The Battle of Maclodio was Venice's only decisive victory in the Wars in Lombardy, forcing Milan to cede Brescia and Bergamo in 1428.
Key Facts
- Date
- 11 October 1427
- Location
- Maclodio, near River Oglio, SW of Brescia
- Prisoners captured
- 8,000 soldiers
- Distance from Brescia
- 15 km
- Truce granted by Venice
- 19 April 1428
- Wars concluded by
- Treaty of Lodi, 1454
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Venice and Florence allied against Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan, to counter his territorial ambitions. Carmagnola, formerly a Milanese commander, defected to Venice after being sidelined by Filippo Maria and persuaded Doge Francesco Foscari to appoint him general. After years of slow, costly campaigning that eroded public confidence, Carmagnola sought a decisive engagement to secure his command.
On 11 October 1427, Venetian forces under Carmagnola met the Milanese army commanded by Carlo I Malatesta at Maclodio, a small town near the River Oglio. The battle resulted in a decisive Venetian victory, with 8,000 Milanese prisoners taken. The town itself was largely destroyed in the fighting, and the defeat left Cremona briefly defenceless.
Despite the victory, Carmagnola released all 8,000 prisoners and declined to advance on Cremona, further souring Venetian public opinion. Milan sued for a short truce, formalized on 19 April 1428, under which it ceded Brescia, Bergamo, and surrounding territory to Venice — the largest permanent land acquisition in Venice's history. The Wars in Lombardy resumed two years later, continuing until the Treaty of Lodi in 1454.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Carmagnola.
Side B
1 belligerent
Carlo I Malatesta.