The war began when Ludovico Sforza, then Regent of Milan, encouraged Charles VIII
Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII, called the Affable, was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. He succeeded his father Louis XI at the age of 13. His elder sister Anne acted as regent jointly with her husband Peter II, Duke of Bourbon until 1491 when the young king turned 21 years of age. During Anne'…
Naples
Naples is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest municipality in Italy after Rome and Milan. In 2017, around 967,069 people lived within the city's administrative limits while its province-level municipality has a population of 3,115,320 residents. Its continuously built-up metropolitan …
Why did Pope Innocent VIII fight with King Ferdinand I of Naples?
What was the first war in Italy?
Why was the invasion of 1494 important?
What was the situation in Italy in the 1490s?
Who abandoned Rome to the French?
How did the French king supplement his forces?
See 1 more
When did Charles VIII of France invade Italy?
1494The wars began with the invasion of Italy by the French king Charles VIII in 1494. He took Naples, but an alliance between Maximilian I, Spain, and the pope drove him out of Italy.
Did King Charles of France invade Italy?
In an event that was to prove a watershed in Italian history, Charles invaded Italy with 25,000 men (including 8,000 Swiss mercenaries) in September 1494 and marched across the peninsula virtually unopposed. He arrived in Pavia on 21 October 1494 and entered Pisa on 8 November 1494.
What did Charles VIII of France do?
Charles VIII, (born June 30, 1470, Amboise, Fr. —died April 7, 1498, Amboise), king of France from 1483, known for beginning the French expeditions into Italy that lasted until the middle of the next century.
When did the French invade Italy during the Renaissance?
1494-The French invasion of Italy under Charles VIII in 1494-95 has long been seen as inaugurating a new and wretched era in Italian history.
Who won the invasion of Italy?
the AlliesThe new government promptly entered into secret negotiations with the Allies, despite the presence of numerous German troops in Italy. On September 3, Montgomery's 8th Army began its invasion of the Italian mainland and the Italian government agreed to surrender to the Allies.
Why did the king of France go mad?
His wife, Queen Catherine, discovered he had been poisoned by his personal bible, and that is what caused him to go mad.. Queen Catherine eventually reveals she knew her son Francis killed King Henry after he went mad..
Why was Charles VIII important?
Charles VIII (1470–1498) King of France whose most important legacy was an invasion of Italy that threw the political world of the Italian Renaissance into turmoil for generations. Born in the castle of Amboise, he succeeded Louis XI to the throne of France in 1483 at the age of thirteen.
What happened to Charles VIII?
On April 7, 1498, Charles VIII, King of France, attended a game of palm in the ditches of the Château d'Amboise. The 27-year-old King suddenly collapsed and became comatose. He laid down, almost on his own, on a straw mat that was hastily arranged, and he died 9 hours later.
Why did Henry VIII go to war with France and Scotland?
Henry VIII had split from the Catholic Church in 1534. The Pope, furious, demanded that the Catholic monarchs Francis I of France and Charles V of Spain (nephew of Catherine of Aragon, Henry's first wife) invade and remove Henry from power. However in 1544 Henry VIII allied with Charles and declared war on France.
Who invaded Italy first?
In the 4th century BC the Republic came under attack by the Gauls, who initially prevailed and sacked Rome. The Romans then took up arms and drove the Gauls back, led by Camillus. The Romans gradually subdued the other peoples on the Italian peninsula, including the Etruscans.
How long did France control Italy?
Despite this change, the nine years of French rule in southern Italy were a period of continuity, and, consequently, French reforms had a lasting impact.
What were the 3 reasons the Renaissance occurred in Italy?
5 Reasons Why the Renaissance Began in ItalyIt had been the heart of the Roman Empire. ... Extensive scholarly activity recovered vital ancient works. ... Its city-states allowed art and new ideas to flourish. ... Vast trading links encouraged cultural and material exchange. ... The Vatican was a rich and powerful patron.
Has France ever invaded Italy?
The French Invasion of Italy, 1494.
Did Charles V control Italy?
