Battle of Garigliano (1503): Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Part of the Third Italian War}}

{{Infobox Military Conflict

{{more footnotes|date=January 2014}}

|conflict= Battle of Garigliano

{{Infobox Militarymilitary Conflictconflict

|partof= the [[Second Italian War]]

|image conflict = [[Image:Battle of Garigliano, 1503.gif|300px]]

| partof = the [[Italian Wars of 1499–1504|Third Italian War]]

|caption= Map of the battle, courtesy of the Department of History at the [[United States Military Academy]].

| image = Bayard sur le pont du Garigliano.jpeg

|date= [[December 29]], [[1503]]

| image_size = 300

|place= Near [[Gaeta]], [[Italy]]

| caption = [[Chevalier de Bayard]] at the bridge of Garigliano

|result= Decisive Aragonese victory

| date = 29 December 1503

|combatant1= [[France]]

| place = [[Garigliano River]], near [[Gaeta]] (present-day [[Italy]])

|combatant2= [[Aragon]]

| result = Spanish victory

|commander1= [[Marquis of Saluzzo]]

| combatant1 = [[File:Armoiries Espagne Catholique.svg|20px]] [[Kingdom of Spain]]

|commander2= [[Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba]],<br/> [[Bartolomeo d'Alviano]]

| combatant2 = [[File:Royal flag of France.svg|22px]] [[Kingdom of France]]<br>[[File:Arms of the house of Del Vasto.svg|20px]] [[Marquisate of Saluzzo]]

|strength1=

| commander1 = [[File:Armoiries Espagne Catholique.svg|20px]] [[Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba]]<br/>[[File:Armoiries Espagne Catholique.svg|20px]] [[Bartolomeo d'Alviano]]<br/>[[File:Armoiries Espagne Catholique.svg|20px]] [[Prospero Colonna]]<br/>[[File:Armoiries Espagne Catholique.svg|20px]] [[Pedro Navarro]]<br/>[[File:Armoiries Espagne Catholique.svg|20px]] [[Diego García de Paredes]]

|strength2=

| commander2 = [[File:Arms of the house of Del Vasto.svg|20px]] [[Ludovico II of Saluzzo]]<br/>[[File:Royal flag of France.svg|22px]] Yves d'Alègre<br/>[[File:Royal flag of France.svg|22px]] [[Piero the Unfortunate|Piero de Medici]]{{KIA}}<br/>[[File:Royal flag of France.svg|22px]] [[Francesco II Gonzaga]]<br/>[[File:Royal flag of France.svg|22px]] [[Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard|Pierre Terrail de Bayard]]

|casualties1=

| strength1 = 15,000{{sfn|Tucker|2010|p=478}}

|casualties2=

| strength2 = 23,000{{sfn|Tucker|2010|p=478}}

| casualties1 = 900{{sfn|Tucker|2010|p=478}}

| casualties2 = 4,000{{sfn|Tucker|2010|p=478}}

}}

{{Campaignbox Second Italian War}}

{{Campaignbox Italian Wars}}

The '''Battle of Garigliano''' was fought on [[29 December 29]], [[1503]] between ana [[AragonSpain|Spanish]]ese army under [[Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba]] and a [[France|French]] army commanded by the [[MarquisLudovico II of Saluzzo|Ludovico II]]., [[Marquisate Cordobaof launchedSaluzzo|Marquis aof surprise attack against the unsuspecting French and desicively defeated themSaluzzo]], bringingresulting anin enda toSpanish significant French resistance in [[Naples]]victory.

==Preliminary phase==

== Reference ==

[[File:Battle of Garigliano.jpg|thumb|Map of the battle]]

In mid-November 1503, the French and Spanish armies were separated by the [[Garigliano]] river, some 60&nbsp;km north of [[Naples]]. Both armies camped in a marshy and unhealthy area. The Spanish had tried several times to cross the river using a makeshift bridge, but always in vain. The French, based at the river's mouth near the ruins of [[Minturnae]] (Traetto), enjoyed the advantage of an accessible supply-base in the nearby port of [[Gaeta]].

* [[Bernard Law Montgomery|Montgomery, Bernard Law]]. ''A History of Warfare''. New York: World Publishing Company, 1968. ISBN 0688016456.

While the Spanish commander hesitated as to whether to attack or to retreat, he received reinforcements from Naples led by [[Bartolomeo d'Alviano]] and Orsini. He then decided to move some units in order to convince Ludovico that he was retreating towards the [[Volturno]] river. With Diego de Mendoza holding the rearguard with 300 men-at-arms and 5,000-6,000 infantry,{{sfn|Mallett&Shaw|2012|p=68}} Cordoba had devised a stratagem to cross the river using bridges made out of boats and barrels, which he had built in the castle of [[Sessa Aurunca]], 23 kilometers south of the Spanish camp.

