castle soldiers lost thirty-four men killed. Many of the survivors were wounded. The survivors had their belongings taken and were then released. In the castle, the Venetians found about 1,500 ducats (money). This money was given to the soldiers as a reward. They also found many goods that had been stolen from houses in Cadore and Valle d'Ampezzo.

What Happened Next

The Venetian victory brought great fame and money to Bartolomeo d'Alviano. On March 4, he was made the main commander of the Venetian foot soldiers and cavalry. His pay was doubled from 15,000 to 30,000 ducats a year. He also got a bonus of 1,000 ducats and could keep any captured cannons.

On March 5, Alviano left Cadore with 5,000 men. On March 6, Giovanni Foscarini was made the temporary commander of Cadore. Piero Corso and Girolamo Granchio became the new commanders of Pieve castle. Soldiers were left to guard the castle and other key places. Giorgio Corner then left the valley with 600 cavalrymen. He headed to Friuli, where the Empire's soldiers were gathering for a new attack. The 4,000 men who came from Carnia with Savorgnan also left.

After the siege, the Venetian soldiers had to eat only bread, wine, and apples for a few days. There was no other food left in the valley. However, on March 8, they captured four wagons full of bread and wheat. These wagons were pulled by twenty horses and protected by German soldiers. These Germans did not know about the defeat at Rio Secco and were trying to reach their friends in Pieve.

In the months that followed, Alviano moved into lands held by the Holy Roman Empire in Friuli and the Julian March. He captured Pordenone (in May 1508), Gorizia, Trieste, Pisino, Fiume, and Postojna. Because of his success, he was given control of Pordenone and allowed to join the Maggior Consiglio (Great Council) of Venice.

Maximilian I had to give up his claims to the lost lands. He also had to give up his plans to be crowned in Rome. On June 6, 1508, he signed a peace agreement. He accepted the harsh terms set by the Venetians.

Venice had already become the strongest Italian state. After this victory, it expanded its borders even more. It reached its largest size on land. This made many people unhappy, especially Pope Julius II. On December 10, 1508, he brought together France, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, and other states. They formed the League of Cambrai to fight against Venice. In the spring of 1509, the battle of Agnadello happened. This battle stopped Venice's control in northern Italy and helped the Kingdom of France gain power.

The battle was shown in a painting by Titian, who was from Pieve di Cadore. This painting was in the Palazzo Ducale in Venice. Sadly, it was destroyed in a fire in 1577.