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The First Italian War (1494–95
1495

Year 1495 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar)....
), sometimes referred to as the Italian War of 1494 or Charles VIII's Italian War, was the opening phase of the Italian Wars
Italian Wars

The Italian Wars, often referred to as the Great Italian Wars or the Great Wars of Italy in historical works, were a series of conflicts from 1494 to 1559 that involved, at various times, most of the Italian city-states, the Papal States, all the major states of western Europe as well as the Ottoman Empire....
. The war pitted Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII of France

Charles VIII, called the Affable, , was List of French monarchs from 1483 to his death. Charles was a member of the House of Valois. His invasion of Italy initiated the long series of Italian Wars which characterized the first half of the 16th century....
, who had initial Milan
Milan

Milan is the second largest city of Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. It is the capital in the Province of Milan, as well as the Regions of Italy capital of Lombardy....
ese aid, against the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early modern Europe under a Holy Roman Emperor....
, Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
, and an alliance of Italian
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
 powers led by Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI

Pope Alexander VI , born Roderic Llan?ol, later Roderic de Borja i Borja was Pope from 1492 to 1503. He is the most controversial of the Secularism popes of the Renaissance, and his surname became a byword for the debased standards of the papacy of that era....
.

lass="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m4933119",this)' onMouseout='hide("m4933119")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Pope_Innocent_VIII">Pope Innocent VIII
Pope Innocent VIII

Pope Innocent VIII , born Giovanni Battista Cybo , was Pope from 1484 until his death....
, in conflict with King Ferdinand I of Naples
Ferdinand I of Naples

Ferdinand I , also called Don Ferrante, was the Monarchs of Naples and Sicily from 1458 to 1494. He was the natural son of Alfonso V of Aragon by Giraldona Carlino....
 over Ferdinand's refusal to pay feudal dues to the papacy, excommunicated
Excommunication

Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community. The word literally means putting [someone] out of full communion....
 and deposed Ferdinand by a bull
Papal bull

A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a pope. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end to authenticate it....
 of 11 September 1489.






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The First Italian War (1494–95
1495

Year 1495 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar)....
), sometimes referred to as the Italian War of 1494 or Charles VIII's Italian War, was the opening phase of the Italian Wars
Italian Wars

The Italian Wars, often referred to as the Great Italian Wars or the Great Wars of Italy in historical works, were a series of conflicts from 1494 to 1559 that involved, at various times, most of the Italian city-states, the Papal States, all the major states of western Europe as well as the Ottoman Empire....
. The war pitted Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII of France

Charles VIII, called the Affable, , was List of French monarchs from 1483 to his death. Charles was a member of the House of Valois. His invasion of Italy initiated the long series of Italian Wars which characterized the first half of the 16th century....
, who had initial Milan
Milan

Milan is the second largest city of Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. It is the capital in the Province of Milan, as well as the Regions of Italy capital of Lombardy....
ese aid, against the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early modern Europe under a Holy Roman Emperor....
, Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
, and an alliance of Italian
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
 powers led by Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI

Pope Alexander VI , born Roderic Llan?ol, later Roderic de Borja i Borja was Pope from 1492 to 1503. He is the most controversial of the Secularism popes of the Renaissance, and his surname became a byword for the debased standards of the papacy of that era....
.

Prelude

Pope Innocent VIII
Pope Innocent VIII

Pope Innocent VIII , born Giovanni Battista Cybo , was Pope from 1484 until his death....
, in conflict with King Ferdinand I of Naples
Ferdinand I of Naples

Ferdinand I , also called Don Ferrante, was the Monarchs of Naples and Sicily from 1458 to 1494. He was the natural son of Alfonso V of Aragon by Giraldona Carlino....
 over Ferdinand's refusal to pay feudal dues to the papacy, excommunicated
Excommunication

Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community. The word literally means putting [someone] out of full communion....
 and deposed Ferdinand by a bull
Papal bull

A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a pope. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end to authenticate it....
 of 11 September 1489. Innocent then offered the Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples

The Kingdom of Naples is the modern day name for a polity which existed on the southern part of the Italian peninsula. Also known contemporaneously, and somewhat confusingly, as the Kingdom of Sicily, this kingdom was founded after the secession of the island of Sicily from the old Kingdom of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers...
 to King Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII of France

Charles VIII, called the Affable, , was List of French monarchs from 1483 to his death. Charles was a member of the House of Valois. His invasion of Italy initiated the long series of Italian Wars which characterized the first half of the 16th century....
, who had a remote claim to Naples through the Angevin
Angevin

Angevin is the name applied to the residents of Anjou, a former province of the Ancien R?gime in France, as well as to the residents of Angers....
 line. Innocent later settled his quarrel with Ferdinand and revoked the bans before dying in 1492, but the offer remained an apple of discord
Apple of Discord

An apple of discord is a reference to the Golden Apple of Discord which, according to Greek mythology, the goddess Eris said that she would give "to the fairest" at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, sparking a vanity-fueled dispute between Hera, Athena and Aphrodite that eventually led to the Trojan War ....
 in Italian
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
 politics. Ferdinand died in January 1494, and was succeeded by his son Alfonso II
Alfonso II of Naples

Alfonso II of Naples , also called Alfonso II d'Aragon, though he was King of Naples only from January 25, 1494 to 1495—with the title King of Naples and King of Jerusalem—was a patron of Renaissance poets and builders during his long tenure as the heir to the throne of Naples, with the title duca di Calabria....
.

