Battle of Marciano facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Marciano or Battle of Scannagallo |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Italian War of 1551 | |||||||
 The Battle of Scannagallo by Giorgio Vasari, in the Palazzo Vecchio of Florence. |
|||||||
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Duchy of Florence Holy Roman Empire Spain |
 Republic of Siena France |
||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Gian Giacomo Medici |
Piero Strozzi |
||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| ~17,000 infantry ~1,500 cavalry |
~14,000 infantry ~1,000 cavalry 5 guns |
||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| ~200 killed | ~4,000 killed ~4,000 captured |
||||||
The Battle of Marciano (also called the Battle of Scannagallo) happened near Arezzo, Tuscany, in Italy. It took place on August 2, 1554. This battle was part of the Italian War of 1551. It was a big defeat for the Republic of Siena. Siena was fighting against the Duchy of Florence. After this battle, Siena lost its freedom. It became part of the Duchy of Florence.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
In 1554, Cosimo I de' Medici, the ruler of Florence, wanted to conquer Siena. Siena was Florence's last big rival in Tuscany. Cosimo had help from Emperor Charles V.
His army was led by Gian Giacomo Medici, also known as "Medeghino." The Florentine and Imperial (Emperor's) troops were split into three groups. One group went to southern Tuscany. Another group went to the Val di Chiana. The main group, led by Medeghino, planned to attack Siena directly.
The people of Siena asked Piero Strozzi to lead their defense. Strozzi was a general who worked for France. He was also a big rival of the Medici family. French soldiers and some Florentines who were exiled by the Medici joined Siena's side.
Medeghino's troops reached Siena on January 26, 1554. They tried to attack but failed. So, Medeghino started a siege of the city. A siege means surrounding a city to cut off its supplies. However, his army wasn't big enough to completely block Siena.
Cosimo I de' Medici hired more soldiers. He also waited for more help from the Emperor.
Strozzi's Plan
On June 11, Strozzi tried to break the siege. He left some French troops in Siena. He moved his army towards Pontedera. Medeghino had to stop his siege to follow Strozzi.
Strozzi then met up with more French soldiers. He had about 9,500 foot soldiers and 1,200 horse soldiers. Medeghino had more troops, including Spanish, German, and Italian soldiers.
Strozzi decided to march back to Siena. The city was running out of food. In July, he tried to capture Piombino. This was the only port where French supplies could reach Siena. But he failed.
Strozzi knew that only a big victory could save Siena. So, on July 17, he tried another attack. He marched towards Arezzo in the Val di Chiana. He left 1,000 foot soldiers and 200 horse soldiers to guard Siena. His main army had 14,000 foot soldiers, about 1,000 horse soldiers, and five cannons.
Strozzi's army easily took over small Florentine forts. But they failed to capture Arezzo on July 20. In the next few days, they did capture towns like Lucignano, Marciano della Chiana, and Foiano.
After a few days, Medeghino stopped his siege of Siena. He moved his army to meet Strozzi.
The Battle Begins
The two large armies met after some small fights. Strozzi's army was low on food. So, he decided to move his troops towards Lucignano on the night of August 1.
But his plan didn't work. On the morning of August 2, he was forced to fight. The Florentine-Imperial troops were following and bothering his moving army.
Armies Line Up
Strozzi's Sienese army had about 1,000 French and Sienese horse soldiers on their right side. In the middle, there were 3,000 German soldiers (called Landsknechts). Behind them were 3,000 Swiss soldiers. On their left were another 3,000 French soldiers. The left side of Strozzi's army had 5,000 Italian foot soldiers. Strozzi's army stood on a small hill that sloped down to the Scannagallo creek.
Medeghino's army had 1,200 light horse soldiers on their left side. Behind them were 300 heavy horse soldiers led by Marcantonio II Colonna. The middle of Medeghino's army had 2,000 experienced Spanish soldiers. It also had other soldiers from Corsica and 4,000 German soldiers. The right side had 4,000 Tuscan, 2,000 Spanish, and 3,000 Roman foot soldiers. They had a few cannons behind them. Medeghino also had a small group of reserve soldiers.
The Fight
The battle started when Medeghino's horse soldiers attacked. They easily defeated the French and Sienese horse soldiers. These soldiers ran away towards Foiano. Some stories say that the French commanders were paid off by Medeghino.
To fix this problem, Strozzi ordered his German soldiers in the center to charge down the hill. A messy fight started. But soon, the Sienese attack began to weaken. This was because of the Imperial cannons. The cannons also confused the Swiss soldiers who were trying to help.
Then, Medeghino ordered his own soldiers to attack. The German and Swiss soldiers started to panic. This turned into a full retreat when Colonna's heavy horse soldiers attacked them from behind. Colonna's men had been chasing the French and Sienese horse soldiers.
The French foot soldiers on the right side of Strozzi's army kept their formation. They were surrounded but fought bravely until the end.
Strozzi himself was hurt three times. His guards carried him away from the battle. His second-in-command died soon after from his wounds.
The battle lasted only two hours, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Sienese army lost about 4,000 soldiers who were killed. Another 4,000 were wounded or captured. Strozzi managed to escape.
What Happened Next
After the battle, Medeghino easily took over nearby castles. He was then able to completely surround Siena. He took harsh steps to stop farmers from bringing food into the city. In March 1555, he destroyed a group of 1,300 hired soldiers. They were trying to escape to find food.
Siena could not get enough food or help from the French. So, the city surrendered on April 17, 1555. The remaining Sienese soldiers went to Montalcino.
The Republic of Siena finally ended in 1559. It became part of the Duchy of Florence. Duke Cosimo I ordered a large fortress to be built in Siena. This was to prevent any future rebellions by the Sienese people. The fortress was finished in 1563. It still stands over the city today.
See also
In Spanish: Batalla de Marciano para niños