King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor. Charles V became the most powerful monarch of his day, ruling over an empire that included what is now Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, parts of Italy and central Europe, and large areas in the Americas.
Did Charles V win the Italian war?
The war strengthened animosity between the Spanish and French, and reinforced ties between France and the Ottoman Empire which had sided with Francis I against Charles V....Italian War of 1536–1538.Date1536 – 18 June 1538LocationProvence, Piedmont and LombardyResultTruce of NiceTerritorial changesSavoy and Piedmont acquired by France
Did Italy try to invade France?
The Italian invasion of France (10–25 June 1940), also called the Battle of the Alps, was the first major Italian engagement of World War II and the last major engagement of the Battle of France. The Italian entry into the war widened its scope considerably in Africa and the Mediterranean Sea.
The French Invasion of Italy, 1494 | History Today
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Why did the Italian Renaissance End - DailyHistory.org
What was the Renaissance? The term "Renaissance" or "rebirth" (or "rinascita" in Italian) was coined by Giorgio Vasari around 1550 in his book The Lives of the Artists.The Renaissance started in the late 15th century as Italians sought to imitate the lost world of ancient Greece and Rome and move away from gothic art.
King Charles VIII of France enters Naples and claims the city’s throne.
Naples, a city in Southern Italy, is one of the oldest cities in the world to be inhabited continually. It was founded by the Greeks in 9 th century BC as a Greek colony, and today has a population of 3-4 million, the number is disputed. Even with the lower number, Naples is the most densely populated city in Italy with roughly 8,000 people per square kilometer.
Italian War of 1494–1495 - Wikipedia
The First Italian War, sometimes referred to as the Italian War of 1494 [citation needed] or Charles VIII's Italian War, was the opening phase of the Italian Wars.The war pitted Charles VIII of France, who had initial Milanese aid, against the Holy Roman Empire, Spain and an alliance of Italian powers led by Pope Alexander VI, known as the League of Venice.
Italian Wars | Summary, History, & Facts | Britannica
Italian Wars, (1494–1559) series of violent wars for control of Italy. Fought largely by France and Spain but involving much of Europe, they resulted in the Spanish Habsburgs dominating Italy and shifted power from Italy to northwestern Europe. The wars began with the invasion of Italy by the French king Charles VIII in 1494. He took Naples, but an alliance between Maximilian I, Spain, and ...
What did Charles make to secure France against invasions?
To secure France against invasions, Charles made treaties with Maximilian I of Austria (the Treaty of Barcelona with Maximilian of Austria on 19 January 1493) and England, (the Treaty of Étaples with England on 3 November 1492) buying their neutrality with large concessions. The English monarch Henry VII had forced Charles to abandon his support for the pretender Perkin Warbeck by despatching an expedition which laid siege to Boulogne. He devoted France's resources to building up a large army, including one of Europe's first siege trains with artillery .
Why did Charles leave France?
Charles bequeathed a meagre legacy: he left France in debt and in disarray as a result of his ambition. However, his expedition did strengthen cultural ties to Italy, energizing French art and literature in the latter part of the Renaissance.
How many children did Anne and Charles have?
Issue. The marriage with Anne resulted in the birth of six recorded children, who all died young: Charles Orland, Dauphin of France (11 October 1492 – 16 December 1495), died of the measles when three years old. Buried at Tours Cathedral. Francis (August 1493), was premature and stillborn.
What did Charles VIII's coat of arms show?
Coat of arms of Charles VIII, showing France Moderne and France Ancient quartered with Jerusalem cross, representing Charles's claim to the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
How many men did the League lose in the Fornovo?
At the Fornovo in July 1495, the League was unable to stop Charles from marching his army out of Italy. The League lost 2,000 men to his 1,000 and, although Charles lost nearly all the booty of the campaign, the League was unable to stop him from crossing their territory on his way back to France.
How did Charles die?
Charles died in 1498 after accidentally striking his head on the lintel of a door at the Château d'Amboise, his place of birth. Since he had no male heir, he was succeeded by his 2nd cousin once removed, Louis XII from the Orléans cadet branch of the House of Valois .
Why did Savonarola believe that Florence was the right place to restructure the Church?