French invasion


In October 1494, Ludovico Sforza
Ludovico Sforza

Ludovico Sforza Duke of Milan , a member of the Sforza dynasty of Milan, Italy, was the second son of Francesco Sforza, and was famed as patron of Leonardo da Vinci and other artists....
, who had long controlled the Duchy of Milan
Duchy of Milan

The Duchy of Milan was a state in northern Italy from 1394 to 1797. It was part of the Holy Roman Empire, by then a decentralised entity, and was ruled by several dynasties, most of them major powers from outside Italy....
, finally inherited the ducal title. He was immediately challenged by Alfonso II, who also had a claim on Milan. Ludovico decided to remove this threat by inciting Charles to take up Innocent's offer. Charles was also being encouraged by his favorite, Étienne de Vesc
Étienne de Vesc

?tienne de Vesc , was a courtier of Louis XI of France and a formative influence on Charles VIII of France, whom he strongly encouraged in the French adventure into Italy in the First Italian War ....
. Charles gathered a large army of 25,000 men (including 8,000 Swiss mercenaries
Swiss mercenaries

Swiss mercenaries were soldiers notable for their service in foreign armies, especially the armies of the Kings of France, throughout the Early Modern Europe of European history, from the Late Middle Ages into the Age of the Age of Enlightenment....
), including the first siege train to include artillery
Artillery

Artillery is a military Combat Arms which employs any apparatus, machine, an assortment of tools or instruments, a system or systems used as weapons for the discharge of large projectiles in combat as a major contribution of fire power within the overall military capability of an armed force....
, and invaded Italy. Easily subduing Florence
Florence

Florence is the Capital city of the Italy Regions of Italy of Tuscany and of the provinces of Italy Province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany and has a population of 364,779 ....
, the French reached Naples
Naples

Naples is a city in southern Italy, the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples. The city is known for its rich history, art, culture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,800 years old....
 in February 1495 and captured it without a siege or pitched battle.

League of Venice


The speed of the French advance, together with the brutality of their attacks on cities, left the other states of Italy in shock. Ludovico, realizing that Charles had a claim to Milan as well, and would likely not be sated with the annexation of Naples alone, turned to the Papacy. Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI

Pope Alexander VI , born Roderic Llan?ol, later Roderic de Borja i Borja was Pope from 1492 to 1503. He is the most controversial of the Secularism popes of the Renaissance, and his surname became a byword for the debased standards of the papacy of that era....
 was embroiled in a power game with France and various Italian states over his attempts to secure secular fiefdoms for his children. The Pope formed an alliance of several opponents of French hegemony in Italy: himself; Ferdinand of Aragon
Ferdinand II of Aragon

Ferdinand the Catholic was king of Aragon , Sicily , Naples , Valencia , Sardinia and Navarre, Count of Barcelona, de jure uxoris King of Crown of Castile and then Regent of that country also from 1508 to his death, in the name of his mentally unstable daughter Joanna the Mad....
, who was also King of Sicily
Sicily

Sicily is an Autonomous regions with special statute of Italy. Of all the regions of Italy, Sicily covers the largest land area at 25,708 km? and currently has just over five million inhabitants....
; Emperor
Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early modern Europe under a Holy Roman Emperor....
 Maximilian I
Maximilian I

Maximilian I may refer to:*Maximilian of Mexico, reigned April 1864 to May 1867*Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, reigned 1508 to 1519*Maximilian I, Duke of Bavaria, reigned 1597 to September 1651...
; Ludovico in Milan
Milan

Milan is the second largest city of Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. It is the capital in the Province of Milan, as well as the Regions of Italy capital of Lombardy....
; and the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice

The Most Serene Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice . It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century AD until the year 1797....
. (Venice's ostensible purpose in joining the League was to oppose the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299?1923. It was Treaty of Lausanne by the Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923....
, while its actual objective was to expel the French from Italy.) This alliance was known as the Holy League of 1495 or the League of Venice, and was proclaimed on 31 March 1495. England joined in 1496. The League was the first of its kind: there was no medieval precedent of such divergent European states uniting against a common enemy, although many would be forged in the future. The League gathered an army under the condottiero Francesco II of Gonzaga. Charles, not wanting to be trapped in Naples, marched north to Lombardy
Lombardy

Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region....
. There he met the League in the Battle of Fornovo
Battle of Fornovo

The Battle of Fornovo took place 30 km southwest of the city of Parma on 6 July 1495. The League of Republic of Venice was able to temporally expel the France from the Italian Peninsula....
, 6 July 1495. Charles successfully retreated with most of his army, but had to abandon nearly all of the booty from his campaign and return to France. He died before he could regroup his forces and return to Italy.