The Habsburg defeat of France at Pavia captured King Francis I and effectively ended French dominance in northern Italy.
Key Facts
- Date of battle
- 24 February 1525
- French force size
- 26,200 troops
- Imperial relief force size
- 22,300 troops
- Battle duration
- Four hours
- Notable prisoner
- King Francis I of France
- Resulting treaty
- Treaty of Madrid, 1526
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
France and the Habsburg Empire were locked in the Italian War of 1521–1526 over control of northern Italy. In October 1524, Francis I besieged Pavia with roughly 26,200 troops. Charles V responded by dispatching a relief force of 22,300 men under Charles de Lannoy and the Duke of Bourbon to break the siege and defend the Imperial garrison inside the city.
On the foggy morning of 24 February 1525, the Imperial army attacked the besieging French forces in the Visconti Park of Mirabello di Pavia. Francis I led a mounted charge that inadvertently masked his own artillery. Imperial arquebusiers and landsknechte shattered the French formation, killing many leading French nobles. Francis himself was wounded, unhorsed, and captured by Imperial soldiers, then surrendered formally to Viceroy Charles de Lannoy.
Francis I was imprisoned at Pizzighettone and later transported to Spain, where he signed the Treaty of Madrid in 1526, ceding Burgundy to the Habsburgs and renouncing claims to Milan. However, Francis repudiated the treaty upon his release and quickly renewed hostilities, though French influence in Italy was permanently weakened by the defeat.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Francis I of France.
Side B
1 belligerent
Charles de Lannoy, Charles III, Duke of Bourbon, Fernando d'Avalos, Georg Frundsberg, Antonio de Leyva.