He believed that once Charles had ousted the evil sinners of Florence, the city would become a center of morality. Thus, Florence was the appropriate place to restructure the Church.
When did Charles VIII lead the French invasion of Italy?
When Charles VIII(reigned 1483–98) led the French invasion of Italy in 1494, he initiated a series of wars that were to last until the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis in 1559. These wars were not especially successful for the French, but they corresponded to the contemporary view…
Which king urged King Charles VIII to vindicate the claims of the French royal house to Naples?
These wars were not especially successful for the French, but they corresponded to the contemporary view…. …reply, Ludovico successfully urged King Charles VIII of France to vindicate the claims of the French royal house to Naples. Charles’s response was at first stunningly effective.
Why did Roussillon and Cerdagne leave Aragon?
The motive for these cessions was to free his hands for his grand enterprise, an expedition to Italy to assert the right to the kingdom of Naples that he had inherited from the Angevins.
Who was Charles VIII?
Full Article. Charles VIII, (born June 30, 1470, Amboise, Fr.—died April 7, 1498, Amboise), king of France from 1483, known for beginning the French expeditions into Italy that lasted until the middle of the next century. The only son of Louis XI and Charlotte of Savoy, Charles showed no aptitude for government at the time ...
Who was the king of France in 1483?
Charles VIII, king of France from 1483, known for beginning the French expeditions into Italy that lasted until the middle of the next century. The only son of Louis XI and Charlotte of Savoy, Charles showed no aptitude for government at the time of his accession: he was in poor health and of poor
Who led the army southward over the Alps?
history of Europe: Political, economic, and social background. In 1494 King Charles VIII of France led an army southward over the Alps, seeking the Neapolitan crown and glory.
Why did France invade Italy?
The first French invasion. Because the rulers of both France and Spain had dynastic claims in Italy, it was predictable that after the Hundred Years’ War in France in 1453 and the conquest of Granada by Spain in 1492 both powers would make Italy the battlefield of their conflicting ambitions. In the event, it was an Italian who called ...
What was Charles' response to the French invasion of Florence?
Charles’s response was at first stunningly effective. He crossed the Alps in early September 1494 and marched south. At Florence, Lorenzo’s successor, his son Piero de’ Medici, had declared in favour of Ferdinand. But the rapid advance of the French forces demoralized him, and he sued for peace in November.
Who threatened Ludovico?
Prince (later King) Ferdinand of Naples, angry that his grandson-in-law, Gian Galeazzo, duke of Milan, was excluded from power, threatened the regent, Ludovico. In reply, Ludovico successfully urged King Charles VIII of France to vindicate the claims of the French royal house to Naples. Charles’s response was at first stunningly effective.
What was Venice looking for in the Imbroglio?
Venice, characteristically emerging with spoils from the imbroglio (the Neapolitan ports of Otranto, Brindisi, and Trani), was looking for new triumphs, while Pope Alexander VI was considering means to disrupt the peace of Italy on behalf of his son Cesare Borgia. Load Next Page. Ask us a question.
What was the cause of the French invasion of Naples?
The prime cause of the invasion was probably a combination of historical forces and Charles himself. France was coalescing into its modern form as the monarchy acquired formerly independent French-speaking territories. In particular, when Charles’s father (Louis XI) gained Anjou in 1481 the Angevin claim to Naples came with it. Moreover, the acquisition of Province, gave France a long Mediterranean coastline that made it a Mediterranean power. Thus the claim to Naples fell to a power with the means to enforce it.
What was the impact of the Charles invasion on Florence?
Charles invasion had little lasting impact, except in Florence, where it caused the overthrow of the Medici and the founding of the republic in which Machiavelli served.
What did Mallet and Shaw say about Charles' motivation for the Italian war?
In The Italian Wars, Mallet and Shaw emphasize the critical role of Charles’ personal motivation in the impulse to war, saying that: “His honor as king could not allow him to forget so significant an inheritance, quite apart from the reminders he received from others.”
What did Mallet and Shaw say about the Italian war?
