Italian Wars

Italian Wars
Part of the French–Habsburg rivalry, the Anglo-French wars, and the Ottoman–Habsburg wars
Left to right, top to bottom: Battle of Fornovo, 1495 Battle of Ravenna, 1512 Battle of Marignano, 1515 Battle of Pavia, 1525 Battle of Ceresole, 1544 Battle of St. Quentin, 1557
Date 1494–1498; 1499–1501; 1502–1504; 1508–1516; 1521–1526; 1526–1530; 1536–1538; 1542–1546; 1551–1559 Location Primarily Italian Peninsula, also County of Flanders, the Rhineland, France, Spain and the Mediterranean Sea Result Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis Territorial changes Spain acquires sovereignty over the Kingdom of Naples, Kingdom of Sicily, and Duchy of Milan Lorraine cedes Three Bishoprics to France France gains Calais from England Independent Savoyard state re-established Florence annexes Siena
Belligerents
Kingdom of France  England (1526–1528)  Ottoman Empire (1536–1559)	Holy Roman Empire Spain  Naples  Sicily  England (1496–1526; 1542–1559)	Venice  Milan  Florence  Pisa  Papal States  Ferrara  Genoa [a]
Commanders and leaders
Charles VIII Louis XII Francis I Henry II Chabot Nemours  † Suleiman I Hayreddin Barbarossa Trivulzio	Maximilian I Ferdinand V Charles V Ferdinand I Philip II Henry VIII Mary I Alfonso II Frederick	Urbino Andrea Gritti Cosimo I de' Medici Ludovico Sforza Massimiliano Sforza Francesco II Sforza Julius II Clement VII Pope Paul III

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The Italian Wars^[b] were a series of conflicts fought between 1494 and 1559, mostly in the Italian Peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and Mediterranean Sea. The primary belligerents were the Valois kings of France, on one side, and their opponents in the Holy Roman Empire and Spain on the other. At different points, various Italian states participated in the war, some on both sides,^[c] with limited involvement from England, Switzerland, and the Ottoman Empire.

The Italic League established in 1454 achieved a balance of power in Italy, but fell apart after the death of its chief architect, Lorenzo de' Medici, in 1492.^[1] Combined with the ambition of Ludovico Sforza, its collapse allowed Charles VIII of France to invade Naples in 1494, which drew in Spain and the Holy Roman Empire. Although Charles was forced to withdraw in 1495, ongoing political divisions among the Italian states made them a battleground in the struggle for European domination between France and the Habsburgs.

Fought with considerable brutality, the wars took place against the background of religious turmoil caused by the Reformation, particularly in France and the Holy Roman Empire. They are seen as a turning point in the evolution from medieval to modern warfare, with the use of the arquebus or handgun becoming common, along with significant technological improvements in siege artillery. Literate commanders and modern printing methods also make them one of the first conflicts with a significant number of contemporary accounts, including those of Francesco Guicciardini, Niccolò Machiavelli, and Blaise de Montluc.

After 1503, most of the fighting was initiated by French invasions of Lombardy and Piedmont, but although able to hold territory for periods of time, they could not do so permanently. By 1557, the growth of Protestantism meant the major belligerents faced internal conflict over religion, forcing them to refocus on domestic affairs. This led to the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis, under which France was largely expelled from Italy, but in exchange gained Calais from England, and the Three Bishoprics from Lorraine. In turn, Spain acquired sovereignty over the Kingdom of Naples and Kingdom of Sicily in southern Italy, as well the Duchy of Milan in northern Italy.

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