Siege of Mirandola (1551)
Encyclopedia
The siege of Mirandola took part in 1551, carried on by Pope Julius III
against the city, which had allied with France
during the last of the Italian Wars.
As during the War of the League of Cambrai
, the fortified city-state of Mirandola
had again allied with France
. Like his predecessor Julius II had made in 1510, pope Julius III
in 1551 sent against it an army under generals Camillo Orsini and Alessandro Vitelleschi, along with his nephew, Giovanni Battista del Monte, who later proved an inept of military matters. Despite the alliance with the Spanish emperor Charles V
and his imperial support, the siege dragged on for months due to rivalry between the papal commanders. Differently from the 1510 siege
, the ditches did not get iced, and sallies from besieged knights hampered communications between the four forts built by the besiegers around the citadel.
In Spring, the siege continued with no result, waiting for a corps of Landsknechts to be sent by Charles from Germany. However, in March 1552, a Mirandolese raid surprised the pope's nephew while hunting and killed him. The pope wrote to the emperor that he would abandon the siege.
Pope Julius III
Pope Julius III , born Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte, was Pope from 7 February 1550 to 1555....
against the city, which had allied with France
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France was one of the most powerful states to exist in Europe during the second millennium.It originated from the Western portion of the Frankish empire, and consolidated significant power and influence over the next thousand years. Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, developed a...
during the last of the Italian Wars.
As during the War of the League of Cambrai
War of the League of Cambrai
The War of the League of Cambrai, sometimes known as the War of the Holy League and by several other names, was a major conflict in the Italian Wars...
, the fortified city-state of Mirandola
Mirandola
Mirandola is a city and comune of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, in the Province of Modena, 31 km northeast of the provincial capital by railway.- History :Mirandola originated as a Renaissance city-fortress...
had again allied with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Like his predecessor Julius II had made in 1510, pope Julius III
Pope Julius III
Pope Julius III , born Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte, was Pope from 7 February 1550 to 1555....
in 1551 sent against it an army under generals Camillo Orsini and Alessandro Vitelleschi, along with his nephew, Giovanni Battista del Monte, who later proved an inept of military matters. Despite the alliance with the Spanish emperor Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
and his imperial support, the siege dragged on for months due to rivalry between the papal commanders. Differently from the 1510 siege
Siege of Mirandola (1510)
The Siege of Mirandola took place at Mirandola, then the capital of a small state in the Italian region of Emilia, in 1510, and was carried on by Pope Julius II during the War of the League of Cambrai....
, the ditches did not get iced, and sallies from besieged knights hampered communications between the four forts built by the besiegers around the citadel.
In Spring, the siege continued with no result, waiting for a corps of Landsknechts to be sent by Charles from Germany. However, in March 1552, a Mirandolese raid surprised the pope's nephew while hunting and killed him. The pope wrote to the emperor that he would abandon the siege.