In The Italian Wars, Mallet and Shaw emphasize the critical role of Charles’ personal motivation in the impulse to war, saying that: “His honor as king could not allow him to forget so significant an inheritance, quite apart from the reminders he received from others.”. The invasion, when it came in 1494, demonstrated in striking fashion ...
What was Charles VIII's mistake?
In this situation, Charles VIII made a major mistake by scattering his forces over the fortresses of the Kingdom of Naples. On May 20, 1495, he made his way out of Naples only with the 10,000th detachment and moved through Rome to Tuscany. The sluggishness of Charle’s actions enabled his opponents to gather a 30,000-strong army commanded by condottiere Francesco II Gonzaga, who barred the retreat of the French on the Tarot River.
What was Charles VIII's plan for Constantinople?
Charles VIII had extensive plans. Having studied the political situation in Italy and the Balkans, the king and his advisers considered that the French in these places were expected to be deliverers. On the basis of this, a campaign was planned for Constantinople. Charles VIII also hoped that the Balkan people would rise up against the Turks and thereby help the French in their crusade.
What disease did Charles VIII have?
The campaign was marked by the fact that more than a third of the troops of Charles VIII fell ill in Naples with a new disease at the time – syphilis. Without immunity, the army quickly began to lose its combat capability, and, returning home, became the source of the global pandemic of this disease.
What caused the collapse of the balance of power in the Apennine peninsula?
The defeat of the Neapolitan kingdom caused the collapse of the balance of power in the Apennine peninsula. There were clashes between the Italian states, which erupted into armed conflicts (the war between Florence and Pisa (from 1494), the struggle between the pope and the house of Orsini, the beginning of the seizures of Cesare Borgia communes and the seniors of Central Italy). On the other hand, the kings of France also did not want to abandon their plans to seize the Italian territories.
What did the French do after occupying Florence?
After occupying Florence, the French signed an agreement with its inhabitants, which determined the amount of remuneration for military expenses. On December 31, the French occupied Rome, where they concluded an agreement on the passage through Rome with the Pope. The French fleet landed reinforcements here. On January 23, 1495, the French marched from Rome and, meeting no resistance, moved to Naples.
When did the French army cross the Alps?
At the end of August 1494, the French army crossed the Alps and descended through Mont-Genevre to Piedmont. After the occupation of Asti, the French troops merged with the Piedmontese, as a result of which the Allied forces increased to 60 thousand people. Neapolitan king Alfonso II sent two troops northward that were supposed to threaten the flanks of the advancing enemy: one detachment moved to Romagna, the other sailed the sea with the mission to land in the Genoese Riviera.
Who was Pope Innocent VIII?
Pope Innocent VIII, being in conflict with the Neapolitan king Fernando I , by the bull of September 11, 1489 excommunicated the latter from the church and deprived him of the throne. After that, Innocent VIII proposed the Kingdom of Naples to the French king Charles VIII, who had distant rights to him thanks to his kinship with the Anjou dynasty. Innocent VIII managed to reconcile with Fernando until his death in 1492 and granted him forgiveness, but the Neapolitan throne became the apple of discord in Italian politics. Fernando died in January 1494, and was succeeded by his son Alfonso II.
Why did Pope Innocent VIII fight with King Ferdinand I of Naples?
Pope Innocent VIII, had fought with King Ferdinand I of Naples over his refusal to pay feudal dues to the papacy. The Pope has long claimed that Naples was a fiefdom of the Papacy. Ferdinand was an unusually cruel and brutal prince even for the times, refused and this led to a conflict with the Papacy. The Pope excommunicated Ferdinand and thus he effectively stated that Ferdinand was no longer the legitimate ruler. Pope Innocent who had a good relationship with the French asked their king to intervene and he offered the throne of Naples to Charles VIII. The French monarch had a weak claim to the throne through his grandfather, who had married a member of the Angevin Dynasty, the ruling family in Naples. Later Innocent was reconciled with Ferdinand but the French monarch now believed that he was the legitimate king of Naples.
What was the first war in Italy?