{{france-battle-stub}}

{{spain-battle-stub}}

==Battle==

[[Category:1503]]

During the night between 27 and 28 December, the Spanish brought the bridging materials to a place near the castle of [[Suio]], in a position invisible to the French, some six kilometers north of the latter's camp. D'Alviano, commander of the Spanish vanguard, had the construction begin at dawn. By 10 AM some 3,500 Spaniards had crossed the Garigliano.{{sfn|Mallett&Shaw|2012|p=68}}

[[Category:Battles of Aragon|Garigliano 1503]]

[[Category:Battles of France|Garigliano 1503]]

The 300 [[Normandy|Norman]] crossbowmen in Suio did not notice the move, so Gonzalo de Cordoba was also able to cross the river with 2,000 German pikes, including 200 horsemen led by [[Prospero Colonna]].{{sfn|Mallett&Shaw|2012|p=68}} He then ordered an attack on the French bridge. When d'Alviano's troops reached Suio, the crossbowmen fled towards [[Castelforte]], where they met 300 French troops. These also fled to [[Traetto]], allowing d'Alviano to occupy Castelforte. Gonzalo de Cordoba spent the night in that town.

The French had numerous ill soldiers in their Traetto camp, so they were unable to send reinforcements. French captain Alegri then decided to destroy the bridge and to order a general retreat to Gaeta, abandoning all the sick soldiers and nine cannons in the camp.

Informed about the French retreat, Gonzalo decided to continue the advance. Colonna and his horsemen made contact with the French at [[Scauri]], but a courageous defence of a bridge by [[Chevalier Bayard]] allowed the French a safe retreat.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}} After a series of minor clashes, the French took position near a bridge in Mola where they were able to push back Colonna's attempt to surround them. However, the arrival of the rest of the Spanish forced the Marquis of Saluzzo to order another retreat.

==Aftermath==

The Spanish victory was decisive, as the offensive capacity of the French army was destroyed.{{sfn|Keegan|1996|p=63}}{{sfn|Paoletti|2008|p=11}} After some days of siege in Gaeta, the French surrendered.{{sfn|Mallett&Shaw|2012|p=69}} What remained of the French army traveled either by sea or on foot back to Milan.{{sfn|Mallett&Shaw|2012|p=69}} Many died at the hands of civilians or from hunger, even the commander Ludovico, Marquis of Saluzzo, died upon reaching Genoa.{{sfn|Mallett&Shaw|2012|p=69}}{{sfn|Day|Matzke|Saccocci|2020|p=226}} With the [[Treaty of Blois (1504)|Treaty of Blois]] in 1504, France recognized Spain's authority over Naples.{{sfn|Tucker|2010|p=478}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==Sources==

*{{cite book |title=Medieval European Coinage |volume=12, Northern Italy |first1=William R. |last1=Day |first2=Michael |last2=Matzke |first3=Andrea |last3=Saccocci |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2020 |isbn=9781107568747 }}

*{{cite book |author-link=John Keegan|last=Keegan |first=John |title=Who's Who in Military History: From 1453 to the Present Day |publisher=Routledge |year=1996 |isbn=978-0415127226 }}

*{{cite book |ref={{harvid|Mallett&Shaw|2012}}

|last1=Mallett |first1=M. |last2=Shaw |first2=C. |title=The Italian Wars, 1494–1559: War, State and Society in Early Modern Europe |year=2012 |publisher=Routledge|___location=New York |isbn=978-0582057586}}

*{{cite book |last=Paoletti |first=Ciro |title=A Military History of Italy |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2008 |isbn=978-0275985059 }}

*{{cite book|last=Tucker|first=Spencer C.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h5_tSnygvbIC&q=spencer+tucker+battle+of+muret&pg=PA269|title=A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East |volume=Two: 1500–1774 |year=2010 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1851096725 |pages=478|language=en}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|41.2167|N|13.5667|E|source:wikidata|display=title}}

[[Category:Italian Wars of 1499–1504]]

[[Category:1503 in Italy]]

[[Category:Battles ofinvolving AragonSpain|Garigliano 1503]]

[[Category:Battles ofinvolving France|Garigliano 1503]]

[[Category:Battles of the Italian Wars|Garigliano 1503]]

[[Category:Conflicts in 1503|Garigliano 1503]]