The Battle of Garigliano was the conclusive battle of the Third Italian War of 1501-03. The Spanish led by Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba triumphed over a larger French army again, winning the war and establishing their control over Kingdom of Naples which would last for centuries!
I wanted to continue where I left yesterday when I presented the 1503 battle of Cerignola where the Spanish have achieved a crucial victory in April. After this victory the Spanish army marched towards Naples and triumphantly entered the city in May after the French retreated.
The Third Italian War was fought exclusively in the Kingdom of Naples in south of Italy between France and Spain for control of that land. The French relied on Swiss mercenaries but weren't able to recruit them for an offensive war for which the Swiss weren't interested.
The French eventually managed to gather enough infantry from Italian allies and in Autumn they arrived to southern Italy to reclaim it. The conditions were very harsh for both sides with rainy weather and short supplies. For months, there would be no decisive engagement.
The commander of the Spanish army Gonzalo de Cordoba had wisely avoided battle with the larger French army and waited them behind the Garigliano river. Neither side wanted to cross and engage and the stalemate continued as winter began. It looked like it would continue to spring.
However the Spanish soon developed a plan thanks to one of their Italian commanders Bartolomeo d'Alviano who suggested to built a pontoon bridge few miles upstream from the bridge that was guarded by the French, to surprise the enemy! Gonzalo de Cordoba accepted the plan.
D'Alviano crossed the river on 28 December 1503 with an advance guard of 3500 men followed by Gonzalo de Cordoba's forces of 2000 Landsknecht and 200 light cavalry. The rearguard of 300 heavy cavalry and 5000 infantry under Diego de Mendoza were left to guard the French bridge.
The Spanish forces completely surprised the French as they started advancing on the French side of the river, overwhelming poorly guarded French outposts. The French started to flee in panic as the Spanish rearguard crossed the bridge and they were attacked from two sides!
It was a brilliant move by the Spanish on the 15000 strong demoralized French army. The French lost around 4000 men in the panicked retreat and casualties would have been even higher if not for a brave last stand of French knights allowing infantry escape to the city of Gaeta.
Once again Gonzalo de Cordoba achieved a crushing victory over the French! This war enhanced the reputation of "El Gran Capitán" as a military genious and one of the greatest commanders of his age. The battles of Cerignola and Garigliano were definitely decided by leadership!
The French surrendered and Spain would control entire south of Italy from then on. They allowed the French to retreat and while the noble knights went to France by sea, the poor infantrymen had to return to France by foot broke and disarmed. Many of them died on the way home!
Even the French nobles who arrived by sea were not much better, "looking like death". The furious king Louis XII blamed the captains for the fiasco. He held them responsible for the indiscipline of the troops and for failing to provide unified leadership due to quarrels.
While the criticism of Louis XII was correct, he too could have done better as the king of France. The Third Italian War was just another example how much great men like Gonzalo de Cordoba changed history with their military innovation and leadership, beating superior armies!
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The idea that monarchy and republic are opposed to each other is a modern thing.
The term republic (res publica) was often used to describe medieval kingdoms.
Even by 16th century the Kingdom of France was still called both a republic and a monarchy at the same time!
The Kingdom of France defined itself by the phrase of "chose publique" (res publica) from 1350s to 1580s, also using the word respublique, to describe the relation between the King of France and his subject.
The term was then replaced by State (État).
The absolutist French monarchy which emerged in 17th century preferred the term State over republic, and talked of the "good of the State".
However the term state also comes from earlier medieval concepts like status regis at regni (the state of the king and the kingdom).
16th century Romans developed an interesting tradition of "talking statues", attaching anonymous political commentary on statues.
The Pasquino was the first of such statues.🧵
The Pasquino is an old statue in Rome dating back to Antiquity.
It was one of many random statues in Rome until early 16th century when Cardinal Oliveiro Carafa decorated the statue with Latin epigrams on the occasion of the Feast of Saint Mark.
The Cardinal's actions unintentionally inspired ordinary Roman people to start writing satirical poems and attaching them to the Pasquino.
It is speculated that these were first only consisting of lowbrow humor, but they soon began including controversial political criticism!
From 1475 on, the Venetians recruited the stradioti light cavalry from the Balkans as borderland troops in Friuli to defend against Ottoman raids.
These were known for cutting off the heads of dead or captured enemies and wanted to be paid extra for every head they brought back!
In one instance during the Ottoman raid on the town of Spilimbergo in 1499, the stradioti were able to respond quickly enough and in cooperation with local Friulian militias killed around 100 Ottomans whose heads they brought to a Venetian commander, demanding to be paid!
The territory of Friuli was acquired by Venice relatively late in 1420 following the collapse of the state of the Patriarchate of Aquileia.
Friuli would become a troubled borderland of Venice and faced many powerful enemies to the east.
I keep thinking about this town of Mahdia in Tunisia.
It used to be an important port but brutal wars through history reduced it to a quiet fishing town.
It's a place of significance for Western history as the first successful crusade-like expedition was launched here in 1087.
The Mahdia campaign of 1087 was a huge success for Pope Victor III who was able to rally the rival Italian maritime republics of Pisa, Genoa and Amalfi behind the Christian banner to attack the hated Muslim port of Mahdia from where pirate raids were staged by the Zirids.
11th century saw the rise of the maritime Republic of Pisa which was punching far above its weight in terms of power.
The Pisans continuously clashed with the Muslims for control of the Mediterranean and were eventually able to bring the war to them, sacking Tunis in 1130.