The invasion of Charles VII was the first of the so-called Italian Wars. There were to be in total eight more major wars in the Peninsula in the period after Charles VIII's retreat. In the 63 years from 1494 to 1559, there were only 19 years of peace in Italy, and even in these years, there were smaller localized conflicts. These wars devastated the peninsula and they did great damage to the economy and society. The nature of warfare in this period was particularly brutal. The respective armies would often massacre entire populations. They would regularly engage in widespread looting and robbery. The local civilian populations suffered considerably. The scale of the suffering can be best seen in the Sack of Rome.
Why was the invasion of 1494 important?
However, it is of great historical significance because it ushered in an unprecedented period of warfare in Italy. The Italian Wars or the Hapsburg-Valois Wars, after the two Royal families who fought for control of Italy, disturbed the peace of Italy for several decades. The invasion of 1494 was to start a series of wars that only ended in 1559. The period was not one of constant warfare but war and violence became ingrained in Italian life now. The main protagonists in the Wars were the French, led by the Valois Kings and the Hapsburg, first the Emperor Maximillian I and later Charles V. After the partition of the Hapsburg Empire, the Spanish Hapsburg’s sought to dominate Italy.
What was the situation in Italy in the 1490s?
By the 1490s, the situation in Italy was relatively peaceful and it had not been invaded by a foreign army for several decades. In the Fall of 1494, Ludovico Sforza became the Duke of Milan but the new king of Naples, Alfonso II claimed the Duchy for himself, although his claim was rather weak. The new Duke of Milan entered into an alliance with the French king. This finally persuaded Charles VIII to invade the peninsula with an army of 20,000 men.
Who abandoned Rome to the French?
The Pope abandoned Rome to the French army but the French did not occupy the city. Charles VIII had returned to take charge of his army during their retreat through Italy. The League’s Army attacked the retreating French at Fornovo. They hoped to destroy the French army, but Charles VIII was able to inflict heavy casualties on the League and resumed his march home. Charles VIII died in April 1498, before he could regroup his forces and return to Italy to continue the war.
How did the French king supplement his forces?
The French king supplemented his forces by recruiting several thousand Swiss mercenaries. The advance units of the French army defeated a Neapolitan army at the Battle of Rapallo. The Milanese army linked up with the French and soon Charles could march through Italy with little opposition. Anyone who defied him was massacred. Many City-States submitted to him including Florence. Charles VII could march into Southern Italy unopposed and occupied Naples. He only stayed in his new kingdom for several weeks and left a viceroy in charge of Naples. The Italian City-States saw that the French presence in southern Italy was a danger to them all. This led the usually fractious city-states to form an alliance known as the League of Venice or the Holy League.
Overview
Timeline
This is an overview of notable events including battles during the war.
• 25 January 1494: king Ferdinand I of Naples died and was succeeded by his son Alfonso II of Naples (who also laid claim to Milan). King Charles VIII of France disputed the succession, and began preparations for an invasion of Italy to enforce his claim on the Neapolitan kingship.
• ? 1494: Neapolitan occupation of Bari
Prelude
Pope Innocent VIII, in conflict with King Ferdinand I of Naples over Ferdinand's refusal to pay feudal dues to the papacy, excommunicated and deposed Ferdinand by a bull of 11 September 1489. Innocent then offered the Kingdom of Naples to Charles VIII of France, who had a remote claim to its throne because his grandfather, Charles VII, King of France, had married Marie of Anjou of the A…
Conflict
Charles was preceded in Italy by his cousin Louis d'Orleans, who in July 1494 arrived in the territories of the Duchy of Milan with the vanguards of the French army, benevolently welcomed in Vigevano by the Dukes of Bari Ludovico Sforza and Beatrice d'Este, then settled in his fief of Asti. Only on 3 September 1494 King Charles moved to Italy through Montgenèvre, with an army of about 30,00…
Liability for conflict
Over the centuries, historians did not agree in attributing the blame for a conflict that would then start a series of wars spanning over half a century, as a result of which the Italian peninsula lost its independence.
