Battle of Ravenna (1512)

Battle of Ravenna
Part of the War of the League of Cambrai
Mort de Gaston de Foix à Ravenne, 11 avril 1512, oil on canvas by Ary Scheffer, 1824, Palace of Versailles
Date 11 April 1512 Location Near Ravenna, present-day Italy Result Franco-Ferrarese victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of France Duchy of Ferrara	Spain Papal States
Commanders and leaders
Gaston de Foix † Jacques de La Palice Alfonso I d'Este	Fabrizio Colonna Ramón de Cardona Pedro Navarro
Strength
2,000 men left to hold Ravenna 21,000 men engaged against the relief army 54 artillery pieces	Garrison at Ravenna: 5,000 men Relief army: 16,000 men 30 artillery pieces
Casualties and losses
3,000–4,500 dead 4,500 wounded	9,000 dead Unknown wounded 17,000 civilians massacred

The Battle of Ravenna, fought on 11 April 1512, was a major battle of the War of the League of Cambrai. It pitted forces of the Holy League against France and their Ferrarese allies. Although the French and Ferrarese eliminated the Papal–Spanish forces as a serious threat, their triumph was overshadowed by the loss of their young general Gaston of Foix. The victory therefore did not help them secure northern Italy. The French withdrew entirely from Italy in the summer of 1512, as Swiss mercenaries hired by Pope Julius II and Imperial troops under Emperor Maximilian I arrived in Lombardy. The Sforza were restored to power in Milan.