Historians of the importance of Bernardino Corio commonly attribute to Beatrice d'Este and Isabella of Aragon the cause of the extinction of the Sforza as of th…
Over the centuries, historians did not agree in attributing the blame for a conflict that would then start a series of wars spanning over half a century, as a result of which the Italian peninsula lost its independence.
Historians of the importance of Bernardino Corio commonly attribute to Beatrice d'Este and Isabella of Aragon the cause of the extinction of the Sforza as of th…
Syphilis outbreak
During this war an outbreak of syphilis occurred among the French troops. This outbreak was the first widely documented outbreak of the disease in human history, and eventually led to the Columbian theory of the origin of syphilis.
Gallery
• Battle of Fornovo, 6 July 1495.
• Francesco II Gonzaga at the Battle of Taro, Jacopo Tintoretto, 1578-1579.
• The Battle of Fornovo, Galleria delle carte geografiche, Vatican museums.
Bibliography
• Anonimo ferrarese (1928). Giuseppe Pardi (ed.). Diario ferrarese. Rerum italicarum scriptores, raccolta degli storici italiani dal Cinquecento al Millecinquecento, fasc. 1, vol. 24. Giuseppe Pardi. Zanichelli.
• Corio, Bernardino (1565). L'Historia di Milano. Giorgio de' Cavalli.
• Dina, Achille (1921). Isabella d'Aragona Duchessa di Milano e di Bari, 1471–1524. Milan: Tipografia San Giuseppe. p. 366.
Overview
Charles VIII, called the Affable (French: l'Affable; 30 June 1470 – 7 April 1498), was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. He succeeded his father Louis XI at the age of 13. His elder sister Anne acted as regent jointly with her husband Peter II, Duke of Bourbon until 1491 when the young king turned 21 years of age. During Anne's regency, the great lords rebelled against royal centralisation efforts in a conflict known as the Mad War (1485–1488), which resulted in a victor…
Youth
Charles was born at the Château d'Amboise in France, the only surviving son of King Louis XI by his second wife Charlotte of Savoy. His godparents were Charles II, Duke of Bourbon (the godchild's namesake), Joan of Valois, Duchess of Bourbon, and the teenage Edward of Westminster, the son of Henry VI of England who had been living in France since the deposition of his father by Edward IV. Charles succeeded to the throne on 30 August 1483 at the age of 13. His health was poor. He …
Marriage
Charles was betrothed on 22 July 1483 to the 3-year-old Margaret of Austria, daughter of the Archduke Maximilian of Austria (later Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I) and Mary, Duchess of Burgundy. The marriage was arranged by Louis XI, Maximilian, and the Estates of the Low Countries as part of the 1482 Peace of Arras between France and the Duchy of Burgundy. Margaret brought t…
Italian War
To secure France against invasions, Charles made treaties with Maximilian I of Austria (the Treaty of Barcelona with Maximilian of Austria on 19 January 1493) and England, (the Treaty of Étaples with England on 3 November 1492) buying their neutrality with large concessions. The English monarch Henry VII had forced Charles to abandon his support for the pretender Perkin Warbeck by despatchin…
Death
Charles died in 1498, two and a half years after his retreat from Italy, as the result of an accident. While on his way to watch a game of jeu de paume (real tennis) in Amboise he struck his head on the lintel of a door. At around 2:00 p.m., while returning from the game, he fell into a sudden coma and died nine hours later.
Issue
The marriage with Anne resulted in the birth of six recorded children, who all died young:
• Charles Orland, Dauphin of France (11 October 1492 – 16 December 1495), died of the measles when three years old. Buried at Tours Cathedral.
• Francis (August 1493), was premature and stillborn. Buried at Notre-Dame de Cléry.
Media
The 1671 English play Charles VIII of France by John Crowne depicts his reign.
Charles VIII's invasion of Italy and his relations with Pope Alexander VI are depicted in the novel The Sultan's Helmsman.
In the 2011 Showtime series The Borgias, Charles VIII is portrayed by French actor Michel Muller. In the 2011 French-German historical drama Borgia, Charles VIII is played by Simon Larvaron. The e…
See also
• First Italian War
• Louis III of France, another French king who died after hitting his head on a lintel